Former multi-time World Champion Kevin Nash has given his opinion of one of WWE’s most controversial experiments, calling the company’s handling of the 1998 Brawl For All tournament “rotten” during an episode of his popular “Kliq This” podcast.
The Brawl For All combined elements of boxing and wrestling in a tournament format where outcomes weren’t predetermined. Much to the surprise of WWE officials, Bart Gunn emerged victorious after defeating favourites like “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, Marc Mero and Bradshaw in the finals.
Bart Gunn was a southpaw and none of those guys were boxers except Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero), he was a Golden Gloves boxer. Bart just knocked out everybody.
The infamous tournament has long been considered one of the company’s most significant booking missteps. According to Nash, the fundamental error wasn’t just the concept itself, but how WWE failed to capitalise on the tournament’s legitimate outcome.
Psychology wise it’s horrible. You’re putting a shoot in a work so basically you have established that Bart is the baddest motherf*cker in the territory and you don’t turn around and give him a push. That’s rotten.
Instead of leveraging Gunn’s tournament success into a meaningful storyline, WWE kept him off of television for months and then booked him in a Brawl For All match against professional knockout artist Butterbean at WrestleMania XV, where Gunn was knocked out in 35 seconds. Shortly afterward, he was released from the company.
The WWE Star Kevin Nash Wishes He Had A Match With
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has revealed the one opponent he wishes he’d faced before hanging up his boots would have been CM Punk. Speaking on a 2023 episode of his Kliq This podcast, Nash reflected on the brief feud with Punk in 2011, which never led to an in-ring showdown.
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