10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Brian Pillman

1. Brian Jr Thought His Death Was A Rib

Brian Pillman Dark Side Of The Ring
VICE

This is insane.

Brian Jr, best-known for his work in AEW, thought his father's death was a work. He was only four years old at the time, but told VICE he kept waiting for a camera crew to show up and reveal the whole 5 October '97 episode as a publicity stunt. It took a good few hours after being told for Bri Jr to realise his dad was really gone.

That's unbelievably sad. Think about how deep somebody has to be invested in a fictional character to fool their kid into thinking they'd fake their own death. Plus, Brian Jr was only four - he shouldn't have been thinking about things like that full stop, let alone at such a young age. It's mind-blowing.

Brian Jr wasn't the only one who thought Pillman's passing was a rib though. Jim Cornette spoke to hotel staff on the phone when Brian failed to turn up for Badd Blood, and he figured somebody was pulling his leg. They weren't. Brian Pillman was really gone, and hardly anybody believed it.

What else did you learn from VICE's Dark Side Of The Ring feature on Brian Pillman? For more wrestling, check out 10 Great Wrestling Matches That SUCKED Live and 19 Things You Probably Missed From WWE Raw (May 3)!

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.