Was Pillman's Move to WWE Really That Good?

[LiamMcDuggle]

The Dark Side of the Ring doc paints the move as smart, but was it??

I do think there was a bit of genius to him and his madness, but he likely could have gotten the same money from WCW to work way less dates (Bischoff confirmed he would have probably beaten WWE's offer if he'd known).

When Pillman left WCW, he was in an upper mid card spot, was an active member of the horsemen, was building feuds with Bischoff, Flair, Arn, Sullivan. In WWE, he was a tertiary member of the Hart Foundation, and not to sound rude, but the Hart Foundation vs America feud did not even skip a beat after he passed away. This is less of a shot against Pillman, but more against the WWE for not really knowing how to use him.

Vince also exploited his wife with a garbage interview less than 24 hours after he died so the WWE would not get in trouble for drug use issues.

I honestly think Pillman works best where he would have been able to exercise his creative freedom and I just don't see the WWE ever being that place. His feuds in the WWE were just so weird and riddled with Russo and McMahon's weird late 90's creative.

He went from breaking the 4th wall in WCW/ECW to being in a fued where the end goal was he had to wear a dress. He was the hottest act in wrestling and this is what McMahon and Russo came up with him

[Feyrhausen]

They likely would have done a lot more with Pillman if he hadnt messed himself up so badly. First with the accident then with the drugs. With his skills and friendship with Austin he would have been a main event player.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

Pillman in WWF is always one of those "what if" stories. he showed up in basically no condition to actually wrestle but he was on another level on the mic and because of his untimely death who knows what he could have achieved. mind, he might have taken off with Bret after Montreal happened anyway had he lived.

[David-Arquette was in WCW 2000]

It was absolutely a great move, he would have been really wasted in WCW, especially when the nWo got bigger.

Nobody could have predicted the accident and subsequent drug dependency, but I think had that been a factor he would have really been pushed.

[tafkaga]

I think Pillman was going to hit the upper midcard ceiling no matter which way he went. WWF offered more opportunities for him to distinguish himself, but that includes a high likelihood of really stupid gimmicks and humiliating angles that would ultimately tarnish his legacy. WCW brought a higher likelihood that he would just get lost in the shuffle and end up in a lot of forgettable stepping stone feuds with new signees coming into the company.

[Giul T.]

At the time he was scheduled to be in Uncensored's Doomsday Cage match, and it really wasn't going to be get better once the NWO was going to hit because Sean Waltman would have taken the spot that could have been for him.

Really it's all a big mystery what Brian Pillman could have become, but I don't think that he would have been able to thrive. He might have always had a division of cruiserweights but those were always going to be just the openers for whatever the NWO was doing.

[lucas_lee]

If he didn't have that accident he wouldve been pushed well. You have to remember WCW stole the top guys there and Pillman was one of their bigger acquisitions besides Marc Mero. You had to show you'll treat them right in order to entice more people to jump. That accident really screwed up their plans and Brian's life

[Feyrhausen]

Mar 30, 2024 7:01:52 GMT -5 EvenBaldobombHasAJob said:

Pillman in WWF is always one of those "what if" stories. he showed up in basically no condition to actually wrestle but he was on another level on the mic and because of his untimely death who knows what he could have achieved. mind, he might have taken off with Bret after Montreal happened anyway had he lived.

If he was healthy and didnt leave with Bret I think he would have been Austins first feud after Mania 14. He would have spent 97, whether with Team Canada or not, in higher profile feuds being built up for the main event.

[Aceorton]

Others have covered my feelings here. If he didn't go and flip his Hummer and destroy his ankle, I have no doubt he would have been a major player. His past with Austin was a built-in upper-card feud right at the time Austin was starting to get hot. Pillman just wasn't capable of pulling off the matches after the injury, so instead he became a glorified mouthpiece for the Harts to try to cover his limitations in the ring as much as possible.

If healthy and not whacked out on drugs, I think he would have been IC champion at least, with solid matches against all the big names at the time. The Kliq might have taken issue with him, but his talent was strong enough and the WWF's need for star power was so strong that I don't think Vince would have wasted him. Pillman turning on the Harts, Pillman vs. the Undertaker, Pillman vs. Triple H, Pillman vs. wet-behind-the-ears Rock and becoming a catalyst in turning him heel ... there was a lot they could have done. Even Pillman vs. Ahmed Johnson could have been fun.

[Woo]

Were it not for the injury, his death, and had he stayed in the WWE after Montreal, which I think he would have, he would have gone onto be a main eventer and multi time world champion imo.

Whatever "it" is, Pillman had it in spades.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

WCW was so top heavy.

Even without certain people playing politics, he'd have to get past Sting, Hogan, Flair, Nash, Luger, Savage, Hall, Giant, DDP.

I'm sure even there I'm forgetting people.

In WWF, who was at the top? HBK, Bret, Taker, Austin.

There was a lot more space to push through. Then you have 2 of those guys leave in a matter of months.


In a different world he could totally have made it, been the mentally unstable assassin Vince called on instead of Foley.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

It was the best choice on paper even if it didn't pan out that way. Had he stayed in WCW, the top guys would have found a way to steal his heat and just drain the life from him the way they did with Bret and Luger (people forget he was white hot as a face for a time) and he'd either have been stuck in the midcard wrestling talented guys but treading water, or NWO guy #357.

[nickcave]

It was doomed the second he got in the car wreck

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Mar 30, 2024 9:24:29 GMT -5 Giul T. said:

At the time he was scheduled to be in Uncensored's Doomsday Cage match, and it really wasn't going to be get better once the NWO was going to hit because Sean Waltman would have taken the spot that could have been for him.

Really it's all a big mystery what Brian Pillman could have become, but I don't think that he would have been able to thrive. He might have always had a division of cruiserweights but those were always going to be just the openers for whatever the NWO was doing.

Apparently the reason Pillman skipped out on Uncensored was because he knew Hogan would want to get the pin on him to soak up all the heat Pillman was getting at the time. I think even if he wanted to stay in WCW, he was smart enough to realize he had a better path to the top in WWF at the time (before the accident of course)

[James Fabiano]

Mar 30, 2024 9:24:29 GMT -5 Giul T. said:

At the time he was scheduled to be in Uncensored's Doomsday Cage match, and it really wasn't going to be get better once the NWO was going to hit because Sean Waltman would have taken the spot that could have been for him.

Really it's all a big mystery what Brian Pillman could have become, but I don't think that he would have been able to thrive. He might have always had a division of cruiserweights but those were always going to be just the openers for whatever the NWO was doing.

Yes. You always hear that Hogan wanted him in the match to be yet another bad guy for him to go over at Uncensored.

As for WWF, after the injury there was so much he could do. Pillman forgot he could work when he became the Loose Cannon in general, though. Yeah he kinda became a normal part of the WWF roster eventually instead of worked shooting and all. It's kind of like M. Hardy both times and Punk too. On the other hand, it's also roughly like Bret in WCW.

Oh yeah, something something If Only He Arrived in 1998.

Here's a question. Had he stayed in WCW. Is there no Benoit vs. Sullivan, which means that other worked shoot that DID become a shoot shoot never happens, and a few people remain alive?

[salz4life]

Without the accident... you have to believe we would've gotten an Austin/Pillman angle for the Title that would've been fantastic. I'm sure Austin would go over... but it would've been entertaining as hell.