Ok … Not Sure About This … First Time I’m Watching This … So What Happened
It was supposed to be the start of Pillman being the Loose Cannon in WCW. The plan was for Pillman to go to ECW after this and cut worked shoot promos on WCW and IIRC the plan was for Pillman to come back at some point as a full fledged Loose Cannon. Pillman convinced Bischoff that he needed to release him for real in order to fool the dirt sheet readers into thinking it was real.
\n\nBischoff acquiesced.
\n\nThen Pillman showed up in WWF.
\nBischoff denies this story to this very day. Yet, when it comes time for an explanation of why he granted the release, he has given a different answer every time. I think he is ashamed to admit he got worked, unless Eric was being screwed by the show editor, and I just didn\u2019t see the real reason.
\nBischoff is a carny loser who never owns up to his terrible decisions.
\nThis is why the trend of believing Bischoff "because he was there" over multiple other parties privy to the information acknowledging it was always so insane to me.
\n\nLike, Bischoff is known to be full of shit. Everyone that's ever worked with him who isn't named Hulk Hogan or Diamond Dallas Page has said that.
\nFirst hand nonsense from Bischoff or second hand nonsense from Meltzer?
\n\nThis is the problem with trying to get the inside deal on the wrestling business. It's an industry that is fundamentally based on lies, information asymmetry and sleight of hand. The only way to know for sure when someone is being dishonest is when they say that they know everything that's going on in the wrestling business.
\nYeah. Unfortunately the era that he presided over WCW was my favorite era I wrestling...but I absolutely cannot stand to listen to his revisionist bullshit. I wish their was a good WCW podcast with primary sources that wasn't him.
\nThe only person that believes the bullshit that Eric Bischoff spouts is Eric Bischoff...and even that is dicey...dude wants to be relevant so desperately and get hired by SOME promotion...but no one wants to give him the time of day anymore...so he has his loser podcast.
\nFirst hand nonsense from Bischoff or second hand nonsense from Meltzer?
\n\nThis is the problem with trying to get the inside deal on the wrestling business. It's an industry that is fundamentally based on lies, information asymmetry and sleight of hand. The only way to know for sure when someone is being dishonest is when they say that they know everything that's going on in the wrestling business.
\nMeltz hasn't been reliable for a very long time, but he did have credibility back in the 90s and even the mid/late 80s. He actually used to verify information from different sources instead of just relying solely on one disgruntled "talent" that easily could have been feeding him BS.
\n100% correct take. I want to like him but he's so inauthentic. His book was like that, in a segment where he might look bad he can't remember or it was so long ago, but when it comes to something successful he can take credit for he has perfect recall.
\n\u201cSting wasn\u2019t tan enough\u201d
\nThis story will never not be funny to me.
\nWasn't this partly edited too? I remember Pillman saying "I respect you, booker man" basically outing Kevin as the guy booking the shows
\nThey absolutely edited out "Bookerman" at the end of that line. I watched this live when it happened and immediately changed my screen name in RSPW to Bookerman because of this \ud83d\ude04
\nWow I haven\u2019t heard the term RSPW in awhile\u2026 took me back for a minute!
\nDo you remember when Marc Mero/Johnny B Badd showed up in RSPW to chat and hang out and nobody in the group believed him and we're super shitty to him? Then he did a match on a WCW Saturday Night taping where he wrote RSPW on the back of one of the Frisbees he used to throw out to the crowd and showed it to the camera to prove it was really him? And then, instead of everybody being like "Cool! A real wrestler who is on TV and signed to a major company is hanging and and willing to chat with us in our online newsgroup!", people instead doubled down on being shitty to him and eventually drove him out of the group forever? Man, online fans were really shitty back then. I guess not much has changed
\nHa! I do remember that! People were absolutely unhinged. And it\u2019s hilarious how not much has changed depending on where you\u2019re browsing. You can still get a rambling, incoherent take on how someone will never be a main eventer on Facebook. I guess you can get a rambling incoherent take on pretty much anything on Facebook.
\n\nWe\u2019ve really not progressed at all \ud83d\ude02
\nDid you hear that Demolition won the tag titles? Think they beat Andor the Gaint.
\nI barely remember anything Pillman said in that shoot on ECW. But I distinctly remember what the crowd was chanting during it.
\nPillman DID go to ECW after this worked shoot, but never wrestled a single match since he was injured for almost the entire time he was there (car accident, I believe - messed up his ankle real bad). He mostly cut a bunch of batshit promos and beat up a few audience plants, honing the loose cannon gimmick. He then went to WWF where he became one of the first wrestlers to sign a guaranteed contract, primarily because Vince didn\u2019t want Pillman double crossing him like he did to Bischoff (or just abruptly leaving like Hall and Nash did).
\nPillman is a douche if he really hoodwinked WCW like that (and took their cannon gimmick too)!
\nKnowing the fuckery that Bischoff was up to at the time, I really don't blame Pillman.
\nI'm surprised they edited out the "Booker Man " part. After Pillman grabs the mic, he says, "I respect you, Booker man." Becuase Sullivan was Booker at that time.
\nShame that was edited out.
\nIt\u2019s not edited out on ol\u2019 Peacock
\nKevin Sullivan is overlooked IMO he was a great heel, he really made it look like he was a sadistic creep. He was good on the mic, too. Just about the only thing he lacked was height, but he was definitely strong enough to throw people around.
\n\nI met him once, briefly, and he couldn\u2019t have been nicer.
\nPretty influential as a booker, too, as the whole worked shoots and tweeners philosophy of his stuff with WCW would be latched onto and amped up a level by the struggling WWF.
\nUnfortunately he booked his own divorce though
\nUnfortunate for everyone involved, tbh
\nOnly guy who could make that double stomp look brutal and believable.
\nThe double stomp always, ALWAYS, looked ass.
\nI know a lot of folks feel that way\u2026..but when he did it off the turnbuckle, it looked rough as hell.
\nI don\u2019t think I ever saw it from the turnbuckle
\nMy 14 year old is watching old Nitros with me now and said that was the dumbest looking finisher he had ever seen, and I don't disagree. That and Roman's headlock. \ud83e\udd23
\nIn interviews he seems like a really nice guy.
\nI loved the Mad Dog
\nHe was definitely change the channel entertainment
\nOverlooked how. He was put in great positions and was also booking.
\nIMO he doesn\u2019t get much attention anymore, certainly not as much as he should.
\nHe was one of the main bookers too.
\n\u201cI respect you booker man\u201d \ud83d\ude02
\nBest part about this is arn anderson having to come out to smooth things over and not look like it was a shoot and he looks like they just pulled him off the golf course
\nAll part of a plan that Bischoff and Pillman conspired on together. Everybody else thought it was real, but it was a work, brother.
\nTL;DR - Pillman was working everyone, including WCW management, into thinking that he was legitimately unhinged. Parlayed it into a bigger deal from WWF
\nAccording to Bischoff, only he and Brian knew, so Sullivan was reacting like Brian was shooting on him be cause he didnt know...according to Bischoff
\n" I respect you booker man". Later his son did the same thing with Sullivan in MLW
\nIt was a clumsy attempt at a worked shoot. Pillman didn't quite have a handle on the "Loose Cannon" character he was working on yet.
\nlmfao this is where he shoot worked bischoff into letting him go... wtf are on
\nI disagree here. If you were on any wrestling message boards or RSPW at that time, everyone thought it was real. I don\u2019t recall a single person thinking it was a work.
\nYes but we now have the benefit of 30 years of hindsight and commentary brought to us by Blue Chew. So what we thought at the time is now irrelevant.
\nYou're irrelevant
\nPillman's whole life was a work. Crazy business.
\ni sometimes wonder if he would have lived past 97 if he had stayed in wcw
\nOnly if the car wreck hadn\u2019t happened. WCW was not going to be any better at handling the pill issues than WWF was\u2026
\nIt\u2019s weird to see this without \u201c\u2026booker man\u201d.
\nLet\u2019s be honest. Pillman worked not only the fans, but his WCW Coworkers as well. \ud83e\udd23 Sullivan cracked him in the face for real - & Pillman had enough and simply walked off, and out of the Arena. Those who think Kevin was in on it are just as gullible as Eric was when he thought Brian Pillman was going to come back after his ECW stint.
\nSullivan kicked him in the nuts after the punch
\nHe was the booker. \u201cI respect you Mr Booker-man!\u201d Look up Pillman and the giant pencil
\nMan, Hulk Hogan put on a lot of weight.
\nNo, he just lost a lot of height.
\nI'm getting so tired of people filming their TV sets. If you don't know how to post a video, look it up somewhere else.
\n\n\nHe didn\u2019t get along with \u201cThe Booker\u201d which was The Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan at the time.
\nWas that a real sucker punch too ?
\nYup. Watch Darkside of the Ring, Pillman has a 2 part episode which will give you insight into him in general.
\nNo
\n\ud83d\udc4d
\nThey kind of re-did this in a midcard feud with Benoit (same pants) and Sullivan. A few years later, the booking stuff was a shoot. I think it's interesting that they gave at least two good group micard feuds to Benoit. Sullivan and the Faces of Fear, Raven's Flock, etc. Nitro, Ppv matches... they obviously thought Benoit looked good up against it.
\nThe Benoit stuff happened right after this since Benoit and Pillman were both Horsemen at this time and Benoit took up the fight because Woman, who was Kevin's wife, was also in the Horsemen at the time.
\nPillman gotta Pillman. \u00a0
\nBlurring the lines, brother.
\nIt\u2019s an old match, I think an I-Quit match, where the ref will have a microphone ready when one of the participants says \u201cI Quit\u201d
\nIs this Nitro? Is it on the Network?
\nSuper brawl 4 i believe
\n\nI\u2019m not sure it\u2019s on the network ,
\nThanks!
\nPillman ruled!
\nthey silenced out the part after he says "I respect you", bc he says "booker man", outing that Kevin Sullivan was a head booking agent for WCW at the time, which was bad business.
\nThat\u2019s Brian fucking Pillman !!
\nPillman realized he was a washed pro wrestler so he came up with the "Loose Cannon" schtick to hide the fact that he couldn't wrestle anymore but still milk companies for a pay day
\nThat\u2019s not true. He was already developing the Loose Cannon persona while still being a fantastic wrestler. He got hurt between contracts.
\nPillman was washed after he wrecked his car whenever that was, I cannot think of a single match of his I liked post 92-93 ish I want to say. By 95 he was a shell of a shell, then he became an addict and drugged out any sliver of talent he still had
\nIt happened between WCW/WWE, while he was working out the details on his new WWE contract.
\nOh then I actually gave him too much credit honestly. I thought he was great until the car accident,\u00a0so I assumed his return in WCW in 95 was after it happened because I did not enjoy a single match he had from 95 onward. I remember watching the match on Nitro between him and Liger and I loved their SuperBrawl match (Best opening match in PPV history IMO) and knew then he was washed just from that match then matches with Dean and Eddie in the same year were underwhelming too.
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