ROUND TWO: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (1) vs. CM Punk (4)

[Westcoastvibes]

this was a tough one, they are both phenomenal guys and both are similar in a lot of ways. although austin had a long and exciting run, punk was right behind him in his run and could have been just as big if not bigger. in the end my deciding factor was punks recent walk out, simply because the guy has no heart for his fans is why I chose austin

[HFX]

this was a tough one, they are both phenomenal guys and both are similar in a lot of ways. although austin had a long and exciting run, punk was right behind him in his run and could have been just as big if not bigger. in the end my deciding factor was punks recent walk out, simply because the guy has no heart for his fans is why I chose austin

Ya how dare Punk walk out on the WWE and his legions of fans. Stone Cold would NEVER do anything like that ever.

[VaderBomb]

This is a very close call but this is a wrestler's tournament so Punk takes it. His best matches blow Austin's best performances out of the water aside from WM13. They are both incredible on the mic and in the ring, but I have to give it to Punk as much as I hate to vote against Austin who was my childhood hero and one of the undisputed greatest of all time.

[Str8Shooter]

this was a tough one, they are both phenomenal guys and both are similar in a lot of ways. although austin had a long and exciting run, punk was right behind him in his run and could have been just as big if not bigger. in the end my deciding factor was punks recent walk out, simply because the guy has no heart for his fans is why I chose austin

Ya how dare Punk walk out on the WWE and his legions of fans. Stone Cold would NEVER do anything like that ever.

True, but the difference is that Austin has repeatedly apologized and admitted that he was out of line and it was an unprofessional way to handle things and it's one of the biggest regrets of his career. Punk hasn't done that to this point.

Austin wins this to me, Punk you could argue is better in the ring, and he was damn good on the mic. But as good as Punk is and was, he never had the connection with the crowd, he never reinvented the industry in the way that Stone Cold led the charge of the Attitude Era.

[HFX]

this was a tough one, they are both phenomenal guys and both are similar in a lot of ways. although austin had a long and exciting run, punk was right behind him in his run and could have been just as big if not bigger. in the end my deciding factor was punks recent walk out, simply because the guy has no heart for his fans is why I chose austin

Ya how dare Punk walk out on the WWE and his legions of fans. Stone Cold would NEVER do anything like that ever.

True, but the difference is that Austin has repeatedly apologized and admitted that he was out of line and it was an unprofessional way to handle things and it's one of the biggest regrets of his career. Punk hasn't done that to this point.

Austin wins this to me, Punk you could argue is better in the ring, and he was damn good on the mic. But as good as Punk is and was, he never had the connection with the crowd, he never reinvented the industry in the way that Stone Cold led the charge of the Attitude Era.

Stone Cold has had 12 years to express his regret. CM Punk has had a bit over TWO MONTHS. Maybe he'll show some regret maybe he won't. He probably won't because he's a private person who does what he wants and I'm okay with that. But praising Stone Cold and damning Punk for doing the same thing is a dick move at this point. Punk did what he thought was best for him and I applaud and praise him for it. Yes he's an entertainer but I don't want to see Punk worn out, breaking his body and dying young simply because people wanted him to stay while he wanted rest and to do his own thing. He's a human not our plaything. Could he have gone about it better, possibly yes but maybe his lawyers are telling him to stay quiet and not say anything until his contract is over. I'm not saying that is for sure the case but it would make sense to keep a low profile if you're in breech of your contract. And about his contract, I view it no different than any athlete. Brett Hull signed a mega deal with Phoenix then retired 5 games into it. Kipper retired this summer with the Flames to spend his life with his family. If hockey players can end their contracts why can't a pro wrestler?

[Str8Shooter]

this was a tough one, they are both phenomenal guys and both are similar in a lot of ways. although austin had a long and exciting run, punk was right behind him in his run and could have been just as big if not bigger. in the end my deciding factor was punks recent walk out, simply because the guy has no heart for his fans is why I chose austin

Ya how dare Punk walk out on the WWE and his legions of fans. Stone Cold would NEVER do anything like that ever.

True, but the difference is that Austin has repeatedly apologized and admitted that he was out of line and it was an unprofessional way to handle things and it's one of the biggest regrets of his career. Punk hasn't done that to this point.

Austin wins this to me, Punk you could argue is better in the ring, and he was damn good on the mic. But as good as Punk is and was, he never had the connection with the crowd, he never reinvented the industry in the way that Stone Cold led the charge of the Attitude Era.

Stone Cold has had 12 years to express his regret. CM Punk has had a bit over TWO MONTHS. Maybe he'll show some regret maybe he won't. He probably won't because he's a private person who does what he wants and I'm okay with that. But praising Stone Cold and damning Punk for doing the same thing is a dick move at this point. Punk did what he thought was best for him and I applaud and praise him for it. Yes he's an entertainer but I don't want to see Punk worn out, breaking his body and dying young simply because people wanted him to stay while he wanted rest and to do his own thing. He's a human not our plaything. Could he have gone about it better, possibly yes but maybe his lawyers are telling him to stay quiet and not say anything until his contract is over. I'm not saying that is for sure the case but it would make sense to keep a low profile if you're in breech of your contract. And about his contract, I view it no different than any athlete. Brett Hull signed a mega deal with Phoenix then retired 5 games into it. Kipper retired this summer with the Flames to spend his life with his family. If hockey players can end their contracts why can't a pro wrestler?

I have no problem with him leaving it's what he really felt he had to do. And if it's because he was in poor mental or physical health from being so worn out and stressed. But if he left because he didn't want to face Triple H instead of being in the main event of Mania, then I think it's perfectly fair to criticize him for it. Just as Austin deserved criticism when he walked out.

[Hanley!]

This is a very close call but this is a wrestler's tournament so Punk takes it. His best matches blow Austin's best performances out of the water aside from WM13. They are both incredible on the mic and in the ring, but I have to give it to Punk as much as I hate to vote against Austin who was my childhood hero and one of the undisputed greatest of all time.

I actually think if you were to judge this based purely on wrestling skills, Austin should win. I voted for Punk, but he won the battle based on his mic work. He's a good wrestler, but I think Austin had more classics and wrestled better under a larger variety of styles. Also, Punk could just be a little sloppy in his execution of moves over the last few years, which Austin rarely was unless he was brawling and it ultimately worked in telling the story.

And yeah, the match at Wrestlemania 13 which you already brought up is the best that either of them have ever had in my mind. And it's probably not even that close.

[VaderBomb]

This is a very close call but this is a wrestler's tournament so Punk takes it. His best matches blow Austin's best performances out of the water aside from WM13. They are both incredible on the mic and in the ring, but I have to give it to Punk as much as I hate to vote against Austin who was my childhood hero and one of the undisputed greatest of all time.

I actually think if you were to judge this based purely on wrestling skills, Austin should win. I voted for Punk, but he won the battle based on his mic work. He's a good wrestler, but I think Austin had more classics and wrestled better under a larger variety of styles. Also, Punk could just be a little sloppy in his execution of moves over the last few years, which Austin rarely was unless he was brawling and it ultimately worked in telling the story.

And yeah, the match at Wrestlemania 13 which you already brought up is the best that either of them have ever had in my mind. And it's probably not even that close.

Punk's series against Joe were probably better than the WM13 match, but that's about it.

[Hanley!]

^^ Eh, there are probably plenty of people who would agree with you, but I don't really see it. I watched whichever one was supposed to be their best (the second one, I think) and while it was good without a doubt, I wouldn't consider it on a level with Hart/Austin in terms of storytelling. Very little is.

It might not be relevant to this conversation anyway though. It takes two great performers to make a five star match, but neither Punk or Austin were granted the lion's share of the credit for those matches. Joe & Hart were considered the superior performers at the time.

[VaderBomb]

I wasn't expecting Punk to get crushed this bad. I'm curious, though.

1.) Does Punk leaving the WWE impact this wide margin? I think so, absolutely.

2.) If he returned at the next PPV with a big surprise moment, would anybody change their vote?

[ShaneOfan]

I wasn't expecting Punk to get crushed this bad. I'm curious, though.

1.) Does Punk leaving the WWE impact this wide margin? I think so, absolutely.

2.) If he returned at the next PPV with a big surprise moment, would anybody change their vote?

1.) Maybe a little but not a lot.

2.) I would not. I have always disliked his attitude and don't think he quite at the point where he could be considered the best ever. I look at it the same as with Bryan v Rock. Almost but not there yet.

[The Legend]

I wasn't expecting Punk to get crushed this bad. I'm curious, though.

1.) Does Punk leaving the WWE impact this wide margin? I think so, absolutely.

2.) If he returned at the next PPV with a big surprise moment, would anybody change their vote?

For me the answer would be no. I mean Austin is a top 5 all-time talent to me and Punk just isn't. That's not to say he isn't very good or great, but Austin was just better.

[Everlong]

I wasn't expecting Punk to get crushed this bad. I'm curious, though.

1.) Does Punk leaving the WWE impact this wide margin? I think so, absolutely.

2.) If he returned at the next PPV with a big surprise moment, would anybody change their vote?

It was just a really tough vote for me. Both of these guys are two of my all-time favorites, but in the end Austin just edges it out for me. This was one of the harder votes of the tournament for me. Recent factors didn't impact my decision at all, especially considering I'm not at all a part of the Punk hate train

[Messiah]

this was a tough one, they are both phenomenal guys and both are similar in a lot of ways. although austin had a long and exciting run, punk was right behind him in his run and could have been just as big if not bigger. in the end my deciding factor was punks recent walk out, simply because the guy has no heart for his fans is why I chose austin

Ya how dare Punk walk out on the WWE and his legions of fans. Stone Cold would NEVER do anything like that ever.

True, but the difference is that Austin has repeatedly apologized and admitted that he was out of line and it was an unprofessional way to handle things and it's one of the biggest regrets of his career. Punk hasn't done that to this point.

It took Austin years to do that. There is no difference.

And above all else... STEVE AUSTIN BEAT HIS WIFE. Can't hold a morals against Punk like Westcoastvibes considering Austin was far from a saint himself. And not that I really hold it against Austin for that, it was in the past. But Westcoastvibes can't just ignore that if he will apply it to Punk.

[Chewy]

I voted for Punk because I like him more.

[ChrisCrossed]

I voted Austin because imo, Austin is the GOAT and one of the few to say they could do anything.

Mic work: Can anyone control a crowd better? He played off of them, could make them stop and listen and then have them explode in the same promo. Punk may be naturally a better talker in some aspects, but it doesn't match Austin's crowd control.

Ring work: I'm one one the few that believes you don't need to be a technical master to be good in the ring. It's about the story telling and Austin was able to pull out classics. Will Punk vs Cena or Punk vs Taker be remembered 9-10 years from now, idk.

Charisma: Not even close, Austin wins.

[Locke]

People dog Punk for being an "asshole" but Austin beat his wife, I mean c'mon.

I voted Austin, though. No one was more convincing of a bad ass than Austin. He was sort of like Bryan, in the looks department. Didn't look like all that much, certainly wasn't a roid freak by any means, didn't look like he could pick up someone like Big Show for example.. but you still knew he was gonna whip someone's ass. That, and to this day, there's never been a better looking move than the stunner IMHO. So fast, so unpredictable, so sudden, and would probably really freakin' hurt, if not make you bite your damn tongue off if you weren't ready.

[SortaCreative]

this was a tough one, they are both phenomenal guys and both are similar in a lot of ways. although austin had a long and exciting run, punk was right behind him in his run and could have been just as big if not bigger. in the end my deciding factor was punks recent walk out, simply because the guy has no heart for his fans is why I chose austin

Ya how dare Punk walk out on the WWE and his legions of fans. Stone Cold would NEVER do anything like that ever.

True, but the difference is that Austin has repeatedly apologized and admitted that he was out of line and it was an unprofessional way to handle things and it's one of the biggest regrets of his career. Punk hasn't done that to this point.

It took Austin years to do that. There is no difference.

And above all else... STEVE AUSTIN BEAT HIS WIFE. Can't hold a morals against Punk like Westcoastvibes considering Austin was far from a saint himself. And not that I really hold it against Austin for that, it was in the past. But Westcoastvibes can't just ignore that if he will apply it to Punk.

This is something I brought up in the Benoit thread but it's difficult for people to take personal feelings out of the equation. I don't think it's possible to take all personal bias out of a tournament like this but I do wish people voted on all of the attributes we bring up in the various threads that we determine makes the "ultimate wrestler" rather than just personality. It's a cop out imo.

[Kyle]

I love Punk - one of my favourite wrestlers ever - but it's gotta be Austin. His legacy is too great.