10 Times WWE Tried Too Hard To Be REAL

Toughman contests rose in popularity throughout the late 1990s, and WWE was there to try to get in on the act. Steered by infamous writer Vince Russo, the company launched a shoot-fight tournament called Brawl for All during the summer of '98.

Russo's idea was to have all the underutilized backstage brawlers in one tournament with big prize money as the payoff.

What ensued were a series of clunky bouts that made no one look good. Although the fans shared their displeasure with "boring" chants, the fights were more intense than they appeared. Overall, at least five performers sustained injuries due to WWE's poorly executed attempt at realism.

The tournament didn't play out how Russo promised either. 'Dr Death' Steve Williams was meant to be the star, but instead, he looked like a chump while Bart Gunn rose to the top and claimed the top prize.

Switching gears from pushing 'Dr Death' to Gunn shouldn't have been a huge deal, only it failed, too, when Butterbean knocked him out within 35 seconds at WrestleMania 15. And wouldn't you know it, he was fired rather promptly after the disgraceful performance. In essence, all the brawl did was destroy bodies and careers while, ironically, making wrestlers look even more like "fake tough guys."