Roddy Piper on How Theatrics Ruined Wrestling (2002)

You cut your hair, man, you look different, do I look better or worse, oh, you look cute and he's not as big as I expected, you know what Dwayze is like in that movie, you know, damn, you're not that big, yeah , make me angry. go ahead and watch me grow up you know but robin i love you i've been a big fan of yours uh i'm a big fan thanks to the troublemaker god bless you are you still a troublemaker or not

roddy

you know the troublemaker was just Nothing was ever premeditated in my career. I couldn't think of a name.

I came fifth in the world playing bagpipes the first time I fought professionally. The pipe band played me in the ring and my name is Roderick. The announcer simply knew it. he didn't know I was a substitute, he said ladies and gentlemen, here comes Roddy the Pied Piper and the blood just fell and, but you, in your new book you talk about Vince McMahon in a non-flattering way, yes, I love it. you hate him you hate him no no I don't hate him I don't hate him okay so the following are

roddy

quotes about vince mcmahon on the state of

wrestling

okay I want

wrestling

to get back on track do you? that? vince mcmahon forgets that he didn't do the wrestling that his father did and that's true his father started the whole wrestling business i think maybe even his grandfather was right so what is he doing wrong ?

What are you talking about? Know again, uh. No, I'm not a purist, am I? I have kids, I love my kids, that's why I live for them, so you turn on wrestling and he has the Vince McMahon kissing my ass club while pulling down the back of his pants. He shakes his butt and says look at my butt, he even does tricks, I thought to myself, oh, I've known this for 30 years, boy, oh yeah, and then you know the thing was no, it's true what they're doing, so you hate the fact. Okay, but isn't the WWF always about

theatrics

and isn't it about shocking and isn't it about uh like but are you saying that the story lines used to be better, broader?

No, first of all, there were no story lines. I've never had a story in my life. You never gave me a script when you were a wrestler. There was one time in WWE that a referee came with a fax for me and said, "Get in the ring." The referee calls us. He gives instructions and calls. Bell, what the hell did you think was going to happen until the bell rings? I can't make money, that was the only script you got. I threw it back at the guy, no, you know, the art of wrestling is, uh, but you always knew that.

Beforehand who would win things, the only thing that was known was that they wanted a common ending, whatever how you got there, that's the magic of the rest, it's up to you to be spontaneous, yes, that's where the improvisation comes, there too many scripts. and too much acting absolutely wrestling, you know, uh, like they told me in New York when I did it, they live. If you ever thought wrestling was acting you are wrong, yeah now why don't you start your own wrestling? What happened? you were big in the right half yeah I mean you were doing your own show you had you had you were you were like the nicest corner in wrestling what happened what happened there was a fight I'm not telling you what um when wrestlemania 3 and the silver dome 93 000 people uh john carpenter asked me to do the movie they live and vince mcmahon jr got mad at me because he said I'll have another movie for you in four weeks.

I told him that now with john carpenter directing it properly so he sent a message from my lawyer that hulk hogan and vince mcmahon are the only true blue wwes the fight really happened when they offered you your movie and vin told you not to do the movie you I'll put it in a movie yes because you didn't do it He doesn't fulfill that, yes sir, he exactly fell from grace and therefore becomes persona non grata. He can't return to WWE. Go, you know, go at the speed you've chosen, but do a faster bar. Said? listen vince I just want to make the movie I love the wwf I want to speak rationally here I don't want to be outside but he didn't listen to you yes and also two or three days ago I sent a book by fedex to Vince and as nice a letter as I could write telling him this encapsulated vince I don't want anything from you your league is too far away I have to make it very clear that you are playing that I was the sickest of all okay, you seem crazy frankly I don't think it's an accident are you taking any medication? you have to take medication no no no no you're not going to take medication no, I did that too I remember there was a steroids uh investigation and as you know, you admit to having taken steroids, of course, yes, yes, of course yes, yes, I don't have no problem with that.

I don't know, you know one of the things the government used to do with that steroid stuff. It's testosterone, they would say this doesn't improve athletic ability, this is your government kidding kids, well we knew he did it right away, which discredited anything the government had said at the time, they took that label off and, sir, you're still trying, so you know. he does it or he doesn't do it well now they say he does so stop playing with him you should be able to take him if he doesn't improve athletic ability not well depending on if you can't get him a heart or not you know This obviously prevents you from getting excited, uh, no, you know what gave my four kids really absolute testosterone when you took steroids.

Did your nuts get smaller after the cycle goes through a six-week cycle and the scale the synthetic wears out, do your nuts go away? smaller and you have to take a thing called pomegranate pomegranate 12 and I think it's called changes like a female hormone that balances things out good complicated chemistry and I can even see on your wrist you broke your wrist you won't have It fixed because they say you won't be able to play the bagpipes again. How did you know I read your book? Ah, you did it, man, yeah, honest to God, if someone is going to give me an honest guy, what did you think is really honest? well i did it from my memory and from my heart so the point is when it comes to wrestling with vince mcmahon you would like to see a loosening of the ropes where every word is not written where vince is not in charge of everything What I told you, I sent a book to Vince and in the note it basically says this: clean up the sexual part and I will get you back on the right path with wrestling.

I have no problem with you if you don't. I officially declare that wrestling is dead.