The following pics are selected as part of my personal favorite bearhugs of all time and I've decided to grade them. Each of these images are given a separate page of their own along with their ponderation. The marking scheme is given in the pargraphs below. The pics are in random order.



Update (2003/02/28): Only marks for the first seven (7) pics are up. The rest will be gradually and slowly evaluated in further updates.

If you are curious of knowing on what factors I've based my decision for pic selection, then read along. Otherwise, click "ENTER" to start viewing the images. There's a total of 10 factors considered.

Marking scheme


1. Quality of image

A pic taken at a high resolution has normally a very clear image. The image should contain little or no imperfection pixels or linear disruptions. I do however tolerate pixel imperfection at a certain extent. This criteria also takes into consideration the photographer or editor (in the case of the image being scanned from its original) who performed the processing, scanning and conversions to preserve image integrity/quality. A large number of web images are deteriorated through JPEG compression, format change, color reduction and excessive size (width × length) modifications/manipulations. Some pixels may also change after being sent through networks or can even be damaged if improperly altered with a software. An image with high graphical disturbances or imperfections is likely to get a low score in this criteria. Also scans taken from a bad media (general computer print, newspapers, etc.) can yield an image with low quality.


2. Style, position and angle of the bearhug

The style dictates what kind of bearhug is used (inverted, regular, reversed, etc.). Depending on the setting, a type of bearhug used can be more appealing than another. The positions of the legs and arms in the bearhug (for both the bearhugger and the victim) also affect this criteria. The distance between the chests and the way the bearhug is delivered also plays a number. Angle determines from which side/view (front, side, back, from top, etc.) the image has been taken. If the victim seems to be sitting on its opponent lap, then it's a plus for me :) Combination holds also enter in this criteria. As sad it may seems, logos & watermarks deducts point(s) in this section and if it's a very bad watermark, it'll also affect the last criteria. Not to worry, for these selected pics, the source and product is always displayed at the bottom of the pic along with the marks. Technique and any bearhug application-details can be considered here and in the following section.


3. Power and pain of the bearhug

This is where I evaluate how appealing the bearhug is and how convincing the expressions on both the victim or the bearhugger are. This criteria may, at times, be partially evaluated or not considered at all. For example, it may be impossible to view the face of the victim or the bearhugger. This section also evaulates the strength applied in the bearhug. Note that a bearhug applied in full strength doesn't automatically imply a great bearhug (in my personal opinion). A lot of bearhugs are fake, I know, but even if it is implied in the picture, I do consider the "acting" of the wrestlers. If a bearhugger is dragging around his victim or if the victim is inconscious, then those elements can be considered in this section and the previous one as well. Sweat and other liquids (no, I don't mean naughty ones) can affect both this criteria and the previous one.


4. Colors, background and lighting (Artistic factors)

The setting needs to be appropriate and all the colors around the image needs to go together. If the wall was pink and the floor was bright green, that would definitely cut my appeal for the pic. A monochrome pic does not ignore this criteria, even the right tones of black, white and different levels of gray can make a pic enjoyable to view. Pics taken in studios (bright white backgrounds) have a lesser appeal for me, while images taken outside (i.e. in a park, beach, where you can see the clouds, etc.) or in the appropriate ring/room would obtain a higher rating in this criteria. In general, I prefer bearhugs that are taken when there are no referees around (or any other type of third-party including cameramen) and when they are taken privately (with no public/audience). This section also evaluates modification of the image to add or include gradients that would improve its overall rating. Lighting denominates how the wrestlers are exposed to the light and how well we can see the bearhug. The lighting factor also includes reflections and shadows. Although discussed in style section, angle can play a factor in this criteria also.


5. Size of image and justification of area

Yep.. size DOES matter for me :) By size, I mean width × length, since memory size (kilobytes in general) is considered in the last criteria. I like huge pics :P The larger the image, the larger the bearhug and the better chances that they become part of the selection. You'll never see me choose a 50×50 pixel pic for heaven's sake! ;) As for justification of area, a pic may be large while the bearhug can be small for good reasons if the background/setting incorporated in the image justifies it accordingly. In other words, this criteria also evaluates the usage of space/environment.


6. Wrestlers

Chances are that I find cute one or both guys that are in these pics if they are selected :) I have a weakness for bearish types and goatees :) extra hair is a plus for me, but this is not a mandatory criteria. Muscles on both wrestlers, their flexions and clearness on the bearhug also affect the overall appeal of the bearhug. Hairstyle, beards, mustaches, tattoos and body piercing may influence this criteria. This section also determines if the wrestlers were well chosen to give a mutual bearhug. It also evaulates their sizes, overall physique and its applications.


7. Gear

Depending on the image, the gear used (trunks, jockstrap, shorts, briefs) do have an effect on the appeal of the bearhug. I normally prefer trunks. When the wrestlers are a bit too naked or wears the wrong type of gear, it affects this part of the criteria - but they're of course exceptions to this rule. Uniforms and additional wear are also considered in this section. Gears that have being taken off and still lying on the floor (or anywhere visible on the pic) can still count in this evaluation criteria. Thongs and no-wear instantly gives a failing mark in this criteria, for both personal and administrative reasons :).


8. Scenario/setting of the bearhug

Most bearhugs are involved in wrestling matches, but they are not absolutely restricted to that area. For example, bearhugs can also be given in a football setting or a boxing match. Images do not necessarily need to be from a video company, they can come from professional, amateur, personal or in many other areas. They can be shown in a ring, in public or in an private area. As an example, consider this: a guy gets bearhugged while rollerskating in the park and this scenario can make the bearhug a bit more appealing :) This section also considers the context of the bearhug if applicable. Although background factors is commented in a separate section, the location/area of the bearhug can also figure and affect this criteria. Originality of the scenario/setting is bound to give bonus points in this criteria. If nothing important or nothing unusual can be perceived in this criteria, the default score is 8.0.


9. Equality, advantage & fairness of the bearhug

This is the degree of difference in strength between the two wrestlers. An advantaged bearhugger has much more strength than his victim and can overwhelm his victim into submission. In an equal match, the victim should have an equal chance of resisting the bearhug of his opponent. I do prefer the situation where the bearhugger is advantaged, but this is not a mandatory requirement. There are cases where equality can be more appealing than an advantage situation - depends on the wrestlers involved.


10. Elements of opportunity and version penalty

This is where the rest goes. Sometimes, there is a key element in the picture that influences the overall output of the image. If that key element was absent, the image would not have been selected. I'll also add the media type here (I hate GIF images for bearhugs and images that are not size-quality factor compliant). Remaining bonus points that cannot be attributed elsewhere, if any, go here. This criteria may also be used to balance the results. Version penalty applies to a pic that has been changed to increase it's overall appearance/appeal. This penalty still takes into consideration the factors prior to the change. Every version may be considered including the initial one, but this penalty can also wear off with time.


Overall

The overall scores sums up each of the criteria above for a total mark of 100.


Public counters

Public counters represent marks re-adjustements demanded by the public and elaborates on the reasoning of those adjustments. Counters can also be anonymous. If there is no field in this section, then the current image has no public counter.


Public quotes/comments

This field only appears once a constructive/interesting quote/comment has been submitted to the site. If you have a quote/saying you want to associate to the image or a simple comment you want to share, you can e-mail it to me, but I'd have to approve it first before posting it. Quotes/comments can be anonymous. Not all quotes/comments are accepted.


Credits

If you helped me identify a product, a wrestler or the source for any pics in the best bearhugs selection, this is where your name will appear :) If you corrected a wrong information, you'd be here too :P


Bearhugger

Implies the name of the wrestler giving or performing the bearhug. You can also replace this by 'Heel'. The displayed name can either be the wrestler's real name or the pseudonym (nickname) he is using for the wreslting association.

Victim

Implies the name of the wrestler being bearhugged or caught inside the bearhug. You can replace 'Victim' by 'Bearhugged' if it's easier to understand . You can also replace it by 'Jobber' . As with the previous field, the wrestler's name can either by real or a pseudonym (nickname).

Source

The name and website of the company producing/hosting/featuring the bearhug. The source name can normally be clicked to port you to the site immediately through a new window. In the event a site/company has been closed, the name will not be clickable.

Product

The name of the product/video featuring the bearhug shown. As with the disclaimer, the BSP does not guarantee the exactness of the information provided. Double-check with the company before you intend to purchase the video. To find a product, just go to the source's website and enter the product name for your search criteria.


IMPORTANT NOTES

Individual marks for each evaluation criteria is rated on 10. It CANNOT exceed 10, nor go below 0.

Individual comments assigned for each mark are for indication purposes only. The variation number is already taken into account on the mark displayed. For instance, in the example provided in the table below, the comments displays a +2 for great quality and a -1 for pixel imperfection for the criteria of Quality. These are two side-comments that gives a reasoning of the mark for the current criteria. The mark of 9.2 already takes into account the +2 and the -1 discussed in the comments. Don't e-mail me to say 9.2 + 2 - 1 = 10.2 because I'm gonna do this:
9.2 + 2 - 1 = 10.2 and bearhug you :P

Criteria Mark Comment
Quality 9.2 +2 Great quality
-1 Pixel imperfection
Mark & comments layout example


Keep in mind that these are my personal selection and criterias for evaluation. My judgement is obviously different from everyone else, so there may be pics in this selection that you will greatly dislike. Marks are shown at the bottom of each individual pic, NOT on this page you're reading.

Since a greater emphasis is brought to these images, I will try my best to provide as much information as possible concerning the bearhugs.

Also, it may be in your best interest to consider that the evaluation is for the PIC ONLY! A product referred by the pic can be complete crap and the bearhug featured by the product could be a complete waste of time, but the still (the picture) that was taken from the product (or during the development of the match) can be a magnificient image. Therefore, it is important that you differentiate bearhug pic from bearhug video/product. I'm WARNING YOU! If a bearhug is good, it doesn't mean that the video is good too. The evaluation does NOT take in account the video! As with my disclaimer, I am in no way responsible in misleading you in buying the wrong product or providing any guarantee for your satisfaction with the product. Read it before you cry out to me, please. The disclaimer also contains the site policies and elaboration of legal protection/issues.

I am simply evaluating these images for fun and I also feel that any subject can be criticized, including bearhugs. I am not, in any way, dissenting or discouraging a product from a company, nor promoting it. If it has that effect, then it is unintentional.

If you do NOT agree with the marks attributed to the selected pics or if you don't agree with the marking scheme (or part of it), feel free to contact me and leave whatever comments/complaints that comes to your mind :) I'm of all ears ^_^ If you have a good reasoning to defend or attack an image, I can consider your comments, include it with the image (with your permission, of course) and re-adjust the overall mark. This is what I call a public counter. A succesful public counter will figure in the information area of the image.

I am NOT a perfect marker, I can make mistakes, ok!? :P In most cases, I will not consider comparisons. I'm grading the image as one - not compared to another - except for the size criteria. If you want to obtain more information on how I perform the grading using the scheme given above, you can click here to try to understand the usage of my standards (i'm warning you that this page is a tad bit more complicated to absorb what I'm talking about).

I had the marks calculated with Microsoft Excel, but a mistake or two may have slipped in while copy-pasting. So, if there's an error in the calculations, please report here. Down below are the current TOTAL marks ONLY indexed. The "#" field is NOT the rank! It just indicates where it is located (more for indication purposes). To view evaluation details for each criteria, click on the matchup and scroll down that page (you'll see the mark given for each criteria). Marks are under a total of 100 with 10 points allocated per criteria.



# Matchup (Bearhugger vs. Victim) Mark
1 Steve Sherman vs. Wade Cutler 88.1
2 Sid O'Reilly vs. Tony Rosano 87.3
3 Johnny Modesto vs. Joe Mazetti 85.9
4 Magnus vs. Mark Wolff 85.0
5 Ben Hakim vs. Brad Martin 86.8
6 Kevin Nash vs. The Rock 85.4
7 Mark Wolff vs. Phillipe Nicolas 82.3
0.0


On a final note, marks can be adjusted/changed at anytime and pictures selected can be also be removed/added at anytime. This just explains that my taste for bearhugs will change as time goes on :)

Now that you've read all this crap :P, hit "ENTER" and explore :)






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