Why Vince McMahon Didn’t Let WWE Hall Of Famer In Brawl For All
A WWE Hall of Famer known for his strength was told “no” by Vince McMahon when the wrestler wanted to participate in Brawl For All.
The Brawl for All tournament was a one-time event that is unlikely to happen again. It took place in the summer of 1998, featuring 16 WWE superstars in a “win and advance” style tournament where the 16 wrestlers competed in real boxing fights rather than pro wrestling matches.
There were injuries during the fights, and there were also some big upsets, such as Bart Gunn ultimately emerging as the winner. There were rumors that WWE wanted “Dr. Death” Steve Williams to win the tournament so that he could be built up as a heel opponent for Steve Austin, but Williams lost and was injured.
Former WWE writer Vince Russo conceived the Brawl For All idea, while former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon surprisingly approved it and aired it on television for the world to see.
One man who wasn’t in the Brawl For All was Mark Henry, who was only in his second WWE year at the time of the tournament. Henry was billed as the “World’s Strongest Man” due to his greatness as a powerlifter, but he was excluded from WWE’s shoot-fighting tournament.
Vince McMahon Didn’t Want “Brawl For All” To Hurt Mark Henry’s Status As World’s Strongest Man
Since the Brawl for All was a legitimate fighting tournament, Vince McMahon couldn’t script the winner like he got to choose the winners and losers on WWE television for over 40 years.
Mark Henry addressed his Brawl for All omission on Busted Open Radio, a popular show on which Henry is a co-host.
“I had a conversation with Vince one time about why. You’re not supposed to ask God why. Because I said, because that’s what you expect. I didn’t get that that day. This is what I got.
My job is to lead and hold people’s face to the fire. I said, ‘So that’s why you wouldn’t let me fight in the Brawl For All?’ and he said yes, because that’s what it was about. I was pissed. I wanted to fight, and he wouldn’t let me.
He said, ‘I invested too much in you. I didn’t invest the same amount of money in him. He’s expendable.’ I would be cutting my own hand off to spite my arm, and I went. World’s strongest man. Oh, I get knocked out. Now I’m worthless. I love the fact that he explained. He didn’t have to explain that to me, but he did, and I learned from it.”
Many years later, Henry lived up to his potential, becoming a WWE World Heavyweight Champion and eventually a WWE Hall of Famer.