Pillman would ultimately develop the ‘loose cannon’ gimmick and people were legitimately concerned whether this gimmick was a work or not. Pillman was constantly working this gimmick, almost to a fault. One night while live on the air he grabbed Bobby Heenan’s neck, and Heenan swore out loud before storming off of the set.
Meltzer recalls another time when Pillman first met Vince McMahon, and he walked right up to McMahon and gave him a big hug, clearly making McMahon curious and uncomfortable. Meltzer assumes that Pillman’s goal was to make McMahon intrigued because if he could work McMahon, McMahon would develop some serious respect for him.
Pillman was determined to get a ticket to the Superbowl at one point so he could handcuff himself to the goal post. He knew he’d get arrested and would have to pay a fine, but he was willing to do that in exchange for the incredible publicity that this would give his ‘loose cannon’ gimmick. Unfortunately, no one would sell him a ticket once he told them his plan.
