Brawl For All 2014

Don't worry, WWE aren't bringing Brawl For All back...I just wanted to know who you think would win it if they did.
For those who are fortunate enough to not know what Brawl For All was I'll let Wikipedia explain.

The WWF Brawl for All was a shootfighting tournament held in the World Wrestling Federation that lasted from June 29, 1998 to August 24, 1998. The tournament, which resulted in a number of legitimate injuries for WWF performers, was received negatively by fans and industry figures.
Throughout 1998, the WWF experienced a growth in roster size but due to limited amount of TV time a number of their more genuine "tough guys" were left without much to do. As a result, the idea for a legit tough guy tournament was bandied about as a way to both utilize some of these men and capitalize on the recent interest in Toughman Contests around the country.

According to John Bradshaw Layfield, Vince Russo came up with the idea when Layfield wanted to create a hardcore wrestling division in the WWF. When asked about it, Bruce Pritchard stated, "we're going to put you in gloves, and it's going to be a legit fight." Participation in the tournament was strictly voluntary.

Rules:
Each match consisted of three one-minute rounds. Whichever wrestler connected with the most punches per round scored 5 points. In addition, a "clean" takedown scored 5 points and a knockdown was worth 10. If a wrestler was knocked out (decided by an eight-count rather than a ten-count), the match ended. The matches were scored by ringside judges including Gorilla Monsoon.

So my question is...who on the active roster right now do you think would win the tournament?

Brock Lesnar is not included as 1. he's not really an active enough to be considered...2. his contract would probably mean if he got to the final he wouldn't have to show up and 3. he's already the favourite considering he's a UFC champion!

Intriguing concept. Obviously the big guys have a massive advantage, it would be pretty easy for big show or Khali to score knock-downs - would there be weight classes?

I basically just wanted to see who everyone thought were the genuine tough guys and would win in real fights.

I bring it up because of stories about guys like Chris Jericho getting the upper hand when in backstage fights with guys like Goldberg or when Booker T beat up Batista (someone you'd expect to have the clear advantage!) and on the other hand hearing the story of DDP and Scot Steiner where witnesses say that Steiner completely beat the crap out of DDP.

Lesnar has to be fave, Barrett's done bare knuckle fighting though so reckon he'd be a contender.

Takedown wise you'd be looking at Former Amateur champs in Ziggler & Swagger. Wouldn't fancy either of the Uso's if like most Samoan's then they can fight.

I think if the 1st Brawl for All prove anything, it's that you cannot predict who the winner could possibly be

That and it's a terrible concept that should never be repeated

Though if I had to take a punt I'd say Del Rio with his MMA background

With wrestling being a lot less of an 'outlaw' industry, it's a lot more difficult to gauge who the true tough guys are. You don't hear stories of backstage shoot fights any more.

The brawl for all was won by Bart Gunn, a lifetime midcard tag team wrestler. If anything, it proved that often a wrestler's perceived level of toughness is all about the way they are marketed.

Another huge difference between then and now is that the brawl for all was mainly a boxing competition; nowadays it would almost certainly be about holds and submissions, so the advantage would go to the likes of Del Rio and Swagger.

And whoever said The Great Khali would win needs their head checked!

With the first Brawl for All as my guide, I would like to pick someone big, but not ludicrously huge, and sh*t.

Step forward ex-Marine Ezekiel Jackson.

i didnt say Khali would win i said he has a natural advantage if knockdowns are so heavily rewarded in the suggested tournament, as does someone like Big Show (although him more so as he used to be a college level athlete). Lesnar would be more than a match for Khali sure but most of the roster would struggle to earn significant points against someone of that size. Successful martial arts teachers make a living off by marketing to people that size doesn't matter in fights and for the most part they are lying. So many scam artists.

If we are talking legit fights within weight classes then really the guys with good levels of boxing experience will have the advantage in this situation. I would be more interested to see shoot grappling matches, again with weight classes (even more of an issue with groundwork)

Size isn't everything...rumour has it Norman Smiley took out Rick Steiner in a bar fight with a single punch!

bar fights are a little different to a match fight mate, first person to act usually wins

just want to clarify though that i mentioned size as an issue mostly because of the format that was suggested, regarding fighting in general it has more to do with strength/athleticism differences than size (though a combination of the two is optimal). I realise this is wrestling forum and most guys love to see technique triumph. But essentially genetic freaks (in a good way) like Lesnar will always have an advantage and it takes them a much smaller amount of training to reach an elite level as they were always built to get there. People need to except that no special type of training or style is really ever going to level the playing field. Its the same in most one on one sports although in fighting you have more chance of getting lucky i suppose and also i do believe less law abiding, less empathetic people have the edge in a bar fight due to willingness to strike.

I think it's a good discussion point as to who would actually compete. Being voluntary I think the people with lots of "face" to lose would opt out such as Cena, Orton ect would not risk it injury wise, while some other "monster heels" would not want to be shown up.

I would think, just based on how I perceive their demeanor, the following would like to be involved:

Cesaro
Barratt
Del Rio
Big Show

And that is where I get stuck being confident who would have the balls (barring people I have forgot due to having a few this eve)

Any other guys who would be up for the challenge?

Guys like Swagger and Dolph Ziggler would have some advantage when it came to the take down parts with their amateur wrestling background.

What about Punk...I know he's not active BUT he talks a lot about MMA etc.
Also who do you think would be the favourite that would let everyone down?

Regarding Khali; in a legitimate scrap he'd eat jabs and hooks all night long.

Too lethargic and slow. Anybody with half decent footwork and timing would embarrass him.

Isn't Santino supposed to be quite handy?

Yeah Khali struggles to walk let alone actually fight so I'd not put him in the running once up against a guy like Brock or even Cesaro (strong guys who have pace).

I don't know about Santino...all I know is that Jim Cornette slapped him in the face haha

Think i would back Mark Henry to do pretty damn well

Yoshi Tatsu. If I recall correctly, I'm pretty sure I read on the dirtsheets a while back that he got into a scrap with Sheamus as the two roomed together in development right before they're call up to the big leagues. Apparently Yoshi has a boxing background and seems very handy with his fists, just ask Sheamus.

Why do WWE seem to insist that regardless of the wrestler from the UK, they grew up on the streets in bare knuckle fighting combat. Are we really that bad?

The_Enigma wrote:Why do WWE seem to insist that regardless of the wrestler from the UK, they grew up on the streets in bare knuckle fighting combat. Are we really that bad?

In regards to Wade Barrett it's because he actually did haha

Wikipedia wrote:Bare-knuckle boxing[edit]
While living in Liverpool in his early twenties, Bennett became a champion bare-knuckle boxer, going on to fight in various locations throughout Europe.[10][11][12][13] He competed in a match dubbed by the bare knuckle underworld as "The Battle of Buda", in which he defeated a reputable opponent for a big cash prize.[14] Afterwards, as he walked through an alleyway in search of a taxi to the airport, Bennett was stabbed with an eight-inch blade by someone who attempted to steal the cash. He has refused to elaborate on the incident for legal reasons, but the assailant incurred serious injuries, and Bennett escaped with the cash despite significant blood loss. The attack left him with a 12-inch scar that stretches from his upper back to halfway down his right triceps,[14] and the punches he took during his bare-knuckle career left him with a disfigured nose,[10] but he has expressed no regret over that period of his life.[14] He incorporated his bare-knuckle career into his WWE gimmick at the request of Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes,[10] being introduced to the WWE crowd as a European bare-knuckle champion who had fought on the streets of Europe.[15] His Wasteland move is named after the site of many of his fights.[12]