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?