Seagal, Van Damme, Stallone, Willis, or Schwarzenegger? Who would win in a fight?
In the ultimate action movie star throwdown, who do you think would win? Of course, when thinking about action movie stars the top picks would have to be Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sure, there are others, but these are the pinnacle of 80’s and 90’s action movie stars.
Now, throw them all into a UFC ocatagon, or WWE cage match and who will walk out?
The ultimate question.
I think I know, but let me go through these guys and see where they stack up.
Steven Seagal.
At one time, this guy was my all-time favorite action hero. Starting with his first movie, Above the Law, I was floored at the incredible aikido moves and just plain attitude that Seagal had on screen. Amazing stuff. But, can he be the ultimate action movie star and kick the crap out of the other guys?
Reasons Why He Could
He knows how to really mess you up. In real life even. He isn’t all about real good fight choreography or tricky camera angles. He really know his stuff. He reached the level of 7th Dan in Aikido and was an instructor for several years until he started beating people up in the movies. And he’s got the coolest voice ever.
Reason Why He Might Not
He’s gotten fat and let himself go pretty bad. His box office isn’t a draw anymore and his movies either go straight to DVD or are featured on USA and FX networks. I really wish he could get back to his lean, mean, kickin’ ass days but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
His best movie
That’s a toss up, because when he was at this best his movies were incredible. They were pretty much the same thing, but that’s what you wanted. Above the Law, Out for Justice, and Under Siege were my favorites by far.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
In the course of action film stars there have been some that have come and go and made a little splash. Jean-Claude Van Damme hit the movie world pretty hard and was kicking some serious butt for awhile. I remember catching JCVD in a small DVD movie called No Retreat, No Surrender where he played the villian of the movie. Then he came out on his own with the 1988 film Bloodsport where he played a fighter entering into an underground Muay Thai fight. He was able to showcase to the world his incredible fighting skills and being building a legion of devoted fans. But, could he win in a fight with the rest of these guys?
Reasons why he could.
Like Seagal, JCVD is also an acclaimed martial artist in his own right. Jean-Claude started with Shotokan Karate and later studied Kickboxing, Taekwon-Do, and Muay Thai. He won the European professional karate association’s middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. So, he’s no slouch in the fighting department.
Reasons Why He Might Not.
One of the things that has always plagued Jean-Claude Van Damme is Jean-Claude Van Damme. He just isn’t the most reliable person and as his box office ratings took a dive with some very bad movie decisions so did his personal life.
His Best Movie.
Unlike Seagal this is not that hard. By far, JCVD’s best movie is also his first, Bloodsport. The irony of this is that is almost never saw the light of day. I’m very thankful it did.
Sylvester Stallone
How can you bet against Rocky? Or even Rambo? Two of the most iconic characters to come out of film are the brainchild of Stallone himself. He is the epitome of the underdog going against all the odds in order to overcome, even if it is at the expense of his own body. Rocky was the first Stallone character I was introduced to, but I do have to say that the action oriented side of me likes Rambo best. Could Rambo, or Stallone win in an action movie star cage match?
Reasons Why He Could
We already hit on the main factor why he could win. Perseverance. He just doesn’t go down. He doesn’t quite. And it seems like the moment you are going to count him out, and he has no chance to win… he does. One of the things that makes his two major characters so appealing to so many people, other than the fact that they like to leave destruction in their wake, is that they show you that you can overcome no matter what.
Reasons Why He Might Not
One too many hits to the head has possibly slowed him down a little. Although he did lose the excess flab for Rambo IV and really looked good. If he has a huge machine gun handy, or a bow, he would still have a good chance.
His Best Movie
How could you possibly put Rocky above Rambo? I can’t.
I will say that I love the original Rambo movie, First Blood.
Bruce Willis
I have to say right out front that Bruce Willis holds a special place in my heart. I just love the guy. I think Mr. Willis is the quintessential man. While I don’t really like all the movies he’s ever been in. I do have to say that his action movies are some of my all time favorites. Die Hard was epic as far as taking action and carnage to a whole new level. And to follow that up with three more… oh yeah. And yes, I did buy his CD.
Reasons Why He Could
His demeanor is what could carry the day in a fight. He’s just smart about it. He calculates his moves, takes a big breath and jumps right in.
Reasons Why He Might Not
Let’s face it. One of the things Bruce has going against him is his size. He’s just not as big as the others in the fight. He isn’t jacked with muscles or having freakishly good martial arts skills. He’s just Bruce.
His Best Movie
Ok, here’s where I need to make a distinction. Bruce Willis is the only actor in this lineup that has been in a slew of other movies in several different genres. He is the actors actor. He can just about do any type of movie. So, when asked what is his best movie I have to break that down. His best action movie would have to be any of the Die Hard movies. They just rocked. But, his best overall movie has to be Armageddon. I cried at the end of that one.
Arnold Schwarzeneggar
The first time I ever saw this guy was in Conan the Barbarian. My jaw hit the floor. I just never believed a person could be so… well, Arnold. He was massive. Bigger than life and full of confidence and charisma. Then of course the other Conan movies came out and I was hooked. However, in 1984 a huge movie called The Terminator came out and captured the hearts and minds of action movie buffs everywhere. Has there ever been a more…. industry changing film?
Arnold has, of course, gone on to bigger and better things since then. Actively involved in politics he became governor of California (anybody ever see that coming?). But, even before his movie career Arnold made a splash as a 7-time Mr. Olympia. An icon in the sport of bodybuilding and fitness.
But, with all of that… could he win?
Reasons Why He Could
Anybody that can play Conan and make people believe he really is that strong (to life a huge kettle of green goup and body parts) has to be able to beat up these puny mortals. But, the biggest reason would probably be the fact that he really is that big. It’s not some sort of camera trickery. He is a mountain.
Reasons Why He Might Not
Ummm… can’t really think of anything other than residual damage caused by Junior.
His Best Movie
Where do you begin. Arnold has been in so many awesome movies that it is really hard to pinpoint his best. But, you have to look at The Terminator movies as his greatest achievements in film.
So, who would win?
After carefully tabulating the pros and cons of each action movie star of the ’80s and ’90s, I have to think that…..
the fight would probably be won by….
believe me this isn’t an easy choice. Everyone is going to have their favorite who they believe should win, and truth be told, if the conditions were just right… any of these guys would win. But, I have to give the nod to The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzeneggar.
He’s just too much to try and beat.
What do you think? Would Seagal win? Van Damme? Willis? Stallone? Drop a comment and let us know.
As I read your arguments I have to admit, they are all pretty convincing. It is hard to bet against any of them. Throughout my life I have always asked myself, “What would Rocky Do?” and I find it difficult to doubt the Terminator, but a little voice in my head keeps repeating a line from one of the best fight scenes ever…
“I know what you’re thinking…. There are five of you and only one of me, and that’s not a fair fight. So I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do… I’ll get on my knees…” Segal wins.
Mike…
Love the quote. Don’t you love the way that Seagal just makes things that much cooler?
I have to admit that I almost gave the nod to Seagal. But, I just couldn’t get the Conan/Terminator type destruction that would rain down upon mortals out of my head.
Tim.
good info, but to generalize all the possible fight scenarios that could exist is a hard task.. i respect your take on the subject but here is the real truth.
in a UFC fight in the octagon it comes down to JCVD and seagal. I’m saying that Van Damme is coming out victorious though with all that crazy muay thai and Ju Jitsu.
In a straight up brawl at the neighborhood barbacue it comes down to the same two, but now since no rules apply like in the octagon, seagal will dominate because he fights dirty.
if they all are armed only with a hand gun in a small room the last man standing will be my man Bruce. with all those cop movies you gotta believe that ol willis knows how to use the 9 milly pretty damn well.
If they are all in the jungle armed with only a machette, i see the governator finishing off all the rest. don’t believe me? watch Predator and then come back and talk to me.
If armed with an automatic machine gun in the sahara, you best believe that rambo is taking the victory. only sylvester could mow down hundreds, no thousands of towel heads without breaking a sweat, so i gotta give the win to him.
see Tim, all of these men have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. and i would think it out right immoral to claim only one victorious. but heck, i’m just a 19 year old college kid what do i know..
Danny, I have to say I believe you gave the greatest reply
out of these responses. Yet in all of what you said,
if I am looking at these guys in their prime, I will give it up
to Steven Seagal as the sole winner. This is because he is very quick and witty, along with his super mad skills in martial arts. He seems
to think quick too before he acts, so having that wisdom makes you survive the seemingly unsurvivable scenarios you’ve mentioned. Of course, this is just my opinion, and yes I am a huge fan of Seagal’s, but I appreciate the other big action stars mentioned here too.
This is of course, if these men were all in their prime and about to go against one another. Why don’t we have any movies starring one or two of these great action heroes to go against one another, and then become friends or something? The kind of action movie where you get two excellent ones: say, Steven Seagal vs. Jean Claude Van Damme. Man, I would pay and am sure millions of fans of either of these two would pay their top dollars to see that kind of movie. To me, it would be all in fun, something to help both the actors, knowwhatimean?