10 Things You Need To Know About The Dawn Of WWE's Attitude Era

9. Meanwhile...

Steve Austin WrestleMania 13
WWE.com

Brian Pillman knew that he didn't possess the musculature to advance in what, by 1995, remained the land of the ageing giants in WCW. He instead forged a persona that (in theory) propelled him to the top of the card and (in practise) shifted the very paradigm of pro wrestling.

He collaborated with Executive Producer Eric Bischoff to create an environment in which it was impossible to determine what was real and what wasn't - when he revealed that Kevin Sullivan booked WCW, he effectively unravelled the enterprise onscreen for the first time in the mainstream.

Pillman worked everybody, Bischoff included; his intention was to join the WWF (via ECW) as the hottest act in all of wrestling, and he managed it by coercing Bischoff into releasing him for real. That main event push never happened; Pillman shattered his ankle in a car wreck before he signed with the league.

Pillman was an indirect - but crucial - architect of the Attitude Era.

His persona led to him procuring the WWF's first ever guaranteed money performer contract, but the persona itself was equally seismic. The WWF didn't suddenly become a self-aware, cutting edge promotion in retaliation to Pillman's dismantling of the fourth wall. But the ripple effect of Pillman's mushroom cloud of a game-changer infected everything. The ground he had broken was irreparable.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!