10 Most Intense Performers In Wrestling History

5. Brian Pillman

Kurt Angle Shawn Michaels Taboo Tuesday 2005
WWE.com

Brian Pillman broke unrecoverable ground in 1996 with his "Loose Cannon" persona.

The idea - Pillman's own - was to position him as an outlaw, bending the veneer of kayfabe in order to generate the most discussion in a shifting wrestling landscape dominated by it. Pillman adopted the a la mode grunge aesthetic and flirted dangerously close to the fullness of reality - literally, in Bobby Heenan's case, when he grabbed the manager-cum-commentator by his bum neck, prompting a response of "What the f*ck are you doing?"

At WCW SuperBrawl VI, Pillman squared off against real-life match-maker Kevin Sullivan in an I Respect You Strap Match, the nominal aim of which was to secure victory by gaining the verbal approval of their opponent. Pillman, after a brief opening exchange, simply picked up a microphone and broke what remained of wrestling's inner sanctum. "I respect you, booker man," he said, before leaving the arena. He also departed WCW for good; in order to authenticate the angle, Pillman and Executive Producer Eric Bischoff orchestrated his actual release. Pillman, as intense and erratic outside of the ring as he had become inside of it, played North America's big three promotions against one another, resurfacing first in ECW, in which he laughed maniacally, denounced the audience as "smart marks" and threatened to "yank out his Johnson and p*ss in this hellhole."

The act required a completely unhinged intensity in order to make it work - and Pillman, with his wild-eyed look, hoarse screams and unstable, herky-jerky body language genuinely fooled everybody, for a time.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!