10 Wrestling Shock Signings You NEVER Saw Coming

6. Brian Pillman To ECW

The Undertaker Starrcast
WWE.com

Brian Pillman may have threatened to "whip out his johnson and p*ss in this hellhole" when he first landed in the ECW but he probably did something else with his legendary length in quiet moments of reflection at the time. 'The Loose Cannon' was "shooting" across three promotions at the same time and hitting every single target.

Pillman had already worked half of his colleagues into believing he was on the outs with WCW before working boss Eric Bischoff into making it actually so, then used an Philadelphia appearance to shock the wrestling world whilst most assumed he was still on the books in Atlanta.

To turn the screw and warp the brains of those that thought they knew it all, Pillman immediately raged at those fans in particular for daring to think they knew anything at all.

Establishing himself as the IRL babyface and kayfabe heel in one promo, Pillman continued the most elaborate worked shoot ever attempted in the history of the industry en route to getting the golden handshake he required from WWE. Had injuries and addictions not literally and figuratively crippled his rise, Pillman could and would have soared.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett