Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman, Sr. (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American professional wrestler and football player. He is known for competing in World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in the 1990s.
| Brian Pillman | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 22, 1962 Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Died | October 5, 1997 (aged 35) Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Flyin' Brian Brian Pillman Yellow Dog |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 227 lb (103 kg) |
| Billed from | Cincinnati, Ohio The Kennel Club |
| Trained by | Stu Hart |
| Debut | 1986 |
He was well known as "The Loose Cannon",[1] which was a gimmick that would see him do worked shoots that would gain him infamy for his unpredictable character.
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Pillman played football in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders.
Pillman was found dead by police in his Bloomington, Minnesota hotel room on October 5, 1997 from a previously undetected heart condition called arteriosclerotic heart disease.[2][3] That same night, Pillman was supposed to face Dude Love on the WWF pay-per-view Badd Blood: In Your House.
Championships
- Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Tom Zenk)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (one time) (with "Stunning" Steve Austin)
- WCW Light Heavyweight Championship (two times)[4][5]
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (one time) (with "Stunning" Steve Austin)[6]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- He was ranked #84 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" by PWI in 2003.[7]
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (two times) (with Bruce Hart)
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1991) with Sting, Rick Steiner, and Scott Steiner vs. Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham, and Sid Vicious (February 24, WarGames match, WrestleWar)
- Feud of the Year (1997) with Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Most Underrated (1994)
- Rookie of the Year (1987)
- Tag Team of the Year (1993) with Steve Austin as The Hollywood Blonds
References
- "What Could've Been: Imagine Brian Pillman in the WWE Attitude Era". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- "Pillman found dead". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.112–113)
- "Brian Pillman's first WCW Light Heavyweight Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- "Brian Pillman's second WCW Light Heavyweight Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- "WCW World Tag Team Championship history". WWE. Archived from the original on 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
- "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2008-01-13. Retrieved 2013-11-07.