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On this date in WCW History (Feb. 11): I respect you, Booker Man

For anyone who followed the career of "Flyin" Brian Pillman, you won't need a reminder what happened the last day he ever wrestled for WCW. What transpired that day, occurred 17 years ago on this exact date in Pro Wrestling History.

June M. Williams Design©

On February 11, 1996, "Flyin'" Brian Pillman would begin his "loose cannon" gimmick during World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) SuperBrawl VI pay-per-view (PPV) event from the Bayfront Arena in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The last match he ever wrestled for the promotion.

Pillman was paired off with head booker Kevin Sullivan, also known as the "Taskmaster," in an "I Respect You" leather strap match. Similar to an "I Quit" match, the only way to win was to grab the microphone and utter those words, thus surrendering.

This match capped off a worked shoot in which Pillman and Eric Bischoff planned for Pillman to go off the deep end, getting "fired" and heading to ECW to reinvent himself as a maniac, so about a minute into his match with Sullivan, he simply stopped wrestling, grabbed the mic and said "I respect you ... booker man."

Pillman then rolled out of the ring, walked out and went to ECW, but the joke was on Bischoff, because Pillman never came back, instead signing with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) later that year, as a "loose cannon."

See his respect, in the video clip below:


Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan vs Flyin Brian... by TSteck160

Where do you history buffs rank this in your pro wrestling OMG moments, if at all?

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Plus, in honor of the late great Pillman, a bonus video just for shits and giggles:


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