Feeling -- What seperates the 2 Bret vs Austin mat

[Resident Evil]

Just a bunch of thoughts that were going through my mind which I wanted to type down.

 

 

This was commented on in the DVDVR messageboard but it was buried deep within some other post. Basically, it was about the Bret vs Austin matches. The Bret vs Austin matches are often debated on which one is better. The two matches in question are Bret vs Austin from Survivor Series 96 and of course Wrestlemania XIII. Of course you will find people favouring both sides.

 

However, one very interesting thing I'm noticed (and I hope I'm not wrong on this) is that people who believe SSeries is better don't really think of that match as being one of the best of all time but people who think the Mania is the better of the 2 will be more likely to favour that match as one of the best of all time. I never did put SS96 in the DVDVR poll I mad a little while back on the best matches ever which is too bad but I did put WM13 as an option. To say it did better than I thought it would do would be an understatement. It easily held its own/pulled off a ton of "upsets" and confirmed my belief that the bigger fans of the match truly did think of it as one of the best matches ever. I of course am one of those people though I don't think I voted for it in the poll.

 

So why are the WM13 fans more in love with their match as compared to the SS96 fans? Well, I think as commented in the DVDVR thread that it comes down to this. Feeling. SS96 is a great experience and leaves you with feeling that "Man, I just watched a terrific match" but WM13 leaves you with the feeling that you just skydived out of the air while losing your virginity at the same time (if that was possible) It knocks you over, picks you back up again and than knocks you out cold. That right there is the reason I believe WM13 is the better match of the 2 and one of the better matches of all time. It leaves me with the feeling "I just watched one of the best matches of all time". Of course, I guess for whatever individual reasons the fans of SS96 don't get the same kind of rush that the big fans of WM13 do. That's why they don't think WM13 is one of the better matches ever.

Basically, it all comes down to feeling when we judge a match. If I ever say a match is one of the best ever or is overrated it's pretty much because it left me with a super endorphin rush or it gave me a feeling of nothingless.

 

Really, when it comes down to it this is the only true and tested way you can judge a wrestling match for yourself. Judging for the fans is a little more tricky but as for yourself this is what it boils down to for every single person who's ever watched a wrestling match.

Yes, people cite dangers thinking this way. What if you're depressed while watching a match or what if you were feeling terrific while watching the exact same bout? What if you're more emotionally attached to a bunch of wrestlers as compared to another group? What if you're more tired of one style as compared to another and this is affecting your feelings and henceforth judgement on a match?

 

Well, I've never really had a problem with this. You got to kind of keep all factors like this inside your head but from me now being a veteran wrestling viewer/fan I'm able to decide what I truly think is great and what is not through this very easy analysis:

 

Did the match leave me with a feeling of being terrific such as Atlantis vs Villano III?

 

or

 

Did the match just leave me flat?

 

That's what it all boils down to. Like I said, I believe it's why several of the WM13 fans think of Mania as being one of the best matches ever while the big fans of SS96 tend not to from what I've seen. They don't get the same feeling that the WM13 fans do. Enough rambling for now.

[Guest DylanWaco]

Interesting comments.

 

Actually your summary at the end about how matches make you feel is a pretty good summary of my overall view of Benoit. I will never deny that Benoit is a great wrestler, but his great matches usually just leave me shrugging my shoulders and saying "okay, I saw something really good, what's next?". Sasuke/Benoit which is often cited as his best match is a perfect example of this, as I agree that it's a basically flawless match, but it's also a match I don't care much about at all and I would much rather watch the Liger/Sasuke match from the same show.

 

As for SS 96 v. WM XIII, I like SS 96 better and always have. I do not think SS 96 is at the very top of the heap of all time classics, but I do think at bare minimum it is one of the five best WWE/F matches of all time and it very well may be the best E match of all time.

 

For the life of me I can't see why anyone would say Austin/Bret was one of the greatest matches of all time, unless of course they had only seen 90's era American wrestling. It's a great match, but I don't even think it's as good as Douglas/Scorpio from A Matter Of Respect for example, though I understand that for some people the post match stuff and the WM atmosphere will put Austin/Bret over the top of alot of stuff. I guess some people are really enamored with the double turn and the advent of Austin as the big star and since that's wrapped up in the details of that bout it's going to get alot of high praise.

 

FWIW, I do think Austin/Bret SS 96 has one of the two or three very best endings of all time.

[Resident Evil]

Interesting comments.

 

Actually your summary at the end about how matches make you feel is a pretty good summary of my overall view of Benoit.  I will never deny that Benoit is a great wrestler, but his great matches usually just leave me shrugging my shoulders and saying "okay, I saw something really good, what's next?".  Sasuke/Benoit which is often cited as his best match is a perfect example of this, as I agree that it's a basically flawless match, but it's also a match I don't care much about at all and I would much rather watch the Liger/Sasuke match from the same show.

 

As for SS 96 v. WM XIII, I like SS 96 better and always have.  I do not think SS 96 is at the very top of the heap of all time classics, but I do think at bare minimum it is one of the five best WWE/F matches of all time and it very well may be the best  E match of all time.

 

For the life of me I can't see why anyone would say Austin/Bret was one of the greatest matches of all time, unless of course they had only seen 90's era American wrestling.  It's a great match, but I don't even think it's as good as Douglas/Scorpio from A Matter Of Respect for example, though I understand that for some people the post match stuff and the WM atmosphere will put Austin/Bret over the top of alot of stuff.  I guess some people are really enamored with the double turn and the advent of Austin as the big star and since that's wrapped up in the details of that bout it's going to get alot of high praise. 

 

FWIW, I do think Austin/Bret SS 96 has one of the two or three very best endings of all time.

Lyger vs Sasuke would easily be in my top 2% of matches as far as the "I just watched something terrific" factor. Of course a lot of Benoit matches leave me with this as well.

 

As for Bret vs Austin at Mania practically EVERYTHING worked in that for me.

 

The SS96 indeed has one of the better endings of all time. Overall, I think Bret Hart may have been the best ever at having memoarable match endings.

 

I love the ECW Douglas vs Scorpio bout (a couple of my friends really liked it too) but it only leaves me with the "I watched a very, very good match" vibe instead of a super classic feeling like Lyger vs Sasuke for instance.

[JHawk]

What separates the Austin-Bret matches more than anything else is the style of matches they really were. SS96 was more a technical wrestling match while WM13 was more a brawl.

 

It would be like asking what do you prefer watching, ROH or CZW.