Top MatchesI love Eddie Guerrero. I think he is more or less single handedly responsible for what I see as the greatest WWE match of all time. He has been a part of A LOT of great matches, but this is a runaway win for Hokuto. She is in my #1 match ever, has another in the top 10, and then 2 more in the top 100. That only scratches the surface of her very best. There aren’t a lot of better big match wrestlers.
Winner – Hokuto
VersatilityNow flip the script. Hokuto shows some versatility, deceptively so I think if you are looking at everything she can do in the ring, but Eddie takes this one by a country mile. He could play so many different characters, do just about anything you wanted him to do in the ring, and he could be an elite babyface or heel. If I were starting a promotion from scratch, Eddie is on the short list of my top priorities because of his versatility and his adaptability.
Winner – Guerrero
ConsistencyThis one is really tough. Both are sort of high floor wrestlers (and high ceiling for that matter) when they were active. I think I have to give this to Hokuto. Eddie has some lost opportunity but he also has some time where personal issues were keeping him from his very best. Razor thin win for Hokuto here, but I just feel like when I put on a Hokuto match I always know I am getting good Hokuto.
Winner – Hokuto
Charisma/”It” FactorI agree with Elliot that Hokuto sort of hit a level where she was able to elevate things just by being a part of it, but that doesn’t feel like a thing that can just be reduced to charisma. There is a lot that goes into that for me. Eddie may have never hit that level, but he was not really given much chance to be THE man and build that aura. He may have never hit that level, but what he did was carry countless programs, wrestlers, and feuds with his charisma. I am not sure I would say Eddie was a good actor (like potential to transition to film good), but I think he was a perfect actor for wrestling. He struck the perfect balance between serious and cheese and he made it work because… well… he was Eddie Guerrero.
Winner – Guerrero
PromosSort of unfair because I don’t speak Japanese, but when you take promos and vingettes together, Eddie is up near the top for me. He made me interested in a program about who was the father of Rey’s kid. So yeah…
Winner – Guerrero
Elevating OthersEddie has to take this one. Not only did he elevate people who were not good or could use his help to get good (think JBL, Batista, Chyna), but he also helped guys that I think are very good to come across as even better (Rey, Jericho, Malenko, Angle). Eddie is sort of like Bryan in that I am not sure anyone was ever worse off for stepping in the ring with him.
Winner – Guerrero
OffenseHokuto was falling behind, but she has to take this one. It is close, but I can’t deny . She is so dynamic and everything looks like murder from Hokuto. I don’t think Eddie is a week offensive wrestler at all. I think he does lots of little things well, but his offense isn’t as dynamic and jump off the screen as Hokuto.
Winner – Hokuto
Selling This one is close. Both are very good, but I have to lean to Hokuto. I think her selling makes her one of the best big match workers ever. She is able to really paint the picture of her pain for the crowd in a way that connects and makes her sympathetic. Its by a hair, but I’ll give it to Hokuto.
Winner - Hokuto
Rewatch Value This is the toughest one for me. On one hand Hokuto has some of the best and my favorite matches. On the other hand, Eddie produces a wider variety of matches from starkly different contexts and he adds so much character to everything. With Hokuto I get the greatest match ever. With Eddie I get matches from AAA to ROH to ECW to WCW to WWE. They are both responsible for two of my top probably 3 to 5 most rewatched matches ever…. Ugh. This is sort of the category where I think personal connection means the most. If that is the case, Eddie takes this because he has been one of my personal favorites for a very long time. However, in practice I probably rewatch more Hokuto matches right now. I think I have to give it to Guerrero. If it were an island situation, I’d take Eddie. He edges Hokuto out on personal connection. This is the one category I don’t want to have to call a draw so I’ll give this to Guerrero by the slimmest of margins.
Winner – Guerrero
Elliott’s Bonus Question (Brody/Nigel)This one is actually easy for me. I have Eddie Guerrero vs JBL in my top 10…. TOP 10… JBL! In my opinion JBL owes his entire main event run to the brilliance and commitment of Eddie Guerrero.
Winner – Guerrero
Final CountEddie Guerrero - 5.5
Akira Hokuto - 4
Another one that is probably a little closer than the numbers even indicate. If I called promos a draw and/or rewatch value a draw (either could have gone that way) then the score looks different. Its either a .5 difference one way or another at that point.
