Brian Pillman Jr. Talks Possibility Of Challenging Cody Rhodes For TNT Championship
Brian Pillman Jr. has had a couple of matches in AEW and is not signed quite yet, but he already has his sights set on winning a championship. He was asked about potentially challenging Cody for the TNT Championship when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast.
"I'd say it would be pretty wise to position myself for a title shot like that. That's something I should be aiming for. But I shouldn't be aiming just to have the match, I should be aiming to win the title," stated Pillman. "I've been drawn to Cody for a very long time ever since I met him in Calgary. I've been studying his work and watching his stuff and I think if he gets in the ring with me, he'll realize real quickly that I've got his number.
"If you give me that shot, if Cody thinks it will be some fun little title match to get him over and, 'Aw yeah, Pillman and Cody' and we shake hands afterwards, that's not gonna be the case. If I get that shot, I'm fully expecting to win the belt. I'm on fire right now; I'm on the best of my game. They better hope they don't put me in the ring with Cody and the TNT Title on the line unless they're fully expecting him to drop that title."
Pillman is finding his enthusiasm in wrestling again after a rough start to the year with the pandemic. He spoke about finding his groove again when it comes to wrestling.
"There are two kinds of people that handle the pandemic ? some people are still figuring it out and some people are still trying to feel safe. It really bothered me to be locked down and stuck at home a couple of months and it really put a lot of things in perspective for me. To be quite honest, the COVID-19 pandemic was the best thing that ever happened to me because it really reevaluated my values and my fitness and how I handle myself in the ring," admitted Pillman. "Any match could be your last match and I told somebody last night in OVW, 'This could be your last match so we need to treat every match like it's our last.' I go to the ring every time and I carry myself like I'm ready to win a championship."
Pillman recently appeared on AEW Dark in a tag match against FTR. He talked about venturing into tag team wrestling after largely making his name as a singles competitor.
"It was very contrasting because you've got a guy like me who is more experienced in the singles department?" Pillman started to say before pausing to note that he had just received a notification that adult entertainer Kendra Lust was now following him on Twitter.
"It was a contrast of a young guy coming in and very focused on the singles department but getting in there and somewhat being able to hang with FTR. Somewhat being able to show a little offense and a little fire. I think where obviously they're gonna outclass me 10 times out of 10 as far as teamworking and getting in and out of the ring and using my partner. But that was my first match ever with Griff Garrison. So, to think we still got a little bit in there and got to showcase our skill and athletic ability is quite a testament. We didn't go out there and get squashed by any means."
He added that a lot of people would look at that as a loss but he is glad he got to show he can hang. He stated that he and Garrison could turn into a real tag team and be a huge deal.
"If you look at AEW, it's all about tag team wrestling, brother. That's AEW in a nutshell. You've got all of the best tag teams in the world so I can't expect to walk into this company and just expect to be a singles star right off the rip. I've gotta pay my dues in the tag division as well. That's what I'm doing right now ? I'm paying my dues and showing up 100 percent in the best shape I can possibly be in."
Pillman's full interview aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here.