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Good point about Bret's selling.
I can picture in my mind, towards the end of a match, Bret limping around the ring, a sweaty mess, breathing heavy & hunched over, looking like he just got jumped in a bar. He would slow everything down, like would happen in real life if you just got the shit kicked out of you. Too often you see a babyface take a massive beating, sell like they are dead, but then magically spring to life for the comeback, throwing flying dropkicks and fist pumping and jumping around. Not Bret. His comeback offense wasn't a thousand MPH. His best matches really were built like fights. Bryan Danielson in ROH was very similar in this regard with his bell to bell selling, and realistic comebacks.
I think Bret's babyface style was perfect for the main event. No nonsense, somebody who you can get behind because you know he can kick ass or will die trying, the way his matches were structured, his pacing, all of it. Even when he turned heel in 1997, he was still the same guy working the same style and was still a babyface everywhere but the United States (which is another GREAT storyline he was involved in, with MEGA heat and just perfectly executed all around).
Like larry said, Owen was better as a heel. Owen was bland babyface. His heel stuff was nothing short of fantastic. I can see where Vince had early reservations as to whether Owen could pull off the jealous little brother routine, because he never showed any personality as a face. But he was perfect. Just crazy enough to keep you on edge at first, but also sane enough to where you can kind of understand his gripe. His body language was so good. And once he turned, and dialed it up a notch, it was off the charts. he was cocky in a way that nobody has really duplicated since.
I can picture in my mind, towards the end of a match, Bret limping around the ring, a sweaty mess, breathing heavy & hunched over, looking like he just got jumped in a bar. He would slow everything down, like would happen in real life if you just got the shit kicked out of you. Too often you see a babyface take a massive beating, sell like they are dead, but then magically spring to life for the comeback, throwing flying dropkicks and fist pumping and jumping around. Not Bret. His comeback offense wasn't a thousand MPH. His best matches really were built like fights. Bryan Danielson in ROH was very similar in this regard with his bell to bell selling, and realistic comebacks.
I think Bret's babyface style was perfect for the main event. No nonsense, somebody who you can get behind because you know he can kick ass or will die trying, the way his matches were structured, his pacing, all of it. Even when he turned heel in 1997, he was still the same guy working the same style and was still a babyface everywhere but the United States (which is another GREAT storyline he was involved in, with MEGA heat and just perfectly executed all around).
Like larry said, Owen was better as a heel. Owen was bland babyface. His heel stuff was nothing short of fantastic. I can see where Vince had early reservations as to whether Owen could pull off the jealous little brother routine, because he never showed any personality as a face. But he was perfect. Just crazy enough to keep you on edge at first, but also sane enough to where you can kind of understand his gripe. His body language was so good. And once he turned, and dialed it up a notch, it was off the charts. he was cocky in a way that nobody has really duplicated since.
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