10 Things We Learned From VICE’s Dark Side Of The Ring: WWE Brawl For All

One of wrestling's worst ever ideas almost happened twice...

by Jamie Kennedy

Pro wrestling is worked and relies on cooperation.

Shocking, eh? Hardly, but someone needed to remind Vince Russo of that when he pitched the infamous 'Brawl For All' in 1998. That shoot-style tournament, the havoc it wreaked and the fallout from it was the focal point on VICE's latest 'Dark Side Of The Ring' episode.

Whilst hardly as provocative or personally disturbing as earlier shows in the latest season on Chris Benoit or New Jack, this deep dive on that time the WWF thought it'd be wise to book genuine fights is still captivating. There's a thread of silliness running throughout the whole thing despite the fact guys were getting hurt; why anyone thought this would work is ridiculous. 'Brawl For All' might be the worst idea in federation history.

The doc covered a lot of ground in 45 minutes. You'll learn how it started, what the boys really thought when it was explained to them, how some prepped for their fights, the psychological impact it had on one guy afterwards and why Vince McMahon almost tried a repeat more than a decade later.

Yep, you read that last line right...

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.