Eric Bischoff claims to this day that both he and Brian Pillman were very much on the same page in 1996. The wrestler had moved on from his standard 'Flyin' Brian Pillman character, developing a much more interesting persona. Known as a 'Loose Cannon', Pillman was entirely convincing in his role as a psychotic madman who was prone to change behaviour at any moment. Bischoff and Pillman came to a deal which would see the grappler legitimately released from his WCW contract. From there, it was proposed, he'd cultivate the persona further in groups like ECW, before returning to Atlanta. Pillman would never again wrestle for WCW, signing with the then-WWF in late-1996. It's been said that Brian genuinely duped Bischoff. By the time he was working in the WWF, Pillman was a shadow of his former self inside the ring. Nonetheless, the 'Loose Cannon' character had merit. Vince McMahon and the WWF didn't come up with it, but they likely wish they had. If they had, it's plausible the character would have been pushed more. Of course, Pillman's health troubles stopped any momentum from building. McMahon isn't prone to using characters created outside his company, so he must have been a huge fan of the 'Loose Cannon' concept.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
