TSC Evaluation #38: Brian Pillman

[mrken12]

In the last evaluation, Harley Race got a score of 7.89.

TSC Evaluation #37: Harley Race

Spoiler: Leaderboard

Eddie Guerrero: 9.60 TSC Evaluation #35: Eddie Guerrero
Rick Rude: 9.16 TSC Evaluation #21: Rick Rude
Sting: 9.00 TSC Evaluation #20: Sting
Ricky Steamboat: 8.86 TSC Evaluation #32: Ricky Steamboat
Rey Mysterio Jr.: 8.78 TSC Evaluation #15: Rey Mysterio Jr
Scott Steiner: 8.59 TSC Evaluation #2: Scott Steiner
Booker T: 8.53 TSC Evaluation #25: Booker T
Terry Funk: 8.40 TSC Evaluation #11: Terry Funk
Vader: 8.25 TSC Evaluation #12: Vader
Rob Van Dam: 8.14 TSC Evaluation #9: Rob Van Dam
Andre The Giant: 8.10 TSC Evaluation #18: Andre The Giant
DDP: 7.95 TSC Evaluation #16: Diamond Dallas Page
CM Punk: 7.92 TSC Evaluation #7: CM Punk
Owen Hart: 7.79 TSC Evaluation #30: Owen Hart
Arn Anderson: 7.75 TSC Evaluation #33: Arn Anderson
Raven: 7.71 TSC Evaluation #19: Raven
Batista: 7.69 TSC Evaluation #28: Batista
Ron Simmons: 7.56 TSC Evaluation #26: Ron Simmons
Roddy Piper: 7.53 TSC Evaluation #6: Roddy Piper
Shelton Benjamin: 7.50 TSC Evaluation #31: Shelton Benjamin
2 Cold Scorpio: 7.36 TSC Evaluation #23: 2 Cold Scorpio
Goldberg: 7.18 TSC Evaluation #3: Goldberg
Sycho Sid: 7.02 TSC Evaluation #4: Sycho Sid / Sid Vicious
Junkyard Dog: 6.92 TSC Evaluation #24: Junkyard Dog
Ultimate Warrior: 6.79 TSC Evaluation #10: The Ultimate Warrior
X-Pac: 6.78 TSC Evaluation #34: X-Pac
MVP: 6.64 TSC Evaluation #27: Montel Vontavious Porter
D'Lo Brown: 6.48 TSC Evaluation #13: D'Lo Brown
Sabu: 6.12 TSC Evaluation #22: Sabu
Lex Luger: 6.03 TSC Evaluation #8: Lex Luger
Tazz: 6.02 TSC Evaluation #5: Tazz
Mike Awesome: 5.94 TSC Evaluation #29: Mike Awesome
Chyna: 5.74 TSC Evaluation #17: Chyna
Jeff Jarrett: 4.49 TSC Evaluation: Jeff Jarrett
Sandman: 4.03 TSC Evaluation #36: The Sandman
Tommy Dreamer: 3.96 TSC Evaluation #14: Tommy Dreamer

If people have any requests for future wrestlers you want to see evaluated, let me know. I'll have one wrestler evaluated for each week every Wednesday.

For #39 it will be Billy Gunn.

Pending requests: Ted DiBiase, Jake The Snake Roberts, Bam Bam Bigelow, Kurt Angle, Kane, Undertaker, Big Show, Rikishi, Mr. Perfect, Chris Kanyon, The Godfather, Val Venis, Big Boss Man, Stan Hansen, Christian Cage, Goldust, William Regal, Tully Blanchard, Eddie Gilbert, Barry Windham, Bobby Eaton, Stevie Richards
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Major accomplishments

Football
Ed Block Courage Award

Professional wrestling

Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship (2x)
WCW World Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Steve Austin
NWA World Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Steve Austin
NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Tom Zenk
NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament (1990) – with Tom Zenk
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1991)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Ranked No. 18 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993
Ranked No. 84 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (2x) – with Bruce Hart
Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame

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 Steve Austin as The Hollywood Blonds



With a scale of 1-10 how would you rate Brian Pillman in these categories:

-Mic work/promos

-Personality/gimmicks

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds)

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores)

 

[Kunty McPhuck]

I give Flyin' Brian Loose Cannon Pillman an 8.

I was a fan, ever since I saw him, must of been late 91. When Luger was w/ Harley Race & Mr Hughes

Mic work 10

Personality/Gimmick 10
Shooting work, Working Shoot or was it a working shoot that went to be a shooting shoot

Ring Work
Was solid 7/8 - One of the early US Light Heavyweights, with the high flying style.

Favourite Matches
Liger match from SuperBrawl 2
Hollywood Blonde tags w/ Flair & Arn, a lot of the tag matches that PIllman was in the early 90's were really good.

 

[Buggsy Mogues]

I'd give him a solid 7. In my eyes he's honestly a 6, but grading on a scale to the rest of the list so far he's a 7.

The problem with Pillman is a lot of unrealized potential. Early on when he could go in the ring he had no gimmick, and once he developed the character that could really get him over, he was too banged up to be effective in the ring anymore. Just never put it all together.

 

[Amor fati]

-Mic work/promos- 10
-Personality/Gimmick -10 dude played his gimmick to the fullest even in radio interviews
- Ring work- 6 Decent nothing spectacular
-Favourite Matches- Matches with Jushin Liger

 

[Amor fati]

Brian Pillman would have done great in the attitude era, however, I'm aware that he was gonna return to WCW.

 

[R=G]

He's a 7. But he's the strongest 7 possible. This guy was great and definitely ahead of his time and would of meant alot as Austin got bigger and he was on the other side.


He was a stand out high flyer and a tag team worker.

 

[patscorpio]

I'd give him a solid 7. In my eyes he's honestly a 6, but grading on a scale to the rest of the list so far he's a 7.

The problem with Pillman is a lot of unrealized potential. Early on when he could go in the ring he had no gimmick, and once he developed the character that could really get him over, he was too banged up to be effective in the ring anymore. Just never put it all together.

like scott steiner

 

[patscorpio]

He was a stand out high flyer

he was ok but i dont think he was that great a high flyer...esp when 2 cold scorpio came into wcw..he made him look obsolete

 

[R=G]

2 cold and Rey Mysterio were a different breed..but 1991? Nah..Pillman was doing well for the time period.

 

[Cartier Murphy]

I'm gonna rate him a bit higher than others because I was a mark for dude.

-Mic work/promos
His strongest category especially post injury. His ability to talk was what really got the Loose Cannon character over, and worked everybody from the fans to the other wrestlers to even the promoters of the era. Even as a white meat baby face he wasn't a bad promo. With Pillman, nobody knew where the character stopped and Brian Pillman the guy started. 10

-Personality/gimmicks
Flyin Brian was again a good white meat baby face. He was a fantastic heel along with Stunning Steve in the Hollywood Blondes and both guys really committed to that gimmick. The Loose Cannon was revolutionary and I can't help but think of the untapped potential he had with it. He was just starting to scratch the surface of what he could be. 10

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds)
I enjoyed his match with Liger at SuperBrawl. He had a very good match with Luger for the US Title. Many different multiman tag matches to list, his tag match with Liger against Nikita Koloff and Steamboat, WarGames with Sid and the powerbomb, the ten man tag at Canadian Stampede. Even a good RAW match with Austin in 97.
8


-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores)
His legacy will always be full of what ifs. What if he never got hurt maybe being the biggest what if, the accident is what really cut short the great matches he could have, not so much the death as weird as that might sound. He could still take part in a great match, sure...(Canadian Stampede) but not be the whole reason it was great. If the injury never happens it's possible his career and life takes a whole different trajectory. As is, the guy had a bunch of different angles and moments that hold up all these years later (Flair for the Old, Pillman's got a Gun, etc.) His legacy is largely question marks of what could be, but I highly enjoyed the work he did so I gotta say 9.

 

[patscorpio]

-Mic work/promos - Super bland raspy promos as a babyface, as a heel/tweener was gold - full monty

-Personality/gimmicks - he was over as a babyface and as a heel....revolutionary with the loose cannon shyt...when you can work and confuse your fellow carnies, youre on some next level shyt - full monty

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds) -.brian got it done in the ring...he was cool as a high flyer but not mindblowing....top 2 opener of all time match with liger..part of the best wargames match of all time, the canadian stampede match..the tag matches with steve austin as the hollywood blondes..one match i wanna mention that doesnt get a lot of mention is his match with johnny b badd at war games 95...that match was really dope..possibly the last real good match he had on his own before the injuries took over

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores) - as i mentioned he is like scott steiner in a way as his prime wrestling ability and his gimmick didn't cross at the highest point..his gimmick was gold in the WWE and I could have seen him reach IC title levels or get a main event run with Steve Austin just off the strength of that even though he was banged up beyond belief..with him his career is a lot of unreached potential due to varying things in his life to sum in a nutshell..but he made his mark in the biz give him a strong 8

 

[Playaz Eyez]

He's a strong 7 based on his Attitude stuff alone. Beforehand in WCW I knew him as a very good high flyer and tag wrestler. In the WWF, he was a solid heel with a lot of charisma and conviction in his promos. "Loose Cannon" was perfect cause you truly felt like he was crazy (and not just wacky like Dean Ambrose). I thought he had a lot of upward trajectory before his death. Had the potential to be a high 8, but I feel like a 7 is fair. He was another one of those first early "cool heels" like Rick Rude.

 

[mrken12]

 

[Konnan]

He's a 7. But he's the strongest 7 possible.

This right here

 

[Ill Lou Malnati]

-Mic work/promos: 7. Bland cliche babyface promos at first, but by 1995 (as a heel in WCW) he started to become notable at promos. Obviously he was doing his best work doing the "loose cannon" gimmick throughout WCW/ECW/WWF.

-Personality/gimmicks: 8. The "Loose Cannon" was genius and I was big fan of Flyin' Brian as well as a kid. Turning into a "Hollywood Blonde" was always random af to me though. Loved him as the shyt talker in the Hart Foundation.

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds): 8. His NWA/WCW work is obviously his best stuff, as the time he made it to the WWF, he didn't wrestle much and couldn't wrestle well because of the car crash. He was a part of two great tag teams (w/ Austin and w/Zenk), but I'll stick to his best solo matches: Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, Jushin Liger, Steamboat, Luger Tom Zenk.

Favorite feuds: Austin, Barry Windham

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores): 8. If he hadn't passed away in '98, I think he would've become a much bigger name in wrestling because of his gimmick/personality. He JUST missed out on the Attitude era boom.