10 Things You Didn't Know About Stone Cold & Brian Pillman Gun Angle
4. Pillman Had Legitimate Surgery Just Days Before
One week before the infamous RAW segment, the two superstars ran an equally memorable angle which actually served as the setup for their explosive Monday Night RAW scene.
During an in-ring interview conducted by Pillman on the 10/27 Superstars, Austin continued his attempts to goad Bret Hart out of temporary retirement. With Pillman having ties to the famous Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary, Bret Hart's home, the Loose Cannon ended his interview by echoing the Hitman's catchphrase, calling him the "best there is, best there was, and the best there ever will be." This incensed Austin in storyline, and he immediately attacked his interviewer and former WCW tag team partner.
Austin grabbed a steel chair, placing Pillman's ankle in between the closed seat and the back of the chair. Climbing to the second rope, Austin leaped off onto the chair, stomping on Pillman's ankle, essentially breaking it in kayfabe.
Shortly after the interview aired on television, Pillman had legitimate surgery on his ankle.
The reality was that Pillman needed another surgery after a gruesome automobile accident shattered his ankle to pieces in April of '96. The angle allowed Pillman to get the surgery and remain off TV so when viewers saw Pillman laid up, wearing a cast in his Kentucky home on the 11/4 RAW, it was legitimate.