Brian Pillman Jr. says he’s chasing the opportunities that are presented to him and it all comes down to business.
Pillman recently spoke with Louis Dangoor for WrestleTalk and commented on the photos of him backstage at last week’s All Elite Wrestling television tapings. Pillman was not only spotted in the crowd on Dynamite, but was also seen in a picture in ring gear standing alongside Chris Jericho. The former MLW World Tag Team Champion says the picture was not intended to be leaked, noting that a family member of another wrestler posted it on their personal Instagram account and it blew up more than they thought.
Pillman praised the safety measures at the AEW Dynamite taping and said the health and safety of the performers was most important, noting that “it was a very safe environment to feel protected in during such a wild time, during this pandemic.” Pillman says he looked at this as a big opportunity to put himself in front of a wider audience and set the tone for who he is, and to prove he’s worth giving an opportunity to.
Brian Pillman Jr was under contract with MLW, but he says a provision in his contract allowed him to go pursue work for AEW. Pillman says he wanted to stick with MLW and had a great career there but the COVID-19 pandemic caused some promotions like MLW to temporarily shutter and he wanted to keep working.
“I think what happened with the COVID-19 pandemic was they got very apprehensive with running shows and meanwhile you have IMPACT, AEW and WWE that are running shows with no fans, so it was just hard for me to sit still and wait for them to bring me an opportunity. I just went out and chased the opportunities that were available to me. Per my contract,” Pillman said, “I was allowed to work for AEW so it was a no-brainer to chase an opportunity at AEW.
“I’m not sure what their future plans are or when MLW’s next show is. I think not having that information, not having that security and knowing when I was going back to work made it easier to look somewhere else for work. I truly wish MLW all the best in their future endeavors. It appears that they removed me from the roster, which is completely understandable,” Pillman said, “but I was never really informed about their status with me. I simply informed them that I was going to go look for other work. No hard feelings, it’s all business, but yeah, they have a lot of great talent and I wish them all the best.”
Pillman would like to say his future is very bright but he can’t because it’s very “Dark.” Pillman joked that he was informed he had an “explosive” performance and it’s up to AEW if he’s used again. He went on to praise how important AEW Dark matches are because they build new talent and the main show, and he was happy to see how much was invested into both shows.
Check out the full interview with Brian Pillman Jr below:
