ROUND ONE: Mick Foley (4) vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (5)

[Everlong]

The Ultimate Wrestler Tournament
ROUND ONE: Mick Foley (4) vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (5)

Two big time talkers, two guys who helped define vastly different eras. Mick Foley and Roddy Piper. Who ya got?



Mick Foley was not the greatest wrestler, he didn't have amazing physique and when you'd look at him, you'd never think "star." But all of this made Foley that much more appealing, and he managed to become one of the biggest stars of the late 90s WWF. Whether he was appearing as Mankind, Cactus Jack, Dude Love or himself, Foley was willing to do anything (and I mean anything) in the ring to make sure that the fans came away feeling like they got their money's worth.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*WWF Championship (x3)
*WWF Hardcore Championship (x1)
*WWF Tag Team Championship (x8)
*ECW World Tag Team Championship (x2)
*WCW World Tag Team Championship (x1)
*WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)

NOTABLE MATCH



NOTABLE SEGMENT





One of the best talkers in the history of the business, Roddy Piper is legendary for his Piper's Pit segments and for his influential role in just how important promo skills are to professional wrestling. Of course, that's not to take anything away from his in-ring skills. He played the foil to Hulk Hogan throughout the 80s and became one of the business's most reviled heels. He may just be the greatest to never win the WWE title.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

*WWF Intercontinental Championship (x1)
*World Tag Team Championship (x1)
*WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

NOTABLE MATCH



NOTABLE SEGMENT



VOTE NOW!

[The Legend]

OK, hands down this is the hardest battle of Round 1 period and will probably go down as one of the hardest of the entire tournament. Foley's strength is that he's probably the best and most versatile storyteller that the WWE has ever seen. Piper was a fantastic heel and a guy capable of so many memorable moments. I really don't know who to choose. I'll have to think about this more.

[Messiah]

This is, by far, the toughest in the first round. I cannot really argue or say anything against Roddy Piper because he is arguably the greatest talker the industry has ever seen but in the end, I went with the guy I was more familiar with and that is Mick Foley.



It doesn't matter what gimmick he was playing. The anti-extremist, Dude Love, the psychopath Mankind, the fun-loving Mankind, the daredevil Cactus Jack, Mick Foley made you care about what he was doing. I think Foley's microphone skills get truly underrated nowadays but he is truly one of the all-time greats in that regard and is arguably the most diverse. Every role he was ever given to him, he excelled in it. The fact he ever won the WWE Championship is a testament to that. Not even the WWE could deny just how popular he had gotten. Foley made people care about a sock. The more I think about it, Mick Foley has to be up there as one as far as who could really get you emotionally invested in everything they did in the ring and outside of it. Like The Legend said, he was a fabulous storyteller.

I really think his in-ring skills are underrated too. I remember on the old club, when in a Jeff Hardy debate or something like that, somebody called Mick a spot monkey and I think that is really unfair to him. Foley was an outstanding brawler and at the end of the day, professional wrestling is all about being left entertained and Foley entertained with everything he did. His moveset fit him perfectly. His matches almost always managed to steal the show at pay-per-views and his match vs. Shawn Michaels at Mind Games is still one of the best matches I have seen and one that has unfortunately been forgotten. He had some very entertaining matches with Austin too (against or teaming up with) as Dude Love. Foley put his all into his character, into his promos, and into his feuds, which as a result always made his matches better.

Above all, I think something that is important that can't be left out of this; nobody and I mean nobody has done a better job of putting guys over than Mick Foley has. That, to me, is extremely important. When people fought Mankind, they became a big deal no matter where it was on the card. Shawn Michaels took the next step when he got into the ring and defended his title against him. Mankind made The Rock a legitimate main eventer during their feud and prepared him for the WrestleMania 15 main event. Cactus Jack helped take Triple H to that next level and established him as the Cerebral Assassin. He did the same for Orton and Edge too. He helped do it in ECW. And it was because Foley made everything he did feel special and it rubbed off on his opponents. If you were wrestling Foley, it was one of the most important, if not the most important, things on the show because Foley made sure of it. And people loved him for it.

I don't think it is a stretch at all to say Foley is in the conversation for being the best face of all-time. He was just so likable. And you match up him with the guy who is in the conversation for being the best heel of all-time and it gets interesting. But Mick is one of my all-time favorites and I am a lot more familiar with his work so I give the edge to him.

[Everlong]

I went with Piper. I think he's one of the few best heels of all time, he originated the whole "wrestling talk show" shtick, he's incredibly influential when it comes to promos and mic skills and he knew how to sell in-ring action greatly. More importantly for this matchup, Piper was doing it for a longer period of time than Foley did, as Foley's really big contributions to the industry all came within a span of like, 3 or 4 years.

I'm actually surprised to see Foley jumping out to an early lead here; this one seemed to be a bit of a no-brainer here. Nothing against Foley, I love the guy, I just don't think he stands up to Piper.

[Chewy]

Piper because he was a friend of the Dynamite Kid.

[VaderBomb]

Rowdy Roddy Piper. I love Foley, but it's Piper. No question. It's 4:55 in the morning and I can't even bring myself to gush about why he's so wonderful. I mean shit, his segment at WM30 literally solidified the show as a 10/10 for me. Struggling to shake Mr. T's hand after that whole bit, incredible.

[ShaneOfan]

If it was simply heart, nobody could beat Foley. He has more heart for his job then any man I have ever seen. That said Piper is a better wrestler and was awesome on the mic. Dude may be the best heel of all time.