How would you have booked Bart Gunn post-Brawl for All

[Cranjis McBasketball]

According to Bob Holly, Doc said afterwards the worst part of being knocked out was that he was already paid the cash to win.

Which lines up with Prichard laughing his ass off when Bart said he was knock Doc out.

Only Terry Funk thought Bart would win. Seeing Bart’s scar from his kidney to his armpit from getting bottled and telling Prichard “He’s seen some shit”.

[Milkman Norm]

I'd have him get knocked out by Butterbean.

[Kevin Hamilton]

Tough guy IC champ. They were already giving that belt to every damn body, him having it wouldn't hurt anything at all. He was never going to be a main event guy, but a solid midcarder would have worked fine.

Hell, have him go on a small IC run beating lower or midcard guys till feuding with and putting over someone you're really wanting to push like say an Angle or Jericho.

But honestly doing Literally anything with him would have been better than what they did---nothing.

[sungod2020]

Feb 20, 2022 17:57:25 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

Someone blamed Bart or I don't think he would have been put in a match where Butterbean destroyed him or they wouldn't have had Dr. Death destroy him with no pay off.

Dr. Death sure wasn't a WWF style wrestler and they really didn't even put him in a position to succeed. He may have been on a Shotgun but I don't remember him on TV at all until his BFA first match.

The origins of BFA may never really be clear unless we here it from Vince and he's truly honest. I do think Russo is the type of guy who would start a crazy tournament just to teach one guy a lesson but he's not exactly the most reliable source. I do also think Jim Ross had Vince's ear and was able to convince him to give Dr. Death a great contract but with so many tough guys why take a chance at their pick not winning?

Dr. Death may have been like a Road Warriors-a guy who was everywhere but WWF and when Vince got a chance, he took it and the truth may somewhere be in the middle. Dr. Death's loss to Bart pretty much killed the Jim Ross friendship until Doc got very sick years later so I'm sure Doc very much believed he was destined for bigger things and it hurt him that it went so badly. After all these years the thing I wonder most is, did he know his Jakks toy was such a shelf warmer. It's hard for fans to buy a toy when very people watching WWF even know who the guy is.

And with a toy that looks like this, who can blame them...

I find it astonishing they even made an action figure of him. He was only brought it for the Brawl for All, and came back briefly before Wrestlemania XV, it's not like he even had time to properly get over with WWF fans. I think management had the same faith in him that they had in Outback Jack a decade earlier. Was expected to be a big deal real quickly, even got an LJN action figure immediately after his debut when the majority of the roster had to wait at least a year to get theres, and then fizzled out almost instantaneously afterwards.

[jason1980s]

Feb 24, 2022 9:07:24 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

I find it astonishing they even made an action figure of him. He was only brought it for the Brawl for All, and came back briefly before Wrestlemania XV, it's not like he even had time to properly get over with WWF fans. I think management had the same faith in him that they had in Outback Jack a decade earlier. Was expected to be a big deal real quickly, even got an LJN action figure immediately after his debut when the majority of the roster had to wait at least a year to get theres, and then fizzled out almost instantaneously afterwards.

The funny thing was, he actually came on before BFA but based on what I read it was just a dark match. It was against Scorpio. Dr. Death even had a card for the 1998 set from that match and google image shows a few images of the two. But I don't think there was any kind of build up for him on TV until BFA. I knew who he was and I'm guessing WWF figured fans would know.
Not only did lack of knowledge of him hurt the figure but also the outfit was awful. It is a repaint of the Mark Henry body and as the picture to the left shows not accurate. It's Jakks being Jakks, cutting corners as was normal for them. The face is funny looking to. He's Dr. Death but he's smiling on the toy.
You are spot on with the Outback Jack reference. He debuted in 1987, maybe even late 86 with promos and had a toy in 1987.

[auph10imitated]

I would have given him the APA gimmick as a no nonsense bar room brawler and call him “The Hammer” Bart Gunn. Keep the jeans look. In early 1999 he returns in the Hardcore Division to feud with Hardcore Holly. Wrestlemania 15 he meets Holly and Snow in a Bar Room Brawl (taped and added to the show) with Butterbean as the guest referee.

If the gimmick takes off and he gets over then I’m later 1999 move him to the mid card with the likes of Ken Shamrock, even a potential fued with a now heel Mr. Ass

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

All the talk about punches make him realize just how much he loves Hawaiian Punch, and he starts dressing like the Hawaiian Punch mascot

[jason1980s]

I'm watching the Bart/Bradshaw fight now as many in the comments seem to do...I think in a perfect world, for the guys like Edge/Hardy Boys/Jackyl/Miz/Mauro/Meanie/Public Enemy and so many others mentally or sexually assaulted by Bradshaw, I would book Bart in a team with Ron Simmons, because they had no plans for either man. Bradshaw gets future endeavored/released from WWF and is never heard from again in the wrestling world. Anything that has Bradshaw lose his job would be the perfect and hopefully it would help Bart.

[Dub H]

You do push the legit boxer gimmick.

You have him inciooportate more boxing, becoming someone that constantly knocks out mid-carder and lowly acts, then you can haver the boxing cross over, of course DONT make it legit and make it end on a double knockout BS.

[A Platypus Rave]

the biggest issue is... he's Bart Gunn.

I mean they should have at least tried to do something with him, which the clearly didn't. But I don't really see any world where a Bart Gunn push really worked.