SCF Tournament, Round of 32 - Chris Jericho vs. Mick Foley

[Spidey]

For a guy that's had a longer career and done more than Foley, I can't really name any historic moments with him except that one that even WWE has problems making look good in video packages.

Foley had several. I imagine the better wrestler leaving the more lasting impact, and I just don't see it with Y2J like I do Mick Foley.

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I give the edge to Y2J. He has better accolades , both wrestlers have had really entertaining angles and both are good on the Mic. Foley has had far better hardcore matches and will be remembered more for his brutal beatings he took in the ring more than anything else. Y2J has had better matches, won more titles, been in the main event longer, and looking over both careers...hes just the bigger, better star to wrestling than Foley.

[Fallout]

For a guy that's had a longer career and done more than Foley, I can't really name any historic moments with him except that one that even WWE has problems making look good in video packages.

Foley had several. I imagine the better wrestler leaving the more lasting impact, and I just don't see it with Y2J like I do Mick Foley.

???

Not to say you're wrong with Foley (his title win, This Is Your Life, Cane Dewey, Hell In A Cell and his hardcore stuff, among others), but Y2J had:

His 1004 holds list.
His armbar.
His debut in the WWF.
His armbar.
His victory over both The Rock and Stone Cold in one night to unite two world championships.
His first great feud with Shawn Michaels.
His armbar.
His return in 2007.
His armbar.
His heel turn in 2008 and the run after that.
His second great feud with Shawn Michaels that he ultimately won.
His record-breaking amount of IC title wins.
His armbar.
His high-profile returns in 2012 and 2013.
His list of Jericho.
The festival of friendship.
His ability to work in New Japan with apparently Vince McMahon's blessing, putting on a classic with Kenny Omega.

But perhaps most important of all, his armbar.

(I'm sorry, but when you're talking about Jericho and lists, you can't miss that opportunity.)

[Spidey]

???

Not to say you're wrong with Foley (his title win, This Is Your Life, Cane Dewey, Hell In A Cell and his hardcore stuff, among others), but Y2J had:

His 1004 holds list.
His armbar.
His debut in the WWF.
His armbar.
His victory over both The Rock and Stone Cold in one night to unite two world championships.
His first great feud with Shawn Michaels.
His armbar.
His return in 2007.
His armbar.
His heel turn in 2008 and the run after that.
His second great feud with Shawn Michaels that he ultimately won.
His record-breaking amount of IC title wins.
His armbar.
His high-profile returns in 2012 and 2013.
His list of Jericho.
The festival of friendship.
His ability to work in New Japan with apparently Vince McMahon's blessing, putting on a classic with Kenny Omega.

But perhaps most important of all, his armbar.

(I'm sorry, but when you're talking about Jericho and lists, you can't miss that opportunity.)

In the day and age WWE plays their best hits ad nauseum, none of these are.

They were good. Save the Undisputed win, they were not all that memorable. Festival of Friendship is iffy.



EDIT: Kinda off topic, but who outside of diehard wrestling fans remembers Jericho's list of 1004 holds? Great segment, but it didn't exactly push the arrow back over to WCW or anything.

[DNA 2.0]

I've never realized how very much alike these two are until this point. Both were stepping stones for others. Both are considered great innovators in terms of their respective characters. Both have wrestled around the world. Both had a big championship winning moment. Both great on the mic. Probably both of them have made the same impact in the business. Both of them have a lot of memorable matches.

This is a close contest. So let's look at the differences. Foley had some big moments and a more midcardish career while Chris had and still has a main event status, thus more longevity. But IMO impact > longevity.

That's why I'm going with Mick Foley.

[Y 2 Jake]

If you're talking about memorable Jericho moments it's best to avoid mentioning his record number of IC Title reigns, defeating The Rock and Austin in the same night and his 2007 return. Or his multiple returns for that matter.

[Fallout]

Just to address the three posts above in one (as nobody has said anything particularly egregious), but I understand the case you're making for Foley is that in a mainstream context, he mattered more to wrestling, because of his impact in the Monday Night War, and I'll give you that, he had more of an impact in the Monday Night Raw (I mean, I don't think it's a fair comparison to compare early career Jericho with prime Foley, but whatever).

But let's watch that 4th January 1999 title win again:


You know, it's fun to rag on Jerry Lawler during his over-the-top heel run in 90's WWF, but he's completely right on one thing, even if it's out of context:

Cole: Mick Foley did it!

Lawler: No, Stone Cold did it!

The biggest pop was for the glass shatter. Not to say Foley didn't get a reaction in his own right, but he was in the right place at the right time more than anything else. The success of that segment, despite Foley's great celebration, was predicated not only on the WCW screw-up, but on Austin's arrival. I'm not trying to take the venom out of that segment, because it was a great segment, but if anything else, it put Austin over more than it did Foley.

[Gazprom]

I could have gone either way. Both are among my favourites, and both had the odds stacked against them for different reasons on their path to becoming main event stars. Jericho was certainly a main event longer, but did he ever have as feel good a moment as Foley did when beating the Rock. It's really tough to decide, but ultimately my vote has gone to Foley. Foley was a comedy face who became the World Heavyweight Champion. I can't think of anyone else who has ever done that, which to me means that Foley is the best wrestling comedian ever, amongst his other abilities whereas Jericho is one of the best at a whole host of things, but not the leader in anything. Oh it's hard, but I'm going Foley as I think his successes have resonated with me more in my time as a fan.

[Storm Trooper]

This is a matchup of 2 of my favorites, much like many other people here. As much as I'd love to see Mick Foley advance, as not only is he one of my favorites, but I've met the man at one of his shows and he is an awesome person, but Jericho has to move on here.

Mick Foley's 2 biggest moments are the Taker Cell Match (where he lost), and when he won his first title (Austin won the match for him). Couple that with the fact that his 3 title reigns lasted a combined 36 days, and he never once successfully defended the championship (he had a no-contest once and lost the belt the other 3 times), and his resume is not as strong as it appears.

Chris Jericho has won 5 Worlds Championships (WCW Title, Undisputed WWF Championship, and 3 World Heavyweight Championships). His reigns lasted a combined 222 days, with his Undisputed WWF Championship Reign lasting 98 days, nearly 3 times as long as all of Mick Foleys reigns combined. Finally, there's a very small list of people who can say they pinned both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the same night. That list is one person long. His name is Chris Jericho.

In summation, Mick Foley made you happy, while Chris Jericho won. Considering that this is a tournament where the point is to win, I'll take the guy who wins.

[Jack-Hammer]

Had to go with Jericho. Better wrestler, better athlete and his career doesn't revolve primarily around the crazy bumps he's taken in his career.

Don't get me wrong, I love Foley but I feel Jericho was too much inside the ring in a traditional 1 on 1 match for the Hardcore Legend. Jericho would probably have to deliver 5 or 6 Codebreakers to do it, but he'd do it.