10 Wrestlers Who Purposefully Deceived Promoters

3. Brian Pillman

Brian Pillman Vince McMahon
WWE.com

Bischoff got some healthy deception of his own when Brian Pillman ingeniously convinced many in the pro wrestling sphere that he'd lost his damn mind. His 'Loose Cannon' character blurred the lines between fantasy and reality so well that people bought it hook, line and sinker.

Then, Pillman played his masterstroke.

He persuaded Bischoff that folks would only keep buying in if WCW genuinely released him from his contract. Once he had what he wanted, Brian merrily danced off to the WWF and played both rival companies against one another during negotiations with Vince McMahon, who was only too happy to snare a star from his competition.

Pillman even got a brief stop off in ECW in 1996 before joining the federation full time. The way he manipulated WCW and used the 'Monday Night Wars' as a tool to add more value (and money) to his deal was dazzling.

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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.