badgenome said:
I'm still salty about WrestleMania XII, too. And Survivor Series '97. But it did warm my heart to see that they've buried the hatchet. I don't think Shawn was anywhere near as good as Bret as a worker. As an acrobat and showman, sure, he could run circles around Bret. But I don't think Bret has an equal when it comes to psychology and being a good ring general, which is what wrestling is all about. The big thing that hurts Shawn, I think, is that when he was at his physical peak, he was by his own admission, a fucking asshole prima donna and drug addict. Shawn was a lot more of a natural performer and athlete than Bret (and so, incidentally, was Owen - but unlike Bret and Shawn, Owen didn't really have an emotional need to be a wrestler and really just wanted to go and be a fireman), but Bret could tell a story like nobody else. Mostly because he had a borderline unhealthy obsession with becoming the best at it, he could work with a great deal of subtlety and nuance in a company that was never all that subtle. His matches with Bulldog at SummerSlam '92, Owen at WMX, Austin at WM13... I don't think Shawn has any to his name that are as great as those, except maybe with Bret. |
I'd like to add, Bret was untouchable in the ring. No one did it as good as him, and no one was able to get a match out of anyone like him. You could have been the worst wrestler in the world, Bret would somehow make you look good. Now as far as Shawn Michaels goes; he was an entertainer. Ask him to put a hold on though? He was good at actually executing a move when it was shown to him though. But Shawn was a damn good entertainer in the ring. Interesting how these two's styles clashed, one was a mat technician and made every move count, the other made it damn entertaining.
