Championship Region, Fifth Round: (1) Steve Austin vs. (6) Lou Thesz

[klunderbunker]

This is a fifth round match in the Championship Region. It is a standard one on one match, held at the Super Dome in New Orleans, Louisiana. One week has passed since the third round, so some injuries or fatigue may be a factor.

NOTE ABOUT THE FINAL ROUNDS: The remaining three rounds are a one night only tournament in the style of King of the Ring. All damage from this round carries over to the next round and is based on the margin of victory. If someone wins a close match, they took a severe beating but survived. If someone wins a blowout, they didn't suffer as much damage.

#1. Steve Austin

Vs.

#6. Lou Thesz

​

Polls will be open for six days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster.

Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted.

 

[GI Cake]

Sorry Lou, your alignments and your archetypes are all sorts of messed up. If you were only a better alignment or archetype than SCSA than otherwise you would have won this.

Stone Cold is a brawler archetype, Lou Thez is an old archetype. So really Steve Austin is like Zangief, and Lou Thez is Pac-Man or some shit.

Am I doing this right, Eric?

 

[Bythedockofthebay]

I'm actually going with Thesz here although I don't blame anyone if they pick Austin who may very well be the most popular wrestler of modern times. People will bring up Gorgeous George as the first real entertainer in wrestling but in truth it was Thesz that debuted the same year as George and not only walked the walk but talked the talk.

When my grandfather would talk about Thesz, he's simply say the man was the greatest wrestler of all time. No debates, for his time he was a talker on the level of Steve Austin or the Rock. When Thesz started in wrestling it was considered a second rate sport. No one watched it and it didn't seem to go anywhere, until the age of Thesz. Thesz turned things around for wrestling before Hogan and before Austin. He was the top guy in NWA and AWA and it wasn't as if it was close. While Austin had the Rock, it's often argued if Rock surpassed Austin. Verne Gagne, was second to Thesz and wasn't close to surpassing Lou.

He was literally the main thing wrestling had going in his era, holding the NWA title for over 13 years, and having one reign that lasted eight. And even during a time period when wrestlers held the belt longer, Thesz still held it the longest. He sold out arenas when no one else was, he made the same impact Hogan made just years earlier.

I realize Thesz will probably go out here but in truth I believe Thesz goes over here in a dream match.

 

[DarksideEric]

Sorry Lou, your alignments and your archetypes are all sorts of messed up. If you were only a better alignment or archetype than SCSA than otherwise you would have won this.

Stone Cold is a brawler archetype, Lou Thez is an old archetype. So really Steve Austin is like Zangief, and Lou Thez is Pac-Man or some shit.

Am I doing this right, Eric?

No, not at all.

But I think Austin would win anyway.

 

[X]

Going with Austin here. Mainly because I've been on a heavy 1996-1997 WWF binge lately and have been rewatching his entire first two years in the company and what an absolutely unbelievable wrestling machine he was until the neck injury at Summerslam 97. I mean the man was just unmatched in intensity, some in his prime Benoit or Kobashi shit, and you couldn't find a more crisp and deliberate technician. So any arguments about Lou Thesz being able to out-wrestle Austin I think are completely moot, because as good as Thesz was, I do believe Austin to be his match in technical ability. He certainly matches him in the impact and drawing ability department, and has the benefit of being an outstanding promo cutter as well. Thesz is a legend, one of the legit toughest guys to ever lace up a pair of boots, but I'm if we're asking who would win this match in their prime, I can't see Austin losing. He was just too damn good.

 

[Tastycles]

It's so hard to compare these two. Austin drew more audiences, but in a TV age - it's not really possible for Thesz to have wrestled before a million people on Raw or whatever. Austin was hugely charasmatic, but I think I'm giving it to Thesz because he had to make audiences like him across the nation, whereas Austin was part of a well oiled machine. It's a nothing reason, but I think we're looking at two very incomparable guys here.

 

[Loveless]

I'm going with Thesz here. I keep going back to how Austin was repeatedly beaten by Bret Hart and I think that's the closest comparison you could make for this match.

 

[Dragon Chief]

Lou Thez the man who created the Lou Thez press against Steve Austin the man who used the Lou Thez press often in his matches, always found that cool. This match would be awesome.

Both these guys are considered to be all time greats and although I am more familiar with Stone Cold's matches, I'm going to go with Lou Thez here. Lou Thez seems like one of the few wrestlers who could take Austin to his limits, possibly making him submit to the STF, or pass out. I can't really compare these two wrestlers the same way I could with others.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

There's no wrong answer here so I have to go with what I know and what I know is there are very few people I can justify putting over Stone Cold. Lou Thesz is one of those people but right now I'm leaning towards Austin. Whoever wins this match will most likely be beat to shit, both are draws, both have made a huge thumbprint on the history of wrestling, Thesz and Austin are 2 of the biggest names ever when it comes to wrestling. In almost every way this is a close match up plain and simple.

Lou Thesz is a hooker, which means he would most likely exploit Austin's injured neck and he most likely wear him down using submission holds. Austin has always been the type of guy though that never quits, I don't see Thesz making Austin submit (and by that I mean prime Austin), he might be able to make him pass out but he won't make him submit and if he were to win by pinfall he would have to catch Austin off guard and get the quick 3 as he won't beat him down long enough to obtain the 3.

Thesz however does seem like the kind of guy that will lose when the circumstances are right and when its all said and done losing to the younger, more aggressive top guy seems like something Thesz would do. On top of that Austin's more modern style would most likely throw Thesz off as I guarantee he hasn't faced anyone quite like Austin before. There's a huge gap between when these 2 were active wrestlers and in cases like that the younger wrestler has more of the advantage, he's seen things that Thesz hasn't, he knows tricks Thesz doesn't and he could use those to exploit Thesz.

Overall Austin has the qualifications as a wrestler and a draw to beat Thesz, he's younger and I think Thesz would be honored to lose to a guy like Austin. You can go either way, there's a lot of things that can justify either way but for my taste I gotta go with Austin.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

It is good to see Thesz make it this far, but I don't think he goes over Austin. That is just my humble opinion. Some people will argue that Thesz will win based on his ability as a shoot fighter, but Austin can legit fight too, just ask Debra.

 

[nightmare]

Austin gets up, drinks a few, goes to the arena, drinks a few, beats Lou, drinks a few....


Thanks for the press, Thesz, but you got caught up in an ass kicking machine this round. Lets all just vote for the man who made drinking on the job cool again, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Now give me a hell yeah.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I'm no expert on Thesz I admit that, but I understand and respect his impact on the wrestling business. He was THE man for an incredibly long period of time, and one of the toughest men to ever step into a ring.

But Austin himself is one incredibly tough son of a bitch, a brawler who also had excellent technical ability, especially before his neck injury who had more impact on the business than almost anyone else in history- he's right up there with Thesz and Hogan in that regard.

This would be a tough match, and whoever comes out of it will be feeling the effects in the next round of the evening, but as Austin uses Thesz's own move as a signiture move, and has the Stunner in his arsenal then I'm giving it to Stone Cold. I don't see Thesz getting his shoulder up after a Stunner.

 

[HBsam31]

This is the farthest Thesz has made it since i started following the tournament, and was good to see someone fresh. Austin gets my vote here more so based on him being such a staple of my wrestling growing up. I have always thought Austin was underrated as a wrestler in that a lot of people only saw him post neck injury. In his prime I think he could hang with Thesz on the mat, and eventually hit a Stunner for the win.