Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted January 26, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 26, 2019 I know Brawl For All has pretty much been universally shat on as one of the worst concepts in wrestling history. And I get why for a bunch of reasons. The very idea of having shoot matches on a worked show is pretty stupid when you think about it. Plus, as the WWF found out with the Bart Gunn vs Dr Death thing, you canât guarantee the outcome you want in a shoot. Hence the whole reason pro wrestling got so big in the first place, I guess - the ability to book the right results to build and plan long term matches that people will pay to see. Regardless, Brawl For All was a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Iâm sure every fan, once they realised what wrestling was, wondered at some point who was the hardest. So as wally-brained an idea as it was, I was into it. Yeah, the fights were mostly shite and it was all underneath guys but whatever. My question here is, what would a Brawl For All tournament have looked like if it came 10 years earlier? These days a decade in WWE doesnât seem that much. Very little seems to change really in terms of talent or presentation. A decade back then though, 1988 WWF compared to 1998 WWF is like night and day. So whoâd have been in your 16 man bracket in 1988? Whoâd have won the whole thing? Obviously the likes of Hogan, Warrior, Savage or Andre wouldnât be involved. This would be strictly your Dino Bravo and Demolition Ax types. I guess itâs probably safe to assume Haku wouldâve run the field, but would he? As we saw, Dr Death was supposed to dominate in 98 and look what happened. And in 88 you had the likes of Barbarian, Rick Rude, Paul Orndorff, Bad News etc on the roster. Iâd definitely have had Dynamite Kid vs Jacques or Raymond Rougeau in the first round of the tournament. Doesnât have to be 1988 if you donât want, extend it to any era or even todayâs roster if you like. Or talk about the one we got in 98. Should Bart have got a push instead of being fed to Butterbean? Was JR the biggest prick ever about it backstage because âhis boyâ got KOâd? Would Stone Cold vs Dr Death have even interested you in 1998 if the results panned out as the office wanted? And how far do you reckon Steve Blackman would have gone if he never got injured? For what itâs worth hereâs a few bits of interviews on the Brawl For All... Bart Gunn on winning Brawl For All, Dr Death, Jim Ross etc; Dr Death on losing to Bart, injuries, and his failed late 90s WWF run; Bob Holly on Bartâs badassery and Blackman being legit; Billy Gunn on Bartâs badassery and what heâs up to now; Yeah, Brawl For All was almost as bad as Shawn Michaelsâ commentary but I canât hate anything that still winds Jims Ross and Cornette up 20 years later and sees Bradshaw get sparked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted January 26, 2019 Moderators Share Posted January 26, 2019 Ray Rougeau was a Golden Gloves champ, so he'd have been worth a crafty fiver. Mind you the take down rule would probably most benefit someone like Bad News Brown with his Olympic Judo medal. Actually fuck it, Bad News Brown all the way. He's taking the trophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted January 26, 2019 Author Paid Members Share Posted January 26, 2019 Yeah, youâd fancy Bad News to give most major problems. Just added a poll. Then realised Danny Spivey was on the roster in 88, which I have no recollection of. Heâd be on the list as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted January 26, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 26, 2019 Haku & Barbarian in the final. Then they start teaming off the back of it and have some ridiculous brawls with LOD. I know I voted for Haku, but only because he was the first name I saw and I could only have one vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted January 26, 2019 Moderators Share Posted January 26, 2019 18 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said: Yeah, youâd fancy Bad News to give most major problems. Just added a poll. Then realised Danny Spivey was on the roster in 88, which I have no recollection of. Heâd be on the list as well. Dangerous Dan the Left Hand Man. I reckon he'd be the most likely to be your "Bart Gunn" KO artist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Astro Hollywood Posted January 26, 2019 Moderators Share Posted January 26, 2019 Paul Roma would have been standing tall at the end atop a pile of corpses. According to Paul Roma, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted January 26, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 26, 2019 Just now, Astro Hollywood said: Paul Roma would have been standing tall at the end atop a pile of corpses. According to Paul Roma, anyway. What happens when he and Hercules end up having to fight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted January 26, 2019 Moderators Share Posted January 26, 2019 9 minutes ago, Astro Hollywood said: Paul Roma would have been standing tall at the end atop a pile of corpses. According to Paul Roma, anyway. He was either feared or respected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Really Big Shoe Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 I voted for Haku but Harley and Bad News would definitely be up there too. There's also a fun story about some guy starting trouble with Rick Rude too and Rick just flattened them with one punch, so I wouldn't rule him out either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted January 26, 2019 Author Paid Members Share Posted January 26, 2019 I fear and respect Roma so much that I didnât see the point adding him to the poll. Got to give the others a bit of a chance. Spivey wouldâve been a perfect fit for something like this the more I think about it. I think lives really wouldâve changed in Waylon Mercyâs hands if heâd entered. Adrian Adonisâ face did anyway, as the story goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted January 26, 2019 Moderators Share Posted January 26, 2019 Anyone who can stuff a shooter's double leg with a perfect left uppercut has to be in the conversation, certainly. He's my pick now too, I've talked myself into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted January 26, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 26, 2019 I'd go Raymond or Bad News in a Brawl For All. But really, I'd have wanted this to be a early UFC style tournament, instead of a Brawl for All. Where referees were encouraged not to stop the fight. Fuck knows who would win that though. Jim Ross must have been thick as fuck to think Doc was winning that tournament in 1998, though. His knees were completely shot and he was an older man. Imagine if a 38 year old pro wrestler with no record to speak of and loads of injuries tried his luck in legit fighting these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PowerButchi Posted January 26, 2019 Moderators Share Posted January 26, 2019 No stoppages I suppose it's Bad News all the way. He'd just take any of them down and tap them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted January 27, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 27, 2019 Most of the "hard case" reps are built on stories we'll never know if they're bollocks or not. So I voted for Rude on the basis he has the best bullshit story, which is, depending who tells it, (a) he knocked a guy out with a slap, (b) he knocked a guy out with his left because his right arm was in a sling, (c) both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted January 27, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 27, 2019 The Keepin It 100 crew were asked who would have won a WCW Brawl for All back in the 90s a couple of weeks ago. Konnan voted that he'd seen enough with his own eyes to know that Haku would have won it, so i'll take Haku as well. Scott Norton, Booker T, Stevie Ray and The Steiners were also given honorable mentions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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