Bart Gunn didn't deserve to be fed to actual boxer Butterbean as a "reward" for his Brawl For All victory the prior year, but after the tournament tanked many an episode of Raw in 1998, it was nice to see this kept relatively short a year later.
As a spectacle, it had all the ingredients required for making a legitimate WrestleMania moment. It fused old and new - the Attitude Era-esque carnage was watched by an aging Gorilla Monsoon making his final appearance at the 'Show Of Shows' before his sad passing later that year. It had celebrity involvement thanks not only to one of the combatants but referee Vinny Pazienza and guest judges Chuck Wepner and Kevin Rooney. Most important of all was the red hot finish - Gunn was looking at the lights but left seeing stars.
The sheer violence was exhilarating, even in spite of the rather cynical undercurrent.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
