Why Kevin Sullivan Believes WWE's Brawl For All Experiment Was Stupid

In 1998, WWE had an ill-fated foray into legitimate shoot-fighting with the "Brawl For All" tournament. The tournament ruined a lot of gimmicks and resulted in injuries, but notably had an unlikely winner in Bart Gunn. According to Kevin Sullivan in a recent episode of "Tuesday with the Taskmaster," the tournament was one of the stupidest ideas in wrestling.

According to Sullivan, the tournament ruined the momentum of all the wrestlers involved. "That thing was one of the stupidest ideas ever. These matches are gonna be real, and the rest of it is bulls**t? I mean... No one looked good..."

Despite winning the tournament, Gunn faced the legendary boxer Butterbean in a losing effort at WWE WrestleMania 15, which burned away any momentum he gained from the event. WWE initially picked "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to win the tournament, and the officials believed he'd have had an easy route to the top. Unfortunately for Williams, he was knocked out by Gunn, resulting in his own career failing afterward as he lost all credibility.

Butterbean has notably commented on his fight with Gunn in the past, and even he was aware that the star was not meant to win the tournament. According to him, Vince McMahon brought him in as punishment for Gunn and effectively set him up for failure.

Similarly, Marc Mero said Gunn's boxing match with Butterbean ultimately ruined his career. "Brawl for All" saw Gunn knock out both The Godfather and Bradshaw (JBL) in the finals and go blow-for-blow with Bob Holly to win by referee decision.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Tuesday with the Taskmaster" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.