Dave, the size of the moment is something not always easily gauged in the perspective of history by those that didn't live it.
I do not concur that Reyes was as strong as you say entering the 1995 Sands Regency. Yes, Efren was among the top few and would go on to be the greatest all around player ever, but Parica was playing better nine ball than Efren back then, and in 1995, the top three nine ball players on the pro tour were (based on my best guess recollection of the rankings of that period) CJ Wiley, Jose Parica, and Johnny Archer. CJ was definitely ranked #1 at the time (you can PM him if you need corroboration). Earl was very highly ranked, too. Second, the Sands Regency is not anything close to the US Open, which is why the Strickland-Reyes match is unworthy of mention alongside Varner vs Sigel in the US Open 9-ball final for drama. The climactic finish at the 1995 Sands Regency has, in my opinion, greatly obscured our view of the size of the moment, which seems to have grown over time. The Filipino invasion was just getting started at that point, and Filipinos were just starting to win a significant number of titles in top competition. By 1999, however, the Filipinos had fully emerged as a force in pool, and the Strickland/Reyes rivalry had blossomed. For that reason, the size of the moment in the 1999 Reyes/Strickland race to 120 matchup was 1,000 times that of what happened at the Sands.
Contrastingly, I wonder if history hasn't obscured the size of the moment at the 2015 Mosconi. What made the 2015 so electric was the way the moment in the Woodward / Ouschan match had arrived, the unforgettable crescendo that led up to it. Those that watched this match endured some of the greatest mood swings ever felt at a pool event. Europe led 10-6, knocking on the door of the cup and American fans, this one included, were on edge, getting disconsolate about what would be our sixth consecutive loss at the event ..... but then, magical things began to happen. Boyes led Van Boening 4-3, just one rack from ending the Mosconi. Some may recall that Jayson Shaw, who was there as a passionate fan only, had just entered the tournament room carrying six beers (presumably, one for each member of Team Europe, including Coach Chamat). Shaw definitely rubbed some of the American fans the wrong way with this and he was booed. A raucous celebration was in the air for Europe. Shane managed to get the match to double hill, but found himself snookered on the one ball at double hill. He bet the match on a long, tough jump. When he made it and ran out to pull Team USA within 10-7, hope was restored, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. Next up was Skyler and the crowd was as into it as imaginable. Skyler played well, and appeared to be on the verge of a great double hill win against Albin that would pull Team USA to 10-8. Arguably the two strongest American nine ballers at the time, Dechaine and Van Boening, would be up in singles in Matches 19 and Match 20, and there was a growing sense among the American faithful that Team USA might just have a chance to force the Match 21 tiebreaker. A chance to end five years of Mosconi misery suddenly seemed within reach ...... until Albin's amazing, and genuinely heartbreaking kick, permanently settled things at the 2015 Mosconi. If you didn't experience that moment, you'll probably never appreciate how big it was.
Forgive the length of this post, but I'm really just trying to stress how difficult it can be to assess the size of a moment in pro pool when looking back at things.
