Benoit vs. Guerrero

[Guest Tim Cooke]

I don't understand how everyone can logically say that Eddy Guerrero is better than Chris Benoit today without having a bias liking.

 

From 1993-1997, the claim can be made that Guerrero is better. When he was in AAA, Eddy was carrying sacks of shit like Konan, Octagon, Los Payasos, etc to good matches while tearing it up with better opponents.

 

Benoit, in NJPW at the same time, was able to have better opponents night in and night out but still produced quality matches.

 

The sticking point to me is 1996. The NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament that year was the BEST Eddy Guerrero that I have seen in NJPW and the world (minus a match here and there). The problem is, during that same tournament and year in NJPW, Benoit also worked just as many high end matches.

 

But after the 12/98 car accident, Eddy has NEVER been the same.

 

I am a HUGE fan of Guerrero but it isn't even close as to who is better now. I think that with Eddy's slightly larger moveset, people may appeal more to him. That said, Benoit can work on the same "level" in a match with anyone, keeping himself credible and putting over his opponent.

 

Last thing. Benoit is a born natural. Jumbo Tsuruta, Shinjiro Otani, Kenta Kobashi....all norn naturals. Eddy is more like Kawada, a guy who worked his ass off to get where he had to be.

 

Tim

[Guest Brian]

Oh, I like Eddy more but Benoit's work has been smarter. Eddy's sort of hit that groove, but he's still going fine. Eddie has a natural style to him, but as a worker Benoit just has that way of looking natural in a ring.

[Guest Goodear]

I have no idea how you could look at guys and just say that one guy is a natural and the other isn't ... but I digress. Eddie seemingly has a bit more fan friendly moveset with more aerial components in it than Benoit but Chris uses his moves a lot more effectively and has better pacing and psychology than Eddie does.

[EL DANDY~! 0]

But you also gotta remember that Eddie IS wrestling through and through. His family is a wrestling family, one of the most famous in history, so natural talents HAD to come with him. He's been able to make adjustments to the different styles. I have only seen his US work, and I can see some of the different styles he employs. It's a definite mixture of the lucha and puro styles, along with good ol fashioned U S of A psychology.

 

Benoit worked his ass off to get where he is today, and there is no doubt about it that he's practically a direct incarnation of the Dynamite Kid. Over the years, he's made a great adjustment, taking some of his Japanese mentality with him and forming this really neato mold between the NA and puro styles.

 

Point is, they are two different examples of how to wrestle. But today, they are both over, both successful, and even though they aren't "Sports Entertainers" through and through, they can wrestle, and it's like Kurt Angle says, "The name of the game is WRESTLING." As long as they both get over and stay over, you won't see any problem with me.