Time Doesn't Always Heal All Wounds

Here it is, one year to the day of Brian Pillman's death. I've read so many memorials over the past week and I've come to the conclusion that time doesn't always serve to heal all wounds. Brian died one year ago and as I put pen to paper this week, I still feel a great loss in the industry where he once resided. There remains a hole in this business that only Brian Pillman can fill. That hole will serve as a permanent reminder of the magic that Pillman brought to the industry. He left an indelible mark on the world of professional wrestling and on the hearts of many fans. That being said, this week's article serves as my own memorial to The Loose Cannon. This article was written the night of his passing one-year ago today. Many have read it, many have not. I am re-posting this for no other reason than to remind those who may have forgotten what it means to give your all to the business. Pillman overcame adversity after adversity after adversity, maintained a highly successful wrestling career and still kept a positive attitude.

The image that will always live on in my mind is that of the Rogue Horseman, Brian Pillman holding up the infamous four fingers signifying his membership in that elite group. Those four fingers in the air, he looked into the camera, grinned that mischievous grin of his and said "I'm all there is." You most certainly were, Brian. You most certainly were.

In the interest of space and time, I am offering the edited version of my original article. The entire original column outlines Brian's careers in both football and wrestling as well as his home life. For those interested, the entire article may be found at http://www.scoopscentral.com/inferno/100997.html

Rest In Peace, Brian Pillman

It was another Sunday evening and seven of my friends and I were all geared up for the WWF In Your House pay per view. Laughing and talking through the first few minutes of the pay per view, it seemed like it was just another fun Sunday night. However, when a very solemn Vince McMahon appeared on the screen, the room fell silent, only to hear this shocking announcement ..... one that seemed like a slap in the face:

"Ladies & Gentlemen, we have some tragic news to report. At approximately 5:00 o'clock central time, we here at the World Wrestling Federation were notified that Brian Pillman has passed away. Brian Pillman was last with the World Wrestling Federation last night in St. Paul, Minnesota and he was found dead in his hotel room in Bloomington, Minnesota this afternoon. At this juncture, we do not have any more information other than to tell you that Brian Pillman is dead. We here at the World Wrestling Federation offer our condolences to the Pillman family."

All we could do is look at one another in complete and utter shock.

"It's a work! It HAS to be a work" were the first desperate words out of my mouth, as I frantically began searching the Internet for the most recent news I could find. Throughout my search, all of us were trying to speculate what in the world could have happened. "If McMahon has crossed that line and if this IS a work, I'll never be able to watch wrestling again with a clear conscience." seemed to be the general consensus in the room that night. I couldn't imagine Vince McMahon crossing that ultimate line, especially after apologizing to the general public for the "gun" incident between Pillman and Austin only a year prior to this. However, it just seemed so bizarre that this would happen right in the middle of such a heated angle between Pillman, Goldust and Marlena. They wouldn't be so tacky as to have a "Who killed Brian Pillman?" angle, would they?

After approximately 10 minutes, I finally came upon an article that made my heart sink. It came across the AP newswire, which confirmed that Brian Pillman had indeed been found dead in his Budgetel hotel room located at 7815 Nicollette Avenue S. in Bloomington, Minnesota at 1:09 p.m. Though a release from the Hennepin County medical examiner's office mentions "injury", no foul play was suspected. However, they thought perhaps drugs (either prescription or recreational) could have played a part. Of course, as always, no solid proof will be available until the toxicology reports are completed within the next week.

"DAMMIT!", I yelled as I slammed my hand down on my desk. "What a waste!!" As the others in the room inquired about my outburst, I was compelled to inform them as to what I had stumbled upon. For the remainder of the evening, my heart simply wasn't into the pay per view at all. I watched it here and there but my mind was completely reeling from the news that Brian Pillman was dead. I spent the remainder of the evening surfing the internet for as much information as I could get my hands on but my attempt was in vain as I figured not much more would be released until the following day. I finally gave up, logged off of my computer and sat with my friends to watch the final match, the cage match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. This five star match certainly was the saving grace of an otherwise anti-climatic pay per view but with circumstances as they were, I think the WWF did the best that they could considering what they had to work with. I went to bed that night with this entire situation weighing heavily on my mind and needless to say, it was a restless night.

Monday morning brought with it a new week ahead, and luckily, slices of additional information surrounding Pillman's demise as well as some articles regarding Pillman's life and history in general.

Over the next 24 hours, I gathered as much information as I could find, including newsletter reports, AP reports, quotes and the like. Over the AP wire, I found an interview conducted with Eddie Sharkey on the day of Brian's death. Sharkey told the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, referring back to Pillman's match with Goldust on Saturday night, "[Pillman] came to the matches real early and he seemed fine but the last time I saw him, he was just staring into space." Pillman was also noted as having been caught sleeping on the floor of the dressing room which is relatively abnormal behavior. Sharkey continued, "We were supposed to go out and have a few drinks and eat. He was supposed to come with me but he just walked off, a real strange look to him." From the reports I've gathered, the last time anyone saw Pillman alive was at 10:45 p.m. Saturday night after he lost his match to Goldust and went back to his hotel room. He had also no-showed a house show on Friday in Winnipeg, Canada.

Monday night wrestling certainly wasn't going to have its usual spark, or so I thought. I flipped WCW's Monday Nitro on briefly since it comes on an hour before WWF's Raw Is War and was pleasantly surprised to see a blurb acknowledging the death of Brian Pillman at the beginning of the show. However, that was all that was to be said on that show about it. I half- heartedly listened to Nitro as I was doing some work on my websites and passing time until Monday Night Raw came on. I had no idea what was in store.

The tolling of the ring bell 10 times in respect for Pillman was absolutely, positively touching (as well as being unbelievably heart-wrenching). You could see the solemn looks of every person on that stage and you could just tell that at some point and time, Pillman had touched their lives enough to leave a long lasting impression on them. It was a very, very classy thing to do and I applaud Vince and the WWF for having the tact to remember Pillman in this manner.

Whether you loved him or loved to hate him, Brian Pillman certainly left his mark on the world of professional wrestling. He made us laugh, made us angry, made us wonder and constantly kept us guessing. From Flyin' Brian to The Ticking Time Bomb ...... from the cradle to the grave ..... Brian gave everything to the world of professional wrestling....

...... including his life.

We miss you Brian ....... We miss you. wRESTle in peace!

Carrie A. Messantonio - IPW@iName.com
IPW:Int'l Pro-Wrestling - http://welcome.to/IPW