Boom ‘Jackson’ Swallen, the grandson of Brian Pillman and nephew of WWE NXT’s Lexis King, will be a guest at a State of the Union speech following an immense show of bravery. 

Last month, Swallen was honored for his efforts in thwarting an attack on Mariemont High School near Cincinnati. The 14-year-old came across another teen who was planning an attack on students and staff. Despite being threatened to keep quiet, Swallen contacted his father who called 911 and alerted school officials. 

Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said the teen was deep in the stages of planning an attack with help from an adult who was located out of state. On Twitter, Lexis King praised his nephew as a hero. 

This is my nephew Jackson Swallen. As you can probably tell he’s got the genes of his late grandfather Flyin Brian Pillman! 15 years old and already a national hero, we are all so proud of him!!! ???? https://t.co/6OimLZfG08

— King (@LexisKingWWE) February 12, 2024

Boom Swallen at the State of the Union

Boom Swallen showed immense courage and will be a guest at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. Swallen will be the guest of Congressman Greg Landsmen for the address that will take place later today. In a statement, Congressman Greg Landsman (D) praised Swallen’s quick thinking and bravery at the time. 

“Boom serves as a testament to the principle of ‘if you see something say something.’ Students should never feel unsafe at school, and we must be the generation of parents to end the national gun violence nightmare.”

Speaking to FOX 19, Swallen shared why he informed his father despite the threat made against him. 

“He said that he would kill me immediately if I told anybody. [But] I care about the kids at my school’s lives and I knew that it was the right thing to do.”

In February 2023, Landsman joined the House Gun Violence Task Force to advocate for gun violence prevention reform. Currently, firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the United States.  

Boom ‘Jackson’ Swallen, the grandson of former WCW and WWF wrestling star Brian Pillman, was noted by law enforcement and prosecutors and will be honored nationally after he helped thwart a planned attack against his school.

Swallen, a 14-year-old student at Mariemont High School near Cincinnati, came across another teen in the school planning an attack on ‘students and staff,’ according to Cincinnati TV station FOX19. The teen threatened Swallen if he told anyone about the threat.

According to prosecutors, despite being threatened by the suspect if he informed anyone, Swallen contacted his father, Zachary Swallen, who called 911 and alerted school officials. 

The 14-year-old suspect was arrested by the Mariemont Police Department. Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said the teen was deep in the stages of planning an attack with help from an adult who was located out of state.

The attack focused on the main school office and several students and staff members. 

Heroic Teen Thwarts Credible Threat

Powers praised Swallen’s actions in alerting authorities to the attack. 

“We believe that this was going to be carried out,” Powers said in a media report to FOX19. “We believed it was a tragedy that was averted because of the bravery of a student and the family doing the right thing. They saw something. They heard something, and they said something.

We believe that had that student not come forward, and nobody discovered the plan that was out there for weeks and being planned by this student of Mariemont, we’d be talking about a tragedy in our community with a lot of lives lost.”

Powers said the FBI has joined the investigation of the incident and law enforcement in Colorado had contacted the adult who is accused of helping plan the attack. 

Swallen will be honored by the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, an organization devoted to ending school violence following the Robb Elementary School attack in Uvalde Texas 

“The second someone steps in and says something that makes you a hero, that makes an impact on everyone around you and the things that could occur,” said Rebecca Engle of the Uvalde Foundation For Kid’s. 

According to Boon’s father Zachary, his mother is Dani Pillman, the daughter of Brian. 

WWE star Brian Pillman Jr., who wrestles as Lexis King in NXT, confirmed Swallen is the grandson of the late Loose Cannon.

This is my nephew Jackson Swallen. As you can probably tell he’s got the genes of his late grandfather Flyin Brian Pillman! 15 years old and already a national hero, we are all so proud of him!!! ???? https://t.co/6OimLZfG08

— King (@LexisKingWWE) February 12, 2024

Melanie Pillman, widow of Brian Pillman and mother to AEW star Brian Pillman Jr., passed away on Wednesday.

Melanie Pillman appeared on WWE television a few times during the Attitude Era, including the infamous Steve Austin “home invasion” storyline that saw Brian Pillman pull a handgun on Austin (1996). She also appeared on Raw after Brian Pillman’s untimely passing the following year.

More recently, she appeared on the Dark Side of the Ring episode about her late husband.

On behalf of everyone at SEScoops, we extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Melanie Pillman.

Brian Pillman Jr. on His Mother’s Passing

Brian Pillman Jr. posted the following statement on social media about his mother’s passing:

Yesterday at approximately 1:00pm my mother, Melanie Pillman, was pronounced dead.

Those of you who know our family story understand that I didn’t have the best relationship with my mother, though my sister and I had recently been in touch with her, working to improve that relationship.

While I didn’t spend too much time with her, she would ALWAYS tune into my twitch streams and interact with my fans, often times sharing with them old stories about my father and the wrestling business. She had been helping out my sister with her son Asher by purchasing him baby clothes, and was on relatively good terms with everyone as of late.

Her death, while unexpected, was not surprising. Her lifestyle choices that dominated the better part of the last 25 years of her life had ultimately caught up with her.

She was as intelligent as she was beautiful and her dark sense of humor could make even the biggest prude burst out in laughter.

Although I had my built up resentment towards her, I was very proud of her for taking part in the DSOTR documentary and sharing the truth about our family story. That was the beginning of us mending our relationship.

I do have regrets. I regret not giving her the time of day when she was trying so hard to be in our lives again. I regret not texting her back even though I had the time to. I regret not trying harder to break her of her bad habits and help her get the help she needed.

A couple weeks ago she had been tuning into my twitch stream when she told me in chat that she was coming over to Linda’s house to drop off some trading cards. I didn’t see it in chat so I was annoyed at her for showing up un-announced. I met her outside and accepted the gift and gave her a hug and she went on her way. I truly regret not sitting down with her for a little bit or going to grab lunch with her. I regret being upset with her simply because she wanted to see her son. She actually looked really healthy and sober. That was the last time I saw her.

Thank you mom for bringing me into this world and for trying your absolute best. You were my number 1 fan in wrestling and on Twitch.

Rest In Peace. I love you.

Monday, October 5th marked 23 years since the death of wrestling legend Brian Pillman. The “Loose Cannon” famously once convinced Eric Bischoff to legitimately release him from his WCW contract as part of a groundbreaking ‘worked shoot’ storyline back in 1996. Pillman would use the opportunity of being a free agent to sign a big contract with WWE.

During a recent episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff spoke about his memories of Brian Pillman. Co-host Conrad Thompson asked Bischoff about his reaction upon finding out that Pillman has passed away.

“My own personal reaction, I was – devastated might be too strong a word, Brian and I weren’t that close and I don’t want to suggest that we were – but I was really saddened by it, obviously,” Bischoff said. “Brian was someone who I considered a friend regardless of the business issues that we may or may not have had from time to time.”

“Beyond those issues, Brian was just someone that I dug being around,” Bischoff continued. “He was a guy that I got to know a little bit in WCW prior to getting into management. Spent a little bit of time with him on a European tour and had quite a bit of fun.”

Bischoff continued by saying that he and much of the WCW locker room were devastated by his passing. As tragic has his death was, Bischoff says that he and others were not entirely surprised at Pillman’s demise due to the lifestyle he was living at the time.

“It was, I would say, shocking but not surprising, is unfortunately probably the most accurate way to state most people’s reactions. Regardless of what was going on in Brian’s personal life, he was a very well-liked individual.”

• Brian Pillman Jr. Talks What Legends Have Helped His Career Thus Far

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Eric Bischoff has praised the chemistry that existed between Steve Austin and Brian Pillman during their time as The Hollywood Blonds. The two tagged together during in WCW. Bischoff opened up about working with the duo during a recent episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks. 

“I had the opportunities to kind of watch Brian and Steve backstage, not so much watching them in the ring. Which, is always fun to watch don’t get be wrong, but it was also fun watching them together backstage” Bischoff said. “They really enjoyed working together, the chemistry was great. Again, you know, similar personalities, different interests I’m sure but similar personalities in there.”

Eric Bischoff On Austin/Pillman’s Relationship

Eric Bischoff opened up about how Pillman could be “moody” from time to time. He explained, “It goes with the territory but for the most part, you know when you see these two guys together? They were cutting up. they were having a blast. You could tell the chemistry was there.”

He noted how the two weren’t merely “tolerating” each other. Instead, he could see how much they truly enjoyed hanging out and spending time together. Not only with their professional in-ring work but in travelling together and just hanging out. “It was great, great chemistry with amazing talent, which is why it stood out as much as it did.”

Teaming together as The Hollywood Blonds, Austin and Pillman won the WCW World Tag Team Championships and the NWA World Tag Team Championships.

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription

Brian Pillman Jr. was the guest on the most recent episode of Talk is Jericho.

Host Chris Jericho and Pillman Jr. covered a wide range of subjects, including Pillman’s memories of his father, who died when the younger Pillman was just four years old.

“Growing up, I knew he was a big deal in wrestling, and I knew that he was a famous person in that business, but I more or less thought that people would forget about him,” Pillman said. “I was so wrong about that.”

Training For Wrestling

Pillman also discussed his decision to get into the wrestling business, and specifically his choice to begin his training in Calgary with Lance Storm. He said that his father’s ties to the city were one reason for his choice, but perhaps not the driving factor.

“I did my research,” Pillman said. “Who’s the best trainer? I want to be in the most professional training environment.”

Pillman also said that Storm presented him with the pros and cons of the wrestling business before he agreed to take him on as a student.

“More or less, I was led to believe by my mother and my family that this would be bad for me, that it was going to do all this harm to me, that it killed my father and all that. But then you meet guys like Lance and you [Jericho] that, it didn’t kill you, you’re still making a good living,” Pillman said. “All these people that say wrestling is terrible are wrong.”

Football

Pillman also spoke to his decision to go to college before entering the business. He said that while he had impukses and ideas of following in his dad’s footsteps right out of high school, ultimately he chose to pursue an education first, so that he would have something to fall back on.

Pillman talked about his high school football career, and how it paralleled his father’s football career as well. Both played defensive line, and in spite of their small stature, both were successful. “I went to the d-line, and at 185 pounds, I was just manhandling dudes,” he said.

Steve Austin

Steve Austin was a pivotal figure in the elder Pillman’s career, and the two were tag partners in WCW.

In the interview with Jericho, Pillman Jr. mentioned that Austin reached out to him via Twitter. Austin would later send the younger Pillman a weightlifting belt that belonged to his father.

Austin also reached out when Pillman Jr. recently suffered a knee injury, and offered some moral support and advice.

Other topics covered in the interview include a very early interaction with Triple H, different training philosophies, choosing a functional hairstyle, and learning moves.

The full interview can be found below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVr92Bx2-wY]

What did you think of Jericho’s interview with Pillman? Will we see him in WWE one day?

Brian Pillman Jr. was a guest on Wrestling Observer Radio over the weekend. The son of the late “Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman spoke with Dave Metlzer and Bryan Alvarez about a wide variety of topics during their half hour discussion.

Pillman spoke about his decision to follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a pro wrestler, what he perceives to be his strengths and weaknesses, his father’s legacy and much more.

Pillman was only four years old at the time of his father’s tragic passing. It was such a surreal moment that when his family was called and informed about the tragedy, he thought it was a television angle, “like Austin and the gun.” Young Pillman Jr. was so unsure of the nature of the call versus the reality of it that he actually thought “my dad’s death was a work.”

The second generation wrestler recently made his debut for Major League Wrestling. Pillman, along with Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart, comprise the new Hart Foundation faction that is already making waves in MLW.

Listen to Brian Pillman Jr. on Wrestling Observer Live over at F4WOnline.com.

https://twitter.com/antmaurizio/status/1028745725285421057

Brian Pillman Sr.

Brian Pillman was at the forefront of edgy storylines during the 90s, and seemed to relish the opportunity to push the boundaries of his character and whatever feud he was involved with.

From his time with the Four Horsemen and the initial beginning of the “Loose Cannon” gimmick, where he would court controversy through a myriad of worked shoots, including grabbing the mic during SuperBrawl VI and directly referring to Kevin Sullivan as “booker man,” to the previously mentioned altercation between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and a more developed “Loose Cannon,” where the infamous WWF segment took place with Austin breaking into Pillman’s home only to be confronted with a gun as the camera faded with the sound of screams, supposed gunshots and carnage. The then WWF would later have to apologise for the entire angle.

With Pillman Sr. being so willing to blur the lines of his own reality and character, it’s not surprising that a four-year-old Pillman Jr. would believe the initial reports of his father’s unfortunate passing were a work.

The son of late former WWE Superstar Brian Pillman, Brian Pillman Jr., made his professional wrestling debut over the weekend in Indianapolis. He defeated Jonathan Wolf in the match, and Wolf took to Twitter to offer some kind words to Pillman afterwards:

I️ just wanted to say @FlyinBrianJr is the real deal and I️m honored to be your first match

— Johnathan Wolf (@LilNYGhTQuIL) December 31, 2017

Thank you for taking care of me tonight! Wrestling is such a beautiful and exhilarating thing when the 2 people in the ring have a special bond like we had as soon as we met. You are so young yet so wise…

BLESSED is the only word I can think of right now!!! 🙏💪🔥😇 https://t.co/SZTZTZuIcc

— King (@LexisKingWWE) December 31, 2017

Pillman was just three-years-old when his father passed away back on October 5th of 1997. He suffered from a heart attack caused by undetected arteriosclerotic heart disease. Interesting enough, Pillman died from the same disease that took his father’s life as well. He was in the middle of a feud with Goldust and Marlena. Pillman was scheduled to face Dude Love at Badd Blood: In Your House but was a no-show for the event as bell time approached.

Jim Cornette was tasked with finding Pillman’s whereabouts and called the hotel that he was staying at, and the receptionist informed him that the maids had found him dead in his room earlier that day.

Pillman Jr. seems set on following in his father’s footsteps and one day making it to the WWE, as he explained in an interview with Wrestle:List:

“I will tell you right now that I think the company that will benefit the most from me becoming a wrestler would be the federation [WWE], just because they have the trademarks, they have the name and they have the merchandising of my father,” Pillman Jr. said. “So I think it would be wise for me to go there. Obviously at the end of the day we want to make a good living for ourselves and we want to make it as big as we can.

“I think it might be smart for me to perform on the indies for while to get experience in the event that I might not make it, that way I’d still make a living for myself. I will say that making it to the big leagues, making it to WWE would be a dream come true. It would be the ultimate goal to follow in my father’s footsteps. One guy I look to, to compare what my possibilities would be is Cody Rhodes. Obviously he had the father and the whole legacy going for him and he went to the WWE and it wasn’t a good fit for him. He didn’t want to go with their plans and he had bigger plans for himself. Just seeing him thrive and doing so well on the independent scene has given me more options.”

Brian Pillman Jr. recently contacted Lance Storm about training to be a professional wrestler at the Storm Wrestling Academy in Canada. Brian was referred to Storm by Steve Austin.

Brian Jr. was 3 years old when his father passed away on 10/5/1997. Pillman passed away from a previously undetected heart condition that also led to the death of his father several years before.

Below is a photo of the 23 year old and a recent post he made about his father:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOsqPTCBqaQ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BODAgoRB5ey/

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Chris Jericho took to Twitter on Friday to comment on the passing of former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland, who died at age 48 of cardiac arrest on Thursday night in his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota.

In an interesting pro wrestling connection to the rock stars’ passing, the hotel that Weiland’s bus was parked at is located just a few miles away from the hotel where former WWE and WCW Superstar Brian Pillman died in the same city back on October 5, 1997.

Below are the tweets Jericho posted on Friday regarding the passing of Scott Weiland.

Sorry to hear about the passing of my friend @thescottweiland. Legendary frontman, but soooo troubled. Sleep well bro… #vaseline

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) December 4, 2015

On the bus (and the only one still up) listening to #Core by @STPBand. I hated the 90s at the time…but in 2015 it’s genius. #RIPWeiland

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) December 4, 2015

• VIDEO: Dana White Reveals How UFC Will Decide CM Punk’s Debut Opponent …

A lot of the factors in pro wrestling are subjective. Some people enjoy this, some people enjoy that. Some fans prefer a better in-ring technician, some like a strong promo guy and others enjoy a great character. No one is wrong, because it’s all personal preference.

Generally speaking, when an editorial features a list, it’s “the best of” or “the worst of.” Today, we are going to switch gears a bit.

In keeping with the subjective theme, today we are going to look at who I personally consider to be the five best factions in the history of the business. Not the five best, my five favorite. And I’ll explain why, starting with …

#5. The Varsity Club

Many of the current generation of wrestling fans may have never even heard of The Varsity Club. Growing up, they were one of my favorite wrestling stables.

The original group consisted of Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotunda and Rick Steiner, all of which wore their amateur wrestling letterman jackets. The guys were among the most legitimate tough guys in the business at the time, and the group had the perception of being the baddest son of a bitches on the planet.

As is the case with any wrestling stable, as time went on the group was watered down. Members such as “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and “Dangerous” Dan Spivey were added to the mix, and before too long, the group ceased to exist. While they were around though, in my opinion, they were pretty damn cool.

#4. The Fabulous Freebirds

As far as I’m concerned any writer who doesn’t include The Fabulous Freebirds on their “top stables” or “top factions” lists should have their head examined. The Freebirds were as cool as it got when I was a youngster.

The group was led by Michael “P.S.” Hayes, a current WWE creative team member who is credited with introducing theme music to the ring-walk portion of the professional wrestling presentation. The group consisted of Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy and Buddy Roberts. Roberts was considered a great in-ring technician, and prior to the Birds, had a lengthy career worthy of Hall Of Fame status. In fact, Roberts was part of the original “Hollywood Blondes” tag-team, a name that was later used for the team of “Stunning” Steve Austin and “Flyin'” Brian Pillman. Gordy was a legend in Japan and portrayed the “enforcer” role in the group. Hayes was a rock star and easily one of the most charismatic wrestlers of his time, if not of all-time.

Later on, Hayes and Jimmy “Jam” Garvin would bring back The Fabulous Freebirds as a straight tag-team act. How this group has yet to receive an induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame confuses me to this very day.

#3. D-Generation X

I’m of the belief that there is not a fan of North American professional wrestling that has not heard of D-Generation X. That would mean they did their jobs and left a lasting legacy in the business.

D-X consisted of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude. When the group officially formed, you could make the argument that along with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, they officially ushered in the infamous “Attitude Era” in WWE. They did things for shock value at a time when Howard Stern, The Jerry Springer Show and many other shock-television style shows reigned supreme. It was a natural fit, and the group really cemented Triple H as a main event performer in WWE.

Later on, as is the case with every faction or stable in history, an attempt was made to get the gang back together, only this time — it worked. You could argue that the second version of D-X was actually more successful than the first. The second group featured Triple H as the leader instead of Michaels, and his group consisted of Chyna, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn and “The Road Dogg” Jesse James. Anyone who saw WWE RAW the night that D-X “invaded” WCW will never forget that moment. It was amazing entertainment and really symbolized the “Monday Night War” going on at the time between WWE and WCW.

D-X was brought back again in the 2000s as a straight tag-team act that featured the two original members — Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Personally, I didn’t enjoy that run nearly as much as their first run, but it was still a cool thing to see the two back together having fun.

Continued on page two …

The following are highlights of WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin talking about wrestlers facing physical issues with fans inside and outside of the ring during his appearance on the Bro Bible podcast.

On how wrestlers would handle fans jumping into the ring during his days in the business:

“It’s a whole different ballgame these days. In the old days, if a fan stepped into the squared circle, he was considered fair game. Normally, the heel took care of the business at hand, because the babyface was the guy the crowd was supposed to be cheering for but both guys in the ring would have to access the risk. Back in the old days, when wrestlers had genuine heat with fans, you never knew what guys were walking into the ring with.”

On wrestlers having to deal with fights outside of the ring:

“As a Hollywood Blonde, Brian Pillman and I had some pretty good heat, but it was well past the time in our industry where you had to worry about a fan trying something on the way back to the dressing room. I’ve heard stories of guys having to fight their way back to the locker room and getting stuck with knives or people try to cut them back when wrestling was quote, unquote real.

I’ve never personally had any altercations with fans in an arena or out in public. The worst I’d get was maybe some drunk guy at a bar wanted to arm wrestle but I’d usually just defuse the situation with a “hey man let me buy you a beer” and things would blow over.

Thankfully, but almost regretfully, none of those old “drunk guy at a bar” ever transcended into an altercation with me just because a wrestler always wants one old war story to tell.”

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