Elvis Presley

Before the moonwalk, before stadium tours became military operations, before every outfit got analyzed online, there was Elvis walking onstage and causing absolute mayhem.

The image is inseparable from the argument: hair, hips, sneer, jumpsuits, Vegas. Elvis understood — instinctively or otherwise — that a superstar isn't only heard. They're watched. Copied. Desired. Complained about by parents.

That makes him a fascinating matchup against Michael Jackson. Michael took global pop spectacle somewhere unimaginable; Elvis helped establish the template. Against Madonna, it becomes another question: who turned celebrity itself into the bigger weapon?

The historical case is enormous, but GoatWars isn't a history exam. You don't get points just for arriving early.

Strip away “The King” and make him fight everybody straight up. Does Elvis still have enough hits, presence and aura to keep the crown?