Remembering Brian Pillman

With the anniversary of his passing and the release of a DVD chronicling his career, the life of one of the most unique characters in wrestling is being remembered. Much is being written and said about Brian’s career and volatile personal life.

The story of an underdog who made it to the NFL, to surviving 31 throat operations and a devastating car accident is incredible and inspiring. However, his life is so astonishing that many people forget about Brian the performer. In my column this week I wanted to revisit memories of a man that captivated me as a young fan, a man known as Flyin’ Brian.

I began watching WCW around 1991. I had been on a strict WWF diet until then and on the advice of my Uncle Charlie, I gave WCW a try. Saturday afternoons was WWF time, but at 6:05pm, it was time for WCW. Pillman, along with Sting, were my favourite WCW wrestlers. Brian stuck out from the pack for his great agility and springboard moves only he did. Brian was a classic babyface donning Bengal patterned trunks after his former NFL team and a stylish blonde mullet. Well, stylish for 1991 I guess. Though Brian worked mainly as a prelim wrestler he remained one of WCW’s most popular stars. His size was always an issue as he never got the main event push because WCW, and for that matter all of professional wrestling, never thought small guys could get over. Watching Chris Jericho years later in WCW always reminded me of Brian’s talent and struggle.

Pillman was put in tag teams with “The Z Man” Tom Zenk and Big Josh but found his perfect match when teamed with “Stunning” Steve Austin to form the Hollywood Blondes. Remembered as one of the great tag teams of the 1990’s, The Hollywood Blondes main feud was with the team of Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. Brian and Austin grew into their heel roles very well, a first for Pillman at the time. I still remember how The Hollywood Blondes would get heat by distracting the referee and suffocating their opponent with a white towel they would bring to ringside.

It was with the aforementioned Steve Austin that Pillman worked with in the WWF to create one of the most memorable angles in RAW history. The WWF shot an angle on Superstars to write off Pillman from television as he was having a second ankle surgery. On the WWF Superstars show, Austin attacked Pillman’s ankle with a steel chair. In a move HHH recently copied recently at the Unforgiven PPV, Austin put Pillman’s ankle in the opening of the chair and stomped on it, giving the idea that the chair was closing on Brian’s already injured ankle. This solidified Austin as the premier heel in the WWF. But, the storyline didn’t stop there. Weeks later on a RAW broadcast they shot the infamous “gun” angle where Austin was supposedly breaking into Pillman’s home where WWF was to interview him. Pillman, with gun in hand was waiting for Austin. Raw went off the air with the sound of a gunshot. No one was hurt. Unfortunately, the two were not able to capitalize on the success of the angle as Brian’s body was too broken down to be a top level main event performer.

Brian finished off his career in the WWF as part of the Hart Foundation. The Cincinnati born Pillman was on the side of Canada in the Hart Foundation versus USA feud. Pillman aligned himself with the same men that helped him break into the business as he started his career training in the dungeon and wrestling for Stu Hart in Calgary.

Many people remember Brian for being the “Loose Cannon” but few realize the significance of that character and how much impact he had on the future of wrestling. The “Attitude” era of the WWF(E) came in large part in response to ECW. However, it was Pillman who was the first performer on WWF television to adopt a new reality based character based on what Paul Heyman was doing in ECW. I saw a lot of “Loose Cannon” in the “Stone Cold” character and many need to question where Austin’s career would be if he didn’t have Brian Pillman as inspiration. And do I really need to ask where WWF be without Austin ?

The sad reality of being a fan of professional wrestling is that sometimes our favourite performers leave us too soon. Though the sadness I feel nine years after his passing is greater than when he died in 1997, I can take solace in the fact the memory of Brian Pillman will remain in the hearts and minds of fans for years to come. I can look back and remember being 6 years old watching Flyin’ Brian on Saturday nights. It was watching stars like Brian that captivated me as a boy and has made me a fan to this day. Long Live the Memory of Brian Pillman.

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