The torch biased toward austin?

[Guest Maurizio C... Version 2]

I received my Torch issue with the first part of the awards. in voting the 2001 mvp (austin) jason powell wrote "... from the fantastic heel turn at WM...".

 

Sorry, but did he see the same turn I saw? Austin turn didn't catch on for weeks, since fans still wanted to cheer for him. The WM crowd semt pleased with Austin winnin the gold that night.

[Guest Tony149]

I don't know if they're biased towards Austin, but on their website a few months they were defending Taker.

[Guest JAxlMorrison]

I don't know about you guys, but the only thing I pay attention to the Torch for anyways are the "5 Years Ago on Raw/Nitro" sections, and the Torch Talk archives, in which the interviews are almost always damn good, ,and you always have a dumbass burning a bridge...which leads to the wuestion I may start a new topic on....Is It Possible to ever burn a bridge in wrestling?

[Guest Maurizio C... Version 2]

uh, I guess so... in Bret's case it would be more like "throwing my bro from the ceiling" than "burning a bridge".

 

but money talks and shit's stay shut.

[Guest Army Eye]

I thought the turn was well done, they were just foolish to try to pull it off in Texas.

[Guest Maurizio C... Version 2]

yeah, but they forgot that Austin got over in '97 because he was, basically, a bad motherfucker in the first place. you can't turn him hell by putting him with mcmahon only.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

They should have pulled a Foley in ECW and taken away all of his moves that people like.

 

If his neck and knees hadn't gone to shit...he used to be a hell of an actual wrestler.  Now he's a brawler.

[Guest Army Eye]

yeah, but they forgot that Austin got over in '97 because he was, basically, a bad motherfucker in the first place. you can't turn him hell by putting him with mcmahon only.

Well, that's the monster that Vince and the 'attitude' era has created.  The babyfaces cheat and act like assholes so much that one of the only ways to turn a popular face heel is to align him with Mr. McMahon.  (Props to Jericho for pulling it off alone, but as you can see, it took him quite a while, even after punking out Rock so many times)

[Guest Dark Lotus]

Having been at Raw the night after WMX7 last year, I know that Austin was still MAD over as a face.  I don't know how it came over on TV, though.  In an attempt to turn the crowd, they not only ran the last few minutes of the main event before the live broadcast, but a special "arena-only" video of Vince and Steve in the parking garage running down Fort Worth (where Raw was broadcasting from) and it *still* didn't work.

[Guest MixxMaster]

They should have pulled a Foley in ECW and taken away all of his moves that people like.

 

If his neck and knees hadn't gone to shit...he used to be a hell of an actual wrestler.  Now he's a brawler.

YES, that Foley turn was GREAT.  Just doing freakin' arm bars and shit.  talk about the heat he got!  I wonder why the WWF haven't tried that yet with someone.

 

I don't entirely agree with your opinion on Austin.  The matches he's had against Benoit, and most of his matches with Angle have been great.  I NEVER would've thought that he would take TEN suplexes in a row, for example...

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Austin is a much better heel than a face.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

As a heel, Austin was more of a wrestler than brawler.  Once he officially turned face again, he went back to more of a brawling style (except when facing Angle)

[Guest Dark Lotus]

Is Austin *really* a better heel than a face?  Think about it.  A heel's job is to make you hate him.  Austin never really did that, even after aligning with his greatest enemy.

 

He got over as a face by being a heel.  So when it came time to be a heel he was too over as a face to do it.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

He beat up Lita w/ a chair.  Does that count?

 

Quality-wise, he was better as a heel.  He did more wrestling as opposed to brawling, "what?" wasn't as played-out and over-used, and the comedy stuff he did w/ Vince & Angle was great.

 

I was never a big face Austin fan.  I was loving the heel stuff, and now that he's gone back to a face I'm not that high on him.

[Guest areacode212]

Well, character-wise, heel Austin (of 2001) was more interesting. He would act wimpy and desperate. He would attempt to sing Queen songs and play the guitar. He'd hold the ropes like a dirty cheater. The babyface version of Austin is invincible and all macho bluster, which is boring.

 

Heel Austin circa 1996 is the coolest character ever, which is pretty much why he turned face in the first place.

 

Wrestling-wise, I also prefer the heel Austin. He did perform more wrestling moves, and more dirty heel psychology tactics (which is entertaining); the face version relies more on stomping in the corner, Lou Thesz presses, etc, which pops the crowd, but is a bit more one-dimensional.

[Guest AaronMarco]

Austin is a much better heel than a face.

I agree.

 

I also think Austin's a better worker as a heel. He just brawls, as a face.

 

If that makes any sense.

[Guest Big Poppa Popick]

i like that idea about refusing to do the moves people pop for, what if he did the lou thesz press without the punches, stopped at 7 during at 10 punch count to flick off the crowd, go for the stunner but pull up the million dollar dream instead

 

perhaps the crowd would pop for the other guys trying to hit the stunner on austin, make that the way to beat em

 

dunno, hes a tough one, too many ppl respect him for surviving so long

[Guest Hugh G. Rection]

Watching Survivor Series 1996 and his match with Bret Hart made me realise how much better Austin was as a wrestler back then than he is now- and of course he was a heel back then, or at least people were booing him in the match...