Bart Gunn vs. Pepe Gonzalez WWF Shotgun Saturday Night 08-08-1998
I feel like Kevin Malone talking about Pam and Jim not getting together when I think about the WWF Brawl for All.
What a waste.
We recently talked in depth on here about the Brawl for All in regards to "Dr"Death Steve Williams. For those who don't know what it is, I'll give you the brief summary. WWE had a bunch of guys on Monday Nigh Raw fight for real. That's it. In that tournament, nobody picked Bart Gunn to win. Not only did Bart Gunn win, but he kicked the shit out of everyone. Bart Gunn's mama must have been a huge LL Cool J mark , because someone told Bart Gunn to knock everyone the fuck out. Unless I'm way off, Bart Gunn was never very high on the list of pro wrestling tough guys. He was a solid enough wrestler, and before everything was known as a tag guy with his fake brother Billy. After The Smokin Gunns broke up Bart embarked on a feud with a lack of TV Time.
Lack of TV Time won the feud handedly.
Stuck in a sort of mid-card purgatory, Bart was one of the men picked to enter Brawl for All. I can't help but think when they organized the tournament that Bart was in the cannon fodder section. At the time Bart was part of 'The New Midnight Express" and his name was Bodacious Bart. I don't think anyone I would ever predict someone nicknamed Bodacious could kick my ass. You know what happens when you assume though. You make a rash judgement based on lacking all the facts out of you and me, The Brawl for All was a revelation though as it turns out Bart could throw his hands. The WWF locker room at the time was full of a lot of bad dudes, but if pressed I would say only Bart Gunn would be considered a bad enough dude to rescue the president. While not expecting him to ever win, WWE was given an opportunity. Bart wasn't a perfect wrestler and he did lack certain things, but WWE had done more with less. He wasn't becoming the next Austin or anything, but if you watch The Brawl for All matches the crowd is starting to go with Bart a little bit. There's enough meat on the bone where you figure, hey let's give this guy just a little bity push. He doesn't need to be champion, but maybe it was time for Bart Gunn to finally get a victory in his everlasting feud with a lack of Television time.
Or maybe WWE sends him home for six months
Look, I'm not telling you Bart Gunn was going to be a productive member of the WWE roster, but you got to at least try. It's like Calico Cut pants, YOU GOTTA GIVE MAN. It's hard to imagine they sent him home as anything other than a punishment for winning a tournament they didn't want him to win. No other reason is satisfactory enough. Bart ends up going to All Japan during that time and only has 2 more post-Brawl for All matches. A hardcore match with Bob Holly and the infamous Butterbean boxing match at Wrestlemania 13. That's it. It rendered the already pointless Brawl for All somehow more pointless. They devoted hours of television time to this stupid tournament, and then at the end of it a bunch of guys got hurt and the winner got buried because somebody got pissy that Dr. Death got knocked the fuck out.
Dumb. As. Fuck.
While WWE never gave Bart Gunn a proper shot after Brawl for All, this match did slip through the cracks. Join me on my journey as journey to Shotgun Saturday Night in August of 1999 as Bart Gunn takes on Pepe Gonzalez. At this point, Bart is halfway through the tournament and had JUST knocked out Dr. Death two weeks prior. Bart is out first and I'm assuming he's changed his look because of the Brawl for All success. Instead of the colorful tights when he was Bombastic, Bart is dressed like a dude ready to fight. Taped fists, haired slicked back, lives every night like it's New Year's Eve. Bart Gunn looks like a real piece of shit, once who's gonna whoop your ass. I guess the best way to describe Pepe Gonzalez is he's kind of funny looking. In what way? Just funny looking. He's a little bald guy with a skeleton t-shirt, he is every guy I avoid in a bar, Bart starts off getting Pepe in the corner and throwing punches to the tummy. Few things in life make me laugh like saying tummy very seriously. Bart whips Pepe into the corner who stumbles out into a back bodydrop and a dropkick from Bart. In a shocking display of strength, Bart lifts Pepe up in a stalling suplex and walks around the ring a little bit before dropping him down. A kick to the gut of Pepe and then Bart hits a big move. I can't remember what its called. It isn't a gourdbuster. It isn't a suplex. I don't know he sorta flips him and Pepe lands on his side instead of his back. Looks like it hurt is the main takeaway here. Back to the action, I do know how to call this move as Bart kicks Pepe in his tum tum before whipping him into the ropes again. This isn't very good. Oh good he's choking him. This somehow got worse. Pepe mounts some offense before Bart blocks multiple Pepe punches. He counters with a punch to the stomach and this weird spinning left hand for the win
It wasn't great, it was bad. Still doesn't change my point. Clearly ,whether it be Bart or creative, someone had the idea to go with Bart in a new gimmick. Most of his offense here was built around the fact he could knock you out. His new finish was a spinning punch, which could look better but I'll give it a pass because it's his first time doing it. I've seen worse matches by guys with bigger pushes, so I can't imagine why they would kibosh something that they obviously had it mind. He's doing a "I'm a tough guy who knocks dudes out" gimmick about a month before he actually wins a tournament by being a LEGITIMATE tough guy who knocks dudes out. Somehow Bart Gunn won Brawl for All and his WWE run was worst for it. Unbelievable. I guess I'll look on the bright side
At least he got a giant pair of novelty gloves out of it
TLDR Review
Bart Gunn knocked out Pepe with a weird punch. WWE Knocked Out Bart's Career.
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