Here is another instalment of Old vs New, where I compare 2 different wrestlers from the past and present and see who comes across as the overall winner based on 5 factors. Here I compare John Bradshaw Layfield and Alberto Del Rio, these are men who share the similarities of having a gimmick of being arrogant millionares who have fancy transport to the ring. So who's better?the Mexican arristocrat or the Texan/New Yorker arristocrat? Let's find out.
IN RING ABILITY:
These 2 have slightly differing styles. Bradshaw displays brute power moves and brawling, but uses technical skills from time to time. Del Rio however, uses mostly technical moves, mixing in occasional high spots. In my view, niether man has had any outstanding, 10/10 matches in their respective careers, sure Del Rio's only been with WWE a year but he's had plenty of matches with big leagers due to his super push. Bradshaw's style in his later years was seen as sluggish and slow, but Del Rio often doesn't use many moves in his matches and can be seen as repetitive. It's a close call, but I'd award it to JBL due to a larger moveset.
Winner: JBL
MIC SKILLS:
Both men are seen as pretty good on the mic, both can portray their snobbish, holier than thou attitudes perfectly, with a hint of smarmyness underneath. Despite both mens verbal qualities, I think it's obvious who's gonna win. It may seem shallow, but Del Rio's accent often clouds his mic skills, whereas Bradshaw has near flawless announciation and can be easily understood. He's given many great promos during his heel run, especially the one where he goes off on the show he was fired from, unpatriotic fans and Sean Penn.
Winner: JBL
OVERALL IMAGE/APPEARENCE:
For these mens gimmicks of arrisocrats, they need to look the part. For Bradshaw it's easy, he just had to show up like it's another day at Wall Street or Fox News, his large White cowboy hat atop a nice suit gives the impression of J.R from Dallas straight away (who his persona was based on). Del Rio however, seems to outdo Bradshaw in the wardrope department, his suits are more colourful, yet the lack of tie gives Del Rio a more stylish feel, as though he's a sort of playboy. His tights are gold/White, which is not only grabs fans attention, but conveys his arristocrat gimmick. In terms of physique, Bradshaw is seen as flabby, with unflattering man boobs, whereas Del Rio has a great physique and his Latino backround adds to his looks. Due to pure swagger and muscles, Del Rio steals it.
Winner: Del Rio
PERSONAS:
Yes both men have similar personas, but with slight differences. Both men have won Wrestling Observers Gimmick of the year award, but let's see who's is better. Bradshaw is the typical millionare type yes, but there are other factors that add to his persona, such as his Wall Street, yuppie elements (which is what he is in real life), which plays on peoples hatred of corporate greed and it'll get good heat during a recession. Also, Bradshaw has the right-wing, conservative element, which can be rather unpopular in certain areas, this makes a great persona that Bradshaw doesn't have to try too hard to portray and can get good heat. Now Del Rio is the the millionare type, but only has the fact that he's Latino and a belief in destiny to add to it. Granted he adds some fun quirks to the persona, such as driving a different expensive car each week and his personal ring announcer; Ricardo Rodriguez (one of the best things WWE has invented), but in the end, JBL's other traits give him the victory.
Winner: JBL
CROWD REACTION:
It's a difficult one to call, but I'll try. JBL did envoke hatred from the many crowds he performed in, but whilst watching WWE recently, I've noticed that Del Rio gets pretty good hear as well. Also, Del Rio can be seen to have a larger fan base (just ask anyone on Twitter) especially amongst Latinos. Due to the opinions of smarks and IWC braggarts (i'm sounding like Bischoff), Del Rio is the more beloved of the 2 as they don't appreciate Bradshaws style of wrestling.
Winner: Del Rio
Overall Winner by 3-2: JBL
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