Dudes of the 80s Tournament - WINNER: John Cusack

Proving Chuck Klosterman right, the voters in the Dudes of the 80s tournament selected the everyman, attainable, brainy-yet-still-a-smartass John Cusack over the confident swagger of a Napoleonic hunk, as the Better Off Dead star took down Tom Cruise in the championship round by the score of 22-14. As I said yesterday, thanks again to all that voted, commented or otherwise publicized this little exercise. Time to return to regular programming!


John Cusack



80s Highlights: Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, One Crazy Summer, Eight Men Out, Say Anything

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - CHAMPIONSHIP Round: Tom Cruise (1) vs John Cusack (3)

Previous results: It was Cusack all over the future Iron Man to the tune of 26-9. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Tom Cruise


80s Highlights: Taps, The Outsiders, Risky Business, All the Right Moves, Legend, Top Gun, The Color Money, Cocktail, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July

John Cusack


80s Highlights: Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, One Crazy Summer, Eight Men Out, Say Anything

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 4: Robert Downey, Jr. (3) vs John Cusack (3)

Previous results: 12-7? Obviously, we've got some disenfranchised people around here. In the least voted-on matchup of either tournament (to date), Tom Cruise continued his path to glory, taking down Patrick Swayze by the score you see above. This matchup determines who he will face in the final. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Robert Downey, Jr.


80s Highlights: Weird Science, Back to School, Less Than Zero, The Pick-Up Artist, Johnny Be Good

John Cusack


80s Highlights: Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, One Crazy Summer, Eight Men Out, Say Anything

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 4: Tom Cruise (1) vs Patrick Swayze (2)

Previous results: The Swayze doubled up on Chuck Sheen, 16-8. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

And so the final four are decided on the mens' side as well, and we've got a very NCAA-like selection of seeds remaining, with a 1, a 2, and two 3s. I'm gonna go ahead and save that battle of the 3s (RDJ v Cusack) for tomorrow, though - should be a good one. (FYI: The ladies' tourney ends tomorrow and the mens' will conclude on Monday.)

Tom Cruise


80s Highlights: Taps, The Outsiders, Risky Business, All the Right Moves, Legend, Top Gun, The Color Money, Cocktail, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July

Patrick Swayze


80s Highlights: The Outsiders, Red Dawn, Youngblood, Dirty Dancing, Road House

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 3: Patrick Swayze (2) vs. Charlie Sheen (4)

Previous results: It was never really a contest. Maverick proved once and for all that he, not Iceman, is the best of the best, as Cruise topped Kilmer 17-12 in a not-so-hotly contested matchup. Click here to view the full bracket.

Now, the final round three matchup on the Dudes' side.

Patrick Swayze


80s Highlights: The Outsiders, Red Dawn, Youngblood, Dirty Dancing, Road House

Charlie Sheen


80s Highlights: Red Dawn, Lucas, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Platoon, Wall Street, Young Guns, Eight Men Out, Major League

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 3: Tom Cruise (1) vs Val Kilmer (2)

Previous results: The love for RDJ knows know no bounds. Can he topple Cusack as well? We shall see; in the meantime, he took down Rob Lowe 17-14. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

I didn't make this, but I thought it fitting for today's matchup. I guess we can ignore the typo in it...



Tom Cruise


80s Highlights: Taps, The Outsiders, Risky Business, All the Right Moves, Legend, Top Gun, The Color Money, Cocktail, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July

Val Kilmer


80s Highlights: Top Secret!, Real Genius, Top Gun, Willow

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 3: Rob Lowe (1) vs Robert Downey, Jr. (3)

Previous results: The weekend brought us two more intensely close matchups, with the mens' side requiring me to stump for a tie-breaking vote on Facebook as we had a tie as of this morning. In the end, John Cusack further cemented his place as an 80s icon (meanwhile also becoming the first Dude in the Final Four), taking down the lovable Michael J. Fox 20-19. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Rob Lowe


80s Highlights: The Outsiders, Class, St. Elmo's Fire, Youngblood

Robert Downey, Jr.


80s Highlights: Weird Science, Back to School, Less Than Zero, The Pick-Up Artist, Johnny Be Good

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 3: John Cusack (3) vs Michael J. Fox (5)

Previous results: 19-18. #1 seed Row Lowe had his hands full with Eddie Murphy, but had just enough support to squeeze by. Had the voting lasted a few hours more, this might've tipped the other way. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Say what you must about the outcomes of some of the matchups (Lowe winning = racist? C'mon - he won by a single vote, and was a top seed!), but I think we ended up with some really potentially great ones in the final rounds. Today's battle of the underdogs (Fox has taken down Superman and John Depp - can he continue his run with Cusack?), an upcoming Maverick-Iceman game, a bad boy battle with Lowe and Downey, Jr. and a Red Dawn reunion with Sheen against the Swayze. Really looking forward to next week and beyond.

John Cusack


80s Highlights: Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, One Crazy Summer, Eight Men Out, Say Anything

Michael J. Fox


80s Highlights: Teen Wolf, Back to the Future (1 & 2), Bright Lights, Big City, The Secret of My Success

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 2: Rob Lowe (1) vs Eddie Murphy (5)

Previous results: Well, the Patric-Swayze matchup sure was a dud, as Patrick gave Jason the biggest beatdown of either tournament, winning 26-1. I feel sorry for the lone Patric voter. And now, the final round 2 matchup on the mens' side. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Rob Lowe


80s Highlights: The Outsiders, Class, St. Elmo's Fire, Youngblood

Eddie Murphy

80s Highlights: 48 Hrs. Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop (1 & 2), The Golden Child, Coming to America

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 2: Patrick Swayze (2) vs Jason Patric (6)

Previous results: In the closest poll yet, Tom Cruise edged Matthew Broderick, 17-16. Click here to view the full bracket.

Patrick Swayze


80s Highlights: The Outsiders, Red Dawn, Youngblood, Dirty Dancing, Road House

Jason Patric


80s Highlights: The Lost Boys, The Beast of War, Solarbabies

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 2: Tom Cruise (1) vs Matthew Broderick (4)

Previous results: As I stated yesterday, don't mess with John Cusack. He rolled over Denzel, 26-4. Now, someone go to the Ladies' poll for yesterday and break the tie... Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Tom Cruise



80s Highlights: Taps, The Outsiders, Risky Business, All the Right Moves, Legend, Top Gun, The Color Money, Cocktail, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July

Matthew Broderick


80s Highlights: WarGames, Ladyhawke, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Biloxi Blues, Glory

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 2: Denzel Washington (2) vs John Cusack (3)

Previous results: In a case of either over- or under-seeding, the four-seeded Charlie Sheen handily dispatched the one-seeded Matt Dillon, 22-12. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Denzel Washington


80s Highlights: Power, Cry Freedom, The Mighty Quinn, Glory

John Cusack


80s Highlights: Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, One Crazy Summer, Eight Men Out, Say Anything

poll by twiigs.com

And then...

Dudes of the 80s Tournament - Round 2: Matt Dillon (1) vs Charlie Sheen (4)

Previous results: River Phoenix put up a good fight, but the list of people that have lost to Val Kilmer is long and distinguished pretty short, actually. Iceman won, 16-12. Click here to view the updated full bracket.

Matt Dillon


80s Highlights: The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Flamingo Kid, Drugstore Cowboy

Charlie Sheen


80s Highlights: Red Dawn, Lucas, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Platoon, Wall Street, Young Guns, Eight Men Out, Major League

poll by twiigs.com

And then...