ROUND ONE: CM Punk (4) vs. Rey Mysterio (5)

[Everlong]

The Ultimate Wrestler Tournament
ROUND ONE: CM Punk (4) vs. Rey Mysterio (5)

Two guys who made it huge in WWE despite not having the big, bulking stereotypical look of WWE main eventers. It's CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. Leeeggggggooooo!



A phenomenal all-around talent and arguably one of the best talkers in the history of the business, CM Punk has participated in classic matches and moments both in RoH and WWE. For a brief period of time it looked as though he was on his way to being the next Stone Cold until the WWE completely flubbed the Summer of Punk angle. There's still plenty left for him to accomplish should he choose to come back to wrestling, but even if he doesn't he'll be remembered for his sharp promos and versatile ring work.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*WWE Championship (x2)
*World Heavyweight Championship (x3)
*ECW Championship (x1)
*ROH World Championship (x1)
*ROH Tag Team Championship (x2)
*WWE Intercontinental Championship (x1)
*Money in the Bank Winner (2008, 2009)
*WWE Triple Crown Champion
*5 Star Match (2004 vs. Samoa Joe) from The Wrestling Observer
*5 Star Match (2011 vs. John Cena) from The Wrestling Observer

NOTABLE MATCH



NOTABLE SEGMENT





Rey Mysterio has arguably done more for cruiserweight wrestling in America than any other man in the business. Long before he was in the World Heavyweight Championship picture and being marketed as WWE's "biggest little man," he was revolutionizing the way the American companies viewed smaller wrestlers in ECW and WCW. Over the course of a 20-year professional career he has amassed a laundry list of accomplishments and been involved in numerous classic matches.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*WWE Championship (x1)
*World Heavyweight Championship (x2)
*WCW Cruiserweight Championship (x5)
*WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship (x1)
*WCW World Tag Team Championship (x3)
*WWE Intercontinental Championship (x2)
*WWE Tag Team Championship (x4)
*WWE Cruiserweight Championship (x3)
*Royal Rumble Winner (2006)
*WWE Triple Crown Champion

NOTABLE MATCH



NOTABLE SEGMENT





VOTE NOW!

[VaderBomb]

Rey Mysterio is one of the most entertaining athlete's to have ever laced up a pair of boots and easily one of the top five or ten greatest luchadors ever; but CM Punk is so much more versatile in every aspect of his character, that makes this is an easy pick. CM Punk it is.

[Kirbi]

Well, Mysterio is definitely past his prime at the moment, but even discounting that I'm giving it to Punk.

I'm looking at this two ways: looking for the best all-rounder, or someone who is by far and away the best at something. And I think Punk takes it on both.

He is certainly the better all-rounder: he acquits himself well in the ring, he acts well (including body language while not actually wrestling - something I always appreciate), and he can promo like nobody's business. Mysterio is/was better in ring, but he has so many other holes in his game that it's not even funny.

Mysterio was a really great wrestler in his prime, a joy to watch in the ring. But, honestly, some other people are as good; he isn't even my favourite cruiserweight from WCW (it's gotta be the Juice). But I don't think I've ever seen anyone work the mike as well as Punk. He's so good that he was able to force them to book him better, to make him one of the stars. Mysterio never had that in him - he wouldn't have been able to force the focus when there were other options who delivered the same kind of thing.

Mysterio was really good, but Punk for the win here.

[Everlong]

This is probably going to be the hardest vote of the tournament for me, because both of these guys probably occupy two of my top 7 or 8 favorites of all time.

Punk is one of the only reasons I started paying attention to wrestling again in 2010, and watching his Summer of Punk in 2011 was magical. Of course, after that all went to shit I basically drifted away for good, only to pop back in during WrestleMania season the past couple years (because come on, it's WrestleMania). But his skillset is undeniable; an incredible talker and a great ring worker (he pulled a legit five star match out of John Cena for god's sake).

I was always a big wrestling fan as a young kid, but Rey Mysterio is the one who turned me into a die hard. In his WCW days he was doing stuff nobody else in the world could do. I think people who are only familiar with his WWE work severely underrate his talents, and he even had a long stretch of in-ring greatness in WWE despite being limited by WWE style and, later on, by knee injuries. I think it says a lot about Mysterio's talents as a performer, however, that even after he'd suffered numerous injuries he was still able to adapt his style and continue to be arguably the company's most consistent in-ring performer, especially at big events.

I fully expect Punk to take this round, but I can't possibly make an unbiased decision here. I'm voting Mysterio mostly from the heart, my reasoning being that if I were to watch both of these guys in their primes, I'd be more entertained by Mysterio. But I have zero problems with Punk winning this and advancing.

[prophet]

This is the toughest one yet for me. Yesterday I thought I was going to vote for Mysterio and yet when I entered this thread my intention was to vote for Punk and even now I'm not sure. I'm going to have to take a bit more time on this one and come back and vote later.

[Hanley!]

I'm going with Punk, though it was a difficult decision. Mysterio was one of my two favourite guys back during my favourite period in wrestling period - mid 90s WCW. And he's definitely superior to Punk in terms of in ring performances. But in all other areas, Punk kinda picks him apart.

I won't be sad if Mysterio wins as he was a real talent in the ring, and had great matches with both fellow cruiserweights and larger competitors. But Punk is good in the ring and great on the microphone. Mysterio is great in the ring, yet he's not even good on the microphone. He's pretty awful.

Punk is indisputably just the better all round performer. Mysterio was great at certain things, but there's a reason he's never been in contention to be the guy for any company. He has too many holes in his game.

[ShaneOfan]

Punk is the better wrestler but Rey is more exciting. Punk is a better talker for sure. While I think Punk had had a more versatile character, I think Rey did his to perfection. He is one of the only little guys that can make you believe they can legitimately go toe to toe with huge wrestlers and win. For me these guys are sol close but it comes down to the x factor of passion and attitude and very few people have the passion for what they do or the attitude to love it day in and day out that Rey does. He goes out there and has never worried about where he was on the card or if he was going to win or lose. He did it for the love of the sport.

[prophet]

I gave my vote to CM Punk, though I feel awful about it.

Rey Mysterio is the greatest luchador of all time. Growing up he was doing things I'd never seen before and absolutely tearing down the house every night which is what endeared him to me. I'm pretty certain he was a favourite of everyone at one point in their lives due to his high-flying and unique move-set. He's had countless amazing matches and feuds and could work well with pretty much anyone. I loved it when he first won the World Heavyweight Title and felt it was thoroughly well-deserved plus at that point in the wake of Eddie's death I think he was endeared to everyone. It's a shame his legacy has simmered somewhat in the past few years and I certainly think he should retire soon so we can begin celebrating his great career without remembering his final years.

That said though, this is the 'ultimate' wrestler tournament and CM Punk is certainly more of an ultimate wrestler than Rey is. CM Punk is another that's had obstacles to deal with in his ascent through WWE but like Daniel Bryan managed to excel in any position he found himself in - be it opposite Jeff Hardy, leading the Straight Edge Society or holding the WWE Title, he was exceptional at them all. The now infamous 'Summer of Punk' was the most compelling television WWE has put on in years and the match with Cena and MITB2011 is one of my favourites of all time. Punk is great in the ring, though never left me with shock and awe like Rey did, but Punk's famous shoot promo did leave me in shock and awe. On the microphone CM Punk truly is one of the best in the world and his characters have always been brilliant.

Sentimentality wanted me to vote for Mysterio for the joy he provided me a child but logic dictates that I vote for CM Punk so that's what I've done.

[Str8Shooter]

Well as I said the other day, I'm voting for Mysterio, I think in general he's underrated by today's wrestling fans who only have him in their mind as the often injured, generic babyface of the past couple years. He was a lot more than that though. But you certainly can't just base your choice off of what is freshest in your mind.

Mysterio helped re define the high flyer in North America. He was doing moves that nobody had seen before, flying around with a grace and beauty that was hard to fathom how he could do such things in a ring. What's even more incredible is how rarely he botched moves, considering the high degree of difficulty and the fact that his opponents had often never seen the moves he was going to do and had to do their best to be ready for him to come from all angles.

He's the quintessential babyface, and despite being a face for pretty much all of his career, he's always been a crowd favourite who didn't hear any boos, until the last year or two when the crowd's started to become smarkier and he was on the shelf more often and wasn't the in-ring worker he used to be. He helped pave the way for the likes of a Daniel Bryan to be wrestling for the World title at WrestleMania tomorrow night, he was one of the main people that made WWE believe that smaller wrestlers could be over and could be stars just as big as the bigger guys. His WWE career has seen him have classic matches with a myriad of opponents, not just the cruiserweights he competed mainly against in his early days. And his passion for the business is exceptional, continuing to fight his way through bad knee injuries to come back, at risk to his long term health.

CM Punk is an outstanding talent, I won't deny that. His combination of in ring skill and microphone skill is one of the best we've seen in years. But I'm just not as big a fan as many of you are, his babyface runs haven't been a huge success, with him seemingly content to play the generic smartass face role, which you'd think someone with as much of a big mouth as he has would have tried to change.

I cannot ignore my personal feelings about Punk, much like some of you shared your feelings on Hogan and Flair, I'm not a huge fan of Punk the person from what we've seen and heard. I think he acts like a spoiled brat oftentimes and isn't appreciative of his fans and the success he's been afforded in the biggest company in the world. Even when other guys would kill to be in his position, he still would complain and speak out about it, and he seems to be the type of guy who takes his ball and goes home when he doesn't get his way. When he wasn't happy with his position in 2011, he was ready to bolt until they convinced him to come back for the "pipe bomb", and this year he wasn't thrilled to not be main eventing Mania and once again he decided it wasn't worth his time to stick around.

Punk is worthy of advancing to the second round, just not in my opinion over Rey Mysterio, who has an abundance of skill and has given me more joy, and less headaches, than CM Punk has.

[Chewy]

Punk because he's taller.

[Viazon]

For a couple of years, Smackdown was far superior to Raw and I credit Rey Mysterio as being one of the reasons why. In his prime, he was about as exciting to watch in the ring as anyone. It's unfortunate that he has come up against CM Punk here because I'm sure there are many wrestlers who I would have discarded in favour of Rey.

CM Punk just has some areas in his game that Rey doesn't have. Most notably his mic work. When he was in the WWE, he was probably the best talker. Like I said in the Jericho/Benoit thread, to be a true great, you need to be great in every aspect of the game. That's not to say I don't think Rey is not one of the all time greats. I just think CM Pink is slightly better.

[Ace]

Rey Mysterio is magical in the eyes of children & fans everywhere. Since his days in WCW Rey Mysterio has changed the mold of professional wrestling on the side of the world. He along with guys like Eddie Guerrero & Ultimo Dragon defined the power of being small, quick & agile. He flips & twirls in the air which makes for great entertainment.

The reason that Punk got my vote is because he is a guy who wanted the opportunity & instead of waiting he kicked down the door & demanded it. CM Punk is also more believable. Mysterio is awesome but being able to beat guys like Khali & Undertaker is more entertainment than wrestling.

Sorry, I love little Rey Rey & it's funny because I hated CM Punk.

One thing that has changed the way I look at professional wrestling is CM Punk. I used to buy into the system. I used to love the good guys like John Cena & boo bad guys like CM Punk. This mind you being only a couple of years ago. It wasn't until CM Punk's legendary pipebomb promo that I realized that good guy vs. bad guy isn't what being a fan of wrestling is about these days. This bothered me as I watched my friends cheer for CM Punk while I looked like a little kid. It was & has been in my head for awhile. CM Punk is truly the BEST IN THE WORLD.

CM Punk is excellent on the mic, fantastic in the ring & has worked his ass off since he started wrestling back in 2002. Punk deserves everything given to him up until this point. I will say however that it's a shame to see that he couldn't handle not constantly being on the top & decided to leave. Would love to see him back soon.

[SortaCreative]

BEST IN THE WORLD

[The Legend]

CM Punk wins this one. He's just always shone brighter than Rey Mysterio did and that's really the only point. I will say that to just watch a match I'd probably pick a Rey match in his prime over a Punk match, but Punk was always better at putting the story together and making me care about the feud.