Brian Pillman remains a curious case in the world of professional wrestling. A very talented in-ring performer, Pillman was rarely regarded as a genuine top star by either WCW or the WWF. The man did play a role in several huge storylines, most notably the 'Hart Foundation' saga of 1997, but he was never really a main event player when on his own. In 1996, Eric Bischoff and Pillman devised a cunning plan. Feeling the wrestler needed to depart WCW and come back fresh with a new character, Bischoff legitimately agreed to release Pillman from his WCW contract. This wasn't a storyline, Brian was actually terminated from the promotion's payroll. Heading off to ECW, the original plan was that Pillman would become the 'Loose Cannon', then return to WCW. As history would dictate, he didn't. Instead, Brian Pillman signed with the WWF in June, just months after he had left WCW. He did spend some time in ECW, but seemed disinterested in working for Bischoff again. It seems that Pillman duped Eric Bischoff into releasing him, so he avoided legal hassle from breaking his own contract.
