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

9. How The Wrestling Observer Got Him Into WCW

Brian Pillman Dark Side Of The Ring
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The Wrestling Observer takes a bit of a hammering amongst some wrestlers today, but Steve Austin is willing to admit how essential the newsletter was back in the early-90s. Everybody wanted to see their name on those pages, and Brian Pillman was no different.

He contacted Dave Meltzer shortly after he'd started wrestling in 1986. Brian told Dave that he wanted to trade tapes, so that's exactly what they did, and the pair struck up a close friendship quickly. Get this: The Observer was where Jim Ross, who was talent scouting for WCW, first clapped eyes on Pillman.

Or, more accurately, read Meltzer's reports about his matches (Ross said Dave was always a "pretty good gauge for talent").

JR headhunted Brian from there, and it wasn't long before the blonde bombshell was tearing up WCW rings. It's incredible to think that his relationship with Meltzer effectively led to a gig with one of the biggest wrestling companies on the scene.

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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.