This thread popped up on GAF and I instantly though of this thread. Basically discussing Vegeta getting washed routinely
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1019263
"Vegeta gets a lot of love as a fan-favorite, and many DBZ fans actually cite him as their favorite character. As a kid I remember liking him a lot as well, but recently I skimmed through some DBZ Kai, and it's pretty apparent on a second watch that the guy is incredibly overrated. Yes, it's true that Goku never defeated him outright, but Goku's performance vs identical opponents (more on that later) shows that there are a lot of points in the series where a fight between the two wouldn't have been much of a contest.
Vegeta shines when he gets to overwhelm outmatched opponents. Think Cui, Dodoria, Jeice, Pui Pui. None of these guys were huge threats to anyone at the time. Even though Jeice was a Ginyu Force member, Goku had just bodied Jeice and Burter together, which significantly devalues the win.
He's done okay against a few mid-card opponents. Zarbon Round 2 was a good win for him considering the strength of the other characters at the time. He did well against Captain Ginyu, and flat-out demolished Android 19 (probably his best win).
However, his horrible performance in critical battles cannot be ignored. Consider:
Recoome: left Vegeta a bloody mess. Goku one-shotted the guy an episode later. Granted, it was an extremely well-timed, well-placed one shot, but still, an embarrassing loss.
Freiza: the Piccolo/Nail combo does far better against Freiza's 2nd form than Vegeta does. Even after Vegeta uses his Doomsday/Saiayan "come back stronger" ability, he gets pulverized by Freiza's true form. Completely demolished, and it isn't even close. A little later, Goku (pre-Super Saiyan) fights Freiza in this form and fares exponentially better, even though Goku had no chance of actually winning in his base form.
Android 18: This is probably Vegeta's most humiliating defeat. Not because "she's a girl", but because Vegeta was all bluster after finally getting his SSJ transformation, only to get his arms broken by an android some scientist built in his garage. Vegeta truly thought he had become the strongest fighter in the galaxy at that point, and this loss took him down several notches.
Cell: Yes, Final Flash is a cool attack, but it's telegraphed as **** and requires Cell to stand there and try to tank it. Vegeta is utterly outclassed for the rest of the fight. Goku performs much better against this version of Cell, and scrub Gohan defeats him.
Maijin Buu: This one is perhaps a new low. After throwing everything he has at Buu to no effect, Vegeta is reduced to going full suicide-bomber to take out his opponent, and even that fails.
Kid Buu: In perhaps the ultimate self-degradation, Vegeta is just in this fight trying to buy time for Goku to power up again. The former final boss (in the Saiyan Saga) at this point is reduced to Krillin-tier.
Honestly, for all his blustering and some admittedly-badass one-liners, dude never wins an important fight. Like never. He beats a bunch of scrubs and mid-card opponents and then loses to everyone of consequence. He doesn't seem to demonstrate much actual technique. If he can't overpower an opponent, he's done, whereas Goku has defeated opponents in a variety of ways.
What say you?"