Brian Pillman was truly one of a kind and he was in the process of turning the wrestling world on its head when he suddenly passed away at 35 years old on this day in wrestling history.
Pillman was to face Goldust at WWE In Your House 18: Badd Blood, and Steve Austin said Jim Cornette called where Pillman was staying when he didn’t arrive at the arena.
The receptionist told him that one of the maids found him in his room earlier in the day and the following autopsy revealed it was a heart attack, but Austin explained it was caused by a previously undetected atherosclerotic heart disease.
It’s the same way Pillman’s father died.
While the WWE held a tribute to Pillman on the following Raw, Vince McMahon went for a ratings spike and interviewed his widow, Melanie Pillman, in what was/is universally panned as a disgusting promotional tactic.
Legacy
After teaming with Steve Austin to make the Hollywood Blondes, Pillman seemed headed for the top as he adopted a Loose Canon persona that was chaotic and unpredictable.
For instance, while in WCW Pillman harassed Bobby Heenan by messing with his recently repaired neck that sent Heenan to the back cursing him out.
Steve Austin talked about Pillman in his book, The Stone Cold Truth. Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
“I never figured that Brian was going to die, at least not at the age of thirty-five years old. He was Brian Pillman and he was going to keep doing whatever he was doing. And he was going to make it because he was that strong. Now, when I look back and look at where Brian was, I can see some of the signs that he was in a little deep. But I certainly didn’t know what he was on. I wish not only that I’d talked to him, but that I’d tied him up with a rope and said, ‘Damn it, you’re going to a place to get clean.’ and then been forceful about it.
“It would have been nice if Brian could have stayed around and hit a big chunk of change. He made decent money, but he never got to hit the big money. I haven’t seen Brian Pillman Jr. in two or three years now. He’s a real cute kid. He looks like he’s going to be just like his dad. He’s definitely carrying some of Brian’s genes. He may turn out to be a helluva football player or maybe he’ll be the guy who turns the business on its head one of these days.
“Brian had a helluva ‘Pillman Hall of Fame’ down in his basement, all of his college and pro football accomplishments, which were numerous. It was well put together, one helluva cool room. I never knew the guy was such a big football star. God dang, he had all kind of awards down there. I hope his widow, Melanie, has maintained it for all of Brian’s kids to see. Brian had throat cancer as a child. It took thirty operations before he was three years old to get him over it. Pretty tough kid. That’s why it’s so important to me to wear the gold chain that Brian gave me. If I’m wearing it, then Brian is right there with me. I sure miss that raspy-voiced hellraiser. He was a great friend.”
Pillman’s son, Brian Pillman Jr., currently wrestles in AEW and formed a stable called Varsity Blondes with Griff Garrison and Julia Hart in tribute to his father
This day in wrestling history is a sad one, but it’s great to know Pillman will always be remembered and his legacy lives on.
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