Interesting pairings but definitely flaky as far as putting them together.
PEART vs. MITCHELL?
Not studied much of Mitch however that said he was probably the only drummer who had that laid back feel that made Hendrix sound even more godlike.
That said Neil Peart is so unique. His thirst for musical knowledge is never quenched, he has been tested in different styles and succeeded in most of them. He is a great influence on a lot of drummers, and his use of percussive instruments really helped Rush develop their uniqueness over the years.
Winner: Neil Peart...but not by a landslide, too different to compare.
MOON vs. HARRISON?
No contest, Gavin wins hands down. Keith Moon was perfect for The Who, but he wouldn't fit into any other musical setting easily. Whereas Gavin is like King Midas.
GROHL vs. BAKER?
To prevent any inane rambling I'll keep it simple. Baker
PORTNOY vs. STARR
Portnoy was a big influence on me, he got me into prog and made the passageway to learning odd time signatures that much more approachable. If had started on Virgil Donati I may have been put off pushing myself technically, as I just wouldn't have understood what he was doing. Portnoy is a very very good drummer at what he does, I look at him the way that I look at nu-metal - its a way to get newbies into a genre but then you can get them to digest more complex work once they get used to the sound.
Ringo was unorthodox but sounded great for the Beatles. I havent been impressed with much of his work since the Beatles but his influence cannot be stated enough.
I regret to vote for Portnoy here just because he can play in a lot of settings. Just cant find enough reasons to vote for Ringo.
BONHAM vs. BRUFORD
I'll go for Bonham because of his groove and fills. To fit in with Jimmy Page is bloody difficult. He would have been even greater had he not died. Bruford is world class but Bonham just had that 'something' that makes me feel good listening to Led Zeppelin. Not to mention Moby Dick.
RICH vs. CAMERON
Woot?! Buddy all the way!
COPELAND v COLLINS
Stewart didn't ruin Led Zeppelins Live Aid gig in 1985. Nor did he divorce his wife by fax. Nor is he pretencious like Collins appears to be (he may be different in person I'm just going off what I have seen).
Copelands work with the Police and his overall musical ability is just amazing. Phil is a very good drummer and a great singer but his personality really stops me from wanting to like him.
Winner: Copeland
CAREY v CHAMBERLAIN
Two different styles I don't see how either can be compared. Danny Carey is phenomenal but Ive always liked Jimmys approach. I'll vote for Danny Carey as he has made complex rhythmic music appealable to the masses by playing with Tool. Not many people have his ability to influence to people who aren't musical, into the mind bending stuff he comes up with.
Jimmy is a little more straight up than Danny but still phenomenal. Not an easy one to judge.
Sorry if my opinions offend anyone or arent completely based on sound musical knowledge. Or if I sound overly opinionated, Im certainly not saying anything as fact just an opinion.