Why This Match?: Both men are peripheral characters involved in the main crews lives on a regular basis due to their vocations. They are close enough to be invited to the occasional social gathering, but not to be involved in their inner circle, even though both clearly yearn to be. Gunther and Stuart are also in love with unattainable women, in Gunthers case Rachel, whom he carries a candle for throughout the entire show. Stuart is less picky, desperately chasing any woman he sees like a rampant sex pest. The Battle: The brilliance of Gunther was that the writers resisted the urge to go too far with him and instead allowed him to be understated, dragging out his obsession with Rachel until the very last episode. The premise was simple: he had a crush but he was too shy to act upon it. Stuart, on the other hand, was a mess. He began as a relatively normal guy, a business owner with a degree of confidence that allowed him to ask both Penny and Amy out on dates and achieve success. Then for no apparent reason he devolved into a suicidal, self-loathing, pathetic parasite with a fondness for obese middle-aged women and a cloying need for any form of human interaction he could find. Winner: Gunther. There was never an episode where Gunther outstayed his welcome, even though we were all cross when he sold Ross out following that unfortunate Chloe incident. The same cannot be said for Stuart, whom the writers somehow decided was a good enough character to become a regular cast member on an already way overstocked show. Eight regular characters is far too many to sustain and keep relevant, funny and interesting, as was proven with TBBTs dip in popularity. Score: Friends 4-4 The Big Bang Theory Right then, I guess we will call it a draw. Honestly, for most of these I could have gone either way, because despite the poor writing they have still provided countless moments of entertainment, the odd exception aside. Friends and The Big Bang Theory are great shows, incredible at their peaks, and still entertaining even after the writers ran out of ideas and ran them into the ground. I cannot pick between the two. Which side are you on: Friends or Big Bang? Share your thoughts in the comments. Follow us on Twitter: @WhatCultureTV
The author of the highly acclaimed 'Titan' book series, James Dixon has been involved in the wrestling business for 25 years as a fan, wrestler, promoter, agent, and writer. James spent several years wrestling on the British independent circuit, but now prefers to write about the bumps and bruises rather than take any of them. His past in-ring experience does however give a uniquely more "insider" perspective on things, though he readily admits to still being a "mark" at heart.
James is the Chief Editor and writer at historyofwrestling.co.uk and is responsible for the best-selling titles Titan Sinking, Titan Shattered, and Titan Screwed, as well as the Complete WWF Video Guide series, and the Raw Files series.
