Customer Reviews

Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Credit to the Observer,



-The Pillman DVD will be a 95 minute documentary on his career in football, Stampede Wrestling, Hollywood Blonds, Four Horseman, ECW, car accident Hart Foundation and more. The match list is:

-Bruce Hart & Brian Pillman vs. Midnight Cowboys 4/23/88 for International tag team titles
-Pillman vs. Lex Luger 10/28/89 Halloween Havoc
-Pillman & Tom Zenk vs. Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin 2/12/90
-Pillman & Austin doing "A Flare for the Old" segment on WCW TV
-War Games 1991 with Pillman & Sting & Steiners vs. Four Horsemen
-Pillman vs. Ricky Morton 10/27/91
-Pillman & El Gigante vs. Barry Windham & Arn Anderson 6/12/91 loser leaves town match to lead to the Yellow Dog angle
-Pillman & Windham vs. Johnny Gunn & Zenk 12/26/92
-Pillman & Austin vs. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas 5/23/93
-WCW Thundercage with Pillman & Sting & Dustin Rhodes vs. Paul Orndorff & Austin & rick Rude
-Pillman vs. Jushin Liger from the first mach of the very first episode of Nitro
-Pillman vs. Dean Malenko 1/22/96 Nitro
-Pillman vs. Eddie Guerrero 1/23/96 Clash of Champions (where Pillmans scared Bobby Heenan half to death)
-Pillman vs. Austin 6/16/97 Raw
-7/6/97 Calgary Stampede Hart Foundation vs. Austin & Shamrock & LOD & Goldust (I can tell you from talking to Pillman right after this match ended that this match was the personal highlight of his career)
-Pillman vs. Goldust 9/7/97
-Pillman vs. Liger 2/22/92 SuperBrawl from Milwaukee
These are the dates WWE has listed. I know off the top of my head the SuperBrawl was 2/29/92 so others may be off as well

judging by listing this is the greatest WWE dvd of all time IMO

As great of a tragedy as the untimely death of Brian Pillman was, the greater tragedy has been the complete ignoring of his existence by the WWE for the last 9 years. Pillman's death came at a particularly bad time for the wrestling world, as it's booming popularity had placed the companies (WWF and WCW) under a media microscope. In a way I believe McMahon resented Pillman for that. However, it was difficult to feel bad for McMahon at the time. One night after the death of the "Loose Cannon", Vince interviewed the recently widowed Mrs. Pillman in what seemed like a very disturbing attempt at grabbing some of those all important ratings. For the next couple of weeks a beautiful video montage that was voiced over by Brian's close friend Jim Ross was shown. And then it was over, and Brian was never mentioned again. I have been watching wrestling since that time and I can honestly say that I don't believe I have heard Brian's name mentioned more than maybe once (perhaps in the Raw Tenth Anniversary tribute video?). For whatever reason his legacy was erased, and his name forgotten.

Nine years later the WWE is releasing a double dvd set dedicated to the life of a man who was consistently and undoubtebly ahead of his time. Prior to what should have been a career ending motorcycle accident, Pillman was one of the best performers in the business. His matches constantly stole the show, and his good looks made him a hit with the female audience. Incredibly, Brian Pillman became one of the greatest heel's in the business, and along with Steve Austin formed "The Hollywood Blondes". The two made the mistake of getting over in WCW, and were de-pushed. Brian however was not done. What followed was a phenomenal heel run with the Horseman, and a worked shoot feud with Kevin Sullivan that was clearly way ahead of it's time ("I quit booker man"). What happened next will without a doubt be the most enchanting aspect of the dvd. Pillman played Eric Bischoff into letting him out of his contract, and started a bidding war between three companies that made him the hottest free agent in the wrestling world. A motorcycle accident that happened shortly after his signing with the WWF would destroy his ankle and take away the majority of his wrestling ability. Pillman was able to compensate for this by going full blown into his loose cannon persona, to the point where even the boys in the back didn't know whether or not he was really crazy. The truth is Brian Pillman was a father, a husband and one of the greatest entertainers in the history of wrestling. He survived multiple throat operations as a child, and overcame numerous injuries that would have stopped any other man from achieving his dreams.

Matches included have now been released as
-Bruce Hart & Brian Pillman vs. Midnight Cowboys 4/23/88
-Pillman vs. Lex Luger 10/28/89 Halloween Havoc
-Pillman & Tom Zenk vs. Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin 2/12/90
-Pillman & Austin segment from WCW
-War Games 1991 with Pillman & Sting & Steiners vs. Four Horsemen (Pillman takes a Vicious beating from Sid)
-Pillman vs. Ricky Morton 10/27/91
-Pillman & El Gigante vs. Barry Windham & Arn Anderson 6/12/91 loser leaves town match
-Pillman vs. Liger 2/22/92 SuperBrawl
-Pillman & Windham vs. Johnny Gunn & Zenk 12/26/92
-Pillman & Austin vs. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas 5/23/93
-WCW Thundercage with Pillman & Sting & Dustin Rhodes vs. Paul Orndorff & Austin & Rick Rude
-Pillman vs. Jushin Liger 1st Nitro
-Pillman vs. Dean Malenko 1/22/96 Nitro
-Pillman vs. Eddie Guerrero 1/23/96 Clash of Champions
-Pillman vs. Austin 6/16/97 Raw
-7/6/97 Calgary Stampede Hart Foundation vs. Austin & Shamrock & LOD & Goldust
-Pillman vs. Goldust 9/7/97


Other things to look forward to: Brian's ECW "invasion", His legendary exit from WCW, his motorcycle accident, the legendary gun incident with Stone Cold Steve Austin from an incredibly surreal Raw back in 96', his run as a member of the Hart Foundation , his hilarious feud with Goldust and much much more.

Rest in Peace Brian, hopefully after the release of this dvd you will take your rightful place in wrestling history, and live forever.

Brian Pillman was one of my favorite wrestlers since I first saw him in 1991 on WCW Pro(I think it was called). He was still the high flying fan favorite then and was about to win the new WCW Cruserweight championship. Little did I know what was in store for this man nor what he had already done in his life. I wont recap all of that, the dvd does that just fine.
Disc 1 is a great overview. To be honest, the reverence in which I hold Brian had me very scared that they would drop the ball on this dvd. This was not the case. We have interviews from Brian's family, friends, children and his widow. We also have new interviews with many superstars who came up with Brian. The extra matches and promos are very cool and offer great bonuses to a man who created a character way ahead of its time. The matches are some of Brian's best or at the very least show him at a particular time frame. Ending the DVD with the epic Liger vs Pillman match from SuperBrawl 2 shows that there was a lot of actual thought put into this dvd. That match set a high benchmark of greatness on that card and for high flying matches to come.
One thing I would have like to have seen more of on here is more promos. ALl the ECW promos would have been fantastic in their entirety. I mean, Pillman wrestling a pencil, being "stripped" of his constitutional rights, the incident onthe first night at the ECW arena. And how about more of the Loose Cannon/Ticking time bomb stuff from WCW and WWE(F). The prayer for Bret he lead in the ring with Owen and Davey Boy comes to mind as a classic Pillman moment. It always seemed so ironic to me that Brian died right before the whole "Attitude" era really took off. He would have fit in so well. He had already been doing it for years prior.
I reccomend this DVD to any wrestling fan. In his own way Brian is too often forgotten about and this tribute is a great way to introduce people to this unique and courageous man.

As a fan who unfortunately started watching wrestling after the death of Brian Pillman, I really wanted to see this dvd. This two disk set comes with an hour and a half long documentary on one of the most outrageous wrestlers in history, Brian Pillman.

The documentary starts off with Brian's tough childhood and the explanation of where he got his deep voice. It goes on to talk about his football career as well as when he got started in Stampede Wrestling in Canada under the legendary Hart Family. From there it shows his early WCW days as "Flyin Brian" and how he earned that name. It also goes into detail on how he teamed with Steve Austin to form the tag team "The Hollywood Blondes," becoming a member of the Four Horsemen, as well as rare footage of his ECW debut [which is awesome to see and funny as hell.]

It then goes on to show his near fatal car crash and how he was never the same when it came to in ring effort because of his injured foot and ankle. Not long after Brian signed with WWE and that was where his unpredictable character really started to form. It was also where he became a member of the legendary Hart Foundation, and how he formed the XXX files with Goldust's real life wife, Marlena. This is a great documentary on the life and career of Brian Pillman and the extras are great as well.

Extras on Disk One:

Road Warrior Animal: Rental Car
Stone Cold Steve Austin: First meeting with Brian
Stone Cold: How he remembers Brian
Eric Bischoff: Pillman living the character
Jim Ross: NAPTE convention center in Las Vegas
Jim Ross: Pillman asks for a meeting with Jim.
Mick Foley: First match with Brian
CALGARY STAMPEDE WRESTLING 3/26/88 - Bad Company Interview
Pillman's XXX Files
WCW SATURDAY NIGHT 6/5/93 - "Flare For The Old" skit
WCW 1995 - Flyin Brian up close
WWE RAW 11/4/96 - The Gun Incident

Extra Matches on Disk One:

Calgary Stampede Wrestling
International Tag Team Championships
Bad Company vs. The Midnight Cowboys [This was an okay match just to show Brian's high flying work which was rare back then. Some good tag team action but it wasn't a classic match. 8/10]

WCW Halloween Havoc 89
US Championship
Brian Pillman vs. Lex Luger [This was a good match. The strength and power of Luger met the high flying ability of Pillman. Some great back and forth action including a funny spot where Luger gets out of the ring and gets chased around by Pillman. Luger retains his title, but great match. 9/10]

NWA Tag Team Championship:
Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk vs. The Fabulous Freebirds [This was another tag team that mostly showed Brian's high flying work. The legendary Terry Funk is on the announcing team, which is a rare treat. Good match. 7.5/10]

Extra Matches on Disk 2:

WCW WrestleWar 91
Brian Pillman, Sting, and The Steiners vs. The Four Horsemen [The thing about this match is that it has two rings side by side and a giant cage with a roof over both of them! Practically everyone gets busted open and The Horsemen win after Pillman gets dropped on his neck and can't continue. 9/10]

WCW Halloween Havoc 91
World Light-Heavyweight Championship
Brian Pillman vs. Richard Morton [Good match as both men were pretty even throughout the entire match. Crowd was solidly behind Pillman, but a few chants for Morton. In the end Pillman gets the pin and becomes the Light-Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career. 8.5/10]

WCW Clash of the Champions 91
"Loser Leaves Town" Match
Brian Pillman and El Gigante vs. Barry Windham and Arn Anderson [Pretty good tag team match that just basically showed some good back and forth action. Pillman even climbs on top of the shoulders of El Gigante and dives off onto Anderson in a great spot. 7/10]

WCW Slamboree 93
Hollywood Blondes vs. Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas [Another match they don't tell you that takes place in a steel cage. Steamboat and Douglas were dressed in masks so you couldn't tell who was who for most of the match. A lot of back and forth action with the cage being used as guys were flung into the sides of it left and right. Steamboat at one point climbs the top of the cage and gives a HUGE cross-body to both the Hollywood Blondes at one point. However Steve Austin and Brian Pillman get the win. 9/10]

WCW Nitro 95
Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Thunder Liger [Great match between two of the best high flyers ever; both men flying inside the ring, outside, and a lot of great chain wrestling mixed in. 9/10 [A match worthy of seeing again and again.]]

WCW Nitro 96
Brian Pillman vs. Dean Malenko [Good technical battle as, "The Man of a Thousand Holds," Dean Malenko, met Brian Pillman. Some good action and Brian Pillman gets the win even though Malenko's feet were on the bottom rope. 8/10]

WCW Clash of the Champions 96
Brian Pillman vs. Eddie Guerrero [This was the match where Brian got under Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's skin and Heenan flipped out. The match was okay but way too short for such talented wrestlers. 7.5/10]

WWE Raw 97
Brian Pillman vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin [Wild brawl that had all members of the Hart Foundation handcuffed to each ring post. Back and forth action that even had a chair spot and steel steps that were used. In the end all members of the Hart Foundation get out of their cuffs and start to beat up Austin, which led to LOD, Ken Shamrock, and Goldust to come out and break things up. 8.5/10]

WWE In Your House Canadian Stampede 97
The Hart Foundation vs. Steve Austin, LOD, Goldust, and Ken Shamrock [Wild fight that had the entire Canadian audience cheering for the Hart Foundation. Halfway through the match Steve Austin took out Owen Hart's leg with a chair and Owen had to go to the back. Then Bret took out Austin's leg and Austin had to go to the back. Both Owen and Austin later make returns and the fight continues. The ending occurs when Bret and Owen's family that were sitting at ringside jump the guardrail and start fighting Austin. Owen gets the pin to win the match. 8.5/10]

Other Matches include:

WCW SuperBrawl 94
"Thundercage" Match
Brian Pillman, Sting, Dustin Rhodes vs. Paul Orndorff, Steve Austin, and Rick Rude

WCW Ground Zero 97
Brian Pillman vs. Goldust

WCW SuperBrawl 92
Light-Heavyweight Championship
Brian Pillman vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger

This is a really well done video of one of the most interesting characters to ever perform in WCW, ECW, and the WWE. Highly recommended.

The documentary was really, really good. They left some stuff out of it, of course, but you know why they did so it sort of makes sense. One thing I did not remember was the prodigious mullet Brian sported back in the day. Man, I think that thing was more impressive than Jagr's Cup-winning mullet of the early-90s!

I don't know that I learned anything new from the documentary, but seeing his kids and his sisters talk about him was amazing. Also, Stone Cold talking about the Hollywood Blonds tag team was great fun.

They really played up the Flyin' Brian stuff as being ahead of it's time (which it was) and the Loose Cannon character that had everyone guessing. Funny thing is that the whole Loose Cannon thing wasn't really long-lasting if you think about it. The gimmick was the talk of all three companies at the time but it really only lasted the summer before his Humvee accident brought any momentum he had to a standstill.

The accident was glossed over--he was loaded on painkeelers and told of seeing his ex-girlfriend's face in his rearview mirror when he crashed--but the fact that it totally derailed his character was not. He knew that he could have been the biggest thing going and that he had blown the whole deal and it depressed the heck out of him.

Anyhoo, the official coroner's report was that he had a heart attack; just as his dad had at a young age. Of course, the fact that the juice and the vikes and a crazy lifestyle put take a toll on the heart was glossed over. I mean, the WWE is not going to ever admit that the lifestyle of a (ahem) "sports entertainer" is one that is insane because no one can prove whether the job makes you crazy or if that crazy people are attracted to the job. It's the whole chicken-or-the-egg argument on a human scale. The truth is that he was an overachiever who liked to prove people wrong and when his body failed him, he became depressed and quickly descended into a spiral that ultimately did him in.

Best parts were reliving the Hollywood Blonds stuff. I remember watching it back in the day and knowing that he and Steve were going to be huge stars. Steve even talks about how the team got over really quickly and that the plug was pulled by a booker who was worried about protecting his spot in WCW. They never name the booker but I am 90% sure that it was Ric Flair back then who headed the booking committee. I am also 80% sure that Arn was on the committee too. They must have felt threatened by the Flare For The Old skit that set up a 2 out of 3 falls match for a TBS special in (I am guessing) 1992 or 1993. Great stuff though; and Brian came up with the whole gimmick. They were so hilarious together.

Another great part was Jim Ross talking about how he believed that he had become a father-figure to Brian in the WWF. That was sad stuff. JR really had a hard time trying to help Brian but Pillman only saw the fact that JR order him to be drug tested as a huge betrayal.

Overall, I am going with 4 crutches out of 5. I haven't watched any of the matches as yet but I am less interested in that kind of thing than I am the documentaries.

First I want to get the negative aspects about this release out of the way.
The WWE has done it again! Jesse Ventura's commentary has been cut from arguably
Pillman's greatest match, the match from SuperBrawl II between Pillman and Jushin "Thunder" Liger.
For those that don't know the story, the WWE will edit out Jesse Ventura's commentary from matches
if they can, because in the 90s, Ventura successfully sued the WWE over back pay for his commentary
on old WWE vhs tapes. So, to get even (and save a buck) Vince will cut Ventura's commentary at every
chance he can, or exclude matches from DVD sets all together that contain commentary from Ventura.
Ever wonder why the Vader vs Flair match from Starrcade '94 was left off of Flair's DVD set? Ventura was
on commentary. Why did the matches on "The Greatest Wrestling Stars From the 80s" DVD set suck so bad?
Because Ventura did commentary on most of the better matches from that era, so they left them off. Plus, Ventura's commentary was cut from recent releases like: the Jake Roberts DVD and the Dusty Rhodes DVD.
The WWE only agrees to pay Ventura when it's absolutely necessary, like on the WrestleMania Anthology or The History of the WWE Championship.

This has to stop! Vince swallow your pride, do what's right and pay Ventura for use of his commentary. To edit what many believe to be Brian Pillman's greatest match is an insult to the fans and Pillman's memory. I know WWE is a publicly traded company, and they need to cut costs, but don't butcher history like this!
What's funny about this editing, is that they didn't even cut all of Ventura's commentary out!!!!!
Jesse, if you read this, sue the WWE again! Your voice is on this DVD release! During the Pillman vs Liger match from SuperBrawl, they failed to edit out where Ventura cries out "Uh-oh!". Get your money Jesse!

Now, with that out of the way, here's my review of the DVD....
This release is bitter sweet. Brian Pillman is a tragic figure in wrestling history. He had fought so hard to become the talk of the wrestling world and when he achieved it, the rug was pulled out from under him by a cruel twist of fate in a near fatal car accident. No joke, I was a fan back then and every wrestling fan, every promotion and the internet was talking about Pillman. If the accident had never happened, Pillman probably would have been the centerpiece of the Attitude era instead of Steve Austin, he was that hot. However, once he came back, and he returned too soon, he had lost all of his momentum and never reclaimed it. When he finally started taking off in WWE, with the assistant gimmick with the red hot Marlena, he died.
The documentary is very well done, and it reminded me of a lot of Loose Cannon moments I had forgot about. However, as with all WWE documentaries, history is re-written and/or people are protected from criticism. For example, Steve Austin and Jim Ross really place a lot of blame on the WCW booker who broke up the Hollywood Blondes when they were red hot, while never naming who was responsible for the decision. Well, that was Ric Flair. Another moment they tried to smooth over was to have Dusty Rhodes talk about how much he believed in Pillman and Austin. What?! Dusty held back Austin and NEVER believed he was anymore than a mid-card act, and he never gave Pillman any important role when he was booking! One sad moment on the DVD was to see Jim Ross, who I respect a great deal, try to down play Pillman's painkiller use by saying he died from a heart attack, as if to say the pills had no affect on Pillman, when we all know it was the abuse of the painkillers that lead to his heart attack. The same thing killed Eddie Guerrero, Louie Spicolli and tons more. So, you have to stomach moments like that.
On the upside, there are some great stories about Pillman on this DVD from friends and family. You'll learn what caused his voice to sound the way it did, his near death experiences early in his life, his remarkable football career and tons more. All the Loose Cannon moments are here, from the time he freaked out Bobby Heenan on live tv, fallout with WCW, his legendary appearances in ECW, his membership in the Hart Foundation to his controversial home videos with Marlena - they even show the memorable Marlena upskirt from Raw when she was forced to assist Pillman!
As for the matches, I already talked about the Liger match, but they also include the match between Pillman and Liger from the first episode of Nitro. Another classic match, making it's DVD debut, is the Hart Foundation vs Steve Austin's team from the Canadian Stampede from WWE In Your House '97. This is an amazing match that is worth the price of the DVD alone! You'll also see Pillman in a War Games match against the 4 Horseman where Sid Viscous nearly breaks Pillman's neck! You'll also see a rare "Thundercage" tag match pitting Pillman, Sting & Dustin Rhodes against Paul Orndorff, Steve Austin & Rick Rude. The Thundercage was a precursor to the Hell in a Cell, it just didn't have a roof. Plus there's a lot more. Unfortunately, there's only one Hollywood Blondes match, but it's one of their best, and you only get to see Pillman's ECW work during the documentary, but beyond that, it's hard to argue with the match choices on this DVD.

A must buy for any wrestling fan in general. You're going to be treated to one of the most unique careers in the history of the business.

it was a pleasure to watch this dvd. i forgot how entertaining brian pillman could be. this dvd really brings him back to life!!the extras were great, the matches they showed really reminded me of what a great wrestler he was! it also made me sad that he died so young. for any pillman fans, this dvd is a must purchase!

I love this dvd. A good story with a sad ending. Entertaining, and well worth the buy. Stacked with some great matches as well. Any Pillman fan, or any fan of wwe biographies should pick up this dvd.

I like that WWE shows Brian Pillman for what he was, a legend that went too early. I also like that pay homage to WCW, because that is where most of his success was. I only wish they showed more his of WCW matches like from television, he wrestled 400 Norman The Lunatic and came out on top. Overall, I recommend this to anyone who wants a good collector dvd.

This was an excellent dvd to go over the life of Brian Pillman. I nearly forgot what a great athlete he was. If it hadn't been for an accident, its hard to imagine of what kind of superstar that he could have been. I honestly believe that he could have become the world champion. I hope you have or will take the time to go back to see the man that not only helped Stone Cold Steve Austin gain his stardom, but at times overshadowed the rattlesnake.