It is looking like the Hart Foundation’s H2tv series is on hiatus until they head to Philadelphia in February for MLW’s SuperFight show to tape more material. You can rewatch episodes one, two with a moonsaulting cat, and three if you are yearning for Teddy Hart and Brian Pillman Jr. Or, check out an interesting interview with Pillman by Chris Van Vliet.
The interview touches on a variety of topics.
Brian Pillman Jr.’s famous father passed away when Jr. was four years old. Jr.’s memories of his father include the raspy voice, a bolted cast on Sr.’s ankle, and the gun incident with Steve Austin on Raw.
One note about Vince McMahon is that he allowed Brian Pillman memorial shows from 1997 to 2001 with the proceeds going to the Pillman family to help them adjust to the loss of Brian Pillman Sr.
It took awhile for Pillman Jr. to find wrestling as a career.
“I felt I was a little bit betrayed by it. My mother told me that it killed my father. ‘Oh, it killed your father. The lifestyle, it’s too hard. You’ll never be able to do it.’ I figured I wasn’t in the NFL, I wasn’t a pro judo master, so maybe I can’t do wrestling. And then I learned it’s more than that. I started doing yoga, started getting in the gym, really putting on some weight, looking great. And then I started to realize I can do this.”
Pillman has a degree in business and information systems. He worked a corporate job for a year before he decided to try being a wrestler. Pillman drove the thirty hour scenic route from Ohio to Calgary to attend Lance Storm’s wrestling school. December 31, 2018 was Pillman’s one year anniversary of being the ring.
Pillman tries to walk that fine line of paying tribute to his dad but also being own man. He is not trying to copy Pillman Sr., but he does add in a few moves or symbolic objects to give fans the nostalgia pop that they want.
One thing that makes fans see the resemblance of father and son is Pillman Jr.’s mullet. That hairdo is a throwback to vintage style, a functional decision to keep hair out of his eyes, and a way to stick out. “It was a genius decision on my part. It’s extremely over and been booked all over the world because I have a mullet and my last name’s Pillman.”
The mullet even helps Pillman get car wash discounts.
I got 5 dollars off of my car wash today because the nice young lady recognized me as a pro wrestler #over
— Brian Pillman Jr. (@FlyinBrianJr) January 3, 2019
The next episode of MLW Fusion will feature Tommy Dreamer against Brian Pillman Jr. in a Singapore cane match. Pillman has an interesting mindset in regard to that fight.
“I have zero experience with the said canes, but, from what I’ve heard, they don’t feel very good. Yeah, I told him (Dreamer), I was like, ‘Hey, I got to earn my stripes.’ So, if I got to bleed, I got to bleed. We’ll do what we got to do. We pay our dues and that’s all I’m trying to do.
I’m trying to earn my respect, because things have come quick. The opportunities that have been thrown at me, you’ve got nothing to do but fail forward, right? You might fail because it might be up here and you might only be this ready, but then guess what? You fail forward and you get closer. All of a sudden, you are succeeding and things are coming quick, and I think I’m at that point. After a year, it’s like, oh, okay. I’m finally doing what I want to do and it’s working. Maybe I did what somebody else wanted me to do and it worked, or maybe I did what I wanted to do but it didn’t work, but, now, it’s like I’m doing what I want to do and it’s working.”
It sure seems like Pillman had his head screwed on right and isn’t taking opportunities for granted. I imagine the Singapore cane match will be the biggest bout to date in Pillman’s young career. I’m very interested in seeing how Pillman performs on a main event stage and to get a glimpse at his potential for the future.
That episode of MLW Fusion should be posted to YouTube at 6:00 pm ET tonight (Saturday, Jan. 12).
Other interview topics include what Pillman’s learned in his year of wrestling, wrestlers he looked up to as a kid, a Teddy Hart cameo, and a Lance Storm training story. I recommend listening to the full interview.
What do you think about Brian Pillman Jr.’s attitude toward the wrestling business? Do you like Pillman’s mullet? Are you excited to watch the Singapore cane match?