1 00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:06,191 ♪ 2 00:00:06,215 --> 00:00:07,775 The first time I saw him, he had this 3 00:00:07,799 --> 00:00:10,737 magnetic charisma that you could feel across the gym. 4 00:00:10,761 --> 00:00:12,030 And, you just thought, hey, man, 5 00:00:12,054 --> 00:00:13,448 that this guy's a star. 6 00:00:13,472 --> 00:00:15,491 And I'll do whatever it takes! 7 00:00:15,515 --> 00:00:19,037 To look adversity in the face and spit in its eye. 8 00:00:19,061 --> 00:00:21,581 The wrestling world could never have imagined that 9 00:00:21,605 --> 00:00:24,626 an undersized football player from Cincinnati would 10 00:00:24,650 --> 00:00:29,130 revolutionize the business, ushering in a whole new era. 11 00:00:29,154 --> 00:00:30,506 Shut the hell up! 12 00:00:30,530 --> 00:00:32,300 Brian knew what the deal was. 13 00:00:32,324 --> 00:00:33,801 That they're gonna screw him over, 14 00:00:33,825 --> 00:00:35,345 they're gonna screw anybody over. 15 00:00:35,369 --> 00:00:39,641 And how he could make that play for his own advantage. 16 00:00:39,665 --> 00:00:43,102 In an industry that depends on the illusion of reality, 17 00:00:43,126 --> 00:00:46,981 no one did more to blur the lines than Brian Pillman, 18 00:00:47,005 --> 00:00:49,317 who shattered wrestling's 4th wall. 19 00:00:49,341 --> 00:00:51,527 He was going against the "script". 20 00:00:51,551 --> 00:00:52,862 This has never been done before. 21 00:00:52,886 --> 00:00:54,697 What the... are you doing? Easy! 22 00:00:54,721 --> 00:00:57,450 Pillman's over-the-top antics exposed the inner 23 00:00:57,474 --> 00:01:00,662 workings of the business, leveraging trade secrets to 24 00:01:00,686 --> 00:01:02,830 make the deal of a lifetime. 25 00:01:02,854 --> 00:01:06,542 That Loose Cannon gimmick, he just took it so far. 26 00:01:06,566 --> 00:01:08,127 Don't go in there! (screams) 27 00:01:08,151 --> 00:01:10,838 A lot of people thought, "Oh, man, it was too extreme." 28 00:01:10,862 --> 00:01:12,548 You didn't know where Brian started and 29 00:01:12,572 --> 00:01:14,634 his wrestling persona ended. 30 00:01:14,658 --> 00:01:15,969 Get him the hell out'a here. 31 00:01:15,993 --> 00:01:19,389 He had a lot of troublesome relationships with women. 32 00:01:19,413 --> 00:01:21,724 My mom had had enough and that kind of 33 00:01:21,748 --> 00:01:23,518 pushed her over the edge a little bit. 34 00:01:23,542 --> 00:01:25,019 He's being driven crazy at home, 35 00:01:25,043 --> 00:01:26,562 he's supposed to be crazy at work. 36 00:01:26,586 --> 00:01:28,398 And in between... 37 00:01:28,422 --> 00:01:30,650 he's probably really going crazy. 38 00:01:30,674 --> 00:01:33,236 On track to become a wrestling superstar at the 39 00:01:33,260 --> 00:01:36,406 price of his own sanity, his rise to the top 40 00:01:36,430 --> 00:01:40,118 was tragically cut short. 41 00:01:40,142 --> 00:01:42,912 I'm watching the pre-show for the Pay Per View. 42 00:01:42,936 --> 00:01:44,205 Ladies and gentlemen, we have some tragic 43 00:01:44,229 --> 00:01:46,416 news to report... Brian Pilman. 44 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,210 I just screamed. 45 00:01:49,234 --> 00:01:51,963 He had a persona that he wanted to perpetuate, 46 00:01:51,987 --> 00:01:53,798 even if it killed him. 47 00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:56,533 ♪ 48 00:02:00,162 --> 00:02:08,104 ♪ 49 00:02:08,128 --> 00:02:11,566 Man, this is the gold chain that Brian Pillman got for me 50 00:02:11,590 --> 00:02:13,818 way back in the day, and I'll never forget, 51 00:02:13,842 --> 00:02:15,778 we were riding down the road one day and he goes, 52 00:02:15,802 --> 00:02:18,156 "Kid, we gotta have gold chains." 53 00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:19,615 He goes, "That'll look great." 54 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,952 And all these years later, I don't have a lot of things, 55 00:02:22,976 --> 00:02:24,495 you know, from my old wrestling days, 56 00:02:24,519 --> 00:02:27,332 but this chain is something that I'll always have it. 57 00:02:27,356 --> 00:02:31,085 It's very sentimental to me, and it was a big part of the 58 00:02:31,109 --> 00:02:35,256 {\an8}makeup and the gimmick of the Hollywood Blonds. 59 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:36,424 {\an8}I'm Steve Austin. 60 00:02:36,448 --> 00:02:39,260 {\an8}A friend of Brian's from way back in our WCW days, 61 00:02:39,284 --> 00:02:40,887 {\an8}and we were tag team partners. 62 00:02:40,911 --> 00:02:42,638 Turned out to be really good friends and a 63 00:02:42,662 --> 00:02:44,015 pretty damn good tag team. 64 00:02:44,039 --> 00:02:47,602 The Hollywood Blonds! 65 00:02:47,626 --> 00:02:49,020 Brian didn't phone nothing in. 66 00:02:49,044 --> 00:02:51,272 {\an8}He wanted to go out there and perform. 67 00:02:51,296 --> 00:02:53,316 {\an8}(cheering) 68 00:02:53,340 --> 00:02:55,360 {\an8}A guy that was never supposed to be big enough 69 00:02:55,384 --> 00:02:59,364 or bad enough or strong enough to do anything... 70 00:02:59,388 --> 00:03:00,782 He blew everybody away with 71 00:03:00,806 --> 00:03:03,409 his tenacity and his will to win. 72 00:03:03,433 --> 00:03:04,994 (cheering) 73 00:03:05,018 --> 00:03:07,914 {\an8}He was a good-looking guy, great physique, high-flyer. 74 00:03:07,938 --> 00:03:09,040 {\an8}Could do everything. 75 00:03:09,064 --> 00:03:10,583 {\an8}Oh, man! 76 00:03:10,607 --> 00:03:12,168 Brian was very athletic. 77 00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:14,921 It really seemed like he was willing to try anything, 78 00:03:14,945 --> 00:03:17,507 and you could tell that he really wanted 79 00:03:17,531 --> 00:03:20,051 {\an8}to be a pro wrestling star. 80 00:03:20,075 --> 00:03:21,469 {\an8}I'm Jim Ross and, 81 00:03:21,493 --> 00:03:23,971 {\an8}when I was in WCW in the mid 80s, 82 00:03:23,995 --> 00:03:26,933 {\an8}Brian was a guy that we had very high hopes for and 83 00:03:26,957 --> 00:03:28,476 {\an8}really wanted to sign. 84 00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:31,062 {\an8}...'cause after we're done pounding you into submission, 85 00:03:31,086 --> 00:03:32,939 {\an8}the only thing that's gonna be prescribed 86 00:03:32,963 --> 00:03:37,777 {\an8}for you guys afterwards is a liquid diet of embalming fluid! 87 00:03:37,801 --> 00:03:39,612 Brian, from the time he first got in the ring, 88 00:03:39,636 --> 00:03:41,406 you could tell he was a performer. 89 00:03:41,430 --> 00:03:44,075 He was an exhibitionist. He wanted you to notice him. 90 00:03:44,099 --> 00:03:47,036 He had the personality for wrestling. 91 00:03:47,060 --> 00:03:48,037 {\an8}I'm Jim Cornette. 92 00:03:48,061 --> 00:03:49,539 {\an8}I've been involved in professional wrestling for 93 00:03:49,563 --> 00:03:51,833 {\an8}over 40 years as a manager, promoter, 94 00:03:51,857 --> 00:03:54,836 {\an8}announcer, matchmaker, and I was good friends... 95 00:03:54,860 --> 00:03:58,381 In the 80s and 90s, with Brian Pillman. 96 00:03:58,405 --> 00:04:00,591 He wasn't trying to just be the move guy. 97 00:04:00,615 --> 00:04:02,009 He wasn't just trying to be the guy with 98 00:04:02,033 --> 00:04:03,594 the nice mullet and the abs. 99 00:04:03,618 --> 00:04:05,138 Like, he was trying to be everything. 100 00:04:05,162 --> 00:04:07,640 He was trying to hit this business on all fronts and 101 00:04:07,664 --> 00:04:10,017 fire on all cylinders, and he was trying to be the 102 00:04:10,041 --> 00:04:13,271 {\an8}biggest star that the business had ever seen. 103 00:04:13,295 --> 00:04:17,942 {\an8}My name is Brian Pillman Jr. I am only son of the 104 00:04:17,966 --> 00:04:20,945 {\an8}late, great Brian Pillman, otherwise known as 105 00:04:20,969 --> 00:04:22,113 {\an8}the Loose Cannon. 106 00:04:22,137 --> 00:04:24,407 (horn & cheering) 107 00:04:24,431 --> 00:04:26,534 Brian was a natural promo. 108 00:04:26,558 --> 00:04:28,703 When they stuck a mic in front of him, 109 00:04:28,727 --> 00:04:31,539 he would just go off in that raspy voice. 110 00:04:31,563 --> 00:04:34,750 You're not running this interview, I am! 111 00:04:34,774 --> 00:04:38,171 'Cause I'm Brian ing Pillman! 112 00:04:38,195 --> 00:04:42,199 (cheering & applause) 113 00:04:44,993 --> 00:04:49,098 Growing up, Brian had multiple polyps on his vocal cords, 114 00:04:49,122 --> 00:04:51,309 and it was closing up his air passage. 115 00:04:51,333 --> 00:04:54,395 They'd scrape 'em off and then, after so long, 116 00:04:54,419 --> 00:04:56,063 they'd grow right back again. 117 00:04:56,087 --> 00:04:58,483 And that's why his voice was so raspy, 118 00:04:58,507 --> 00:05:02,695 {\an8}because his vocal cords had been scraped so many times. 119 00:05:02,719 --> 00:05:06,657 {\an8}I'm Linda, Brian's older sister. 120 00:05:06,681 --> 00:05:08,659 {\an8}You know, he had over 40 surgeries. 121 00:05:08,683 --> 00:05:11,287 {\an8}I don't know the exact number. 122 00:05:11,311 --> 00:05:13,706 When my mother came in from work one day, 123 00:05:13,730 --> 00:05:16,459 she could hear breathing as soon as she came in the house, 124 00:05:16,483 --> 00:05:19,462 and it was closing up his air passage. 125 00:05:19,486 --> 00:05:21,797 And she called the doctor. 126 00:05:21,821 --> 00:05:24,383 She had to hold the receiver up 127 00:05:24,407 --> 00:05:26,677 so he could hear him breathing. 128 00:05:26,701 --> 00:05:31,098 And that's when he decided he needed emergency tracheotomy. 129 00:05:31,122 --> 00:05:34,352 ♪ (sirens) ♪ 130 00:05:34,376 --> 00:05:36,521 (clanging) 131 00:05:36,545 --> 00:05:38,231 He told my mother to have the ambulance 132 00:05:38,255 --> 00:05:41,359 bring them to his house. 133 00:05:41,383 --> 00:05:45,655 'Cause his house was closer than the hospital. 134 00:05:45,679 --> 00:05:48,950 And he put a tracheotomy in Brian on his 135 00:05:48,974 --> 00:05:51,869 dining room table, in the middle of the night. 136 00:05:51,893 --> 00:05:54,664 ♪ 137 00:05:54,688 --> 00:05:57,375 But, it never stopped him from doing anything. 138 00:05:57,399 --> 00:06:00,169 He was always outside playing and running and, 139 00:06:00,193 --> 00:06:02,755 he wasn't allowed to talk for like two or three weeks 140 00:06:02,779 --> 00:06:06,092 after those surgeries and he didn't talk. 141 00:06:06,116 --> 00:06:09,845 As a result of that, I think he overcompensated later on 142 00:06:09,869 --> 00:06:13,140 by wanting to always talk, wanting to be an entertainer. 143 00:06:13,164 --> 00:06:16,978 It formed him as the guy that was gonna overcome, 144 00:06:17,002 --> 00:06:19,814 over achieve, knock down the obstacles, 145 00:06:19,838 --> 00:06:21,065 whatever the case may be. 146 00:06:21,089 --> 00:06:22,984 The son of a bitch was fearless. 147 00:06:23,008 --> 00:06:24,569 I mean, he was... (laughs) 148 00:06:24,593 --> 00:06:27,280 {\an8}He was a tough, tough nut. 149 00:06:27,304 --> 00:06:28,322 {\an8}My name is Kim Wood. 150 00:06:28,346 --> 00:06:29,991 {\an8}I was the Paul Brown Strength Coach 151 00:06:30,015 --> 00:06:31,284 {\an8}for the Cincinnati Bengals. 152 00:06:31,308 --> 00:06:34,745 {\an8}And, Pillman had a chance to try out with us. 153 00:06:34,769 --> 00:06:37,540 My instruction was to kill him... 154 00:06:37,564 --> 00:06:39,667 and not literally kill him, but damn close. 155 00:06:39,691 --> 00:06:43,170 But, he tried his ass off. 156 00:06:43,194 --> 00:06:44,839 You know, he always said, it's not about the, 157 00:06:44,863 --> 00:06:46,549 the size of the dog in the fight. 158 00:06:46,573 --> 00:06:48,509 It's about the size of the fight in the dog. 159 00:06:48,533 --> 00:06:50,303 He had a reputation in Cincinnati, 160 00:06:50,327 --> 00:06:53,014 being a street fighter. 161 00:06:53,038 --> 00:06:57,643 I heard that he was at some bar that had an upper floor, 162 00:06:57,667 --> 00:07:00,938 like a balcony or whatever you want to call it. 163 00:07:00,962 --> 00:07:02,732 And, he was up there and some girl 164 00:07:02,756 --> 00:07:05,151 threw a drink in his face. 165 00:07:05,175 --> 00:07:10,197 And, her boyfriend came after Brian. 166 00:07:10,221 --> 00:07:12,158 Before it was over, the guy was hanging... 167 00:07:12,182 --> 00:07:14,744 Brian had him hanging by his ankles over the, 168 00:07:14,768 --> 00:07:19,165 the railing. Over the first floor. 169 00:07:19,189 --> 00:07:22,543 And Brian was banned from that bar. 170 00:07:22,567 --> 00:07:25,129 After a brief stint in the NFL, 171 00:07:25,153 --> 00:07:27,048 Brian heads to Calgary to play in the 172 00:07:27,072 --> 00:07:28,758 Canadian Football League. 173 00:07:28,782 --> 00:07:31,927 Soon after, Brian suffers an ankle injury, 174 00:07:31,951 --> 00:07:34,639 cutting his career short, which leaves him 175 00:07:34,663 --> 00:07:37,141 searching for what to do next. 176 00:07:37,165 --> 00:07:38,893 One thing I knew about Brian was, 177 00:07:38,917 --> 00:07:41,395 is that he wasn't gonna be a high school teacher. 178 00:07:41,419 --> 00:07:43,272 He wasn't gonna sell insurance. 179 00:07:43,296 --> 00:07:45,316 There was a lof of things he wasn't gonna do. 180 00:07:45,340 --> 00:07:47,234 He could use his toughness 181 00:07:47,258 --> 00:07:50,905 and his physicality to make money. 182 00:07:50,929 --> 00:07:52,490 A couple years ago when I was with the Bengals, 183 00:07:52,514 --> 00:07:54,575 Kim Wood, the strength coach, 184 00:07:54,599 --> 00:07:55,993 he had talked to me about getting into 185 00:07:56,017 --> 00:07:57,161 professional wrestling. 186 00:07:57,185 --> 00:07:59,538 He thought I had all the tools needed to be successful. 187 00:07:59,562 --> 00:08:01,540 And it turns out, Calgary happened to be the 188 00:08:01,564 --> 00:08:04,669 premiere training ground for wrestlers in the world. 189 00:08:04,693 --> 00:08:07,338 And I said, "Hey, while you're up there, 190 00:08:07,362 --> 00:08:10,549 go check out this... this Hart bunch." 191 00:08:10,573 --> 00:08:13,469 {\an8}The Hart's are the first family of Canadian wrestling... 192 00:08:13,493 --> 00:08:15,805 {\an8}...with patriarch Stu Hart at the helm. 193 00:08:15,829 --> 00:08:18,099 {\an8}In addition to his children that would go on to be 194 00:08:18,123 --> 00:08:21,352 wrestling icons, the family also discovered and 195 00:08:21,376 --> 00:08:25,064 trained several other future superstars. 196 00:08:25,088 --> 00:08:27,316 They take him into the Hart dungeon and they teach him 197 00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:29,777 how to wrestle in one of the most prestigious ways 198 00:08:29,801 --> 00:08:31,428 to break into the business that there is. 199 00:08:36,683 --> 00:08:38,828 Well, from what I hear, if you can't hear screaming 200 00:08:38,852 --> 00:08:41,414 coming out of it, something's not going right. 201 00:08:41,438 --> 00:08:45,376 Stu, the old man, would put people in submission holds 202 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:47,420 and then not let them out of the thing for, 203 00:08:47,444 --> 00:08:49,130 you know, 3 or 4 hours. 204 00:08:49,154 --> 00:08:50,381 If you could survive that, 205 00:08:50,405 --> 00:08:52,091 you could survive almost anything. 206 00:08:52,115 --> 00:08:53,843 So, you get that great foundation... 207 00:08:53,867 --> 00:08:55,845 all, right off the bat from Stu. 208 00:08:55,869 --> 00:09:00,141 It was an easy bridge to cross from football to wrestling. 209 00:09:00,165 --> 00:09:02,893 Brian gets his start in Stampede Wrestling, 210 00:09:02,917 --> 00:09:05,646 and although it's a small territory in western Canada, 211 00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:07,940 its influence on the industry is felt 212 00:09:07,964 --> 00:09:09,859 around the wrestling world. 213 00:09:09,883 --> 00:09:12,278 In the 80s, there were millions of wrestling fans, 214 00:09:12,302 --> 00:09:16,240 but there was a small subset called "smart fans" that 215 00:09:16,264 --> 00:09:18,868 knew the inside inner workings of wrestling. 216 00:09:18,892 --> 00:09:21,579 {\an8}The insiders all knew the name Brian Pillman pretty quick. 217 00:09:21,603 --> 00:09:22,788 {\an8}I'm Dave Metzler. 218 00:09:22,812 --> 00:09:24,248 {\an8}Editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 219 00:09:24,272 --> 00:09:25,541 {\an8}It's an insider publication. 220 00:09:25,565 --> 00:09:28,419 It's covered pro wrestling since 1982. 221 00:09:28,443 --> 00:09:30,880 For a long time, it was like really the only... 222 00:09:30,904 --> 00:09:33,466 you know, what I would call true source of pro wrestling 223 00:09:33,490 --> 00:09:35,050 information that was out there. 224 00:09:35,074 --> 00:09:36,886 The sheets were kind of a thing back in the day, 225 00:09:36,910 --> 00:09:38,512 you didn't really want to get caught with 'em. 226 00:09:38,536 --> 00:09:41,140 You know, it's kind of like secret documents. 227 00:09:41,164 --> 00:09:43,434 And then, kind of got out and damn near 228 00:09:43,458 --> 00:09:44,977 {\an8}all the boys are reading it. 229 00:09:45,001 --> 00:09:46,979 {\an8}And with Brian, he had started wrestling 230 00:09:47,003 --> 00:09:48,439 {\an8}when he called me the first time. 231 00:09:48,463 --> 00:09:51,233 {\an8}And, he wanted to send me tapes and wanted me 232 00:09:51,257 --> 00:09:52,735 {\an8}to send tapes, so we traded tapes. 233 00:09:52,759 --> 00:09:54,361 As far as student of the game, I mean, 234 00:09:54,385 --> 00:09:57,198 top, top level, more than almost anyone 235 00:09:57,222 --> 00:09:58,407 that I'd ever dealt with. 236 00:09:58,431 --> 00:10:01,786 Meltzer was a good gauge for talent. 237 00:10:01,810 --> 00:10:05,498 So, that tipped me off that Meltzer kept 238 00:10:05,522 --> 00:10:07,458 writing good things about Brian. 239 00:10:07,482 --> 00:10:10,753 Brian wound up in WCW by me getting a hold of it. 240 00:10:10,777 --> 00:10:12,171 Alright, Brian, best of luck on that... 241 00:10:12,195 --> 00:10:14,632 Upon arriving in WCW... 242 00:10:14,656 --> 00:10:16,717 Brian Pillman! 243 00:10:16,741 --> 00:10:19,136 {\an8}Top star and matchmaker, Ric Flair, 244 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:20,554 {\an8}sees something in Brian... 245 00:10:20,578 --> 00:10:23,808 {\an8}And looks to feature him on television in a main event spot. 246 00:10:23,832 --> 00:10:25,226 {\an8}And we put that match together, 247 00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:27,353 {\an8}and it was one of the highest rated Saturday night 248 00:10:27,377 --> 00:10:29,897 television programs on TBS at that point in 249 00:10:29,921 --> 00:10:31,607 the previous several years. 250 00:10:31,631 --> 00:10:34,235 And, the crowd popped for him. 251 00:10:34,259 --> 00:10:37,655 Crowd's chanting: "Go, Brian, go!" 252 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:39,865 Ric Flair was the kind of guy that wanted to go in the 253 00:10:39,889 --> 00:10:42,034 ring with somebody like Brian and go 30 or 254 00:10:42,058 --> 00:10:43,869 45 minutes and tear the house down. 255 00:10:43,893 --> 00:10:45,871 And then he wanted to go to the bar with Brian or 256 00:10:45,895 --> 00:10:48,040 somebody like Brian, for 5 or 6 hours and 257 00:10:48,064 --> 00:10:49,583 tear the house down there. 258 00:10:49,607 --> 00:10:50,835 That's the way he lived. 259 00:10:50,859 --> 00:10:54,213 He lived a cartoon life, a fantasy life of... 260 00:10:54,237 --> 00:10:56,006 of limos and... 261 00:10:56,030 --> 00:10:58,926 long black socks and alligator shoes and... 262 00:10:58,950 --> 00:11:00,553 you know, and babes. 263 00:11:00,577 --> 00:11:04,390 I think Brian liked aspects of the lifestyle a lot. 264 00:11:04,414 --> 00:11:06,350 You know, he wanted to be like Ric Flair. 265 00:11:06,374 --> 00:11:08,102 Brian Pillman was a lady's man. 266 00:11:08,126 --> 00:11:10,396 I mean, he's a gorgeous guy, he's on television, 267 00:11:10,420 --> 00:11:12,189 he's a professional athlete. 268 00:11:12,213 --> 00:11:15,651 So, yeah, a lot of the women were attracted to Brian. 269 00:11:15,675 --> 00:11:19,196 Rochelle was a woman that Brian met a club, 270 00:11:19,220 --> 00:11:20,990 downtown Cincinnati. 271 00:11:21,014 --> 00:11:22,408 You know, they were happy and... 272 00:11:22,432 --> 00:11:23,826 we all loved her. 273 00:11:23,850 --> 00:11:26,328 She went and lived with him in Calgary for a while, 274 00:11:26,352 --> 00:11:28,747 before he got the contract down in Atlanta, 275 00:11:28,771 --> 00:11:32,001 and that's when Brittany was born in Atlanta. 276 00:11:32,025 --> 00:11:33,586 {\an8}My name is Brittany Pillman. 277 00:11:33,610 --> 00:11:35,754 {\an8}I'm the daughter of Brian Pillman. 278 00:11:35,778 --> 00:11:37,965 {\an8}I was a daddy's girl. 279 00:11:37,989 --> 00:11:41,176 You know, everyone sees him as this wrestler and always 280 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,846 on the road and, you know, wrestling was his life, 281 00:11:43,870 --> 00:11:47,099 but outside of wrestling, his children were his life. 282 00:11:47,123 --> 00:11:50,185 My dad thought I was his firstborn child. 283 00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:53,272 When I was a year old, he found out that he had 284 00:11:53,296 --> 00:11:55,608 another daughter out there that was 2 years old. 285 00:11:55,632 --> 00:11:56,942 ♪ 286 00:11:56,966 --> 00:11:59,862 {\an8}I'm Danielle Pillman. I go by Dani. 287 00:11:59,886 --> 00:12:02,615 {\an8}And, Brian Pillman is my father, 288 00:12:02,639 --> 00:12:05,910 {\an8}and I am the oldest of his kids. 289 00:12:05,934 --> 00:12:10,289 My dad met my mom at the waterfront in Cincinnati, 290 00:12:10,313 --> 00:12:11,874 like, some bar. 291 00:12:11,898 --> 00:12:15,878 And, I mean, it was like a, a very brief love affair. 292 00:12:15,902 --> 00:12:20,132 But, she did end up becoming pregnant, 293 00:12:20,156 --> 00:12:23,302 but my dad had Rochelle as his girlfriend at the time. 294 00:12:23,326 --> 00:12:26,513 So, yeah, that's kind of why she didn't want to 295 00:12:26,537 --> 00:12:29,183 disclose that to my father immediately, 296 00:12:29,207 --> 00:12:32,561 but at a certain point, she felt like, you know, 297 00:12:32,585 --> 00:12:33,812 I needed my dad. 298 00:12:33,836 --> 00:12:35,648 And, the second that I came into the picture, 299 00:12:35,672 --> 00:12:39,318 he was there for me 100% and wanted me to be 300 00:12:39,342 --> 00:12:40,945 in every part of his life. 301 00:12:40,969 --> 00:12:42,947 And I think that's something to be said about him is that 302 00:12:42,971 --> 00:12:45,240 he really did care about his kids. 303 00:12:45,264 --> 00:12:48,118 You know, my dad living that lifestyle and all these 304 00:12:48,142 --> 00:12:50,204 different women and, you know, 305 00:12:50,228 --> 00:12:52,873 he had obviously cheated on my mom many times. 306 00:12:52,897 --> 00:12:54,333 I'm sure that was hard on her, 307 00:12:54,357 --> 00:12:57,836 but she stayed with him, you know. 308 00:12:57,860 --> 00:12:59,588 She had a lot of issues. 309 00:12:59,612 --> 00:13:02,716 She suffered with major depression. 310 00:13:02,740 --> 00:13:05,844 There was a time my mom and dad were living in Atlanta 311 00:13:05,868 --> 00:13:08,889 and my dad was at a show. 312 00:13:08,913 --> 00:13:13,102 [Linda] The groundskeeper broke into the place and 313 00:13:13,126 --> 00:13:17,189 attacked her with an ice pick. 314 00:13:17,213 --> 00:13:19,632 [Brittany] And, she was stabbed several times. 315 00:13:22,510 --> 00:13:26,031 {\an8}Rob her, whatever, I don't know. 316 00:13:26,055 --> 00:13:29,451 Stabbed her in the face, stabbed her in the cheek. 317 00:13:29,475 --> 00:13:32,997 ♪ 318 00:13:33,021 --> 00:13:34,790 So, that'll mess you up. 319 00:13:34,814 --> 00:13:38,818 ♪ 320 00:13:42,739 --> 00:13:45,551 Brian Pillman's good looks and athletic ability 321 00:13:45,575 --> 00:13:48,679 allow him a spot on the card as a generic hero, 322 00:13:48,703 --> 00:13:51,515 but he's not content to stay in one place for long, 323 00:13:51,539 --> 00:13:53,767 nor do what he's told. 324 00:13:53,791 --> 00:13:56,645 He was reasonably successful, but you know, 325 00:13:56,669 --> 00:13:57,813 he wanted to be a main eventer, 326 00:13:57,837 --> 00:13:59,106 and he wasn't a main eventer yet. 327 00:13:59,130 --> 00:14:02,359 He was, he was a good mid-level guy. 328 00:14:02,383 --> 00:14:06,989 {\an8}You know, Brian's first couple years in WCW were tough. 329 00:14:07,013 --> 00:14:09,867 {\an8}I'm Eric Bischoff, former president of WCW. 330 00:14:09,891 --> 00:14:13,620 {\an8}And, once upon a time, Brian Pillman's boss. 331 00:14:13,644 --> 00:14:16,915 {\an8}Brian was relatively new on the scene his first 332 00:14:16,939 --> 00:14:20,669 {\an8}couple years in WCW, so he had to earn his respect. 333 00:14:20,693 --> 00:14:23,422 {\an8}What probably made that even tougher was the 334 00:14:23,446 --> 00:14:26,967 {\an8}amount of management transitions that took place. 335 00:14:26,991 --> 00:14:29,261 {\an8}Constant changeover in management led to 336 00:14:29,285 --> 00:14:32,056 stop and start pushes in Brian's career. 337 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,058 As soon as he started to gain ground and 338 00:14:34,082 --> 00:14:36,935 earn respect, new matchmakers would arrive, 339 00:14:36,959 --> 00:14:39,313 pushing Brian back down to the bottom. 340 00:14:39,337 --> 00:14:42,983 But finally, they put Brian together with Steve Austin. 341 00:14:43,007 --> 00:14:45,652 He's ready to back you up 100%. 342 00:14:45,676 --> 00:14:47,529 Alright, Stunning Steve Austin. 343 00:14:47,553 --> 00:14:49,156 And I wasn't thrilled at all. 344 00:14:49,180 --> 00:14:53,577 (cheering) 345 00:14:53,601 --> 00:14:55,162 {\an8}When people hear the name Steve Austin, 346 00:14:55,186 --> 00:14:57,456 {\an8}they think he was always the biggest star in wrestling. 347 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:01,251 {\an8}At the time, in 1993, he was still finding his way and 348 00:15:01,275 --> 00:15:03,629 {\an8}hadn't got a main event spot yet. 349 00:15:03,653 --> 00:15:06,048 {\an8}And, this is about when I eventually started getting 350 00:15:06,072 --> 00:15:08,467 {\an8}a run as the United States Champion. 351 00:15:08,491 --> 00:15:10,385 So, I was really looking forward to that. 352 00:15:10,409 --> 00:15:13,097 I walked into the building and here's Brian coming up 353 00:15:13,121 --> 00:15:15,557 behind me, and I knew Brian, but we weren't hanging out. 354 00:15:15,581 --> 00:15:18,143 He goes, "Hey, kid, we need to come up with a finish." 355 00:15:18,167 --> 00:15:20,187 And I said, "What the 'F' are you talking about?" 356 00:15:20,211 --> 00:15:21,939 He goes, "We're a tag team now." 357 00:15:21,963 --> 00:15:24,399 And I was really not, not happy. 358 00:15:24,423 --> 00:15:25,943 I had nothing against Brian. 359 00:15:25,967 --> 00:15:29,279 But it's like, I was, I was a singles wrestler. 360 00:15:29,303 --> 00:15:32,616 I enjoyed working with another guy in the ring and 361 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:34,660 only having to depend on myself. 362 00:15:34,684 --> 00:15:36,787 And they didn't have no name planned for us, 363 00:15:36,811 --> 00:15:38,122 no this, no that. 364 00:15:38,146 --> 00:15:39,998 It was two singles guys and they were gonna 365 00:15:40,022 --> 00:15:42,709 throw us together as an interim tag team, 366 00:15:42,733 --> 00:15:45,963 basically to get other people over because they didn't 367 00:15:45,987 --> 00:15:47,923 have plans for Brian and they didn't have plans 368 00:15:47,947 --> 00:15:49,091 for Steve Austin. 369 00:15:49,115 --> 00:15:53,011 So, we were gonna try to make the most of the situation. 370 00:15:53,035 --> 00:15:54,930 Any time that you start working together and 371 00:15:54,954 --> 00:15:57,724 traveling with someone, you become closer. 372 00:15:57,748 --> 00:15:59,726 And, normally I'd be at the wheel, 373 00:15:59,750 --> 00:16:02,729 Brian would be riding shotgun reading dictionaries, 374 00:16:02,753 --> 00:16:04,857 I mean, because he was already trying to 375 00:16:04,881 --> 00:16:07,568 increase his vocabulary for promos. 376 00:16:07,592 --> 00:16:10,362 And began the pilgrimage out to Florida! 377 00:16:10,386 --> 00:16:13,031 Cut through the bureaucratic red tape and 378 00:16:13,055 --> 00:16:14,992 get that title shot! 379 00:16:15,016 --> 00:16:17,911 So, as it goes, we're going down the road and he goes, 380 00:16:17,935 --> 00:16:20,330 "Hey, kid. Every tag team has to have a name. 381 00:16:20,354 --> 00:16:22,499 So, what about the Hollywood Blonds?" 382 00:16:22,523 --> 00:16:23,876 He goes, "It's been done before, 383 00:16:23,900 --> 00:16:26,336 but it's been awhile so, let's do that." 384 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:27,504 And I was thinking to myself, 385 00:16:27,528 --> 00:16:29,965 well, I ain't come up with a better one. 386 00:16:29,989 --> 00:16:33,135 And so, like, I was cool with being the Hollywood Blonds. 387 00:16:33,159 --> 00:16:35,470 - Guess what... - The Hollywood Blonds! 388 00:16:35,494 --> 00:16:38,891 The vests, the trunks, everything was Brian's idea, 389 00:16:38,915 --> 00:16:40,726 and we were two cocky, brash, 390 00:16:40,750 --> 00:16:43,228 arrogant guys that we started rolling the 391 00:16:43,252 --> 00:16:45,314 camera footage and stuff like that and you know, 392 00:16:45,338 --> 00:16:48,525 Brian had that shit eating grin or that laugh, you know, 393 00:16:48,549 --> 00:16:50,152 when you're getting heat on a babyface. 394 00:16:50,176 --> 00:16:51,987 And Brian and I developed this bond 395 00:16:52,011 --> 00:16:53,655 and this chemistry. 396 00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:56,992 I loved tag team wrestling once I figured it out. 397 00:16:57,016 --> 00:16:59,244 I hate to say it this way 'cause it sounds really corny, 398 00:16:59,268 --> 00:17:00,746 but they were made for each other... 399 00:17:00,770 --> 00:17:03,415 {\an8}because they complemented each other so well. 400 00:17:03,439 --> 00:17:06,501 {\an8}They worked hard to make each other look good. 401 00:17:06,525 --> 00:17:08,921 {\an8}The Hollywood Blonds also gave Brian a chance to 402 00:17:08,945 --> 00:17:11,548 {\an8}open up as a heel, as a bad guy. 403 00:17:11,572 --> 00:17:13,133 People nowadays are like, "Oh, I loved 404 00:17:13,157 --> 00:17:15,302 the Hollywood Blonds," but if you go back then, 405 00:17:15,326 --> 00:17:17,012 they were getting boo'd out the building. 406 00:17:17,036 --> 00:17:18,347 Pillman, you suck! 407 00:17:18,371 --> 00:17:20,766 And you loved to hate 'em. 408 00:17:20,790 --> 00:17:23,936 I think it was more natural for Brian to be a heel because, 409 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,939 you know, he wasn't a guy that wanted to shake hands, 410 00:17:26,963 --> 00:17:28,523 and kiss babies, and smile. 411 00:17:28,547 --> 00:17:30,817 He wanted to be a smartass, he wanted to be obnoxious, 412 00:17:30,841 --> 00:17:32,319 he wanted to show off. 413 00:17:32,343 --> 00:17:34,947 You're all a bunch of losers! 414 00:17:34,971 --> 00:17:36,490 He was getting better at what he does, 415 00:17:36,514 --> 00:17:38,033 getting global exposure. 416 00:17:38,057 --> 00:17:40,494 Partying, having fun. 417 00:17:40,518 --> 00:17:43,830 Brian's fast and loose lifestyle doesn't mix well 418 00:17:43,854 --> 00:17:46,124 with his turbulent situation at home, 419 00:17:46,148 --> 00:17:48,794 and he pursues yet another woman who enters 420 00:17:48,818 --> 00:17:50,879 his already complicated life. 421 00:17:50,903 --> 00:17:53,924 I think Melanie was working in Atlanta. 422 00:17:53,948 --> 00:17:55,926 She was a "showgirl". 423 00:17:55,950 --> 00:17:58,845 He saw her picture in a Penthouse or something and 424 00:17:58,869 --> 00:18:00,472 says, "I'm gonna marry that girl," and 425 00:18:00,496 --> 00:18:03,183 somewhere along the line, he met her... 426 00:18:03,207 --> 00:18:05,394 My dad was sleeping with Melanie behind my 427 00:18:05,418 --> 00:18:08,480 mother's back 'cause he was always in Atlanta. 428 00:18:08,504 --> 00:18:12,192 Melanie would call the house and, that's basically, 429 00:18:12,216 --> 00:18:15,362 I think how Rochelle found out about it, you know. 430 00:18:15,386 --> 00:18:17,406 She was hurt 'cause, you know, 431 00:18:17,430 --> 00:18:20,909 they had a nice home, the family was happy. 432 00:18:20,933 --> 00:18:23,745 But then he had this other life in Atlanta. 433 00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:27,541 And then Melanie became pregnant... 434 00:18:27,565 --> 00:18:32,963 and, that's how we have Brian Junior. 435 00:18:32,987 --> 00:18:35,549 After another unexpected pregnancy outside of 436 00:18:35,573 --> 00:18:39,052 their relationship, Brian and Rochelle split up. 437 00:18:39,076 --> 00:18:41,138 Shortly after, Brian purposes to 438 00:18:41,162 --> 00:18:43,849 his new girlfriend, Melanie. 439 00:18:43,873 --> 00:18:46,727 We went to Vegas and he put on like a frickin' 440 00:18:46,751 --> 00:18:51,315 St. Patrick's Day white tux with a big 'ol ugly green bowtie. 441 00:18:51,339 --> 00:18:54,401 (laughing) I had a white dress, mind you, 442 00:18:54,425 --> 00:18:56,820 the stripper in a white dress. (laughing) 443 00:18:56,844 --> 00:19:00,240 And I had a big 'ol green corsage on, 444 00:19:00,264 --> 00:19:01,992 and I loved it, every second of it. 445 00:19:02,016 --> 00:19:05,370 {\an8}I wouldn't trade it for the world. 446 00:19:05,394 --> 00:19:07,372 {\an8}Ah, my name is Melanie Pillman. 447 00:19:07,396 --> 00:19:10,042 {\an8}I'm the widow of Brian Pillman. 448 00:19:10,066 --> 00:19:12,669 {\an8}In private, like, he's, he's just more laid back and 449 00:19:12,693 --> 00:19:15,672 sensible acting, but he's one of the most 450 00:19:15,696 --> 00:19:17,591 intelligent men I've ever met in my life. 451 00:19:17,615 --> 00:19:21,762 So well read and he just excelled at so many things. 452 00:19:21,786 --> 00:19:23,680 He was... he was my soul mate, 453 00:19:23,704 --> 00:19:27,059 I mean, I couldn't have picked a better guy to love... 454 00:19:27,083 --> 00:19:28,894 love, than him. 455 00:19:28,918 --> 00:19:33,482 His first years with her, I thought he was very happy. 456 00:19:33,506 --> 00:19:36,318 It'd be a big thing, his Christmas card 'cause 457 00:19:36,342 --> 00:19:39,654 it would be him and the wife, and all these little kids. 458 00:19:39,678 --> 00:19:42,032 'Cause I had my two kids, you know. 459 00:19:42,056 --> 00:19:44,951 He would show up with like three or four little kids. 460 00:19:44,975 --> 00:19:46,536 They all had different mothers. 461 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,206 They'd be climbing on him, he'd be carrying a couple and, 462 00:19:49,230 --> 00:19:51,375 one had his legs around his neck and 463 00:19:51,399 --> 00:19:52,959 one is on his shoulder and... 464 00:19:52,983 --> 00:19:54,503 he loved those kids. 465 00:19:54,527 --> 00:19:56,505 He was counted on, he was depended on to, 466 00:19:56,529 --> 00:19:57,672 to provide. 467 00:19:57,696 --> 00:20:00,467 That responsibility is what pushes you to keep going 468 00:20:00,491 --> 00:20:02,886 to work. You have to provide for your family. 469 00:20:02,910 --> 00:20:05,055 Stunning Steve and Flyin' Brian. 470 00:20:05,079 --> 00:20:07,724 And, finally, they made the decision to give the 471 00:20:07,748 --> 00:20:10,227 Hollywood Blonds a big main event match. 472 00:20:10,251 --> 00:20:12,521 {\an8}It was gonna be on a Clash of Champions and Ric Flair 473 00:20:12,545 --> 00:20:14,773 {\an8}was returning, he was gonna be involved. 474 00:20:14,797 --> 00:20:18,026 {\an8}And, the rating came in and it wasn't very good, 475 00:20:18,050 --> 00:20:19,694 {\an8}and they couldn't blame Flair because 476 00:20:19,718 --> 00:20:22,197 {\an8}he was a big star so, they put the heat on 477 00:20:22,221 --> 00:20:23,615 {\an8}Brian Pillman and Steve Austin. 478 00:20:23,639 --> 00:20:26,076 "Well, the Hollywood Blonds didn't draw a rating." 479 00:20:26,100 --> 00:20:28,829 And that kind of doomed them there as being featured 480 00:20:28,853 --> 00:20:30,997 in a more prominent capacity going forward. 481 00:20:31,021 --> 00:20:32,874 It felt like betrayal. 482 00:20:32,898 --> 00:20:35,335 I wish someone would finally tell me why the company 483 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:37,546 decided to break us up 'cause we started getting 484 00:20:37,570 --> 00:20:41,716 over as a viable tag team that could hold, 485 00:20:41,740 --> 00:20:43,969 you know, world championship belts. 486 00:20:43,993 --> 00:20:45,095 We did. 487 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,722 We make chicken shit into chicken salad, 488 00:20:47,746 --> 00:20:50,684 and now you want to split us out with no real 489 00:20:50,708 --> 00:20:52,769 clear direction for either one of us. 490 00:20:52,793 --> 00:20:55,313 So, breaking us up broke my heart. 491 00:20:55,337 --> 00:20:57,774 I don't know of any other talents that have been 492 00:20:57,798 --> 00:20:59,651 buried because they drew a bad rating. 493 00:20:59,675 --> 00:21:02,279 At the time, TBS was drawing a lot of bad ratings, 494 00:21:02,303 --> 00:21:04,614 but I think there was probably somebody that just thought, 495 00:21:04,638 --> 00:21:06,158 "I don't want to use these guys," and 496 00:21:06,182 --> 00:21:07,617 they used that as an excuse. 497 00:21:07,641 --> 00:21:10,787 How that was handled, I look back on it today and 498 00:21:10,811 --> 00:21:12,664 still shake my head that... 499 00:21:12,688 --> 00:21:15,292 we could 'a done better. 500 00:21:15,316 --> 00:21:18,545 I would say the period from 1990 to 1993, 501 00:21:18,569 --> 00:21:22,090 it was very frustrating for Brian. 502 00:21:22,114 --> 00:21:25,260 Also, there was some knowledge early on that 503 00:21:25,284 --> 00:21:28,263 his home life was not as happy as it could be. 504 00:21:28,287 --> 00:21:31,433 I felt like my dad allowed Melanie to run the show. 505 00:21:31,457 --> 00:21:33,810 Melanie treated my mom very poorly. 506 00:21:33,834 --> 00:21:36,480 I feel like she was very jealous of my mother. 507 00:21:36,504 --> 00:21:39,399 Melanie didn't like him talking to her. 508 00:21:39,423 --> 00:21:42,235 She didn't like me and my mother talking to Rochelle. 509 00:21:42,259 --> 00:21:45,071 You know, she just, she made it hard to like her 'cause 510 00:21:45,095 --> 00:21:46,823 she just caused trouble. 511 00:21:46,847 --> 00:21:49,159 And then, Rochelle took off and 512 00:21:49,183 --> 00:21:51,661 didn't tell anybody where she was. 513 00:21:51,685 --> 00:21:54,581 Rochelle is scheduled to see Brittany for a visit, 514 00:21:54,605 --> 00:21:56,041 but she never shows. 515 00:21:56,065 --> 00:21:58,126 No one is able to get a hold of her, 516 00:21:58,150 --> 00:22:00,837 resulting in a missing persons report. 517 00:22:00,861 --> 00:22:04,633 Several days later, when Rochelle finally surfaces, 518 00:22:04,657 --> 00:22:07,177 Brian and Melanie take decisive action. 519 00:22:07,201 --> 00:22:10,347 And Brian said - and I agreed with him, 520 00:22:10,371 --> 00:22:14,059 and I shouldn't have, "We should just file for custody." 521 00:22:14,083 --> 00:22:16,102 And, that changed everything. 522 00:22:16,126 --> 00:22:17,753 ♪ 523 00:22:23,008 --> 00:22:26,112 Following the tag team break up with Steve Austin, 524 00:22:26,136 --> 00:22:28,865 Brian's career has stalled, and the cracks in his 525 00:22:28,889 --> 00:22:33,453 {\an1}family life start to break open, consuming those around him. 526 00:22:33,477 --> 00:22:36,289 The custody battle started because 527 00:22:36,313 --> 00:22:38,625 Melanie didn't want Rochelle around. 528 00:22:38,649 --> 00:22:41,836 Basically, Brian had more money and could keep the 529 00:22:41,860 --> 00:22:45,131 attorneys paid 'cause the attorneys only work 530 00:22:45,155 --> 00:22:46,258 when you pay 'em. 531 00:22:46,282 --> 00:22:49,553 And, Rochelle just didn't have any more money. 532 00:22:49,577 --> 00:22:52,055 I was, you know, delivering stuff to the lawyer. 533 00:22:52,079 --> 00:22:55,183 I was bombarding her with these stupid things about 534 00:22:55,207 --> 00:22:59,145 returning past child support that she blew in... 535 00:22:59,169 --> 00:23:03,400 You know, just little minutiae that was making me feel 536 00:23:03,424 --> 00:23:05,944 like a better person, but in reality, 537 00:23:05,968 --> 00:23:07,028 I wasn't the better person. 538 00:23:07,052 --> 00:23:08,905 Nobody should try to take kids away from a mother. 539 00:23:08,929 --> 00:23:10,156 I should have never done that. 540 00:23:10,180 --> 00:23:12,242 In a million years, I would never do it again. 541 00:23:12,266 --> 00:23:15,287 It just devastated Rochelle. 542 00:23:15,311 --> 00:23:19,833 ♪ 543 00:23:19,857 --> 00:23:23,169 I was outside riding my bicycle one day. 544 00:23:23,193 --> 00:23:25,755 This was at a time when she wasn't allowed to see me, 545 00:23:25,779 --> 00:23:29,301 and she came pulling up and I just went running to her 546 00:23:29,325 --> 00:23:31,011 and I was so happy to see her. 547 00:23:31,035 --> 00:23:34,306 Rochelle was hugging her... 548 00:23:34,330 --> 00:23:37,142 and they thought she was taking her. 549 00:23:37,166 --> 00:23:39,352 Here comes my dad and it was just like this 550 00:23:39,376 --> 00:23:43,607 huge argument, him pulling her away from me. 551 00:23:43,631 --> 00:23:48,695 Melanie filed kidnapping charges against Rochelle. 552 00:23:48,719 --> 00:23:51,531 And so, my dad had got full custody of me, 553 00:23:51,555 --> 00:23:54,326 and in my mom's mind, she was just like, 554 00:23:54,350 --> 00:23:56,036 I'm gonna lose my daughter and I'm never gonna 555 00:23:56,060 --> 00:23:58,079 see her again, and so... 556 00:23:58,103 --> 00:24:01,166 my mom called my dad's house and she wanted to 557 00:24:01,190 --> 00:24:03,418 talk to my dad, but he was out of town. 558 00:24:03,442 --> 00:24:05,629 Melanie had answered and Melanie told her, 559 00:24:05,653 --> 00:24:07,964 she said, "Even your own mother thinks I would be a 560 00:24:07,988 --> 00:24:10,634 better mother for your daughter than you'll ever be." 561 00:24:10,658 --> 00:24:14,429 ♪ 562 00:24:14,453 --> 00:24:17,557 And my mom called my grandma... 563 00:24:17,581 --> 00:24:19,934 She called her mother and told her mother 564 00:24:19,958 --> 00:24:22,103 what she was gonna do... 565 00:24:22,127 --> 00:24:25,231 ♪ 566 00:24:25,255 --> 00:24:28,777 And then she shot herself. 567 00:24:28,801 --> 00:24:33,406 ♪ 568 00:24:33,430 --> 00:24:35,909 I got the call to go to the hospital 'cause 569 00:24:35,933 --> 00:24:39,996 she was being airlifted in, I was the closest. 570 00:24:40,020 --> 00:24:43,041 And I was the one at the hospital that they told, 571 00:24:43,065 --> 00:24:45,919 and then I had to tell everybody... 572 00:24:45,943 --> 00:24:49,923 that she was gone. She died on the helicopter. 573 00:24:49,947 --> 00:24:55,970 So, I had to call her mother and tell her mother. 574 00:24:55,994 --> 00:24:59,891 Oh, it was very hard. To tell some... 575 00:24:59,915 --> 00:25:03,353 To tell somebody's mother that their child was dead. 576 00:25:03,377 --> 00:25:06,439 ♪ 577 00:25:06,463 --> 00:25:08,650 It just destroyed Brian because 578 00:25:08,674 --> 00:25:11,277 he felt so responsible. I mean, he was just so upset. 579 00:25:11,301 --> 00:25:13,071 He cried, and he cried, and he said, 580 00:25:13,095 --> 00:25:15,281 "Do you think it was all that pressure we put on her? 581 00:25:15,305 --> 00:25:16,658 I think it was, Mel." 582 00:25:16,682 --> 00:25:19,452 I'd be like, "Yeah, it probably was." 583 00:25:19,476 --> 00:25:20,870 So, Brian, he wanted to pay for 584 00:25:20,894 --> 00:25:25,250 her whole funeral and everything. 585 00:25:25,274 --> 00:25:30,171 And, at the funeral, he held it together... 586 00:25:30,195 --> 00:25:32,882 until they closed the casket. 587 00:25:32,906 --> 00:25:34,759 And, he lost it. 588 00:25:34,783 --> 00:25:37,303 He was hugging me and sobbing. 589 00:25:37,327 --> 00:25:40,849 And, in fact, at one point, I kind of looked at him 590 00:25:40,873 --> 00:25:45,186 'cause I thought he, I thought he was gonna pass out. 591 00:25:45,210 --> 00:25:49,607 He was devastated... He was devastated. 592 00:25:49,631 --> 00:25:52,318 ♪ 593 00:25:52,342 --> 00:25:53,987 I felt... 594 00:25:54,011 --> 00:25:56,740 so guilty for that, for years. 595 00:25:56,764 --> 00:26:00,160 And, I think I drove her... Maybe not just me, 596 00:26:00,184 --> 00:26:05,248 but I think incidents drove her to shoot herself. 597 00:26:05,272 --> 00:26:07,250 Rethinking it, I would, I wouldn't have done it 598 00:26:07,274 --> 00:26:08,334 the same way. 599 00:26:08,358 --> 00:26:10,211 Nobody should have to fight for their kid. 600 00:26:10,235 --> 00:26:11,755 I mean, it wasn't like she was abusing her. 601 00:26:11,779 --> 00:26:14,883 So, I don't really know what my problem was back then. 602 00:26:14,907 --> 00:26:17,552 It was, it was devastating, 603 00:26:17,576 --> 00:26:20,096 and I know it was for Brittany. 604 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:24,017 I have a lot of anger built up towards my dad in a sense 605 00:26:24,041 --> 00:26:27,520 because I do wish that he would have, you know, 606 00:26:27,544 --> 00:26:29,773 allowed my mom to at least see me because 607 00:26:29,797 --> 00:26:31,524 maybe she would still be here today. 608 00:26:31,548 --> 00:26:32,901 I don't, you know, I don't know. 609 00:26:32,925 --> 00:26:35,779 She had a lot of issues, but Melanie was 610 00:26:35,803 --> 00:26:37,530 the overall call. She's, 611 00:26:37,554 --> 00:26:41,034 she's an evil person and she's always been that way. 612 00:26:41,058 --> 00:26:43,912 Melanie should have never said those words to my mom. 613 00:26:43,936 --> 00:26:46,664 She's just, she's literally the devil and they say, 614 00:26:46,688 --> 00:26:48,666 you know, you reap what you sow... 615 00:26:48,690 --> 00:26:52,420 and now, she's living a life that she should have already 616 00:26:52,444 --> 00:26:54,589 been dead years ago because of all the drugs that 617 00:26:54,613 --> 00:26:57,342 she's done, but I feel like she's gonna live to be 618 00:26:57,366 --> 00:27:00,637 100 years old and absolutely miserable for all the pain and 619 00:27:00,661 --> 00:27:02,722 suffering that she has caused me, 620 00:27:02,746 --> 00:27:04,599 and my brother, and you know, 621 00:27:04,623 --> 00:27:06,768 my Aunt Linda. 622 00:27:06,792 --> 00:27:08,978 ♪ 623 00:27:09,002 --> 00:27:12,190 And I... And Brittany's the one that, you know... 624 00:27:12,214 --> 00:27:13,483 I don't know how to make it up to her. 625 00:27:13,507 --> 00:27:14,859 I just, there's nothing I... 626 00:27:14,883 --> 00:27:16,528 I don't really know how to make it up to her. 627 00:27:16,552 --> 00:27:18,446 I wish I could. 628 00:27:18,470 --> 00:27:20,031 ♪ 629 00:27:20,055 --> 00:27:23,201 The guilt of Rochelle's death weighs heavily on Brian, 630 00:27:23,225 --> 00:27:25,870 and he dives even deeper into his career. 631 00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:29,207 With his contract renewal with the WCW looming, 632 00:27:29,231 --> 00:27:31,876 Brian is determined to renegotiate 633 00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:33,461 for even more money. 634 00:27:33,485 --> 00:27:35,880 When we talk business, it's like, "I have five kids, 635 00:27:35,904 --> 00:27:37,590 I don't know how many more years I can do this 636 00:27:37,614 --> 00:27:38,842 because my body's falling apart. 637 00:27:38,866 --> 00:27:41,511 I have to make big money now... 638 00:27:41,535 --> 00:27:43,179 because I've got five kids!" 639 00:27:43,203 --> 00:27:45,557 This was his shot. 640 00:27:45,581 --> 00:27:48,142 He talks with Bischoff that was evidently doing the 641 00:27:48,166 --> 00:27:51,771 contracts there, and Bischoff says to him, 642 00:27:51,795 --> 00:27:54,607 "Expect about what you're getting now." 643 00:27:54,631 --> 00:27:56,943 He was pretty happy that I got him back to 225, 644 00:27:56,967 --> 00:27:59,028 but I think he wanted four, is the number that 645 00:27:59,052 --> 00:28:01,155 he was really wanting. I couldn't give it to him. 646 00:28:01,179 --> 00:28:03,324 I couldn't justify it at the time that he wanted it. 647 00:28:03,348 --> 00:28:06,452 He came to me and he says, "What do I do?" 648 00:28:06,476 --> 00:28:09,706 And what I told him was this... 649 00:28:09,730 --> 00:28:11,624 It's a question of value. 650 00:28:11,648 --> 00:28:14,627 And when everybody's using everybody else, 651 00:28:14,651 --> 00:28:18,214 what can you do that other people can't do? 652 00:28:18,238 --> 00:28:21,551 What can you do that gains notoriety? 653 00:28:21,575 --> 00:28:23,553 This thing runs on attention. 654 00:28:23,577 --> 00:28:27,390 It runs on very superficial things. 655 00:28:27,414 --> 00:28:28,766 We gotta create attention. 656 00:28:28,790 --> 00:28:31,853 How can we do that in the position you're in? 657 00:28:31,877 --> 00:28:34,105 With his pulse on the wrestling landscape, 658 00:28:34,129 --> 00:28:37,317 Brian knew that he had to find a way to up the ante 659 00:28:37,341 --> 00:28:40,904 in order to shock even the most hardcore of fans. 660 00:28:40,928 --> 00:28:44,699 Brian knew if he could make people legitimately believe 661 00:28:44,723 --> 00:28:47,035 that he was a loose cannon, that he was nuts, 662 00:28:47,059 --> 00:28:48,745 he was off his rocker, he was capable of 663 00:28:48,769 --> 00:28:51,497 doing anything or saying anything at any time, 664 00:28:51,521 --> 00:28:52,999 that he could be one of the hottest guys 665 00:28:53,023 --> 00:28:54,208 in the wrestling industry. 666 00:28:54,232 --> 00:28:57,879 It was a pure money deal. What do we really want? 667 00:28:57,903 --> 00:29:00,798 Bischoff to offer you a hell of a lot more money, 668 00:29:00,822 --> 00:29:05,303 and we want Vince McMahon to see that you are of value 669 00:29:05,327 --> 00:29:08,890 and offer you more. And then you flip a coin. 670 00:29:08,914 --> 00:29:10,642 If he could play one side against the other 671 00:29:10,666 --> 00:29:13,019 in the middle of the burgeoning wrestling war, 672 00:29:13,043 --> 00:29:14,854 then he would come out much better, 673 00:29:14,878 --> 00:29:16,606 six figures per year better. 674 00:29:16,630 --> 00:29:19,067 And that's what he set about to do. 675 00:29:19,091 --> 00:29:21,927 ♪ 676 00:29:25,764 --> 00:29:27,992 Brian Pillman's plan was simple: 677 00:29:28,016 --> 00:29:30,244 More attention means more money. 678 00:29:30,268 --> 00:29:34,582 As the WWF and WCW are engaged in a ratings battle, 679 00:29:34,606 --> 00:29:37,710 Brian exploits this to his advantage by playing them 680 00:29:37,734 --> 00:29:41,172 off each other, while driving up his own value. 681 00:29:41,196 --> 00:29:43,883 Brian came up with the Loose Cannon idea and 682 00:29:43,907 --> 00:29:49,263 {\an8}started slowly integrating it into his television appearances. 683 00:29:49,287 --> 00:29:51,975 {\an8}Bobby Heenan was the colour commentator. 684 00:29:51,999 --> 00:29:54,811 {\an8}Bobby had had a broken neck, and he'd had surgery, 685 00:29:54,835 --> 00:29:56,479 and he was very protective of his neck and, 686 00:29:56,503 --> 00:29:58,690 Brian goes around behind Bobby and starts 687 00:29:58,714 --> 00:30:00,274 grabbing him by the shoulders and everything 688 00:30:00,298 --> 00:30:02,568 and on live television. Bobby says... 689 00:30:02,592 --> 00:30:04,737 What the... are you doing? Easy! 690 00:30:04,761 --> 00:30:06,322 And then Brian knew he got it. 691 00:30:06,346 --> 00:30:07,865 He got gold out of it, right, 692 00:30:07,889 --> 00:30:09,701 because now everybody's gonna be talking about 693 00:30:09,725 --> 00:30:13,413 the F-bomb that got dropped on Turner Broadcast. 694 00:30:13,437 --> 00:30:15,498 Bobby thought Brian was nuts. 695 00:30:15,522 --> 00:30:17,709 I think the Brain has left. 696 00:30:17,733 --> 00:30:20,795 It seemed real, to the point where people were confused 697 00:30:20,819 --> 00:30:23,381 whether it was real or not. 698 00:30:23,405 --> 00:30:24,799 One of the guys he was involved with was 699 00:30:24,823 --> 00:30:28,469 {\an8}Kevin Sullivan who was the booker, the matchmaker. 700 00:30:28,493 --> 00:30:29,430 {\an8}Oh, my goodness! 701 00:30:29,454 --> 00:30:30,722 {\an8}They got a fight going on here! 702 00:30:30,746 --> 00:30:32,265 {\an8}You know, they're just beating the hell out of 703 00:30:32,289 --> 00:30:35,143 each other and when Brian Pillman was ready to quit, 704 00:30:35,167 --> 00:30:37,145 when it was time for him to leave, he was like... 705 00:30:37,169 --> 00:30:40,732 I respect you, booker man. 706 00:30:40,756 --> 00:30:43,151 "I respect you, booker man." 707 00:30:43,175 --> 00:30:45,903 The mere fact that he was acknowledging on national 708 00:30:45,927 --> 00:30:49,282 television that Kevin Sullivan was a head writer 709 00:30:49,306 --> 00:30:51,242 of a wrestling show was something that had 710 00:30:51,266 --> 00:30:53,077 never been done before. 711 00:30:53,101 --> 00:30:55,705 Those that knew, knew. And those that didn't know, 712 00:30:55,729 --> 00:30:58,791 would need to find out what a booker man meant. 713 00:30:58,815 --> 00:31:02,211 It was a big thing because those guys are sensitive 714 00:31:02,235 --> 00:31:04,088 about exposing the business. 715 00:31:04,112 --> 00:31:05,840 When you're acting out a story line, 716 00:31:05,864 --> 00:31:07,300 it's considered a work. 717 00:31:07,324 --> 00:31:09,385 And, a lot of the boys backstage weren't really 718 00:31:09,409 --> 00:31:13,056 sure this was real or if this was a work. 719 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,183 The wrestling locker rooms had never been 720 00:31:15,207 --> 00:31:16,893 invaded that way before. 721 00:31:16,917 --> 00:31:20,188 Because he knew if the other wrestlers believed it was real, 722 00:31:20,212 --> 00:31:22,774 then they would tell the newsletter editors. 723 00:31:22,798 --> 00:31:24,400 "Wow, that guy's really nuts." 724 00:31:24,424 --> 00:31:26,027 And the word would travel. 725 00:31:26,051 --> 00:31:27,528 I thought, this is going down bad. 726 00:31:27,552 --> 00:31:29,363 Brian's getting fired. 727 00:31:29,387 --> 00:31:31,115 And I'm out of contact with him anyway, 728 00:31:31,139 --> 00:31:33,034 so I think he's completely lost his mind, you know, 729 00:31:33,058 --> 00:31:34,327 he's not even talking to me anymore. 730 00:31:34,351 --> 00:31:38,206 The "smart fans" were starting to figure out that 731 00:31:38,230 --> 00:31:40,792 wrestling is manipulated, it's choreographed, 732 00:31:40,816 --> 00:31:43,336 it's pre-determined, but that guy's nuts and 733 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:45,922 he's real, and he won't do what they tell him. 734 00:31:45,946 --> 00:31:49,092 And that sells tickets because you had no idea 735 00:31:49,116 --> 00:31:51,761 what or whether it was supposed to happen or not. 736 00:31:51,785 --> 00:31:56,766 He was convincing people that he was insane. 737 00:31:56,790 --> 00:32:00,103 Not only were the fans ready to be fooled, 738 00:32:00,127 --> 00:32:03,523 but all the wrestlers were, the management people were, 739 00:32:03,547 --> 00:32:05,566 there was a whole bunch of people that you could 740 00:32:05,590 --> 00:32:07,026 play like a violin. 741 00:32:07,050 --> 00:32:08,361 - Brian, I'd like to know... - Nervous? 742 00:32:08,385 --> 00:32:10,113 No, I'm not nervous. I'm not nervous at all. 743 00:32:10,137 --> 00:32:11,280 You should be. 744 00:32:11,304 --> 00:32:15,576 I don't think anybody for sure at any given moment knew... 745 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:19,122 if or not they were really being worked by Brian. 746 00:32:19,146 --> 00:32:21,207 But then he ended up working Bischoff. 747 00:32:21,231 --> 00:32:24,710 I said, "Get him to give you some kind of release." 748 00:32:24,734 --> 00:32:28,047 From his contract. "From your contract." 749 00:32:28,071 --> 00:32:31,092 Brian says to Eric Bischoff, "If you fire me, 750 00:32:31,116 --> 00:32:33,761 and then I bust out on TV the week afterwards and 751 00:32:33,785 --> 00:32:36,764 people will know this has just gone out of control." 752 00:32:36,788 --> 00:32:38,558 "The people in the office, the book keepers, 753 00:32:38,582 --> 00:32:40,935 whatever, if they see that I'm still under contract, 754 00:32:40,959 --> 00:32:42,228 they're gonna tell Dave. 755 00:32:42,252 --> 00:32:44,438 And then everyone's gonna know that it's all a work. 756 00:32:44,462 --> 00:32:46,232 So, you have to really fire me." 757 00:32:46,256 --> 00:32:48,693 "If you give me this legitimate termination letter, 758 00:32:48,717 --> 00:32:50,486 then I can show it to everybody and I can say, 759 00:32:50,510 --> 00:32:53,072 'Look at what the guy did! Can you believe this? 760 00:32:53,096 --> 00:32:55,575 Can you believe he fired me?'" 761 00:32:55,599 --> 00:32:58,828 He did! He gave him a release. 762 00:32:58,852 --> 00:33:02,790 So, he was then free to negotiate with Vince McMahon 763 00:33:02,814 --> 00:33:06,711 and the WWF against Eric Bischoff and WCW so 764 00:33:06,735 --> 00:33:09,839 he could get a better deal, all because Bischoff thought 765 00:33:09,863 --> 00:33:13,384 he was working with Brian to create this "illusion" and 766 00:33:13,408 --> 00:33:15,303 Brian was actually working Bischoff 767 00:33:15,327 --> 00:33:17,430 to create his own illusion. 768 00:33:17,454 --> 00:33:19,724 ♪ 769 00:33:19,748 --> 00:33:20,933 Dude, I mean... 770 00:33:20,957 --> 00:33:22,268 how do you do that? 771 00:33:22,292 --> 00:33:26,355 How... I don't know anybody else that ever did that. 772 00:33:26,379 --> 00:33:28,149 Yeah, stroke of genius. 773 00:33:28,173 --> 00:33:29,734 I mean, it was a legitimate termination, 774 00:33:29,758 --> 00:33:32,195 but it was a legitimate termination... 775 00:33:32,219 --> 00:33:33,905 with a wink and a nod. 776 00:33:33,929 --> 00:33:36,324 I said, "Brian, go to WWF. 777 00:33:36,348 --> 00:33:37,658 I can't give you what you want. 778 00:33:37,682 --> 00:33:40,369 Get yourself over there so that when you come back, 779 00:33:40,393 --> 00:33:42,705 and I promise you, I will bring you back, 780 00:33:42,729 --> 00:33:45,124 it'll give me the ability to pay you more 'cause 781 00:33:45,148 --> 00:33:47,919 you've raised your own value." 782 00:33:47,943 --> 00:33:49,962 In his world, it's his stunt. 783 00:33:49,986 --> 00:33:53,424 He is flattered that he's the guy that's pulling the 784 00:33:53,448 --> 00:33:57,011 great stunt, even though he was the power to begin with! 785 00:33:57,035 --> 00:34:00,473 For anyone to suggest... 786 00:34:00,497 --> 00:34:03,017 that the Loose Cannon character was designed to 787 00:34:03,041 --> 00:34:07,063 manipulate me into giving Brian Pillman more money, 788 00:34:07,087 --> 00:34:10,149 when in fact, Brian Pillman and I discussed how to make 789 00:34:10,173 --> 00:34:13,402 this character work even better so that at some point 790 00:34:13,426 --> 00:34:17,240 I could give him the money, it kind of flies in the face 791 00:34:17,264 --> 00:34:19,617 of the rumours and the innuendo. 792 00:34:19,641 --> 00:34:21,744 Oh, man, that's the greatest thing you can do. 793 00:34:21,768 --> 00:34:24,247 If you can... somebody over and have them think 794 00:34:24,271 --> 00:34:26,707 that it's a great idea, that's... 795 00:34:26,731 --> 00:34:28,918 you know, ha, I mean, that's the trick of 796 00:34:28,942 --> 00:34:30,544 breaking up with a woman, you know, 797 00:34:30,568 --> 00:34:32,630 make her think that it's her idea. 798 00:34:32,654 --> 00:34:35,448 ♪ 799 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:41,764 As a free agent, Brian takes charge of 800 00:34:41,788 --> 00:34:43,849 his own appearances and publicity. 801 00:34:43,873 --> 00:34:47,186 His insider knowledge, mastery of manipulation, 802 00:34:47,210 --> 00:34:50,564 and disregard for exposing the industry solidifies 803 00:34:50,588 --> 00:34:53,067 his position as the ultimate ring master. 804 00:34:53,091 --> 00:34:56,028 In the wrestling war layout at the time, 805 00:34:56,052 --> 00:34:59,490 the fans knew one thing: if you are really working 806 00:34:59,514 --> 00:35:03,369 {\an8}for one promotion, you can't appear for any of the others. 807 00:35:03,393 --> 00:35:07,206 {\an8}Tonight will be one of the most extreme hours of 808 00:35:07,230 --> 00:35:09,917 {\an8}wrestling with... And wait a minute... 809 00:35:09,941 --> 00:35:11,961 One of the things with trying to prove it was real 810 00:35:11,985 --> 00:35:14,338 is that WCW hated ECW so, 811 00:35:14,362 --> 00:35:16,924 Brian must be on the outs with WCW. 812 00:35:16,948 --> 00:35:19,302 (cheering) 813 00:35:19,326 --> 00:35:23,431 Renegade promotion ECW is gaining traction for pushing 814 00:35:23,455 --> 00:35:26,350 the boundaries of wrestling, and is the perfect stage for 815 00:35:26,374 --> 00:35:29,061 the Loose Cannon's unpredictable antics. 816 00:35:29,085 --> 00:35:31,564 He could curse, he could say off-colour things. 817 00:35:31,588 --> 00:35:35,943 Eric Bischoff is each and every one 818 00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:38,237 of these mother... ing... 819 00:35:38,261 --> 00:35:41,615 smart marks rolled up into one 820 00:35:41,639 --> 00:35:43,993 giant piece of shit! 821 00:35:44,017 --> 00:35:47,496 I thought Brian was losing his mind, 822 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:49,832 as opposed to being, you know, brilliant. 823 00:35:49,856 --> 00:35:52,793 I loved it. I was just nothing but entertained by it. 824 00:35:52,817 --> 00:35:54,587 (cheering) 825 00:35:54,611 --> 00:35:57,548 Damn near whipped it out and was gonna piss in the ring... 826 00:35:57,572 --> 00:36:00,217 that's a pretty strong statement. 827 00:36:00,241 --> 00:36:02,345 And, pardon my language, I was like, man, 828 00:36:02,369 --> 00:36:03,971 this mother... er's out there. 829 00:36:03,995 --> 00:36:05,681 You know, and I mean that in a good way. 830 00:36:05,705 --> 00:36:07,099 Get him the hell out of here. 831 00:36:07,123 --> 00:36:09,393 This stuff was working on both levels. 832 00:36:09,417 --> 00:36:12,021 The fans who weren't inside, they just thought that 833 00:36:12,045 --> 00:36:15,441 he was crazy and he was doing wild over-the-top things, 834 00:36:15,465 --> 00:36:18,569 but for the fans who did know the inside terminology 835 00:36:18,593 --> 00:36:21,364 or were with the secrets, they were like, 836 00:36:21,388 --> 00:36:23,866 they can't be allowing him to do that. 837 00:36:23,890 --> 00:36:25,493 Oh! 838 00:36:25,517 --> 00:36:27,286 When he would have a television appearance, 839 00:36:27,310 --> 00:36:29,997 it would be arranged so that it didn't look like 840 00:36:30,021 --> 00:36:31,290 he was supposed to be there. 841 00:36:31,314 --> 00:36:33,918 Or, he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. 842 00:36:33,942 --> 00:36:36,587 One time, he even to protest the matches that he'd 843 00:36:36,611 --> 00:36:39,465 been given, he wrestled a giant pencil because 844 00:36:39,489 --> 00:36:41,300 pencil in inside wrestling knowledge was 845 00:36:41,324 --> 00:36:43,010 another name for the booker. 846 00:36:43,034 --> 00:36:45,346 I always end up fighting with the pencil. 847 00:36:45,370 --> 00:36:47,014 And then he's showing up and doing 848 00:36:47,038 --> 00:36:48,682 these funny little vignettes. 849 00:36:48,706 --> 00:36:49,934 He's got one, he's cooking, 850 00:36:49,958 --> 00:36:52,520 and flames are going out of the frying pan. 851 00:36:52,544 --> 00:36:55,439 And they hired a woman with a baby, 852 00:36:55,463 --> 00:36:57,400 and then the guy comes to punch Pillman, 853 00:36:57,424 --> 00:36:59,443 and he grabs the baby and holds the baby up 854 00:36:59,467 --> 00:37:01,028 in front of him. 855 00:37:01,052 --> 00:37:02,613 You scum! You piece of... 856 00:37:02,637 --> 00:37:05,658 And I never once called Brian and said, 857 00:37:05,682 --> 00:37:08,619 "Hey, dude, are you working? Are you shooting?" 858 00:37:08,643 --> 00:37:10,830 You know, because I didn't want to know. 859 00:37:10,854 --> 00:37:13,541 But I thought what he was doing was damn sure brilliant. 860 00:37:13,565 --> 00:37:16,043 Some people think my dad was crazy and then, 861 00:37:16,067 --> 00:37:17,294 you know, other people are like, 862 00:37:17,318 --> 00:37:19,672 you know, "Your dad was," you know, "not crazy. 863 00:37:19,696 --> 00:37:21,090 That was just a gimmick." 864 00:37:21,114 --> 00:37:23,467 And a lot of people say he kind of fell into that, 865 00:37:23,491 --> 00:37:26,303 like, they couldn't, they couldn't decipher if it was... 866 00:37:26,327 --> 00:37:28,180 Is this Brian Pillman now? 867 00:37:28,204 --> 00:37:30,641 Or, you know, like, is he still in character? 868 00:37:30,665 --> 00:37:32,268 Or is this just how he is? 869 00:37:32,292 --> 00:37:35,729 It's all just their perception of reality. 870 00:37:35,753 --> 00:37:38,524 It was just like this, this blur between, 871 00:37:38,548 --> 00:37:40,651 like, what is actually going on? 872 00:37:40,675 --> 00:37:42,111 Like, you don't even know anymore, 873 00:37:42,135 --> 00:37:43,988 but that was, like, the magic of it. 874 00:37:44,012 --> 00:37:47,116 There was a lot of Andy Kaufman in, in Brian. 875 00:37:47,140 --> 00:37:49,076 The Loose Cannon became Brian, 876 00:37:49,100 --> 00:37:51,412 that was who he was. 877 00:37:51,436 --> 00:37:53,038 Brian was a renegade. 878 00:37:53,062 --> 00:37:54,915 Brian was a little bit of an outlaw. 879 00:37:54,939 --> 00:37:57,460 Again, remember, when you're not the biggest dog 880 00:37:57,484 --> 00:38:01,172 of the litter, and you got that gravelly voice... 881 00:38:01,196 --> 00:38:03,924 you've had 30, plus, throat operations 882 00:38:03,948 --> 00:38:06,802 when you're a small child, you get an attitude. 883 00:38:06,826 --> 00:38:09,054 I said this many times, the greatest wrestlers 884 00:38:09,078 --> 00:38:12,808 I've ever worked with are essentially natural, 885 00:38:12,832 --> 00:38:16,270 organic extensions of their own personality. 886 00:38:16,294 --> 00:38:18,856 And the Loose Cannon was just that. 887 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:21,650 I think the message that Brian showing up at ECW 888 00:38:21,674 --> 00:38:23,152 sent to the other two companies is, 889 00:38:23,176 --> 00:38:25,529 he was a free agent, that he was a gun slinger and 890 00:38:25,553 --> 00:38:26,906 he'd go to the highest bidder. 891 00:38:26,930 --> 00:38:28,199 Vince is watching. 892 00:38:28,223 --> 00:38:29,658 It's the hottest thing in wrestling. 893 00:38:29,682 --> 00:38:31,285 The only one that really knew what was going on 894 00:38:31,309 --> 00:38:34,163 was Dave Meltzer. I said, "Hey, we have to tell Meltzer." 895 00:38:34,187 --> 00:38:36,665 I value his friendship more than I value... 896 00:38:36,689 --> 00:38:38,459 You know, any of this shit. 897 00:38:38,483 --> 00:38:39,960 Something happened and I called up Kim, 898 00:38:39,984 --> 00:38:42,421 and I go, "Oh, god, Brian's... Brian's in trouble." 899 00:38:42,445 --> 00:38:44,548 He just goes, you know, like, "Brian... 900 00:38:44,572 --> 00:38:46,133 you know, Brian's doing this. 901 00:38:46,157 --> 00:38:48,177 He's, he's come up with a character, 902 00:38:48,201 --> 00:38:50,179 and he's... you gotta work everybody." 903 00:38:50,203 --> 00:38:51,889 And Brian goes, "What do I do with Dave?" 904 00:38:51,913 --> 00:38:54,308 And he goes, "You don't talk to Dave because 905 00:38:54,332 --> 00:38:55,392 if you tell him, 906 00:38:55,416 --> 00:38:58,896 then he's gonna have to say it because that's his role. 907 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:00,898 And, I don't want you lying to him." 908 00:39:00,922 --> 00:39:03,651 So, literally, like, he didn't talk to me for 909 00:39:03,675 --> 00:39:06,028 a couple months there. Oh, yeah, without a doubt, 910 00:39:06,052 --> 00:39:08,489 he wanted to fool me with the character. 911 00:39:08,513 --> 00:39:10,991 And he did for a while. 912 00:39:11,015 --> 00:39:13,285 And again, who are the real marks? 913 00:39:13,309 --> 00:39:17,498 Who are the ultimate marks? Bischoff, and then we got Vince. 914 00:39:17,522 --> 00:39:20,459 Vince McMahon was then as he is now the 915 00:39:20,483 --> 00:39:24,296 undisputed leader, ruler, manipulator, organizer, 916 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:26,906 and owner of World Wrestling Entertainment. 917 00:39:29,450 --> 00:39:30,928 {\an8}- Vince? - Yeah, you. 918 00:39:30,952 --> 00:39:32,846 Yeah, what do you... You know what you do with a whore? 919 00:39:32,870 --> 00:39:35,891 You... 'em. 920 00:39:35,915 --> 00:39:37,560 That's, that's what I thought of Vince, 921 00:39:37,584 --> 00:39:41,522 that's how I think of Vince. 922 00:39:41,546 --> 00:39:44,358 As Brian becomes the talk of the wrestling world, 923 00:39:44,382 --> 00:39:47,611 it's time for the final step of his master plan: 924 00:39:47,635 --> 00:39:50,239 track down and secure the attention 925 00:39:50,263 --> 00:39:52,449 of wrestling's biggest power player. 926 00:39:52,473 --> 00:39:54,809 ♪ 927 00:39:59,063 --> 00:40:01,834 In perhaps his boldest stunt yet, 928 00:40:01,858 --> 00:40:04,420 Brian Pillman plots to get the attention of 929 00:40:04,444 --> 00:40:07,923 Vince McMahon at an insider industry tradeshow in 930 00:40:07,947 --> 00:40:11,135 Las Vegas, the last place anyone would expect 931 00:40:11,159 --> 00:40:13,345 to see the Loose Cannon. 932 00:40:13,369 --> 00:40:15,681 Okay, so I'm in Vegas. 933 00:40:15,705 --> 00:40:18,809 I was in there and I was leaving and, 934 00:40:18,833 --> 00:40:21,437 Brian's coming and Brian's in full gimmick at this point. 935 00:40:21,461 --> 00:40:24,106 And then, I see him, "Hey, Dave." Whatever. 936 00:40:24,130 --> 00:40:26,609 I'm leaving, he goes, "Can I get your credential?" 937 00:40:26,633 --> 00:40:28,277 And I go, "Yeah, here. Here's my credential." 938 00:40:28,301 --> 00:40:31,405 And he went in and makes a beeline for 939 00:40:31,429 --> 00:40:33,991 Jim Ross and Vince McMahon. 940 00:40:34,015 --> 00:40:37,161 He had an idea to be the most outrageous, 941 00:40:37,185 --> 00:40:39,622 outlandish, over-the-top character that 942 00:40:39,646 --> 00:40:42,082 Vince McMahon had ever met. 943 00:40:42,106 --> 00:40:44,627 He's gonna try to get Vince McMahon's attention. 944 00:40:44,651 --> 00:40:46,086 Doing his whole Brian Pillman, 945 00:40:46,110 --> 00:40:48,631 "Hey, Vince, ah-dah-dah, hey, let's take a picture!" 946 00:40:48,655 --> 00:40:51,842 "Vince McMahon! Mother... er! God almighty!" 947 00:40:51,866 --> 00:40:53,135 "It's the greatest thing in the world 948 00:40:53,159 --> 00:40:55,804 I got a chance to meet ya! Can I get the arm around..." 949 00:40:55,828 --> 00:40:57,598 Somebody takes a picture. 950 00:40:57,622 --> 00:40:59,475 And Vince is like, "Who is this guy?" 951 00:40:59,499 --> 00:41:00,851 He made an impression. 952 00:41:00,875 --> 00:41:02,936 You didn't know whether he was a homicidal maniac or 953 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:05,356 just a guy that was having fun. 954 00:41:05,380 --> 00:41:07,524 McMahon thought, "We can't hire this guy, JR. 955 00:41:07,548 --> 00:41:09,568 We can't hire this guy, JR. He's crazy." 956 00:41:09,592 --> 00:41:12,655 I said, "He's crazy like a fox." "What do you mean?" 957 00:41:12,679 --> 00:41:14,365 "Well, he told me what he was gonna do." 958 00:41:14,389 --> 00:41:17,618 "He did?" "Yeah, he's creative. 959 00:41:17,642 --> 00:41:19,745 He's bold. He's kind of like you are, Vince. 960 00:41:19,769 --> 00:41:21,288 He'll take a chance." 961 00:41:21,312 --> 00:41:23,415 Brian's balls at that point and that day, 962 00:41:23,439 --> 00:41:25,167 would probably fit in a wheelbarrow. 963 00:41:25,191 --> 00:41:27,294 And dude, you work Vince McMahon, you know, 964 00:41:27,318 --> 00:41:30,047 especially back in the day, pretty good rib. 965 00:41:30,071 --> 00:41:31,840 And got his attention, too. 966 00:41:31,864 --> 00:41:34,134 It was, it was pretty frickin' genius, 967 00:41:34,158 --> 00:41:35,928 what he was doing. 968 00:41:35,952 --> 00:41:38,430 But, but, he wanted to stay in WCW 'cause 969 00:41:38,454 --> 00:41:40,391 WWF didn't offer guaranteed money. 970 00:41:40,415 --> 00:41:43,435 And also, Vince was always pushing the bigger guys so, 971 00:41:43,459 --> 00:41:45,938 Brian always felt that WCW was his company and 972 00:41:45,962 --> 00:41:47,731 the company he would do the best in anyway. 973 00:41:47,755 --> 00:41:49,858 People go, like, "Oh, "he did this manipulation 974 00:41:49,882 --> 00:41:51,193 of his contract to go to WWF." 975 00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:54,029 No, he did the manipulation of his contract to be able 976 00:41:54,053 --> 00:41:56,782 to negotiate with WWF to raise his money with WCW. 977 00:41:56,806 --> 00:41:59,993 Brian's bold plan is a success as he is in 978 00:42:00,017 --> 00:42:03,122 negotiations for major contracts with both 979 00:42:03,146 --> 00:42:05,666 WCW and WWF. 980 00:42:05,690 --> 00:42:08,943 {\an8}All he has to do is choose the right path. 981 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:13,841 No, it's money! 982 00:42:13,865 --> 00:42:15,426 That's the bottom ...ing line! 983 00:42:15,450 --> 00:42:16,927 It's money! 984 00:42:16,951 --> 00:42:19,096 And these people are in fantasy land. 985 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:21,807 And it's money. 986 00:42:21,831 --> 00:42:23,726 The only problem is... 987 00:42:23,750 --> 00:42:27,813 like the Hebrew saying, 988 00:42:27,837 --> 00:42:31,942 "Man plans and God laughs". 989 00:42:31,966 --> 00:42:34,278 We're talking and it's always about, you know, 990 00:42:34,302 --> 00:42:35,612 "I gotta save money, I gotta save money," 991 00:42:35,636 --> 00:42:37,823 and then he buys an $80,000 Humvee. 992 00:42:37,847 --> 00:42:40,200 I couldn't fathom the idea of, 993 00:42:40,224 --> 00:42:43,162 I've got 5 kids, I've gotta make money now, 994 00:42:43,186 --> 00:42:45,664 I've gotta save money, and then buying a Humvee. 995 00:42:45,688 --> 00:42:47,166 (sighs) God. 996 00:42:47,190 --> 00:42:50,377 He would drive that wherever Brian wanted to drive that. 997 00:42:50,401 --> 00:42:52,588 He didn't want to sit at the stop light, 998 00:42:52,612 --> 00:42:55,215 he drove down a gully and up the other side 999 00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:56,592 in that Hummer. 1000 00:42:56,616 --> 00:42:59,261 He didn't, you know, follow the rules. 1001 00:42:59,285 --> 00:43:02,097 I was actually in Miami, modeling, 1002 00:43:02,121 --> 00:43:04,975 but I called to check on the kids and, 1003 00:43:04,999 --> 00:43:06,435 the neighbour across the street, 1004 00:43:06,459 --> 00:43:08,187 I called her 'cause I didn't get an answer, 1005 00:43:08,211 --> 00:43:12,858 and she said, "My God, I just passed the Hummer and 1006 00:43:12,882 --> 00:43:15,444 little Brian's car seat's out in the middle of the yard 1007 00:43:15,468 --> 00:43:17,863 and big Brian's being flown to the hospital." 1008 00:43:17,887 --> 00:43:25,887 ♪ 1009 00:43:27,814 --> 00:43:29,917 I remember he flippedit, rolled it. 1010 00:43:29,941 --> 00:43:31,376 It was severe. 1011 00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:33,629 The wreck happened during the negotiations. 1012 00:43:33,653 --> 00:43:35,088 They're getting damaged goods. 1013 00:43:35,112 --> 00:43:37,508 It was truly the deal of, you can get on the 1014 00:43:37,532 --> 00:43:40,052 tiger's back, but how do you get off? 1015 00:43:40,076 --> 00:43:41,553 {\an8}Fate figured that out. 1016 00:43:41,577 --> 00:43:43,764 {\an8}There'd been a lot of wrestler deaths, 1017 00:43:43,788 --> 00:43:46,517 {\an8}but not of a guy who was actually on the way to 1018 00:43:46,541 --> 00:43:48,060 {\an8}the show at that moment. 1019 00:43:48,084 --> 00:43:49,937 {\an8}It's like if Brian could just see the future and 1020 00:43:49,961 --> 00:43:51,355 {\an8}what happened, Brian would have just, 1021 00:43:51,379 --> 00:43:54,733 {\an8}"..., oh my god. No drugs, no nothing." 1022 00:43:54,757 --> 00:43:56,276 {\an8}I know it would have scared him straight. 1023 00:43:56,300 --> 00:43:58,904 {\an8}It's crazy how you go from having a silver platter 1024 00:43:58,928 --> 00:44:00,823 {\an8}growing up to not even knowing 1025 00:44:00,847 --> 00:44:02,932 {\an8}when your next meal is going to be.