10 Times WWE Pleasantly Surprised Their Audience
6. The Signing Of Brian Pillman
Securing Brian Pillman's signature in June 1996 was a very un-WWE move for the WWE of the time, not least he because the contract he signed guaranteed him monies in a way few others had ever received.
The industry was changing rapidly at the time, and few performers were as ahead of the curve as the 'Loose Cannon'. He'd worked his way out of WCW just to potentially go back there on double the money, and used ECW as the unfiltered platform to do as pleased to ensure that both major organisations had to part with plenty to get him on board. The plan worked to near-perfection until a horrific car accident left him with injuries that not only threatened to end his in-ring career but expedited a drug dependency that would contribute to the end of his life just over a year later.
Without such hindsight though, Vince McMahon took the gamble on Pillman in order to try and claw back an edge in the ever-building war with his opposition to the south. For all his physical and mental fragilities, Pillman sought to earn every cent he was paid during his remaining time with the group. Every promo and commentary stint was the sheer delight audiences had hoped for, even if the matches paled in comparison with his older efforts.