Don "The Dragon" Wilson vs Billy Blanks

[Guestx]

I grew up watching both dudes in martial arts films in the early 90s, as I know many of us did.

Who wins between these guys? Not necessarily in a real fight, though we can discuss that. But also movies, style, overall coolness, impact in the martial arts community.


Don "The Dragon" Wilson

• Kickboxing champion who held 11 world titles in his career
• Star of such films as Bloodfist and Ring of Fire (my personal favorite of his films); also appeared in Batman Forever (under heavy makeup)
• Early UFC commentator
• Got to hang out with Cynthia Rothrock

VS


Billy Blanks

• Multi-org Karate champion
• Star of such films as King of the Kickboxers and Showdown; appeared with Don in Bloodfist
• Proto-Michael Jai White
• Made a shitload of money with Tae Bo

 

[BisexualMMA]

I'd say Billy Blanks at the start of The Last Boy Scout is the best thing either of them ever did.

 

[elreece]

I just remember Billy from the shitty commercials so I guess he wins​

 

[Guestx]

I'd say Billy Blanks at the start of The Last Boy Scout is the best thing either of them ever did.

I have Billy a good bit behind Don in all respects.

While I watched King of the Kickboxers a handful of times back in the day, and Showdown was a decent low-budget rip off of Karate Kid, I was never in love with his movies. I did always enjoy Bloodfist though, but more importantly Ring of Fire is one of my favorite martial arts movies of all time. Unlike a lot of movies from that era, that's one that I can still go back and watch today and enjoy, even though I've probably seen it 30+ times.

Then you add in Don Wilson's kickboxing career and that really puts him over the top.

You go to YouTube and look for Don Wilson videos and you find him handing out defeat to Eric "The Eliminator" Sloan.





And while I know that Billy was a legit karate tournament competitor, it's kind of unfortunate for him that you look him up and one of the first results is him getting KTFO'd in the most ridiculous fashion.

 

[BisexualMMA]

I have Billy a good bit behind Don in all respects.

While I watched King of the Kickboxers a handful of times back in the day, and Showdown was a decent low-budget rip off of Karate Kid, I was never in love with his movies. I did always enjoy Bloodfist though, but more importantly Ring of Fire is one of my favorite martial arts movies of all time. Unlike a lot of movies from that era, that's one that I can still go back and watch today and enjoy, even though I've probably seen it 30+ times.

Then you add in Don Wilson's kickboxing career and that really puts him over the top.

You go to YouTube and look for Don Wilson videos and you find handing out defeat to Eric "The Eliminator" Sloan.





And while I know that Billy was a legit karate tournament competitor, it's kind of unfortunate for him that you look him up and one of the first results is him getting KTFO'd in the most ridiculous fashion.

I was mainly talking movies. Yeah, Don the Dragon had a good resume and notable career in martial arts. And it didn't impress me too much, but Billy definitely knew how to market his Taebo thing.

 

[Mike]

FFS why are any of us awake?

 

[Guestx]

I was mainly talking movies. Yeah, Don the Dragon had a good resume and notable career in martial arts. And it didn't impress me too much, but Billy definitely knew how to market his Taebo thing.

Well like I said, even if we're just talking movies, I put Ring of Fire well ahead of anything Billy did.

Ring of Fire is a fucking great martial arts movie that is not nearly appreciated enough.

 

[Guestx]

FFS why are any of us awake?

Damn good question. I keep meaning to get to sleep earlier and get back on a respectable sleep schedule but I don't think I've gotten to bed before 6 AM in probably two weeks.

 

[Mike]

Damn good question. I keep meaning to get to sleep earlier and get back on a respectable sleep schedule but I don't think I've gotten to bed before 6 AM in probably two weeks.

Same here for the most part. When I do pass out randomly like I did last night, I fucking wake up wide awake balls early. Being sober: I don't recommend it.

 

[Guestx]

Same here for the most part. When I do pass out randomly like I did last night, I fucking wake up wide awake balls early. Being sober: I don't recommend it.

I'm actually doing 30 days of sobriety right now for fat loss purposes. It does suck.

5 days down, 25 to go.

 

[Mike]

I'm actually doing 30 days of sobriety right now for fat loss purposes. It does suck.

5 days down, 25 to go.

Nice. We're moving soon and I gotta be nice and clean so I can search for jobs without worrying about failing a drug test. Alcohol just makes me feel like shit so I can only have it rarely now.

 

[Ikuza]

Dragon had the better film career by far.

Though I might re-watch Showdown today.

Edit: Christine Taylor from Zoolander is in this movie. Everyone has to start somewhere.

 

[VulcanNervPinch]

Ring of Fire is a fucking great martial arts movie that is not nearly appreciated enough.

Really?
I guess I mostly just fast-forwarded to where Maria whips them out.

 

[MMA since 1993]

FFS why are any of us awake?

I had a bad chicken sandwich, i woke up around 1a.m. Couldn't fall asleep until 5am, woke up around 8:30a.m, and I'm still feeling sleepy. I should probably just sleep for a few more hrs. Or i will end up taking a long nap later.

 

[europe1]

Billy Blanks was pretty awesome in King of Kickboxers. I mean, just look at that face!



When he killed that brother in the beginning it was "oh shit son!!"

Don The Dragon just has a much bigger career though. He was Blade-before-Blade in Night Hunter, the OG leather-clad vampire hunter. He also was in a movie called Future Kick (in which he kicked people in the future). One of Roger Corman's homeboys as well, which definitively earns him esteem in my eyes. He once described his career as "I'm a 6 foot tall asian guy from the south. Of course I'm going to end up kicking people."

I think the diplomatic thing is just to not vote at all and then hope that nobody else votes either so that it ends up as a draw.

 

[Ares Black]

I grew up watching both dudes in martial arts films in the early 90s, as I know many of us did.

Who wins between these guys? Not necessarily in a real fight, though we can discuss that. But also movies, style, overall coolness, impact in the martial arts community.


Don "The Dragon" Wilson

• Kickboxing champion who held 11 world titles in his career
• Star of such films as Bloodfist and Ring of Fire (my personal favorite of his films); also appeared in Batman Forever (under heavy makeup)
• Early UFC commentator
• Got to hang out with Cynthia Rothrock

VS


Billy Blanks

• Multi-org Karate champion
• Star of such films as King of the Kickboxers and Showdown; appeared with Don in Bloodfist
• Proto-Michael Jai White
• Made a shitload of money with Tae Bo

The are both B-list, but Don the Dragon Wilson is slightly more legit.

Voted Billy Blanks because of my uncle. He was an actor and was in a movie called Back in Action with Rowdy Roddy Piper and Billy Blanks.

Rowdy Roddy played a cop whose partner is killed by bad guys. Billy Blanks played some dude whose sister was kidnapped by the same bad guys. So they team up to kick some ass.

My uncle played the partner who gets disemboweled by the bad guys.

 

[JSN]

I didn’t realize that Billy Blanks was 2 Legit to Quit until just now. Still gotta go with Don The Dragon Wilson though. His movies are funny as shit with or without Rifftrax.

 

[Mondo Freaks]

Showdown is a good movie.

 

[Guestx]

Really?
I guess I mostly just fast-forwarded to where Maria whips them out.

Awww man, when I was a kid there was just something about that movie that pumped me the fuck up! I thought it was cool as hell.

I thought the turf war between the two camps was interesting and it was cool how they usually settled it in the kickboxing ring. But then the war spilled into the streets!

I thought there were a lot of cool characters and it features several solid B-movie martial arts actors of the day.

Unlike a lot of MA films from that era I thought there was not only good action but also a genuinely compelling story driving that action.

Many, many years ago when I was about 12-years-old a friend had a copy of the movie on VHS. He knew how much I liked the movie so one day, after he and I had an argument, he destroyed the tape so that I couldn't watch it again. This was before the Internet and a movie like Ring of Fire was obscure enough that it would be very hard to find in a store. That is still one of the biggest dick moves I've ever personally experienced in my life.

 

[Guestx]

He was Blade-before-Blade in Night Hunter, the OG leather-clad vampire hunter.

This seems like something I need to see.

He also was in a movie called Future Kick (in which he kicked people in the future).

Last movie I saw with him was called Sci-Fighter. It was terrible. One of the worst movies I've ever seen in in my life. Don was looking really old and it was depressing and this was in 2004!

He once described his career as "I'm a 6 foot tall asian guy from the south. Of course I'm going to end up kicking people."

That's funny.

I think the diplomatic thing is just to not vote at all and then hope that nobody else votes either so that it ends up as a draw.

Way too late for that.