WWE Brawl for All Tournament Review (6/29/1998 – 8/24/1998; 3/28/1999).
Pro Wrestling is no stranger to bad ideas. No matter the promotion, and no matter the era, every company does something stupid. TNA once had the Women’s Championship change hands because someone picked the right lockbox. WCW once had two wrestlers fight for a bottle of Viagra. AEW has women’s matches on TV rarely go over the 10 minute mark. ECW crucified The Sandman. The NWA put their top title on Tyrus. I could go on.
Hell, even in Japan, stupidity knows no bounds. New Japan chose to have Kazuchika Okada beat Tetsuya Naito when the latter was at his hottest. Pro Wrestling NOAH cut Naomichi Marufuji’s inaugural title reign short because they got cold feet. All Japan sacrificed years of great booking by putting the Triple Crown on Katsuhiko Nakajima just for a chance at a relationship with WWE – which never happened. The less said about the Dragon Gate monkey incident, the better.
I won’t say that WWE is the king of stupidity, but they have certainly had their moment wearing the crown of thorns. One such incident began in the summer of 1998 – you know, a period where wrestling in the US was arguably at its hottest, when WWE, WCW and ECW were on even footing, fighting tooth and nail for the top spot of best promotion in the country. Around this time, WWE decided to do something rather odd: They held a real boxing tournament between much of its lower card wrestlers, essentially telling the audience that everything else they were seeing was fake.
Yes, it’s time to talk about the infamous Brawl for All Tournament, which still stands all these years later as one of the dumbest ideas WWE has ever done. Don’t let those well produced documentaries about this time period fool you – yes, the Attitude Era ruled, and yes, it produced some of the most memorable moments and characters in pro wrestling history – but, it was not immune to horrible ideas. Hell, I’d argue that this was far from the dumbest thing they did during this period.
So, what then leads to something like this during a hot period for the company? One name: Vince Russo. The head writer of WWE, and future head writer for WCW (yikes) has taken credit for this tournament for decades. He allegedly came up with the tournament to embarrass Bradshaw, who often spoke highly in the locker room about being the toughest wrestler. Russo saw that, and said “okay, prove it.” This has been disputed through the years, as Bradshaw himself has said that he initially came to Russo with an idea for a Hardcore division in the company, which led to this tourney being created.
Who’s telling the truth? Who knows. Wrestling is as carny as bullshit. Personally, I’d believe Russo over Bradshaw because the latter is the type of backstage bully who would proudly proclaim his toughness. The idea was simple: take the meanest, toughest guys on the roster – or, rather, the lower end of the card – and pit them against each other in real, shoot boxing matches. If you’re expecting to see guys like Steve Austin, Undertaker, Ken Shamrock or even Dan Severn here, think again!
Why have stars when you could have one of the Godwins, or Brakus, or Bob Holly? The men involved in this have toughness that can’t be disputed, mind you, but as far as star quality, this might’ve been like watching your hometown’s Tough Man contest. A benefit of winning this tournament would be a possible push down the road. I mean, if you win a real boxing tourney based on toughness, that has to mean something in, you know, a pro wrestling sense, right?
That was the idea brought to the table when Steve Williams was added to the mix. A former Triple Crown Champion who had tussled with the Four Pillars in All Japan, Williams was a huge get for WWE, and the idea was that Williams – himself a badass – would mow his way through the field here and win the tournament, setting up a future program for the WWE Championship with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Not a bad idea, especially considering that Williams was a fantastic athlete, his wrestling credentials aside. The rumor that’s stood the test of time is that Jim Ross, the legendary commentator and long time friend of Williams, had the tournament rigged with goofs and nobodies that Williams could destroy in route to winning. He has denied these claims.
Joining Williams and Bradshaw in this tournament would be quite the lineup of people: Steve Blackman, Marc Mero, Henry Godwin, Brakus, Savio Vega, Droz, Road Warrior Hawk, Bart Gunn, Quebecer Pierre – who modern fans may know better as PCO – The Godfather, Dan Severn, 8-Ball and Scorpio. So while you have guys with some experience in combat like Blackman and Mero, you also have Severn, who was a legitimate standout in the early days of the UFC. But, you also have 8-Ball and Henry Godwin. PCO being here is actually really fucking wild.
The rules for this tournament are as followed: There are 3 one minute rounds. The most punches per round earn a wrestler 5 points. Each takedown gets them 5 points, and each knockdown gets them 10 points. A 10 count leads to a KO, which ends the match. So, we have a real life fighting tournament featuring a cast of characters who mostly don’t know how to properly box, and featuring people who, at the time, were not prominently featured on WWE television.
So, with all that information, let’s take a look at this historic tournament, one fight at a time. When I say historic, I am being very sarcastic.
-Marc Mero vs. Steve Blackman, WWE Raw is War (6/29/1998).
Well, at least we’re starting off hot between two guys who fit the mold! I’m also a huge fan of Blackman, mostly from when he competed for the Hardcore Championship.
The bell sounds, and Blackman goes for a takedown on Mero. He connects, and both men are back to their feet. Mero throws some punches, and Blackman gets another takedown. The crowd are immediately booing. Mero continues to strike, while Blackman tries for another takedown. Big shot by Blackman to Mero, and he gets another takedown as the first round ends. I’d call that total domination from Blackman.
The second round begins, as Blackman lands another right hand to Mero, and he takes Mero down. Back to their feet, Blackman takes Mero down once again. More shots peppered by Blackman, and another takedown. The round ends, as Blackman takes him down again. I hear a faint “we want wrestling” chant from the fans. The third and final round begins, as Blackman once again takes Mero down. Mero has had nothing in this fight.
Blackman misses a haymaker, but he’s able to pop off a takedown. And what do you know – another takedown! Mero misses all of his punches, but he finally corners Blackman in the corner. It’s not enough, as Blackman wins in convincing fashion. That was boring. Blackman was impressive, as he took Mero down with ease. Mero didn’t do shit here.
-Bradshaw vs. Henry Godwin, WWE Raw is War (6/29/1998).
We got the schoolyard bully in Bradshaw against one half of a tag team that no one gives a shit about in 1998. Godwin had actually already been repackaged with Phineas as members of Southern Justice, Jeff Jarrett’s bodyguards. I’ve put this much effort into it, so I’ll just continue to call him Henry Godwin. This is going to be ugly.
The first round begins, and both men immediately are throwing the ugliest looking haymakers you’ve ever seen. Can you tell they have no boxing experience? Godwin looks for a takedown, and Bradshaw blocks it. The round ends, as the crowd continues to boo. That was 60 seconds of terrible striking. The second round begins, and Bradshaw is first to throw a punch. They continue to throw haymakers, with Bradshaw landing some heavy strikes to the face.
Godwin forces Bradshaw to the turnbuckle, and we get a break. They circle slowly, and the round ends. These guys look gassed. They’re expending all of their energy right away, and then they have nothing left. This is all in 60 seconds. The crowd is chanting “boring.” Jim Ross reminds us that Austin and Kane are preparing for their WWE Championship match in the main event. But hey, that’s fake and this is real!
The final round begins, and Godwin executes a takedown. Bradshaw with some strikes, and he blocks a takedown attempt from Godwin. The seconds wind down, and Bradshaw peppers some strikes in the side of the head, and the round is over. Bradshaw takes the fight. If you’ve ever seen a Toughman Contest, then you’ve seen this match. Just haphazard punches thrown with no technique.
-Brakus vs. Savio Vega, WWE Raw is War (7/6/1998).
This is the episode of Raw that aired against Nitro, where Goldberg beat Hulk Hogan to win the WCW Title in front of 40,000 fans in the Georgia Dome. Just a reminder of what fans could’ve watched instead of this.
The first round starts, and Vega goes for a takedown. Brakus blocks it, and he goes for one of his own. Both men throw some punches at the other, and Vega looks to have the upper hand. He’s landing far more shots to Brakus, and the bell saves him. Vega looks like a stone cold killer, and Brakus looks out on his feet. After a breather, the second round begins. Vega avoids a takedown, and Brakus forces Vega to the turnbuckle. Vega with more strikes landing, and he knocks Brakus down.
More strikes from Vega, as the bell sounds. Brakus is getting his shit rocked. The final round begins, and Vega executes a takedown to Brakus. Brakus with a bad attempt at a takedown, and Vega slips out. More punches from Vega, and Brakus gets knocked down. Vega holds Brakus off long enough, and the fight ends. Vega wins convincingly. For my money, Vega is the odds on favorite, just on performance alone. He not only threw hard strikes, but they actually landed.
-Road Warrior Hawk vs. Droz, WWE Raw is War (7/6/1998).
This is taking place just months before Hawk falls off the Titantron – or did Droz push him off? Who knows, because that storyline also sucked.
The first round begins, and seeing Hawk in full Road Warrior get up while boxing is hilarious. Hawk is pushing forward on Droz, landing some hard strikes. Hawk is landing more shots, while Droz seems to just be holding on for dear life. Droz tries for a takedown, and gets it just as the bell rings. It doesn’t count. The second round begins, and Hawk goes for a takedown. Droz blocks it. Both men are landing good punches on the other, and Hawk gets knocked backwards.
Droz may have hurt his right hand in this exchange. Neither man has the upper hand, as the round ends. Jim Ross is really selling it that he admires these men for stepping out of their element and doing this, because they’re tough. So, what does that say about the WWE Champion?
Hawk may have a broken nose. The third round begins, as they bump gloves. Droz is somehow landing strikes, despite having a terrible stance. Both men have lost their mouthpieces, as they’re just throwing leather at this point. Hawk pushes forward. He gets a few punches in as the bell rings. They hug it out in respect for one another. The judges have declared this match a draw. Oh, okay.
-Bart Gunn vs. Bob Holly, WWE Raw is War (7/13/1998).
The Midnight Express explodes! If you aren’t aware of the NWA Invasion of the WWE in 1998, look it up. It’s terrible.
The rules are explained to both men. Holly shoves Gunn right away.
The first round begins, and both guys land jabs. Gunn is biding his time, landing some good shots to Holly. Holly looks absolutely lost, as Gunn continues to land strikes to the head and the midsection. The round ends, and the crowd are booing! Can you believe it? The second round begins, and Gunn lands a few jabs. Holly with some body shots. Gunn with body shots of his own. Gunn is placing his shots very well. Gunn with more strikes to the head, as the round ends.
The final round begins, and Gunn continues to land jabs. Holly is outmatched. Gunn with hard shots to the face. The round ends, and Gunn wins in convincing fashion. I can appreciate that Bart Gunn took his time and tried to land some accurate shots, instead of just throwing haymakers.
-The Godfather vs. Dan Severn, WWE Raw is War (7/13/1998).
If I hear Jim Ross talk about these guys being out of their element again, I’m going to scream. Well, we got two guys with striking backgrounds. They promote the UFC Night of Champions event that’s coming up, which is some wild foreshadowing, considering that both companies are under the same umbrella in 2025.
The first round begins, and Severn looks for a takedown right away. Godfather with some hard shots to Severn, and he’s got Severn on the mat. Severn tries for a takedown again. Godfather actually stuffs a takedown from Severn. The round ends, as Severn takes a moment to let Godfather up. Surprisingly competitive so far. Godfather is holding his own! Round two begins, and Godfather catches Severn with a hard right hand.
Severn with a takedown to Godfather. Godfather stuffs a takedown again, as the round ends. The third round begins, and Severn starts throwing strikes. Godfather stuffs another takedown. Severn tries for a takedown again, and he gets it. The round ends, and Severn wins the decision. I’d almost call that bullshit. Godfather dominated a lot of that surprisingly.
(Afterwards, Severn backed out of the tournament, saying he had nothing else to prove).
-Pierre vs. Steve Williams, WWE Raw is War (7/20/1998).
I forgot that PCO was in this tournament, so that’s kind of cool. This is the WWE debut of Steve Williams, and we get an interview with an Oklahoma University coach, who hypes him up as a badass. Could’ve just shown footage of Williams beating Misawa for the Triple Crown, but I digress.
The first round begins, and Williams easily takes Pierre down. Pierre is throwing some wild shots, and Williams is giving some of his own. He tries for a takedown, and gets it. Pierre tries for one, and fails. Williams with a shot to the face, and another takedown. The round ends. Williams absolutely smothered Pierre. Jim Ross is glowing over Williams’ football stats in Oklahoma. The second round begins, and Williams gets another takedown. Hard shots by Dr. Death, and he’s egging Pierre on.
Big right hand by Williams, and the bell saves Pierre. Williams is leading in points 35-5. The third round begins, and Pierre is trying his best, but Williams is throwing some rabid shots to the head. Williams with more punches to Pierre, and the referee calls the fight off. Williams wins by KO. Williams was presented like an animal, and he fought like one. Props to Pierre for gutting through it. PCO lives forever!
I guess they didn’t televise the Scorpio-8 Ball fight that happened earlier in the show. The first round saw a slug fest between the two, and in the second round, they exchanged takedowns. Scorpio wins because of his performance in the third round.
-Steve Williams vs. Bart Gunn, WWE Raw is War (7/27/1998).
Two guys who impressed in their first round matches face off in the quarterfinals. The first round begins, and Williams takes Gunn down. Williams tries again, and Gunn blocks it with the ropes. Gunn with a few strikes, and Williams with some of his own. Good even flow in the first, as Williams scoots ahead with the advantage due to the takedowns. Round two begins, and Williams connects with a jab. Gunn blocks a takedown.
Williams is throwing haymakers. Gunn with a takedown of his own out of nowhere. The round ends. This seems like a dead even fight so far, but Williams is leading in points 15-5. The final round begins, and Gunn is fighting off the takedown. Williams goes for it again, and Gunn avoids it. Gunn executes a takedown on Williams, and it seems Dr. Death is injured. He throws shots, but Gunn stays composed and he’s rocking him with strikes, and Williams is down. Gunn wins by KO!
Huge upset by Bart Gunn, as the frontrunner has been knocked out.
So, you’ve probably heard about this one in particular. Steve Williams, the odds on favorite to win the Brawl for All, was knocked out clean by Bart Gunn, arguably the last man people expected to do so. In the third round, Williams tore his hamstring, and dislocated his knee, which led to Bart taking the win. This shook up the entire tournament, as it truly meant that anything could happen. This loss to Bart Gunn damaged Steve Williams for the remainder of his career. The highs he had in All Japan in the early 1990s were tossed aside because he couldn’t win this legitimate toughman contest. A shame, because he’s a damn good wrestler.
-The Godfather vs. Scorpio, WWE Raw is War (8/3/1998).
Godfather enters with a parade of Hos, while Scorpio enters wearing a Terry Funk shirt. The best of both worlds! Godfather offers Scorpio a chance with the Hos, if he forfeits the fight. Scorpio chooses to fight. The first round begins, and Scorpio is moving around fast. Godfather throws some jabs, trying to get some in. Poor Scorpio looks out of his element against the striking ability of Godfather. The round ends, and Godfather can sit easy knowing that he won that round. The second round starts, and Scorpio almost seems to be running away from Godfather. Godfather with some hard shots to the body and the head. Good body shots by Godfather, as he holds Scorpio in the turnbuckle. Second round ends, as Jim Ross is still talking about Steve Williams’ loss a week ago.
Final round begins. Scorpio shoots for a takedown, and it’s reversed by Godfather, who ends up getting points off of that. Godfather is throwing hard shots, but so is Scorpio, and his are landing! Godfather blocks another takedown attempt by Scorpio, and the round ends. Godfather takes that one. Good effort by Scorpio, but Godfather was just the better striker.
-Droz vs. Savio Vega, WWE Raw is War (8/10/1998).
The first round is on, as Vega gets a takedown off on Droz. Hard right hand by Droz. Vega blocks another. Couple of body shots for Vega, as the round ends. Not a whole lot going on here. The crowd are booing. Round two is on, and Vega throws some punches to Droz, getting him in the turnbuckle. Droz is throwing shots as well, and they get separated. Droz with a takedown to Vega. The crowd popped for that one.
Both men continue to throw heavy haymakers, and Droz knocks Vega down as the round ends. Despite his performance in his opening round match, Vega seems to be having trouble keeping up with the man known as “Puke.” The final round begins, as both men bump gloves. Body shot by Vega. He gets a takedown on Droz. Droz gets a takedown on Vega, and then multiple punches to Vega clean. The round ends, and Droz takes that one. They hug it out. I’d call that the best fight in the tournament so far, genuinely.
-Bradshaw vs. Marc Mero, WWE Raw is War (8/10/1998).
Mero is replacing Steve Blackman, who couldn’t compete due to an injury he suffered while training for this tournament. It’s crazy that Mero is here as a replacement, despite getting completely dominated by Blackman initially.
The first round begins, and Bradshaw gets Mero into the ropes. Good shot by Mero, but Bradshaw executes the takedown. Mero gets Bradshaw in the turnbuckle and jabs him. The round ends, and this is a little even thus far. Both have 5 points. The second round starts, and Mero pops a right hand off. Bradshaw with multiple clubbing shots to Mero. Bradshaw with a takedown. Mero swings wildly with a left hook, and Bradshaw forces him into the ropes. The second round ends. The crowd are booing.
We’re at 10 points apiece, as the third round begins. Mero with several shots peppering Bradshaw. Bradshaw uses his strength to take Mero down. Mero stuffs another, and Bradshaw gets on top. Mero with body shots now. Bradshaw gets a takedown on at the last second, as the bell rings. Mero raises his hand, thinking that he’s won. However, the judge has ruled this a draw, which means they’re going one more round. The crowd loudly boos that, which is hilarious.
Bradshaw hits some body shots, and forces Mero into the turnbuckle. Mero forces Bradshaw to the ropes. Bradshaw with a takedown. He blocks a takedown from Mero, and Bradshaw holds him off as the fourth round ends. Bradshaw takes the decision. I feel like Mero should’ve taken that. He had better technique.
-The Godfather vs. Bart Gunn, WWE Raw is War (8/17/1998).
During Godfather’s entrance, Jerry Lawler is on the phone with President Bill Clinton. Just kidding, it’s just an impersonator. Someone must’ve thought that would’ve been funny.
On Heat the night before this, Godfather attacked Bart Gunn.
Godfather doesn’t offer Gunn the Hos, as instead, he’s going to kick Gunn’s ass. This is a semi-final match in the tournament.
The first round starts, and Gunn shoots for a takedown. Godfather blocks it, and he gets to the ropes. Gunn avoids some punches, and connects with punches of his own. Gunn connects with a body punch, and one from Godfather. The round ends, and it seems dead even thus far. Second round begins, and Godfather stuffs a takedown from Gunn. He’s landing some good shots on Godfather, who responds with hammer shots of his own to the body.
Gunn with a few hard shots to Godfather right on the jaw, Gunn knocks him down right as the round ends. Gunn is clearly in the lead, as he’s landing way more shots. The third round begins, and Godfather comes out swinging. Gunn with a few more, until the right hand knocks Godfather out clean! Gunn has punched his ticket to the finals. Impressive performance from Gunn, who continues to exceed expectations.
-Bradshaw vs. Droz, WWE Raw is War (8/17/1998).
The final semifinal matchup, as the winner will face Bart Gunn next week.
The first round starts, and Droz is first to throw shots. Bradshaw uses his size to push against Droz. Both guys are throwing leather, with Bradshaw connecting with a strike. The round ends, and I’d give that round to Bradshaw. Second round begins, and both guys throw light shots, looking for an opening. Droz connects with some good shots, but Bradshaw throws those haymakers to get back in the lead. Bradshaw forces Droz into the ropes. Droz gets the takedown as the round ends.
Bradshaw leads in points 10-5 as the third round begins. Droz goes for a takedown again, but only gets him in the turnbuckle. Hard shots by Droz, and Bradshaw gets him in the ropes. They separate. Bradshaw with a few shots connecting as the round ends. Bradshaw takes the win. Droz looks disappointed. Don’t worry, so am I.
-Bradshaw vs. Bart Gunn, WWE Raw is War (8/24/1998).
Here we go, the finals of the Brawl for All Tournament. I’m sure the live audience is so thankful that this is about to be over. Bradshaw, allegedly the reason this tournament was created, going against Bart Gunn, the man who has shocked everyone by knocking people out to get here.
The first round begins, and Bradshaw is first to throw punches. Gunn fires back with some clean shots to the jaw, and Bradshaw is knocked down immediately! He’s able to get back up. Gunn with a left hook and a right hook, and Bradshaw is out! Bart Gunn has won the Brawl for All. My feelings on this tournament aside, it’s hilarious to see John Layfield – the backstage bully, the enforcer, the guard in Wrestler’s Court – get knocked the fuck out. Lord knows he deserves more.
So, yeah. Bart Gunn, the last person anyone expected, wins Brawl for All. He knocked out two legit tough guys in Bradshaw and Godfather, and he knocked out Steve Williams as well, which was a huge upset. He came out of nowhere, and stunned everyone. So, what did he get out of this? Big push? A program with Stone Cold?
Turns out, he got absolutely nothing. This tourney was made for Steve Williams, but once he lost, everything went out the window. And when Bart Gunn was standing tall, WWE decided to throw all of their plans out the window. According to Jim Cornette, it’s because before this, Bart Gunn was flailing in WWE, doing fuck all. He was a lower card guy, and there was simply no chance. His presentation in years past hurt him, despite coming out as the toughest man in WWE because of Brawl for All.
So, Bart Gunn sat at home for seven months, waiting for WWE to give him something to do. They had nothing for him, until WrestleMania XV in 1999, when they offered him a Brawl for All Match against...Butterbean. If you aren’t familiar, Butterbean is an actual boxer known for taking hits and giving bigger hits. Bart only agreed because to him, it was better than sitting at home doing nothing. So, two months dedicated to this tournament sees the winner return to TV after a 7 month layoff against a real boxer. This should go well.
-Bart Gunn vs. Butterbean, WWE WrestleMania XV (3/28/1999).
This is Bart Gunn’s reward for winning the shoot boxing tournament.
The bell sounds, and round one is under way. Butterbean lands a stiff left to Gunn, and a right hand that drops Gunn. Butterbean backs up, and Gunn is back up to continue. Butterbean approaches him, and knocks Gunn out cold. No chance in hell. Butterbean is a professional boxer, and Gunn is not. Simple as that. According to reports, depending on whoever you believe, Butterbean was brought in by Vince McMahon as “punishment” for Bart Gunn.
So, let’s recap this. Bart Gunn wins a boxing tournament where everything is real, and his reward is getting fed to a pro boxer. How does that work? The company wanted Steve Williams to win the thing, so that he could get a big push. Okay, sure no problem. So, how about you just push Steve Williams from the get go? Putting him in this tournament was a stupid idea, and Gunn knocking him out did him no favors. But hey, that’s how the tournament was set up, and Gunn was just doing as instructed.
So, why punish him? A number of factors could be at play. Like Cornette said, Gunn simply was a guy who got lucky, and was never meant for a main event push. Some have said Vince McMahon was furious that Bart ruined his plans for Williams. Others have said that Jim Ross, Williams’ close friend, sabotaged his push because his friend got knocked out. No matter how you look at it, one thing is for sure: Bart Gunn got a raw deal out of this, and he sadly never recovered. He did have a decent run in All Japan, capitalizing on his KO of Williams. Credit to Butterbean as well, who said in promos leading to the Mania fight, that Gunn had as good of a chance as anyone. At least he tried to make us forget that the fight was a foregone conclusion.
And, that’s the Brawl for All Tournament, and the bonus from WrestleMania XV! Did anything good come out of this tournament? Fuck no. Godfather, Blackman, Hawk, Vega, Droz and Brakus all left the tournament with various injuries. Steve Williams’ aura as a wrestler, and all the good will he earned himself in All Japan, were thrown aside because all anyone remembers about him is this tournament. Oh, and Bart Gunn, the winner? Bless his heart. He didn’t get shit from this. He was punished because he did exactly what was asked of him, and then got fed to a pro boxer on the biggest wrestling show of the year. Like sure, I think we can all agree that a Steve Williams win would’ve been nice, but he lost, and Bart Gunn probably boxed in this tournament better than anyone, even Marc Mero, who’s a former Golden Gloves champion himself. It’s not what WWE expected, but I think they should’ve done something with Bart after this. Instead, they got petty and decided to embarrass him on worldwide television.
And because of that, absolutely nothing of value came from the Brawl for All, making it not only one of the dumbest ideas ever brought to television, but also a complete waste of everyone’s time.
It wasn’t all bad, though. I actually found myself getting entertained by a lot of it. I thought Steve Blackman was impressive in his one fight. I enjoyed watching Bart Gunn outclass all these hosses. I’m a sucker for anything Scorpio does. Droz actually seemed like he cared about this tournament. Savio Vega came off like a menace in his first match. Vega and Droz had a genuinely entertaining fight. Steve Williams looked impressive in his one match with Pierre. Speaking of the Quebecer, not remembering that PCO was in this thing made me happy when I realized he was. Long live the FC Frankenstein!
Oh, and watching Bradshaw get his shit rocked by Bart Gunn was hilarious. I hate bullies, but I love watching bullies get their ass kicked.
But other than those little things...yeah, this sucked big time, and it shouldn’t be done again. If you’re going to do shoot fighting in a wrestling ring, leave it to the guys in Japan who actually know what they’re doing. Or, leave it to the guys in Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport. Don’t try it in WWE.