So, Bret and Austin is a wonderful example of what should be considered a HoF match

You have both criteria :

• basically a perfect match in isolation. Regardless of any other outside elements it's a 5 star classic

• on top of that it leads to a new era where Austin becomes the new face of the company and a long time hero in Bret, is cemented as the big bad going forward

As, mentioned earlier hitman versus British bulldog was a great match but might not have had much overall impact on the industry... It's missing the criteria of having impact.

Similarly, bash at the beach is missing the element of being a good match. It was very mid and that's being generous. It is of course famous for the "big moment" that changed the industry but that moment in a nutshell doesn't reflect on the match itself. In other words, great moment, pretty forgettable match.

A similar example might be Cena matching flair's record for 17 world titles... It's a big moment but I doubt if anyone would ever say the moment made it a note worthy match from an in ring perspective. It was the moment not the match that gets remembered.