So heres the real match up!

*Feanor vs Gothmog*
I'd have to say Feanor takes the prize. Remember when Gothmog really did cleave him down, firstly Gothmog did not in fact kill him and secondly the story tells how Feanor was at the last surrounded by Balrogs (scarey!!) fighting at the last alone, until Gothmog finally managed to smash him down! In a one on one, with no outside influence I believe Feanor would have the edge and kick Gothmog's butt!

*Fingolfin vs Sauron*
Tough, very tough! Fingolfin stood up to, OK he failed in the end, but he stood up to and delivered seven wounds to Morgoth himself! No mean feat! But Morgoth did smash him in the end. Would it be that Sauron would simply take longer about it? Or would Fingolfin, being the most valient (I take that to mean the hardest physical combatant) of the Noldor, be able to deliver a blow that Sauron could not recover from. Sauron at the height of his power killed Gil-Galad and Elendil, but then surcame to Isildur, weilding a *broken* sword. I'd have to throw it Sauron's way if I absolutely had to. After all, if we compare Sauron to the Balrogs, there was only one of him, but many of them and it is a sort of theme in Middle-Earth that the more there are the weaker the average member is. So Sauron takes it!

*Hurin vs Shelob*
Hurin takes it I believe, but only just! Shelob was after all the child of Ungoliant, but Hurin was the greatest man ever to live. Despite the phrases used in LOTR where it says that no blade, whether weilded by any of the great elf-friends of old (Hurin, Turin, Beren, etc), could pierce here skin, I believe Hurin would stride froth with his big axe and split the poor arachnid in two.

*Turin vs Glaurung*
So Turin slew Glaurung on the quiet! And Glaurung was able to beguile Turin at the ruins of Nargothrond. So here we have it - Turin does no sneakin' and he also is not so arrogant as to look into Glaurung eyes. Much as I like Turin, I don't believe any, except may be the top two or three Noldor could take Glaurung in a straight fight. Turin in squished!

*Beorn vs Gothmog (Lt of MM)*
As I understand it Gothmog's (Lt of MM) identity is somewhat uncertain, unless I am fogetting something from the 12 books collated by our Chris. He may have been a Nazgul, but then he may have been a huge hard Half-Troll (as speculated in MERP). For these purposes he is a Troll (after all the second Nazgul was Khamul and if any of them had taken over afetr the Witch-King bought it, it would have been him, yet it clearly states that Gothmog does). OK so the hugest, most lethal and gruesome Troll on the face of the planet, lines up against Beorn - a skinchanger, capable of wading through dozens, no hunderds of wargs and goblins, alomst an elemental force! Draw, I think! Both do too many wounds upon each other for them to survive. Neither has a lot of defence and relies more on beating the C**P out of their opponants than any subtle attempt to pock around here and there.

* Fingon vs The Lord of the Nazgul*
It has been stated, quite rightly, that the Nazgul were scared of the top elves. And who wouldn't be! But was that fear merely a fear of meeting someone who had the potential to kill them, or was it a fear of meeting someone who they KNEW WOULD kill them should they fight. I believe it was more of a fear that the elf COULD kill them, i.e. had the potential to kill them. Not a certainty. Therefore should a Nazgul get cornered he may have been a larger problem than the many 'Runnings away' give them credit for. The Lord of the Nazgul was second only to Sauron in power (and possibly the Balrog), but unlike the Balrog he had no physical form as we know it to harm and was therefore less susceptable to harm. I think Fingon would have a real hard time of it and I would not like to pick a wiiner. Another draw.

*Finrod vs The Mouth of Sauron*
Big Noldor meets hard sauronic sorcerer! But a sorcerer who either was not good enough, or simply was not around at the right time, to be given a Ring of Power! I believe Finrod would take him!

*Earendil vs Ancalagon*
OK we know that Ancalagon 'crashed and burned' but I could have sworn that I saw Earendil cheating his butt off. Using that bow and all - not sporting what! If Turin (who just had to harder than Earendil) would fail in a one-on-one with Glaurung, then Ancalagon (who was harder than Glaurung) is gonna clean poor old Earendil's clock. Earendil is shish-kebab.

*Beren vs Khamul*
Tough Edain meets Naz no. 2. Khamul's got to take it. What could Beren do to him. I suppose Beren could pull his pretty knife, but Khamul is a Nazgul and the second at that. It would be close I admit, but Khamul would come out on top!

*Durin vs Smaug*
Durin the greatest dwarf ever to walk against Smaug, arguably the third greatest dragon ever to exist. Phew, tough one! But then again! Smaug is a dragon, after all, one hit would send Durin flying. But how would Smaug feel with a couple of foot of dwarven axe in his side! I think Smaug would win, but only just.

So we have the final results:

Feanor beats Gothmog
Sauron beats Fingolfin
Hurin beats Shelob
Glaurung beats Turin
Beorn draws with Gothmog
Fingon draws with The Lord of the Nazgul
Finrod beats The Mouth of Sauron
Ancalagon beast Earendil
Khamul beats Beren
Smaug beats Durin

The bad guys win 5-3 with 2 draws. Not bad!

But taking all the boys together in a mass ruck who comes out on top?

Padster