In the annals of WCW, there have been some great teams, many of which lasted for years. Yet the Hollywood Blondes are notable for how much success they enjoyed in a very short time. They lasted less than a year, but Steve Austin and Brian Pillman were one of the hottest teams in all of wrestling for that brief period. It wasn't just that they reigned as tag team champions, but the pair were terrific heels who always livened up programming.
Related: 10 Things Fans Should Know About The WCW Tag Team Championship
Sadly, the Blondes are also an example of WCW's ineptitude, from how badly their reign ended to the idiotic decision to split them at the height of success. Yet, for that brief time, the Blondes were one of the best pairings in wrestling and helped elevate both Austin and Pillman to stardom. Here are some things to know about the Hollywood Blondes and what made them one of the best teams of the 1990s.
10 They Were Teamed By Accident
The funny thing is that one of WCW's greatest teams was never meant to be. Steve Austin and Brian Pillman had worked a few matches in late 1992, but nothing was expected as Pillman was paired with Barry Windham.
But with Windham groomed for a singles run, he chose Austin as Pillman's new partner. Taking the name of an old tag team used in the 1970s, they began calling themselves the Hollywood Blondes. The irony is that because WCW didn't have any plans at the time for Austin, he ended up in this fantastic pairing.
9 Pillman Came Up With Much Of Their Look
In the "Loose Cannon" documentary, Austin shared how much of the Blondes' look was all Pillman. They had some input from Scotty Flamingo (better known today as Raven) for matching jackets, but Pillman had ideas like cutting up their boots for lights so they'd light up when stomped.
Related: 10 Things Fans Forget About Brian Pillman's WCW Career
He also got them matching chains with Austin still wearing his today in honor of his friend. Thus, Pillman had lots to do with how cool the Blondes looked in the ring and helped them connect with fans.
8 Their Great Ring Style
Making their PPV debut at SuperBrawl 3, the Blondes defeated Marcus Bagwell and Erik Watts to continue their rise up the ranks. The pair were terrific, as it's forgotten how skilled Austin was before his neck injury while Pillman remained a great high-flier.
The two were amazing, from technical work to brawling and gelling instantly as a team. They had the old "Phantom tag" to fool refs, among other cheating ways and were exceptional in promos. From the start, the Blondes were a perfect pairing that led to a fantastic team in the ring.
7 Their Fun Catchphrases
The Blondes lived up the Hollywood part with bits like bringing old-fashioned movie "snap boards" to the ring. They also had a fun bit where they'd make hand motions like an old-time movie camera to "photograph" fallen opponents.
Related: 18 All-Time Best Catchphrases In Wrestling Ranked
They also soon had their catchphrase as, after each victory, they'd tell opponents, "your brush with greatness is over"! Both men were amazing on the mic to insult opponents and a pair fans loved to hate. It was with the Blondes that Austin really took off as a top talker, which he'd use for his later fame.
6 They Had A Great Feud with Ricky Steamboat And Shane Douglas
As the Blondes began rising up the ranks, they were soon feuding with the WCW Tag Team Champions, Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. They had several TV matches before the March 27th episode of Power Hour, where the Blondes won the belts.
They had some rematches on various TV shows, with Steamboat and Douglas then taking on the masked personas of Dos Hombres to face the Blondes. The blow-off was to be at Slamboree, but Douglas was fired, so Tom Zenk took his place under the mask to end their feud. Yet it made the Blondes the champs and elevated them in the eyes of fans for more excitement.
5 Their War With The Four Horsemen
The Blondes were already outstanding with fans but truly took off when they did an interview on Ric Flair's "Flair For the Gold" segment. The pair were soon insulting Flair and Arn Anderson on their age, which naturally riled the pair up.
Related: WCW: Every Major Four Horsemen Feud Ranked Worst To Best
The Blondes followed it up with Pillman dressed like an old and feeble Flair for a "Flair for the Old" skit mocking the Horsemen. This led to a superb match at the June Clash of the Champions between the four that proved how awesome the Blondes were. The pair were doing amazing, but then WCW had to ruin it all.
4 Their Reign Was Ruined By TV Tapings
The reason for the Blondes' downfall was a goofy one, even by WCW standards. In 1993, the company decided to film three months of syndicated TV tapings in one long weekend at the Disney-MGM Studios. This gave away months of planned changes, including how the Blondes would drop the belts to Arn Anderson and Paul Roma.
They tricked the fans by having the Blondes retain at Beach Blast. However, Pillman sustained a legit injury, so at the August Clash of the Champions, Steve Regal (who had no relation to the Blondes) took Pillman's place for them to lose the belts. Thus, thanks to some WCW stupidity, their reign was done at 169 days, but that wasn't the worst of it.
3 Their Strange Split
Even after losing the belts, the Blondes were still incredibly hot and had a lot of potential left, making it all the more bizarre that WCW decided to split them up. Colonel Robert Parker showed up to praise Austin but badmouth Pillman.
Related: 10 WCW Tag Teams That Broke Up Too Soon
When Pillman attacked him, Austin, for some reason, decided to assault his friend and join Parker. The face turn never suited Pillman as he drifted until the Loose Cannon gimmick, while Austin left WCW in 1994 as the breakup marred both their careers.
2 A Perfectly Balanced Win/Loss Record
Win/loss records can be tricky in wrestling, especially with WCW. However, according to WrestlingData.com, the Blondes have a unique record in WCW. According to that site, the Blondes' overall win/loss record is exactly 52-52 with 8 draws.
The wins included several PPV matches and a good record on the TV shows, while the losses mostly came from their later time before their split. It's an odd record, yet it seems to fit the Blondes could be a perfectly balanced team, considering how well Austin and Pillman matched each other.
1 Their Brief WWE Reunion
When Pillman joined WWE in 1996, he was still recovering from a car crash, but they played on his partnership with Austin. At first, they looked like allies, but then Austin brutally attacked Pillman, supposedly breaking his leg. That led to the infamous RAW episode where Austin invaded Pillman's home and Pillman pulled a gun which nearly got WWE thrown off the USA Network.
They had a few matches in 1997 but nothing serious until Pillman's untimely passing, yet Austin still speaks warmly of his time with his good friend. The legacy of the Hollywood Blondes is WCW at its best and worst but still a great team.
