Brian Pillman

[10.0] "Brian Pillman, crazy and talented like no other. Many don't like Brian, saying his promos are a mess, incoherent, but that was the intention. Brian started his career quite well, alongside guys like Steve Austin, Shane Douglas, and Ricky Steamboat, he had great matches that defined that era of Flyin' Brian. The Ticking Time Bomb never intended to look good or even sane; he sought to demonstrate that he was as crazy as a loon. Sadly, due to injuries and a car accident, Brian was forced to tone down his intensity in the ring. Do you remember those days in ECW when Brian was on crutches, in a wheelchair, and his right leg was extremely thin? The best self-destruct bomb in history, which seems self-destructing but is secretly a bomb to destroy everyone except himself."

[9.0] "Flyin' Brian Pillman was a really good worker in the late '80s and early '90s. He was a very good high flyer for that time. His dropkicks were spectacular. He started focusing more on his heel character work in the mid '90s. Of course, his injuries eventually prevented him from working on the level he used to work at. His "Loose Cannon" character was one of the most talked about characters at the time (this was around 96). In 1991 and 1992, he was one of the best American pro wrestlers, and his matches with Jushin Thunder Liger are must-see matches."

[8.0] "Everything I love in wrestling that was taken too soon. His "Loose Cannon" gimmick is one of my favorites and he is an amazing pro-wrestler for his time. He was a terrific talent that every crowd seemed to love and I wish he got to do more in his career."

[8.0] "Died too young but it was plain for anyone to see that he had talent. He was consistently putting on good matches even when given subpar opponents. He played his crazy man gimmick well and knew how to cut a good promo."

[10.0] "In terms of being an entertainer and master of his field, nobody comes close to Brian Pillman. In his athletic prime, he put on a lot of technically strong matches. His tag-team with Steve Austin easily could have been a huge asset to WCW, and his unpredictability made for must-see TV. He might not have ever won any of the major singles titles, but Pillman still managed to walk this Earth like a champion ala Roddy Piper. He had a surprisingly good look despite being only 5'10, " and was constantly wanting to improve himself. Thus there was some layer of professionalism despite being totally out of control and a master of manipulation. Behind the scenes he started a bidding war between WCW and WWE, while making brief appearances on ECW. Thus attempting to pinpoint his main promotion is virtually impossible. The WWE years were a little difficult due to severe injuries, yet Yellow Dog kept this hidden well and often told his stories verbally. In many ways, Pillman was like a cross between Kurt Cobain and Andy Kaufman. Talented beyond his peers, intelligent, yet ultimately self-destructive. 10/10."

[7.0] "Hereditary health problems that ran in the family didn't stop Pillman from becoming one of the best lightweights of WCW's early years. There was big hype in him signing with the WWF but the car accident destroyed his ankle and he lost about 70% of his ability and saw very little ring action before a heart attack took him at a young age like his Father. Pain medication probably didn't help either. For a short career and being gone a long time now, he still fondly remembered by us old school WCW fans."

"One of the most underrated performers of all time. Truly innovative in the ring as "Flyin Brian" and on the mic as the "Loose Cannon." The wrestling world was robbed not getting to see Pillman at his peak."

[10.0] "My criteria is almost exclusively based on "how watchable are they"? And with that, Brian Pillman claims multiple rewatches and rewinds in earnest. I wish I have seen more of his work in Canada but - the Jim Herd era in WCW was fan-freakin-tastic. Everything he did wearing neon or Bengal striped trunks is extremely high quality ring action. One of the all time ULTIMATE UNDERDOGS. Undoubtedly Lex Luger's best opponent outside of Ric Flair (Luger n Pillman KILLED it at house shows). Wicked great chops. Pioneer of the junior heavyweights and his work from the top rope was a game changer. Matches with Jushin Liger are legendary. Helped make WCW f#ckin COOL in the early 90's. Hands down one of my favorite babyfaces ever, none more fiery. The Loose Cannon stuff didn't resonate with me. The WWF material is a series of disconnected events. Team with Tom Zenk was underrated, team with Steve Austin was overrated. Recommended! 9.5 rounded up."

[8.0] "A talented asshole. Not in real life, but that's his gimmick throughout his entire career. He was an asshole, as a heel and a face. Amazing in ECW, great in WCW and...sadly, not as great in WWF because of his injury. He could've been a star in the Attitude era"

[10.0] "Unfortunately, Brian's life ended very early and he died when he was only 35. He managed to become an outstanding mid-card wrestler and half of one of the most entertaining teams in roster of those years in WCW and became a real sensation in WWF when he became "Loose Cannon", a completely insane unpredictable character, one of the most interesting in the attitude era. He has only 10 years wrestling experience, and in his later years he did not perform as actively due to a serious injury, but however Pillman was a creative genius who recorded his name in the annals of history."

[8.0] "I've always had respect towards him and liked his persona and in-ring work, but now, after watching dark side of the ring, now I finally now how much did the he impact the wrestling world. A walking embodiment of Attitude Era's values."

[7.0] "Pre WWF, Pillman was a remarkable high flyer for the time, being able to have great matches with nearly anyone in the ring, but worked best with guys around his size and talent, both in singles and in tag teams, namely as the all too short Hollywood Blondes with Austin. His size and mass meant that he was never going to be a heavyweight contender but he could still go and was relatively ahead of his time with his moveset and a stronger focus on workrate and in ring storytelling rather than the usual standard for wrestlers. Pillman got better on the mic as time went on, but his wrestling got considerably worse (much like his tag partner Austin) through that really wasn't his fault considering his car accident had left his body completely wrecked and incapable of working his usual style. Pillman got more grounded and relied less on high flying moves to try to keep himself together, but it was clear that he was dragging himself along in these matches: he didn't have much else in the tank. Despite some sensational promos during this time, Pillman was overall a lot less impressive compared to his WCW days, and I really couldn't put him much higher as he never quite got himself back to that condition again. If he had, combined with his mic skills, he might have gone a lot further than he ever could."

[6.0] "He was a great worker pre WWF, but his time with WWF wether you think the promotion was responsible of his decline or his injuries anyway he wasn't the same."

[8.0] "Ahead of his time in both incarnations. As a high flier & also as a loose cannon. Worked very well with the Hart Foundation and also as a part of the Hollywood Blondes. Definitely someone I wish could have been around longer. Hopefully some of his talent was passed down to his kid. His looks sure were."

[8.0] "Brian Pillman was a really good worker, although by the he developed the personality that put him on the map, his body was on the decline."

[10.0] "Always been a big fan, even in 1996 when I was only 4 years old I loved watching his "loose cannon" persona and I have since went back and watched his classic WCW, NWA and Stampede stuff and he was always so great. Even after his motorcyle accident and couldn't be "Flyin Brian" anymore he just changed his character and adapted. I really wish he hadn't left us so soon. He would have been huge in the Attitude Era."

[10.0] "In my mind, Pillman is one of the all time greats who should have been more, although I honestly think he wouldn't have became WWF Champion since his body was breaking down by the time he got there... Although he seemed to be smart enough that he very well may have adapted had he had more time. He had good acting skill, good charisma, great in-ring slill, and a mind for the business, the complete package for a smaller guy in the American wrestling scene."

[9.0] "When people say Pillman would've been WWF Champion had he not died, it very much sounds like revisionist history to me. He was a midcarder, pretty much #4 in the Hart Foundation's pecking order behind Bret, Owen, and Bulldog. Besides that, by the time of his death, injuries had very much slowed him down and he wasn't the in-ring performer he once was. With that said, in his prime he was as good a high flyer as you'll ever see, and as his ring work began to decline he developed out of the ring into one of the best heels in the business. His "Loose Canon" gimmick is the stuff of legends."

[9.0] "Pillman was years ahead of his time. In his early career he was a amazing wrestler and a fantastic high flyer, after a horrible car crash and his physical side was failing him. He came up with a character that was innovative, interesting and very different. His loose cannon promos were amazing and completely different from what everyone else was doing at the time. It's a shame he passed away when he did since he's do fantastic in all 3 of the big companies as the loose cannon."

[8.0] "Pillman is legendary for many reasons to his evolution as a character, from a young high flyer, to one half of the Hollywood Blondes, to Part of the Hart Foundation to a crazy psycho, the fact Pillman was always doing something has left many good memories for the fans."

[7.0] "I do like Pillman but I think he has become somewhat overrated historically. He was a good flyer and technician in his prime, but never a true standout in either category, and his list of great matches is actually very short. His "loose cannon" stuff was inventive for the time but rarely tied into a true angle or match, and eventually devolved into a bunch of "worked shoots" with diminishing returns. He is good, especially at certain times like with the Hollywood Blondes, but mounting injuries really cut short his prime before his untimely passing."

[9.0] "Sadly didn't find his best gimmick until the final year or two of his too-short career. Was always able to put on a match that would impress a crowd... And the intensity of his personality leaked through the babyface promos he was stuck with... But it was only following his bookerman exit from was and his short stint in ecw where everything turned to hold for pillman. I wonder if he could have joined Austin and rock at the top of the foodchain in wwe or not. I do know that I loved everything he was doing and I feel strongly he was just getting better and better."

[10.0] "Way ahead of his time. The original all-American cruiserweight/light heavyweight/X division wrestler. Plus a brilliant talker who knew how to use a worked shoot correctly. There will never be another one like him in professional wrestling."

[10.0] "Brian Pillman is 1 of those wresters with 2 different legacies. In 1 legacy, he is 1 of the most important junior heavyweight wrestlers in the late 80s/early 90s, as well as a fantastic tag team wrestler. His match against Jushin Lyger in 1992 was phenomenal, and even though he didn't win a heavyweight title, he was able to hang with the big boys like Sting and Flair. His 2nd legacy focused more on his character than his wrestling. After a car accident practically destroyed his ankle, his physical prime was unfortunately cut short. But just before, and during this period, "The Loose Cannon" became 1 of the most interesting, unpredictable and controversial characters, not only at the time, but ever. Pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable on television, breaking kayfabe and the fourth wall, and creating an anti-hero/villain along the lines of something Quentin Tarantino would happily create. In the end, we never truly saw Pillman's true potential, due to his young death and also because of his car accident. If he had the Loose Cannon gimmick, while maintaining his Flyin' Bryan wrestling skills, he would very likely have become the top heel and a future world champion in WWE. His influence eventually helped create a path towards WWE's most profitable years. WIthout ECW and Brian Pillman, there may not have been an Attitude Era to compete with WCW."

[7.0] "Brian was a trendsetter, but wasn't fully appreciated when he was trendsetting. A bit controversial at times, Brian was a really talented wrestler. The thing that stands out to me about Brian was his dedication. He was tremendously gifted and really dedicated to whatever he was going for. Whether it be creating controversy as the loose cannon persona, or adding to the Hollywood Blondes gimmick the guy was persistant and creative. I don't think there is really enough positives that can be said about Pillman, the biggest negative is the fact that he left us to soon."