When he left WCW in early 1996, Brian Pillman was on the verge of breaking through as a singles competitor. His Loose Cannon persona was working at making him one of the most-talked about performers of the day. But Pillman would be involved in a horrific car crash in April 1996 that shattered his ankle, ending his high-flying in-ring style and leaving his ankle fused in a walking position. Pillman would wrestle in pain for the remainder of his career. Just a couple months later, Pillman signed with WWF. About a year later, he passed away from a heart condition. Had Pillman not shattered his ankle, he would have been able to enter the WWF as an in-ring performer (he spent several months as a commentator while he healed) and might have had a more successful career. Its tough to predict how exactly things would have played out, but a major injury like Pillmans drastically altered his career trajectory.