10 Hypothetical WWE Brawl For All 2016 Contestants
Who would comprise the tourney if this doomed experiment were to return today?
Remember the disaster of an idea that came in the middle of the Attitude Era resulting in many WWE superstars suffering from numerous legit injuries, career-ending losses and a series of failed pushes? Remember when WWE had the genius idea to try their hand at shoot-fighting, despite them tightening their grip on the world of sports-entertainment in the middle of a 'war'?
It was the 1998 Brawl For All and, despite its chequered history, what if it made a comeback in 2016?
Surely, WWE has learned from this egregious mistake of 1998 and fans are unlikely to ever witness anything like this failed contest again, but it still becomes an interesting idea to think about.
Out of all the superstars on the WWE main roster, who are the toughest, most hard-nosed, legit shooters that would be able to handle themselves in a real-life fighting tournament? With the recent UFC debut of CM Punk, there's never been a better time to look at the professional wrestlers of today and see who would make it in a Brawl For All setting in 2016.
While the 1998 tournament primarily featured low-to-mid-card talents, this hypothetical 2016 version will look at all of the main roster superstars, regardless of their current status. From dark match competitors to former world champions, the following list contains the top 10 current WWE superstars that would best fit a modern-day Brawl For All.
10. Cesaro
Cesaro is known amongst "the boys" as being one of the strongest men in the locker room. While talents like Mark Henry and John Cena are also known for the massive amounts of heavy lifting they do, Cesaro has similar freakish strength that would surely benefit him in a 2016 Brawl For All.
While Cesaro may not have the amateur qualifications as some on this list, his strength and conditioning are impressive enough to land him at number 10 on the list. Also, The Swiss Superman used to be a rugby player, so he's used to being hit in the face (and hitting others in the face).
Had this been 1998, Cesaro would be a perfect fit for the shoot-style tournament given that he's not currently a main event superstar (more on that later).
While Cesaro's power and strength are obvious advantages, his age is a drawback that keeps him from being a heavy favourite to win a 2016 Brawl For All. At 35, Cesaro is far from old but he's also not a young man, either. We saw what happened to CM Punk when he climbed into the cage with a true professional fighter that was over ten years his junior, and while the quality of opponents Cesaro would likely face in a modern day Brawl For All pails in comparison to Punk's UFC competition, time is not on his side.