10 Wrestlers Promoters Were Afraid Of

2. Brian Pillman

Jake Roberts WCW
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Brian Pillman's 'Loose Cannon' gimmick blurred the tiger striations between art and reality to such a scary extent that even his colleagues could no longer see the distinction. Introduced in 1995, the character was a dramatic diversion from 'Flyin' Brian's previous incarnation as a clean-cut, athletic babyface. Now, he'd frequently slip 'shoot' comments into his promos, hang around in the sort of grungy clothing that'd become a staple of Raven's aesthetic, and generally unsettle everyone around him with his complete unpredictability.

After outing Kevin Sullivan as WCW's booker following their SuperBrawl VI match, Pillman asked Eric Bischoff to actually release him from his contract so he could develop the gimmick in ECW, before returning, now with added fillip of legitimacy. Theoretically, it was all a work - or so Bischoff believed. In reality, it was another manifestation of the 'Loose Cannon' made tangible. Pillman never came back. Bischoff later revealed that, so convinced was he by Pillman's performance - if that's what it was - that he genuinely feared for the wrestler's health.

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Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.