9 Times ECW Was Better Than Literally EVERYTHING
8. Brian Pillman Arrives
Brian Pillman was the most talked about man in smart mark circles at the turn of 1996, and though the community was way, way smaller than it would be in the years to come, there had never been a better time to have your finger on that particular pulse.
Or, in this case, piss in that particular ring.
Having spent months working on a 'Loose Cannon' character (that, per testimonials, wasn't too far away from the real man himself at the time) on WCW television, the more informed corners of the fabase were buzzing for his next move after reports of a massive backstage blow-up with Eric Bischoff following an on-screen worked shoot with Kevin Sullivan at SuperBrawl VI. That move was an explosive unannounced appearance at CyberSlam '96.
Immediately received as a cult hero due to how he'd ostensibly stuck it to the big leagues, Pillman arrived full of rage over how he'd been handled in WCW, calling Bischoff "a piece of f*cking sh*t" in a line that was catnip to the ECW Arena faithfuls. This was top babyface stuff from the territory's new top star, but Pillman was about to reveal how he was only in Philadelphia for a good time rather than a long one.
Flipping the script, he turned on the audience, comparing 'Easy E' to all the "smart marks" in the building. As the audience could barely believe what they were hearing, Pillman ramped up the gears to define the term "mark" in increasingly grisly ways before unzipping his jeans so he could "piss in this hellhole".
Tod Gordon, Paul Heyman and Shane Douglas hit the ring to have him removed by security, while a whisper of "he's shooting" could be heard over the house mic. Midway through being carted out, he violently assaulted a planted fan to conclude an all-time angle.
It was all part of him dominating the discourse en route to a WWE deal he inked in June, though the promo was the peak of his time as the industry's most talked-about star. A car accident in April was career-altering, and expedited problems with substances that ultimately contributed to his tragic passing 18 months later.