10 Weirdest Ways Wrestlers Got Hired By WWE

5. Caught Attention As A Loudmouth

Sable Marc Mero
WWE.com

Let’s be honest, the WWF hired Brian Pillman in 1996 chiefly because they believed they’d be sticking it to WCW. Bri was playing both parties too, and even involved ECW to both sell his 'Loose Cannon' character and maximise his value. It was smart, but Jim Ross claims there's more to the story than that.

On his podcast, JR recalled he and Vince McMahon attending a random wrestling convention shortly before Pillman was hired by the company. Brian was working his off-the-wall, unpredictable gimmick for everyone to see, and he ranted and raved like a madman in front of McMahon.

The WWF main man loved it.

According to Ross, Vince saw Pillman mouthing off and enjoyed how ballsy and brash he was. It's pretty out there that Brian effectively worked everybody in the biz by pretending he'd lost his bloody mind. He outworked the workers and earned himself a tidy sum when putting pen to paper on a WWF contract.

In this post: 
Mick Foley
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor

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.