Brian Pillman was one of the popular WWE superstars during the ‘Attitude Era’. He was also quite close to the WWE legend Stone Cold ‘Steve Austin’. On October 5, 1997, Pillman was about to face the WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley at a PLE. But before their clash, the staff couldn’t find him.
In the end, the staff found him lifeless in his motel room. Pillman was just 35 years old when he left this world. According to the post-mortem reports, the reason for his death was a heart attack. However, according to the former WWE commentator Jim Ross, that was not the only reason behind his death.
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JR said Pillman was upset due to his injury
Recently, the former WWE commentator Jim Ross opened up about the unfortunate death of professional wrestler Brian Pillman on his podcast Grilling JR’. He recalled the moment when Vince McMahon asked him to take a drug test five weeks before his death. And also talked about a major reason that could’ve contributed to his unfortunate death.
There he mentioned that the former owner Vince McMahon used to take final decisions on drug tests back in the WWE. He also said that even though he also used to take advice from the other officials about the matter but in the end, it was just McMahon’s decision.
Further in the podcast, the co-host Conard Thompson read the report in ‘Wrestling Observer Newsletter’ about Pillman’s death.
According to the newsletter, Pillman was going through a lot of things when McMahon asked him for the test. Both his personal and professional life were under threat. And, he even asked for his release from the WWE. But unfortunately, he died before his wish could be granted.
To this, Ross said that unfortunately, it was the attitude of Brian Pillman that contributed to his death. According to him, Pillman was upset by the fact that his injury has been limiting his career.
“I think his attitude led to contributing to his death. I think he got so frustrated. He was heartbroken. His will to beat this same to the less simply because he realized as only he could….. just how badly he was hurting and the limitations of this injury had put on his career.”, said Ross.
And if we talk about the drug test that Vince McMahon asked him to take, then Pillman came out clean in that. Currently, his son Brian Pillman Jr. is carrying out his legacy. Pillman Jr. is competing in the AEW and fans are enjoying his performance there.
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No matter what the indirect cause behind Brian Pillman’s death was, the professional wrestling industry lost a gem in 1997 who could have emerged as one of the greatest wrestlers in the business.
Manjot Kaur is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. As a combat sports athlete
herself, she has a deep understanding of the physical and intellectual nuances
of wrestling, giving her a distinct edge when reporting on the action in the
ring. With her direct association with sport on the ground, Manjot is able to
provide unparalleled insight into the world of pro wrestling, offering readers
an in-depth look at the personalities, rivalries, and storylines that define the
sport.