ROUND ONE: Edge (3) vs. Samoa Joe (6)

[Everlong]

The Ultimate Wrestler Tournament
ROUND ONE: Edge (3) vs. Samoa Joe (6)

The Ultimate Opportunist vs. a man who for many years was an Indy darling, then brought his talents to TNA. Edge and Samoa Joe. Who ya got?



It was a long and crazy career for Edge, who started off in the Brood and wound up turning into the Rated R Superstar. Through Live Sex Celebrations, throwing WWE Championships into the ocean and spearing people from hanging title belts, Edge has won more championships than anyone ever to compete in the WWE and carved out a niche for himself as one of the company's greatest talkers.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*WWE Championship (x4)
*World Heavyweight Championship (x7)
*WCW United States Championship (x1)
*WWE Intercontinental Championship (x5)
*World Tag Team Championship (x12)
*WWE Tag Team Championship (x2)
*Triple Crown Champion
*King of the Ring (2001)
*Money in the Bank Winner (2005, 2007)
*Royal Rumble Winner (2010)
*WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)

NOTABLE MATCH



NOTABLE SEGMENT





From his time in ROH and the indy circuit to his early days in TNA, Joe was revered as a big guy who would flat out work. He held the RoH title for a record 21 months, and has won numerous total titles accompanied by chants of "Joe is gonna kill you!"

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*ROH Pure Championship (x1)
*ROH World Championship (x1)
*TNA World Heavyweight Championship (x1)
*TNA Television Championship (x1)
*TNA World Tag Team Championship (x1)
*TNA X Division Championship (x4)
*King of the Mountain (2008)
*TNA Grand Slam Champion
*TNA Triple Crown Champion

NOTABLE MATCH



NOTABLE SEGMENT



VOTE NOW!

[KaiserGlider]

Well, Joe's getting slaughtered

The thing about Joe was that he was very good until about 2009 or so. His ROH/early TNA work was phenomenal and he was easily one of the best wrestlers in the world. Then he got fat and slow, and the Samoa Joe of today is a shell of his former self. If Joe had been consistent and kept up his level of work it wouldn't have been as surprising for him to be in this tournament. Hell, maybe he could have even gotten past Round 1 if paired with a lesser opponent.

But as it stands, Edge outclasses him completely. Easily one of my favorites of all time, and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it to the high-end Rounds of this tournament. Also a shame that he had to retire as early as he did. I think he could have had some great feuds or matches with Punk, Bryan, and others that have risen to the top since his departure.

[prophet]

Edge, probably the easiest decision of round one.

Without even factoring in his early days as a tag team wrestler Edge still walks this with ease. Personally I feel like he carried the company for many, many years starting around 2005-2006 when I began to grow weary of Cena. Edge was literally the only reason I'd tune in at many points, he was just so damn entertaining and was someone you loved to hate. I'll give props to Lita too who I thought was brilliant as his valet throughout that team. Edge has been apart of some of the most memorable matches in WWE history and his title reigns were both well deserved and excellent. He was an amazing talker and amazing wrestler as most have been in round one but the way he transitioned from tag team wrestler to comedy act to main event badass was impressive and I'm happy he's already in the Hall of Fame.

Joe on the other hand is a great wrestler and that triple threat match with AJ and Daniels is the best triple threat ever in my honest opinion. Yet he falls victim the TNA curse and whilst good he never stood a chance in this tournament. Joe's best days were when he dominated ROH and then when he first went to TNA and dominated there. Lately he's had to put up with a lot of the company's bullshit and it's a shame we may never see his talents utilized in the bigger and better company.

[DanielsonTHAGOAT]

Samoa Joe is a hell of a wrestler and performer but Edge gets the vote due to his in ring skills and charisma. I think Edge's character evolving into that "Rated R Superstar" gimmick was amazing. Edge really had some crappy gimmicks early on but he made them so entertaining. He literally started from the bottom and made his way into the main event scene.

His feuds with Undertaker and John Cena were awesome. He had classic matches with both those guys and put on a clinic. I think Edge also gave the Money In The Bank a lot of credibility when he used it to beat John Cena.

Samoa Joe on the other hand had amazing feuds with Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, and Kurt Angle. Who could ever forget the triple threat bouts between Styles, Daniels, and Joe? Some of the greatest wrestling you'll ever see. The thing that holds me back from Joe is that he lacked a lot of charisma and wasn't too memorable on the microphone.

[ShaneOfan]

Joe is great, like with Roode in the previous thread of the few times I have watched TNA I did like Joe, but Edge was just awesome.

[Str8Shooter]

Another rout for me this matchup is. Samoa Joe was a really good worker in the late 2000's in TNA, and unfortunately never got the break he likely deserved in TNA for being able to do all the things he could do.

Joe is a pretty good worker for a guy his size, he mixes strikes and a physical big-man style, but he was able to add in a dash of moves that you wouldn't expect someone his size to be able to do. His mic work is decent if unspectacular. TNA's lack of a desire to push him near the top for years when they probably should have I think took a lot of the wind out of his sails. He gained some weight and looked unmotivated in the ring for a while, not like his previous self of the years before. I can't say I blame him considering the mess that TNA has been for a large portion of his run there.

Edge has had a hell of a career. When you've held more titles than anyone in the history of WWE, you've clearly done something right. The one knock on him is his best run was during an era that many felt was sub par and had people frustrated with the WWE and what they were doing. But his body of work through his career is pretty astounding, from a highly decorated tag team wrestler, to a damn good babyface singles wrestler, to a pretty amazing heel character in the "Rated R Superstar" paired with Lita. He really carried the WWE as it's top heel for a couple years and provided some great entertainment and matches.

Edge takes this for me.

[VaderBomb]

Joe is one of the greatest of all time, his work in ROH especially his three match series against Punk are probably all within the top 10 greatest ROH matches of all time. He was great in TNA for patches, but Edge has got to take it in the end. Edge was a total package. He was great in the ring, not quite as good as Joe but still up there with the best WWE has ever had. He also had loads more charisma and interesting story lines than Joe, his character was so perfected that he could literally work with anyone. I miss Edge so much.

[The Legend]

Edge simply didn't have a weakness in his game. Every area you can probably point out a guy that was better than him in each aspect, but overall he was still at a minimum really good at everything he did and he really did it all in professional wrestling. Samoa Joe is good, but Edge is great.

[VaderBomb]

Edge simply didn't have a weakness in his game. Every area you can probably point out a guy that was better than him in each aspect, but overall he was still at a minimum really good at everything he did and he really did it all in professional wrestling. Samoa Joe is good, but Edge is great.

Samoa Joe is great as well, just not as great as Edge.

[Hanley!]

Edge simply didn't have a weakness in his game. Every area you can probably point out a guy that was better than him in each aspect, but overall he was still at a minimum really good at everything he did and he really did it all in professional wrestling. Samoa Joe is good, but Edge is great.

Samoa Joe is great as well, just not as great as Edge.

Samoa Joe has been great, for sure. But Edge was great for pretty much the entirety of his career. That's the difference here.

Joe has had periods where he has come across as lethargic in the ring and where he hasn't really been setting crowds on fire with his work. Now you can attribute that attitude to the way he's been booked at times, as TNA has certainly done some pretty awful stuff with him. But a lot of the very best performers have found a way to rise above the booking and deliver the goods regardless. Styles and Roode were the other TNA guys who got through to this tournament and although they often were given pretty dodgy angles, they always gave things their all and did everything they could to get their stories over in the ring. Joe hasn't done the same.

Take them both at their best, and this is actually a tough call. Edge would still take it for me, but not by that much. But take their work over the course of their entire careers and Edge wins it easily.

Edge is someone who I think is often underrated as a performer. Fans online seem to have a love/hate relationship with him. Some people think he was great, others can't understand the appeal. I'm one of the people who thought he was great. He had the perfect career in that he had great runs as a tag team performer and a midcarder and a main event level talent. He worked well as both a face and a heel (though better as a heel). He put on lots of great matches, particularly when in gimmick matches. And in my mind he's one of the top 5 of all time on the microphone.

Plus, he really carried WWE between 2006 & 2009. Sure, Cena was the face of the company. But just about every really exciting moment - every event that really got people talking about the shows - involved Edge in some way. He brought an excitement and unpredictability to the shows that hadn't been seen since the Austin era and which hasn't been replicated since. That puts him very high on my list of favourites.

[VaderBomb]

Edge simply didn't have a weakness in his game. Every area you can probably point out a guy that was better than him in each aspect, but overall he was still at a minimum really good at everything he did and he really did it all in professional wrestling. Samoa Joe is good, but Edge is great.

Samoa Joe is great as well, just not as great as Edge.

Samoa Joe has been great, for sure. But Edge was great for pretty much the entirety of his career. That's the difference here.

Joe has had periods where he has come across as lethargic in the ring and where he hasn't really been setting crowds on fire with his work. Now you can attribute that attitude to the way he's been booked at times, as TNA has certainly done some pretty awful stuff with him. But a lot of the very best performers have found a way to rise above the booking and deliver the goods regardless. Styles and Roode were the other TNA guys who got through to this tournament and although they often were given pretty dodgy angles, they always gave things their all and did everything they could to get their stories over in the ring. Joe hasn't done the same.

Take them both at their best, and this is actually a tough call. Edge would still take it for me, but not by that much. But take their work over the course of their entire careers and Edge wins it easily.

Edge is someone who I think is often underrated as a performer. Fans online seem to have a love/hate relationship with him. Some people think he was great, others can't understand the appeal. I'm one of the people who thought he was great. He had the perfect career in that he had great runs as a tag team performer and a midcarder and a main event level talent. He worked well as both a face and a heel (though better as a heel). He put on lots of great matches, particularly when in gimmick matches. And in my mind he's one of the top 5 of all time on the microphone.

Plus, he really carried WWE between 2006 & 2009. Sure, Cena was the face of the company. But just about every really exciting moment - every event that really got people talking about the shows - involved Edge in some way. He brought an excitement and unpredictability to the shows that hadn't been seen since the Austin era and which hasn't been replicated since. That puts him very high on my list of favourites.

I agree with all of this.

[Ace]

Yeah Edge easily takes this. Joe is one of TNA's greatest & has an awesome intensity to him. Man the guy sure can move

Edge is just one of the greatest of all time. He is great in all areas in professional wrestling. Great ring work, awesome promos, interesting & charismatic character. He has an even greater intensity about him. Edge is one of my favorites & it was easy to choose him over Samoa Joe.

[Viazon]

Edge and it's not even close. Samoa is great and has had some top matches but Edge is one of the very best of all time in my opinion. Even when I look back at his time as a tag team wrestler, it's not surprising to me he became a main eventer. Guy just had it.

[VaderBomb]

Wow, Joe's getting crushed.

[SortaCreative]

Not cared about Joe in years. Too bad really.

[Chewy]

Edge because he isn't fat.

[ShaneOfan]

Was not expecting nearly this big of a blow out.