Who Would Win in a Fight?

One of the most common questions that boys debate and argue about is:  Who would win in a fight?  Could Superman beat up The Flash?  Would a Ninja be able to kill a Navy Seal?  Can an alligator eat a lion?  Could Kirk defeat Spock?  Could my dad beat up your dad?

These seem like critical questions to sort out when you’re a young man.  Maybe the reason we are so curious to know who is the toughest — the reason this question seems so important to resolve — goes back to our ancient origins as tribal hunter-gatherers under the leadership of an Alpha Male.  Back then, who would win in a fight could be a life or death decision. You definitely wanted to hitch your wagon to the stronger warrior, the leader most likely to survive.

The Romans used their Gladiators to determine who could beat up whom.

Could a guy with a net and trident beat a guy with a shield and sword?  Could a Christian kill a tiger?  Could an archer on a chariot defeat two guys with spears? Come to the Coliseum this Saturday night and find out…

Pro wrestling is entertaining because it constantly poses the question: Who would win in a fight? and then it answers the question before our eyes.  Similar to the staged battles enacted by the Gladiators, different scenarios are created to test the conditions under which A could kick B’s ass, or B could put a whupping on A.

Could a cheating Arab out-wrestle an honest American lad?  Could two small men defeat a Giant?  Could a civilized man beat a savage animal?  Could a young high-flyer defeat an old mat wrestler?  What if they fight with No Holds Barred?   What if they’re chained together at the neck?  All of these questions have been posed, and answered, in the wrestling ring, to the delight and edification of the viewers.

So here are some images that show two Gladiators answering the age old question: “Who would win in a fight?”

Here we see Brad Armstrong riding on the back of a big masked mauler, proving to the fans that a handsome kid can over-power a huge, inhuman beast if he has heart and solid wrestling skills (and he’s a fan favorite getting a “push” from the promoters.)

Just as the Gladiators demonstrated which weapons were most effective in battle — the spear, the trident, two swords, arrows — so too do the pro wrestlers demonstrate which holds are most effective.  We learned that a young von Erich, for example, could bring any opponent to his knees using the devastating Iron Claw to the temple.