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

5. The Hidden Importance Of Kim Wood

Brian Pillman Dark Side Of The Ring
VICE

99.9% of wrestling fans won't know who Kim Wood is.

He was Pillman's strength and conditioning coach at the Cincinnati Bengals, and acted as a bit of a mentor to Brian throughout his life. Wood was also the one who stepped in when Brian was re-negotiating terms with Eric Bischoff and WCW in 1996. He was the guy who said wrestling runs on "superficial" attention and value.

That, indirectly or otherwise, sowed seeds for Brian to create his infamous 'Loose Cannon' persona. Wood believed that creating attention and playing WCW against Vince McMahon's WWF would lead to more money, which was what Pillman wanted. So, together, they hatched a plan to turn everybody's heads.

Kim isn't somebody who comes up a lot when wrestling journalists examine Pillman's life. That's remarkable, 'cause he blatantly left a huge imprint and encouraged Brian's bid to trick the wrestling biz into thinking he was losing his damn mind.

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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.