Mick Foley on Why the WWE Brawl For All Tournament Was a Mess

– During the latest edition of Foley Is Pod, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley recalled the infamous Brawl for All tournament that took place in WWE in 1998 and why it was a mess. He also recalled the night Dr. Death Steve Williams lost to Bart Gunn in the tournament, and Foley recalled it as one of the saddest nights of his life seeing how badly Williams was from being legitimately knocked out by Gunn. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

Foley on the night Steve Williams got knocked out by Bart Gunn in the tournament: “The upside was supposed to be the making of a new star in ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams, but then he got knocked out by Bart Gunn. I was there with Doc in the dressing room. … He had hurt his knee [from] the violent, backwards knockout, [and] you’re dealing with guys [who have] a lot of wear and tear on their knees anyway. The physical rebuilding of ‘Dr. Death’ would be a lot easier than the emotional rebuilding. It was like he was shattered, and I was there trying to pick up the pieces for him. It was one of the saddest nights of my life, seeing somebody who I knew would never be the same.”

Foley on why the tournament was a mess: “They forgot that Marc Mero was a heck of a boxer. It was just a mess. You had guys suffering serious knock-outs and then driving home.”

Foley on Bart Gunn: “Bart Gunn got more over than he was supposed to. He did come back, and got knocked out by Butterbean, which just called into question how good Bart could’ve been if he got knocked out that quickly, even though [Butterbean] hit him with a punch that would’ve knocked a mule out. So no — no, there were no real winners, except for Bob Holly. Bob mixed it up with Bart Gunn, came back, and said, ‘That was fun.’ And it kind of became the dawn of the ‘Hardcore’ Holly era.”

For more on the tournament, it was featured in the Season 2 episode of Dark Side of the Ring, “The Brawl for All.”