Desert Island Pop Culture Tournament: Round Two – Day One

The premise is easy. You are stranded on a desert island for the rest of your life and are permitted to bring just one entertainment choice along with you. Chad Campbell & Justin Rozzero, along with an assist from the PTB Nation staff, have chosen 64 essential items across eight different categories. After a random draw, these 64 items have been matched up tournament-style. You will vote to determine the one item you could never live without! Here are the categories!

Games & Activities: All materials needed to play the game or activity are included

Yearly Events: You get to watch these special televised events each year

Complete Television Series Collection: You receive a DVD set of the entire series

Complete Movie Series Collection: You receive a DVD set of the entire collection of movies, where applicable

Wrestling Pay Per View DVD: You receive a DVD copy of the full unedited wrestling DVD

Magazine Collection: You receive an ongoing subscription to the magazine

Complete Video Game Series Collection: You receive a copy of the entire series of a game title, where applicable

Music Albums: You receive a digitally mastered CD of the album

Come back each and every day to vote and share your opinions at the Place to Be Nation Facebook page!

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WrestleMania x7 vs. Madden

We kick off Round Two of the Desert Island Pop Culture Tournament with one of the most lauded PPVs of all-time facing off against the premier sports video gaming franchise.

Emanating from the sold out Houston Astrodome at the peak of the Attitude Era boom, WrestleMania x7 delivered plenty of high quality wrestling action, excitement, storyline payoffs and memorable moments. The show was main evented by a legendary brawl between icons Steve Austin and The Rock and has immense rewatchability. Plus Repo-Man is involved.

Originally released as a computer game in 1988, John Madden Football retooled and hit console gaming in 1990. And, it never looked back. The franchise blew up and continued to improve upon itself year over year, surpassing all would be contenders and claiming its spot as the premier football video game series. In 1995, the name was modified to just Madden, the name it still uses to this day. Madden is just no longer a game, but rather a slice of pop culture. Heck, there was even a TV show dedicated to Madden tournaments. Now featuring top notch graphics and game play options, Madden continues to be a must-have for die-hard sports gamers.

Beer Pong (Beirut) vs. World Series

Next up, it’s the famous party game versus the Fall Classic.

Beer Pong, also known as Beirut, is a simple game. You line up cups, fill them with beer and toss ping pong balls into the cup. If you hit a cup, your opponent drinks. First one to hit every cup wins. At first, it was contained to college and house parties, but has now exploded into a mainstream phenomenon, featured in bars and tailgates. Many retail stores even sell dedicated beer pong kits today as well.

Dating back to 1903, the World Series has been the culmination of the lengthy baseball season. Every October, the world would turn its eyes to the diamond to see which team would be crowned champions of baseball. The Boston Americans won that first championship tilt and since then we have witnessed 110 years of epic baseball moments and memories. Heroes have been born and Hall of Fame moments spill out of the Fall Classic and into the archives for future generations to study and enjoy. Baseball has been at the heart of America since the dawn of the 20th century and continues to own us until this day. Despite labor troubles and scandals littered through its history, the game has endured on. And although we say goodbye each winter, you always know it will be right there waiting to waste time with you each and every summer night, just like an old reliable friend should be.

The Wire vs. Pool Table

Next we have one of the greatest modern day television dramas butting up against a timeless recreational game.

Quietly slinking onto the HBO scene in 2002, The Wire was a gritty and realistic drama that examined the city of Baltimore, MD with an honest lens. Lasting five seasons, each entry focused on a new aspect of the city: the illegal drug trade, the seaport system, the city government and bureaucracy, the school system, and the print news media. Directed by David Simon, the show was an underground favorite that has gained steam and popularity through its ardent supporters and overwhelmingly positive word of mouth. As is the case with a lot of shows over the last decade, ratings sagged despite superior quality. Regardless, HBO kept the show around long enough to deliver 60 fantastic episodes for its catalog.

Pool, or pocket billiards, is a standard table based cue game in which the goal is to knock in as many of your designated balls before your opponent does. In the United States, the most commonly played game of the genre is eight-ball. Pool tables are often found in bars, taverns or game rooms but are also prevalent at home as well.

WWE Big Four Pay-Per-Views vs. THQ Nintendo 64 Wrestling Games

Finally, a wild battle between the four main yearly WWE pay-per-views and the complete collection of THQ wrestling games for the Nintendo 64.

Starting in 1989, the WWE officially began offering four major pay-per-view events each year: Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series. As the PPV calendar has filled up over the years, one thing remains the same: the Big Four will always have the most hype and deliver the biggest and brightest moments in pro wrestling. While Survivor Series and SummerSlam ebb year to year, you know that the WWE hype and creative machine will always be working overtime to ensure Royal Rumble and WrestleMania deliver the goods. And no matter how depleted the roster is or how tepid the storylines are, you know that each January the Royal Rumble match itself will be entertaining from bell to bell. Plus, it officially starts the company down the road to the biggest weekend of the year

In 1997, THQ hopped into the world of wrestling games for Nintendo 64 with WCW vs. nWo: World Tour. The game was an instant success thanks to its deep roster, match-type offerings and focused grappling style. What also made the series unique is that each subsequent release improved upon its predecessor. The next offering came in 1998 with WCW/nWo Revenge, which featured many enhancements, including an even deeper roster, unique arena settings and better graphics. Later that year, THQ split from WCW and reached a deal with the resurgent WWF. In 1999, THQ released WrestleMania 2000, which continued the trend of excellent quality. It was very similar to Revenge but the fresh coat of WWF paint and detailed Create-a-Wrestler (CAW) feature didn’t allow it to feel stale. Finally, in 2000, the final edition of the series, WWF No Mercy, was released. WWF No Mercy is widely considered by many to be the greatest pro wrestling game ever made. In addition to all of the great aspects listed above, a detailed story mode was now in place, leading to endless hours of gaming goodness. In the end, the THQ series of wrestling games were all highly praised and well regarded and recognized, remaining as standard bearers to this day.