"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is one of the loudest and biggest names in professional wrestling. He's wrestled huge stars like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and even boxed Mr. T. "In the Pit with Piper" details all those events and much more.
I've read some great wrestling biographies i.e. Mick Foley and some bad ones i.e. Ted Dibiase and I would have to say that this is one of the better ones.. Roddy Piper never bit his tongue in front of the camera and he doesn't hold back here either.
We learn about how Piper got involved with wrestling in the first place, as well as when and why he added the kilt and bagpipes to advance his character. He talks about the highlights and lowlights of his career in the squared circle. All of which is pretty interesting, humorous, and often depressing.
Its not all has glamorous as it seems in front of the camera and the details given in the book do a great job in showing that. Wrestlers in general back then often didn't get paid a lot and didn't have the best living conditions. Its amazing some of the stuff Roddy has been through.
My only complaint is that it seemed like they went over a few things to fast and didn't touch upon some of Roddy's more controversial moments. I really would have liked to hear more about his match with Bad News Brown at Wrestlemania, which saw Roddy paint half his body black. I also would have liked to hear him say more about Owen Hart, besides his confrontation with Vince Russo about the subject.
If you are a wrestling fan, I think you'll definitely enjoy reading this biography. As I mentioned before, it really is one of the better wrestling biographies that is available to read. I hope that he does come out with another one as a follow up that details his battle with cancer and some other stories of his career.
I've read some great wrestling biographies i.e. Mick Foley and some bad ones i.e. Ted Dibiase and I would have to say that this is one of the better ones.. Roddy Piper never bit his tongue in front of the camera and he doesn't hold back here either.
We learn about how Piper got involved with wrestling in the first place, as well as when and why he added the kilt and bagpipes to advance his character. He talks about the highlights and lowlights of his career in the squared circle. All of which is pretty interesting, humorous, and often depressing.
Its not all has glamorous as it seems in front of the camera and the details given in the book do a great job in showing that. Wrestlers in general back then often didn't get paid a lot and didn't have the best living conditions. Its amazing some of the stuff Roddy has been through.
My only complaint is that it seemed like they went over a few things to fast and didn't touch upon some of Roddy's more controversial moments. I really would have liked to hear more about his match with Bad News Brown at Wrestlemania, which saw Roddy paint half his body black. I also would have liked to hear him say more about Owen Hart, besides his confrontation with Vince Russo about the subject.
If you are a wrestling fan, I think you'll definitely enjoy reading this biography. As I mentioned before, it really is one of the better wrestling biographies that is available to read. I hope that he does come out with another one as a follow up that details his battle with cancer and some other stories of his career.
Growing up, my favorite wrestler was Roddy Piper. I tuned in just to watch the pit and watch this master of the interview do his thing. This book was a really fast read; I did it in 2 days. The insight it provides and the backstage look at the industry from a guy who was there and had a hand in that history is phenominal. Unfortunately, I think the last few pages where Piper seems to drift into bitterness and tooting his own bagpipes, really took some of the shine off the book. This is unfortunate because Piper really is one of the greats, a giant in the land of mortals. He really didn't need to engage in those last 20 pages. Any real wrestling fan knows this. If you love pro wrestling, i have read many memoires from former wrestlers and this is the best from a class act. I'll give Hot Rod a pass on the bittrness and the last 20 pages or so because i respect him and he has earned it. Get this book you won't be disappointed. His inside view and opnions on the likes of Hulk Hogan and others is worth it. I laughed in parts and I shed a tear in other parts. Worth the read.
Great book about some of the history of wrestling.
