10 Times WWE Tried Too Hard To Be REAL

Before jumping to WWE, Brian Pillman ditched his 'Hollywood' look for a much grittier persona. Going off-script, cursing, and making extreme threats, 'The Loose Cannon' reestablished himself through a controversial approach to the "entertainment" side of the business.

His behavior transcended the ring, though, leading to issues with management in WCW. Shortly after he buried the company via ECW, WWE gave Pillman a call back, hoping his influence would propel Raw into an edgier future.

To mirror the times, WWE kicked off the era with a handful of ultra-violent acts, but none were more wicked than the 04 November 1996 episode of Raw. On this night, fans saw Steve Austin invade Pillman's home only for 'The Loose Cannon' to whip out a 9mm.

WWE pulled off some dubious stunts in the past but implied homicide was some next-level s***.

It also landed the company in hot water, especially when Pillman would utter phrases like "get the f*** out of the way" in the process. WWE got the push into the aggressive late-90s it wanted, but the Pillman stints certainly established the line in the sand.

Even though the era continued in a violent and realistic fashion, it noticeably lacked the use of firearms (that didn't pop out a cartoonish "Bang!" flag), which had probably had nothing to do with the sponsors and parents. Whether a low-brow attempt to save Raw from ratings death, it's hard to imagine the Attitude Era without the unpredictable actions of 'The Loose Cannon.'