When Stone Cold and the rest of the WWE locker room laughed at Brian Pillman’s drug issues. Pillman died of a heart attack in 1997.
Brian Pillman was one of the most controversial figures in the world of pro-wrestling. Despite wrestling being a second choice for him, he turned out to be a natural in it. It seemed only a matter of time before he would establish himself as a top talent.
Unfortunately, like many before him, Pillman failed to come to terms with life on the road and turned to drugs, alcohol and pills for comfort. He would eventually die of a heart condition he didn’t even know he had. Pillman was only 35.
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Before his eventual passing, Pillman had turned to a life of drugs and partying. This would cause him a lot of hardship in his personal and professional life. This would only worsen his issues with drugs as he looked for an escape.
Jonathan Snowden wrote of Ken Shamrock’s experience with the Loose Canon in his book, Shamrock: The World’s Most Dangerous Man. He wrote about how Pillman indoctrinated Shamrock into life on the road. The story also reflects how the WWE locker room viewed Pillman’s drug issues back then.
When Stone Cold and the rest of the WWE locker room laughed at Brian Pillman’s drug issues
(Excerpt from Shamrock: The World’s Most Dangerous Man)
“On one of my early trips, Brian was riding with me because he couldn’t rent a car,” Shamrock says. “He didn’t talk a whole lot and was drinking these Diet Cokes, one after another. There were four of them on the ground. He seemed a little off.”
“We get out to eat at this diner where all the boys had gone and he can’t walk. I thought he was dying, I went in and grabbed Stone Cold. I was really worried. Steve came out just to laugh at him. I thought he was dying but they told me he had just taken some gimmicks. That’s what they called somas.”
“He was literally drooling all over himself. Everyone was laughing at him and I just thought it was so cruel. I dropped him off in his room and thought ‘these people are wacked.”
This passage right here should serve as a reminder to how toxic the WWE dressing room once was. It is hard to imagine something similar happening in the WWE today. Not everyone may be friends with each other but a drug issue is likely not going to be something to laughed at.
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