Hands down, Brian Pillman is one of my top favorite wrestlers of all time. I loved all eras of his career; from the earliest days in Stampede to his peak run in WCW to his unhinged Loose Cannon transformation and finally to his maniacal late WWF heel run. The guy was phenomenal in the ring and on the mic, and put on some of the greatest matches of the 90s. He achieved cult-level status thanks to his startling transformation as the Loose Cannon, and is one of the great “what if’s” to ponder in wrestling. I’ll never forget Matt and I going to a Winnipeg Arena card on a Saturday night in October 97, wandering backstage in hopes of meeting Pillman. We even asked the event staff if he was in the building, and they said nope. Little did we know that he would be found dead in his hotel room in St. Paul the next morning. Truly shocking and horrible.
One of the most exciting aspects of being a fan in the 00s was the WWE’s efforts in releasing DVD sets and collections. It’s charming and nostalgic now to look back at how big of a deal DVD releases were, especially when the WWE began to open their massive tape library and release rare matches from WCW and various other feds. I was always so excited to learn that the WWE was about to release another collection on one of the classic stars from the past. This lead to many exciting Christmas and birthday gifts, receiving collections like Pillman, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Mr. Perfect, Jake the Snake, etc.
Lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic for these DVD sets and have been meaning to re-watch a bunch of them. So many of these DVD sets all have the same look and feel when it comes to the documentary portion; the same type of music, production values, talking heads, etc. There was definitely a formula behind these releases and they definitely feel a little dated. Physical media has certainly taken a downswing over the last 10 years and we’re now deep in the streaming era. I feel so weirdly nostalgic looking back on these DVD releases and how quaint they seem now, with massive collections of matches being available so readily on the Network. Back in the day, I even remember even skimming over and not caring about a lot of the WCW matches on these sets, but now of course I’m hungry to see it all.
The documentary on this Pillman release initially blew me away. It was awesome hearing and seeing these stories for the first time, but it’s definitely a cursory glance at his life and career, with a lot of the grime and grit left on the cutting room floor. This brief documentary inspired one person, author Liam O’Rourke, to pen the definitive biography on Pillman – Crazy Like A Fox – after feeling like there was so much more to the story. His book is phenomenal, highly recommended, as he does a tremendous job of tackling the difficult life and career of Pillman. I tried re-watching the documentary on this set, but it felt so meh after reading the book last year. Company men like Jim Ross and Steve Austin choose their words and stories carefully, leaving so much out. I gave up part way in and just went straight to the promos and matches.
The bonus section on Disc 1 includes some fun stories, better highlighting the character and crazy nature of Pillman. There are a couple interesting tidbits on his Loose Cannon days in particular and some funny stories from the guys that knew him best like Austin and Ross. The real gold however lies in the matches and promos.
1) Stampede International Tag Team Champions Brian Pillman & Bruce Hart defeated Rip Rogers & Kerry Brown when Hart pinned Rogers with a lariat; joined in progress (4/23/88)
There’s a promo and match from Pillman’s initial tenure in Stampede Wrestling. Damn! I need to dig up more from the beginning of Pillman’s career because this is great stuff! I remember seeing rookie Brian Pillman, as I would regularly watch Stampede in 88 and 89. I recall it airing at some bizarre time like 7am on Sunday morning. Pillman is hugely over with the crowd and him and Bruce Hart make for an excellent team. Pillman definitely had the superstar look and charisma and was a natural for the wrestling business. They wrestle the Midnight Cowboys, who are doing a “flamboyant”, Adrian Adonis inspired gimmick. Pillman and Hart promise to send them back to the leather bars of San Francisco during their non politically correct promo. The 80s! Like nearly every Stampede match, this is joined in progress. All four guys are working fast. Pillman has so much raw talent, and was already living up to the Flyin’ Brian name, just throwing himself around the ring with reckless abandon. I was chuckling at Kerry Brown, who was from Winnipeg and lived near my parents place. There were stories that he had a ring set up in his garage and would let kids from the neighborhood come and use it. Pillman takes a good beating for a while before making the hot tag to Bruce who quickly finishes things off. Fun match!
Pillman’s XXX Files
The first disc includes a couple matches, but mostly promos, including these HILARIOUS segments from Pillman’s last month alive. Despite his limited ring ability, Pillman was a phenomenal heel in fall 97. I was laughing my ass off at his villainy here, as he had possession of “Dustin’s” wife “Terri” for 30 days. How that works exactly, I do not know. Regardless, these promos were amazing as Pillman is at his sleaziest, taunting and tormenting Dustin in these lewd promos. Pillman’s sinister laugh and campy acting are tremendous, making these segments far better than they had any right to be. Unfortunately, this is the end of the line for Pillman, as his health was rapidly spiraling out of control.
WWE Raw 11/4/96 [the Gun Incident]
Even though his WWF tenure was brief, it was filled with so many controversial and memorable moments, including the infamous gun incident from Raw. This was of course the classic bit with Stone Cold Steve Austin vowing to break into Pillman’s house and “finish the job” after re-breaking his ankle on Superstars. But Pillman has a gun! This segment never aired in Canada, but we would later see it on one of the early Stone Cold tapes. Austin is like an unstoppable horror movie bad guy, beating up Pillman’s “friends” in the driveway and breaking into his house. Pillman points and aims the gun at Stone Cold in one of the most insane moments in Raw history. This was so crazy and bananas, and most of all, hilarious. You could tell Austin and Pillman were having an absolute blast! All of this just makes me sad that Pillman’s time in the WWF was so brief.
WCW Saturday Night 6/5/93 [Flare For the Old]
Another classic promo found on the first disc was the Hollywood Blondes mocking Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, parodying A Flair For the Gold. Pillman dressed up and acting as a senior citizen Ric Flair is fucking hilarious! I was laughing my ass off through this segment, though it was the feud with Flair that ultimately lead to the Blondes falling out of political favor with WCW.
2) NWA US Champion Lex Luger pinned Brian Pillman at 16:49 with a Hot Shot after avoiding a missile dropkick (NWA Halloween Havoc 89 – 10/28/89; Philadelphia, PA)
This is the match that put Pillman on the map! Pillman arrived in WCW with a lot of hype and received an initial strong push. Lex Luger was still relatively new, but was also being positioned as a future top star. Pillman and Lex proceeded to tear the house down in Philly, with a highly competitive, hard fought battle. I loved this match when I watched Havoc 89 a few years ago, and appreciated it even more now. A true classic between two highly motivated stars in front of a hot crowd in Philly.
3) NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk defeated Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin to win the titles at 8:54 when Zenk pinned Hayes after Pillman hit a springboard clothesline into the ring as Hayes attempted the DDT on Zenk (2/12/90; Rainsville, AL)
When I first I watched this Pillman set, I don’t think I paid much attention to these matches, or skipped them over outright. Too bad, as there are some fun battles on this set, like this one. Pillman and Zenk had a long history together in WCW, as partners and later rivals. This is a historic title win for Pillman, as he and Zenk win the US tag title tournament in a spirited battle with the Freebirds, in what appears to be a large gym in bumfuck Alabama. I looked it up, and Rainsville seems to be truly in the middle of nowhere in rural Alabama, which is pretty awesome. I love these weird ass locations! What a weird place for the US title tournament finals. The Alabamians are hot for Pillman and Zenk and pop huge for Pillman’s beauty of a clothesline. Fun match!
4) WCW World Champion Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious, & Larry Zbyzsko (w/ WCW TV Champion Arn Anderson) defeated Sting, Rick & Scott Steiner, & Brian Pillman in Wargames at 22:11 when referee Nick Patrick stopped the bout after Pillman, who entered the match with an already injured shoulder, sustained two powerbombs from Vicious; moments prior to the match ending, El Gigante came ringside, ripped the cage door off, and checked on Pillman (WCW Wrestle War 91 – 2/24/91; Phoenix, AZ)
Truly one of the greatest matches in WCW history, despite the stupid fucking ending. I’ve watched this one a ton of times, and it’s just as exciting every time. This was the peak of Sting’s feud with the Horsemen, and the fans are red hot for him, the Steiners, and Pillman to kick their asses. The beginning of the match is phenomenal as Pillman rushes the cage, against the instructions of his team, and is hellbent on destroying Windham who injured his shoulder the night before. Pillman is merciless, grinding Windham into the cage, and busting him open early. The action never lets up, as each entrant brings more excitement into the ring. The ending is sick as fuck as Sid Vicious is destroying Pillman and botches a powebomb, as Pillman’s feet collide with the roof of the cage and Vicious drives him down on to his neck. Sid is visibly concerned, but Pillman guts it out and takes the powerbomb again properly. This leads to the stupid fucking ending of El Gigante showing up and “ripping” (as in lightly taking) the door off the cage to stop the match and check on his little buddy Pillman. If I was Sting I would be fucking pissed lol! That bullshit aside, this was still an awesome fucking match!
5) WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Brian Pillman pinned Richard Morton (w/ Alexandra York) to win the title with a crossbody off the top at 12:43 (WCW Halloween Havoc 91 – 10/27/91; Chattanooga, TN)
Ugh, never was a fan of this slow paced mat battle. I get why they included it, as Pillman won the first ever WCW light heavyweight championship, but couldn’t they have found a more exciting opponent? Heel Richard Morton was fucking terrible, and this match was overall boring and slow. The finish was pretty good though and Pillman’s crossbody was a thing of beauty.
6) Barry Windham & Arn Anderson defeated Brian Pillman & El Gigante in a loser leaves town match at 3:08 when Windham pinned Pillman with a kick to the face after shoving him off the top rope; pre-match stipulations stated the loser of the fall would have to leave WCW (Clash of the Champions #15 – 6/14/91; Knoxville, TN)
LOL why was this piece of shit match chosen for this set?! And why was it placed out of chronological order?! This was fucking garbage, as it stemmed from the lame War Games finish. It was Pillman in a handicap match, as the completely useless El Gigante never even tagged in. What a fucking tool!
7) Barry Windham & Brian Pillman defeated Tom Zenk & Johnny Gunn at 5:28 when Windham pinned Gunn following a lariat / clip to the knee double team (WCW Saturday Night – aired 12/26/92; Atlanta, GA; Center Stage Theater)
With soooo many classic matches from this era to choose from, why this? Pillman was on fire during his heel run from fall 92 through 93. I’ve watched so many great tag matches from this era over the last couple months, and it’s ridiculous that none of those true classics were included on this set. Oh well. Zenk and Gunn were buried so fast, despite being put over as a hot young team initially. Windham and Pillman were headed to Starrcade to challenge for the tag titles, and this was a solid win putting them over strong.
8) WCW / NWA Tag Team Champions Steve Austin & Brian Pillman defeated Dos Hombres (Ricky Steamboat & Tom Zenk) in a steel cage match at 16:08 when Austin pinned Armstrong with the Stun Gun (WCW Slamboree 93 – 5/23/93; Atlanta Omni)
I just watched Slamboree, so I skipped this one over. I’ll save my thoughts on this match for that review. But again, another head-scratcher as there were far better Blondes tag matches.
9) Sting, Dustin Rhodes, & Brian Pillman defeated WCW International World Champion Rick Rude, WCW US Champion Steve Austin (w/ Col. Rob Parker), & Paul Orndorff in a Thunderdome match at 14:37 when Pillman pinned Austin after being press slammed onto Austin by Sting (WCW SuperBrawl IV – 2/20/94; Albany, GA)
Superbrawl IV is coming up soon on my watch list, so I skipped this over too.
10) Brian Pillman pinned Jushin Liger at around the 7-minute mark with a roll up out of a waistlock (WCW Monday Nitro – 9/4/95; Mall of America)
Wow, what a way to kick off the very first Nitro! The Mall of America setting is fucking bizarre and weird, but what a memorable way to launch a brand new TV show. I just loved how WCW would shoot their TV at the weirdest locations like here at the Mall, on the streets of Disneyworld, at a car race, etc. Pillman and Liger seemed to be half a step off, but the match got better and better as it went on. It was nothing but action, and Pillman picking up the win was a nice touch. Fun match in a crazy setting!
11) Brian Pillman pinned Dean Malenko at 6:20 after Malenko’s leg became entangled in the ring ropes (WCW Monday Nitro – 1/22/96; Las Vegas, NV; Caesar’s Palace)
This was AWESOME! Right from the insane Loose Cannon era! Pillman was truly unhinged in this match, often breaking away from Malenko to swear at the fans or sneer into the camera. Pillman truly looked like a crazy person. It’s been well documented that no one other than a very small select few knew if it was a work or if he was losing his fucking mind. Malenko seemed frustrated at times, as this match had a real disjointed feel. Pillman was also still in the Horsemen and went around aggressively sticking up the four fingers, eventually picking up a fluke pin.
12) Brian Pillman pinned Eddie Guerrero with a crossbody and grabbing the tights for leverage at 5:59; at around the 2-minute mark, Pillman grabbed Bobby Heenan, who was providing commentary alongside Tony Schiavone, by the jacket with Heenan then responding with “What the fuck are you doing?!?!;” Heenan then briefly left the commentary position, returned, and apologized for what he said on live TV; (WCW Clash of the Champions #32 – 1/23/96; Las Vegas, NV; Caesar’s Palace)
I remember Matt bringing over a tape of this Clash, which took place the day after the Nitro above. This was best remembered for Heenan losing his cool on camera and swearing at Pillman, who’s even more unhinged in this match. I absolutely loved this craziness. Once again Pillman picks up a fluke pin on Guerrero. Crazy stuff!
13) Steve Austin defeated Brian Pillman via disqualification at 11:45 when WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, who was handcuffed to a ring post alongside WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart, uncuffed himself and interfered (WWF Monday Night Raw – 6/16/97; Lake Placid, NY)
The Hummer accident in 96 completely destroyed Pillman and his career. There was so much potential for what he could bring to the WWF. The book details the hell Pillman went through in his year-long attempt to return to the ring, and sadly, he was a mere shell of himself. This is considered the best match of Pillman’s short WWF career, and the match nearly finished Pillman off. Going toe to toe with Stone Cold took so much out of Pillman, yet he refused to stay down. This match was an absolute 1997 hardcore classic! Once again I loved all the craziness and unpredictably, and it’s from one of my favorite eras in WWF history! Raw was truly War at this point, with this amazing Hart-Austin feud. All the brawling and crazy Hart Foundation interference in this one makes it so much fun! The end schmozz sets up the main event of Canadian Stampede, one of the best PPVs of this era.
14) Bret Hart, WWF IC Champion Owen Hart, WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, & Brian Pillman defeated Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, & the Legion of Doom at 24:30 when Owen pinned Austin with a roll up as Austin was distracted by several of the Hart brothers at ringside (In Your House: Canadian Stampede – 7/6/97; Calgary, Alberta)
I’ve watched this match a hundred times and it is one of my all-time favorites. I decided to hold off on watching it for now, as I’d eventually like to get around to watching all these 1997 PPVs again.
15) Brian Pillman pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) at 11:05 after hitting him with Marlena’s loaded purse; due to pre-match stipulations, Pillman won Marlena for 30 days; had Pillman lost the match, he would have been forced to leave the WWF; (In Your House: Ground Zero – 9/7/97; Louisville, KY)
A lot of people call this match sad and terrible, but I highly enjoyed it. Pillman was extremely limited, as his body was breaking down rapidly, but he still did so much with so little. His diabolic, sleazy character was just awesome and this feud was laying the groundwork for the skeeze that would come in the attitude era. Technically this match wasn’t great, and to see a great worker like Pillman reduced to basic brawling was a little sad. But I loved that Pillman won his last ever PPV match!
16) Brian Pillman pinned WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Jushin Liger to win the title at 16:59 with a leg roll up into a bridge after the champion missed a dive off the top (WCW SuperBrawl II – 2/29/92; Milwaukee, WI)
The set concludes with arguably Pillman’s greatest match of all time, the match that Pillman himself was most proud of. Unfortunately, they edited out Jesse’s commentary, which was so fucking distracting. One of the greatest matches in WCW history, but it’s definitely better to watch the untouched original.
the RepoDan Wrestling Institution 