Everybody loves binary decisions, especially wrestling fans! In This Or That, we’ve forced ourselves to choose between two options that relate to wrestling.
Over five questions, @TimWelcomed, @typicalROHfan and @TomBlackett will have to choose one of two options and give their reasoning on each of their choices. You can then vote on which one you’d choose, giving you the false impression that you’re somehow involved and we care about your opinion chance to join the conversation!
With tonight’s RAW going “old school,” we decided to throw it back with some age old debates regarding iconic figures from wrestling’s yesteryear.
Stone Cold or The Rock?
The two greatest superstars of the most successful period in WWE history but who was ultimately better?
Tim:
As someone who over-thinks every aspect of everything, I love and hate both of these guys. I don’t think I would care much for Austin’s character if he were to come back and act exactly the same. I know this was the case for The Rock when he did return. However, at their peak they were two of my favorites and for that time they were something incredible.
So for this one I’m going to have to hide my moral compass because these two make it spin uncontrollably because, frankly, both were huge jackasses even when they were faces… but at the time I loved them and they were both extremely talented. They were the very definition of what a WWE Superstar is. They both have the power to make you recite their catchphrases with them. They both have that theme song that will make you jump out of your seat as soon as it begins. They both have a handful of classic matches in their history.
With all of that said, I am going to say The Rock although I’m a way bigger fan of Stone Cold. I think The Rock had a way better in-ring style at his peak. His moves were fluid and had a certain finesse. I have way more memorable crowd reactions come to my mind when I think of The Rock. Overall, I think The Rock would have a huge fan-base at almost any time in history while Austin was more of a “right place, right time” scenario.
The Rock
typicalROHfan:
One of my favorite debates because I always waiver back and forth. Steve Austin was one of my personal favorite wrestlers along with Shawn Michaels right before him and Rob Van Dam right after him. However, as I got older, I started to realize how much I cared about The Rock. When he was a heel, I hated him as much as I did any other wrestler. When he turned face, I’d sing along with all his catch phrases.
Despite his recent returns to the WWE playing a bit of the routine of Mr. 1999, I still think Rock in his prime would have been “the guy” in any era he wrestled in full time despite the scenario. I view Austin, Hulk Hogan and John Cena as excellent talents but not sure I can say the same to that extent as I do for Rock.
The Rock
Tom:
This is the one we’re starting with? Jesus, we’re not fucking around in 2014. I really don’t have a definitive favourite between the two – they’re so tied together that it’s tricky to pick one over the other. Today, I’ll pick Stone Cold… and not just because Tim and typicalROHfan both chose The Rock and I’ve got to cement my status as Wrestling On Earth’s most contrary member.
Rock was incredibly entertaining, but there was an explosive element to Stone Cold that made watching him feel so fun and spontaneous. I also have a real fondness for Austin’s ‘B’ feuds with guys like Kurt Angle and Booker T, which I don’t really feel for Rock – as good as he was working main events with Austin, Foley and Hogan, he seemed to falter a little if you matched him up against someone who wasn’t on his level.
Finally, Stone Cold introduced “ya dumb sumbitch” to my vocabulary, which remains an incredibly satisfying phrase to tack onto pretty much any sentence. Ya dumb sumbitch.
Stone Cold
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