Brian Pillman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Pillman
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Pillman, circa 1996
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| Born |
Brian William Pillman
May 22, 1962 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | October 5, 1997 (aged 35) Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Spouse(s) |
Melanie Morgan
(m. 1993) |
| Children | 6, including Brian Pillman Jr. |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Billed weight | 227 lb (103 kg) |
| Billed from | Cincinnati, Ohio "The kennel club" (as The Yellow Dog) Hollywood (as California Brian) |
| Trained by | Stu Hart |
| Debut | 1986 |
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Football career |
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| No. 41, 58 | |
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight: | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Norwood (Norwood, Ohio) |
| College: | Miami (OH) |
| Undrafted: | 1984 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Player stats at PFR | |
Brian William Pillman (born May 22, 1962 – died October 5, 1997) was a famous American professional wrestler and football player. He was well-known for his time in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s. Later, he became a big star in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1990s.
Pillman became famous for his "Loose Cannon" character in wrestling. This character was very unpredictable. He would often blur the lines between what was real and what was part of the show. He was also known for being very quick and athletic in the ring. Sadly, a car accident in 1996 caused serious ankle injuries. This limited his amazing in-ring moves. Towards the end of his career, he worked with his friend Stone Cold Steve Austin in exciting storylines. He also joined The Hart Foundation. Brian Pillman passed away unexpectedly in October 1997 due to an undetected heart condition.
Contents
Brian Pillman: Early Life and Challenges
Brian Pillman was born on May 22, 1962. His mother was named Mary, and he had three sisters and a brother. His father passed away from a heart attack when Brian was only three months old.
As a young child, Brian had many throat polyps. He had over 30 surgeries to treat them, many before he was three. Because of these health issues, Brian spent much of his early childhood in the hospital. He only went home for holidays like Christmas. His mother wanted him to spend more time with friends. So, she sent him to a public school. This made him the only Presbyterian in his Catholic family. Brian loved playing sports like basketball and hockey. However, he was often teased because his voice was raspy from his many operations. His mother said this encouraged him to learn how to box.
From Football to Wrestling
Brian Pillman went to Norwood High School in Ohio. He then attended Miami University in Ohio. There, he played football as a defensive tackle for the Miami Redskins (now RedHawks). He set a record for "tackles for loss." Brian worked hard to keep his grades up so he could continue playing.
He was a Second-team All-American in his junior year. He was also a Division I All-American in his senior year. After college, he joined his hometown Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent. He even won the Ed Block Courage Award for his team. He later played for the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders in 1986. Brian also tried out for the Buffalo Bills in 1985. He was the last player cut before the season began.
Starting His Wrestling Journey
After his football career, Pillman stayed in Canada. He began training to become a wrestler. His trainers included Stu Hart and his sons. Brian made his wrestling debut in November 1986. This was in Stu Hart's Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling promotion.
Pillman quickly formed a tag team called Bad Company. His partner was Stu Hart's son, Bruce. In April 1987, they won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship. They held the titles for several months. They won them back in November 1987 after a rematch. Pillman left Stampede Wrestling in August 1988. He then went to the Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis. In 1989, he also wrestled briefly in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Becoming "Flyin' Brian" in WCW
In June 1989, Pillman joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He became known as "Flyin' Brian." This name came from his amazing athletic skills and aerial moves. He was one of the first American wrestlers to use moves from Mexican lucha libre. He won the NWA United States Tag Team Championship with The Z-Man.
Pillman also won the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship twice. He had exciting matches against wrestlers like Jushin "Thunder" Liger. In September 1992, Pillman changed his character to a "heel" (a bad guy). He then formed a tag team with "Stunning" Steve Austin. They were called the Hollywood Blonds.
The Hollywood Blonds
The Hollywood Blonds became very popular. On March 27, 1993, they won the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championships. They had a big rivalry with The Four Horsemen. They often made fun of older wrestlers like Ric Flair and Arn Anderson. The Blonds eventually lost their titles to Anderson and Paul Roma.
After the Hollywood Blonds broke up in October 1993, Pillman became a "face" (a good guy) again. He had a rivalry with his former partner, Steve Austin. He also tried to win the WCW World Television Championship. In late 1994, Pillman also appeared briefly in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).
The "Loose Cannon" Era
Brian Pillman returned to WCW in January 1995. He slowly developed his famous "Loose Cannon" character. This character was known for being very unpredictable. He changed his look, wearing leather vests, sunglasses, and cool graphic T-shirts. He often made people wonder if his actions were real or part of the show. Even his friends in The Four Horsemen were sometimes unsure about his behavior.
In September 1995, Pillman joined The Four Horsemen. This group included Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Chris Benoit. Pillman's unpredictable actions became a big part of his character. He even caused a stir at the SuperBrawl VI event in February 1996. After this, WCW President Eric Bischoff fired Pillman. Bischoff later said this was a plan they made together. The idea was for Pillman to go to ECW and make his "Loose Cannon" character even more famous. Then he would return to WCW. However, Pillman never returned to WCW.
A Brief Stop in ECW
Right after leaving WCW, Pillman went back to ECW. He appeared at their Internet convention, ECW CyberSlam, on February 17, 1996.
His Final Years in WWF
Joining The Hart Foundation
In 1996, Brian Pillman joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He became part of The Hart Foundation. This group included his close friends Bret Hart, Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, and Jim Neidhart. He knew them all from his time in Stampede Wrestling. Pillman became a "heel" (bad guy) again as part of this anti-American group.
He started a big rivalry with his former partner, Steve Austin. In October 1996, Austin caused an on-screen injury to Pillman's ankle. This move is now sometimes called "The Pillmanizer." Pillman returned to wrestling full-time in May 1997. He often teamed with The Hart Foundation members. On July 6, 1997, at In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, Pillman and The Hart Foundation won a big 10-man tag team match. This was in Bret Hart's hometown of Calgary.
After his rivalry with Austin, he had a storyline with Goldust. This was about Goldust's manager, Marlena. Pillman lost to Goldust at SummerSlam. This meant Pillman had to wear a dress during his matches for a month. Pillman then challenged Goldust again. If Pillman won, Marlena would be his assistant for 30 days. If Goldust won, Pillman would leave the WWF forever. Pillman defeated Goldust at In Your House 17: Ground Zero. This was his last WWF pay-per-view appearance. His final televised match was on October 4, 1997. He defeated The Patriot by disqualification.
Personal Life
Brian Pillman was very close to the Hart family. He considered them like siblings. He said he loved Bret and Owen enough to do anything for them. He was the only member of The Hart Foundation not related to the family by blood or marriage.
Brian married Melanie Morgan on March 17, 1993. Melanie had two children from previous relationships, Alexis Michelle Reed and Jesse Morgan. Brian also had two daughters, Danielle and Brittany, from earlier relationships. Brian and Melanie had two children together: Brian Zachary and Skylar King. Skylar was born after Brian's death. Melanie also adopted Brian's daughter, Brittany. Brian adopted Alexis before he passed away.
Death
On October 5, 1997, Brian Pillman was supposed to wrestle Dude Love at a WWF pay-per-view event. However, he was found dead in his hotel room that day. He was 35 years old. An autopsy showed that Brian died from a heart attack. This was caused by an undetected heart condition called atherosclerotic heart disease. This same condition had also caused his father's death. The next night, WWF paid tribute to Brian Pillman on their show Raw.
Legacy
Brian Pillman's family has continued his legacy in wrestling. In early 2008, his adopted daughter Alexis Michelle Reed entered professional wrestling. She worked as a valet and ring girl under the name Lexi Pillman. Sadly, Reed passed away in 2009 from injuries in a car accident.
Like his father, Brian Zachary became a football player in high school. In 2017, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a professional wrestler. He wanted to use his father's high-flying style and keep his legacy alive. The younger Pillman was trained by Lance Storm. He uses the name @FlyinBrianJr on social media as a tribute to his dad. He debuted in December 2017. He wrestled for All Elite Wrestling starting in 2020. There, he formed a group called the Varsity Blondes. This group paid tribute to his father's tag team with Steve Austin. In 2023, he joined WWE's developmental brand, NXT. He now wrestles under the name Lexis King.
Championships and Accomplishments
Football
- Division I-AA All-American (1983)
- Division I-AA All-American Second-team (1982)
- MAC Defensive Player of the Year (1983)
- Ed Block Courage Award (1984)
Professional Wrestling
- World Championship Wrestling
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tom Zenk
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Stunning" Steve Austin
- WCW Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Stunning" Steve Austin
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bruce Hart
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #84 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 5 Star Match (1991) with Sting, Rick Steiner, and Scott Steiner vs. Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko, Barry Windham, and Sid Vicious (February 24, WarGames match, WrestleWar)
- Feud of the Year (1997) with Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Most Underrated (1994)
- Rookie of the Year (1987)
- Tag Team of the Year (1993) with "Stunning" Steve Austin as The Hollywood Blonds
Media
- WCW Superbrawl Wrestling (Video game - SNES, November 1994)
- Legends of Wrestling (Video game - December 3, 2001; May 27, 2002)
- Legends of Wrestling II (Video game - November 2002)
- Showdown: Legends of Wrestling (Video game - June 22, 2004)
- Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon (DVD, September 26, 2006)
- WWE '13 Downloadable Content (Video game, January 2013)
- WWE 2K16 (Video game - October 27, 2015)
- WWE 2K17 (Video game - October 11, 2016)
- Crazy Like A Fox: The Definitive Chronicle of Brian Pillman 20 Years Later (Book - November 5, 2017)
See Also
- Brian Pillman Memorial Show
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
- List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers
