WWE's Brawl for All tournament remains such a despised idea that it remains a talking point 25 years after it happened. On this week's "Something to Wrestle" podcast, it was JBL's turn to speak about it. The WWE Hall of Famer was one of the sixteen men to take part in the tournament, and made it all the way to the finals before being defeated by Bart Gunn. He recalled his disbelief at the idea when being pitched by Bruce Prichard.
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"Bruce called me on a Thursday morning and said 'Hey John,'" JBL said. "I said 'Hey Mr. Prichard...how you doing?' He said 'I'm doing good.' He says 'You want to be in a shoot fight on Monday?' And I said 'Why would I be in a shoot fight on Monday?' He goes 'We're having a shoot tournament.' I said 'Why are you having a shoot tournament?' He goes 'Well, we think it's kind of a fun idea. We can put this shoot tournament together.'
"I said 'A legit shoot?' And he said 'Yeah.' I said 'You understand we have two UFC Champions in our dressing room.' I said 'Are they in it?' And he said 'Yeah, they're in it.' And I said 'Well can you at least do me a favor? Put me in a different bracket so I have a chance of winning one fight at least, before I get to those guys.' And he goes 'Will you do it?' And I go 'Yeah Bruce, I'll do it, but this is the dumbest idea I've ever heard.'"
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JBL confirmed that "Dr. Death" Steve Williams was who WWE hoped would win the tournament, which JBL correctly predicted to Prichard wouldn't come to pass, citing Williams' injury history while working with All Japan Pro Wrestling throughout the 80s and 90s.
If you use any quotes in this article, please credit "Something To Wrestle" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
