10 Insane Things WWE Will Never Do Again

Of all the terrible ideas to escape creative meetings over the past couple of decades, few have come with such damaging consequences as the Brawl For All.

Held in 1998, it was the company’s attempt at bringing real fighting to wrestling's fake world. 16 wrestlers competed in series of legitimate shoot brawls as part of a single-elimination tournament bracket. The company had a plethora of legitimate ‘tough guys’ on the roster at the time, and the Brawl For All was seen as the perfect way to utilise these performers, capitalise on the popularity of Toughman Contests, and bring some ‘reality’ to the product.

The trouble is it was completely at odds with WWE programming, as promoting ‘real’ fighting was an admission that everything else they did was phoney. Kayfabe wasn’t the only casualty, though.

‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams, the intended winner, suffered a career-destroying hamstring tear, and was knocked out by Bart Gunn. Godfather, Hawk, and Steve Blackman were all put on the shelf. Savio Vega aggravated an old arm issue and never wrestled for WWE again. Gunn, the eventual victor, was ‘rewarded’ with a boxing match against Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch, who destroyed him in 35 seconds.

UFC might be WWE’s biggest competitor in 2017, but the Brawl For All should dissuade Vince McMahon from aping their style again.