10 Wrestlers Who Were Released For Breaking Kayfabe

6. Brian Pillman

Matt Hardy Fired
WWE.com

Want some more weirdness?

Originally, Brian Pillman's "I respect you, booker man" outburst (aimed at Kevin Sullivan) was a total work. It was designed to further Pillman's 'Loose Cannon' gimmick and make it seem like he was someone WCW management couldn't control no matter how hard they tried.

That's when things got super strange. Brian convinced Eric Bischoff to legitimately release him from his contract, citing unprofessional conduct as the chief charge, so that fans would buy into the character. Incredibly, Bischoff did exactly that; Pillman then dabbled with ECW for a while before inking a lucrative deal with the WWF.

He had played WCW, and somehow talked them into scrapping his contract for "breaking kayfabe". In reality, the masterful Pillman was giving himself leverage for negotiations elsewhere. Bri could use WCW as a bargaining chip during discussions with the WWF.

Pillman worked everybody, including his employers.

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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.