10 Times WWE Used Real Life Misery For Storyline Gains

by John Bills

1. The Death Of Brian Pillman

Melanie Pillman Raw
WWE.com

On 5 October 1997, Brian Pillman was found dead in a Minnesota motel room. Aged just 35 years old, the ‘Loose Cannon’ died of a heart attack caused by a previously undetected condition, undoubtedly exacerbated by years of toil from the pro wrestling business and the various forms of medication that Pillman had used. To this very day, Pillman remains one of the most influential performers of his generation.

On 6 October 1997, Pillman’s widow Melanie was interviewed on live TV by Vince McMahon himself. The interview is painfully difficult to watch, although not for the reasons one might assume. Far from being a respectful attempt at honouring a deceased colleague, the interview was equal parts desperate ratings grab and callous cash-in. Vince asks a series of uncomfortable questions as Melanie hams up her grief for the camera. The entire charade is completely void of sincerity.

Melanie Pillman’s decision to give the interview can be questioned at length, of course it can. Brian Pillman Jr. hasn’t been shy to give his opinion on it. But the blame lies at the door of WWE, the company that decided to take a 24-hour old tragedy and put it front and centre of its television show.

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Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.