Most of us have heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Still, perhaps Vince McMahon hasn’t, because he contemplated having a second Brawl For All tournament.
With WWE’s disastrous Brawl for All 1998 tournament back in the limelight following the excellent Vice Dark Side of the Ring documentary series (narrated by our own Chris Jericho), it’s been revealed by former WWE creative team member John Piermarini that Vince McMahon wanted to do another Brawl For All with NXT talent. You can read his tweet below.
@jasoneisener @evanhusney incredible job with both seasons of @DarkSideOfRing. Funny story – while on creative in either 2009 or 2010 Vince wanted to do another Brawl For All with the guys competing on NXT (in its original format). He had to be talked out of it.
— John Piermarini (@JohnAsHimself) April 8, 2020
The first season of NXT included physical challenges, so it’s likely this is where Brawl For All would have come into play, and was contested between Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Darren Young, Ryback (as Skip Sheffield), Daniel Bryan, and Michael Tarver. Although these wrestlers could have been changed to better play into the Brawl For All concept. If the original roster had competed, Wade Barrett would have been a firm favorite as he claims to have been a bare-knuckle boxer before getting into wrestling.
Thankfully Vince McMahon was talked out of the idea as the Brawl For All damaged reputations, caused severe injuries, and even forced Brakkus to retire. It did, though, have pretty awesome theme music.
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