The first "worked shoot" in mainstream American involved Brian Pillmans personal dislike of then-booker Kevin Sullivan spilling over onto scripted television. The two would face off in an I Respect You Strap Match at SuperBrawl VI, where they would throw several apparently non-worked punches before Pillman famously (and sarcastically) declared, I respect you, booker man. He would be fired almost immediately by Eric Bischoff and head to ECW. Now, Pillmans original run in ECW was part of a talent exchange with WCW, so many fans believed that this firing was all part of the work, and Pillman was really still under contract to Turner. In reality, the firing was real, but so was the conspiracy. Bischoff and Pillman worked together to devise a plan in which the Loose Cannon would appear to be fired due to going off-script, build up his credibility by working in the then-hot ECW before making a triumphant return to Nitro. Pillman, however, ultimately worked everyone: he requested a legitimate release, supposedly to keep the dirtsheets from uncovering the plan, but in reality because he had no intention of returning to WCW. He returned briefly to ECW, then almost immediately signed with WWE, home of his good friends the Harts and Steve Austin.
