Roddy Piper Interview

[Guest Trivia247]

ROWDY RODDY PIPER ON NO HOLDS BARRED

 

This past week Rowdy Roddy Piper joined the No Holds Barred radio show to talk about a bunch of different issues in addition to promoting some of his upcoming NY appearances. NHB aims to bring you the biggest names in the wrestling business week in week out and if you'd like to hear the show in your area, log on to www.noholdsbarredwrestling.com and fill out the petition on the main page and then e-mail it to [email protected]. Now on to the highlights from our interview with "Hot Rod" himself, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

 

Roddy opened up by talking about his return to the WWE. He said it's a growing experience and while he's been under a certain degree of scrutiny throughout his career, the only way you have the right to kick up some dirt is by going back and facing the music and showing everyone you haven't wavered in your position. He said today's superstars are far more athletic and superior and while the new style is not what he's used to, he has been very happy with the WWE's efforts to clean up the product.

 

We joked with Roddy about the guarantee he gave us last time he joined us prior to joining the WWE where he said if he ever returned to the WWE he'd run down the aisle and put the "F" back on. He mentioned that he hasn't told anyone but he'd like to go out before the show at MSG and start mingling with the crowd and interacting with the fans in an improvisation setting and while it may be best served for him to pull the stunt when cameras are not rolling, he may also have to suck it up and do it when they are because he's getting older and he may not have many more chances to do so. He finished the statement by saying that he will do it eventually but the timing has to be right when doing so.

 

Roddy expressed a great deal of excitement regarding his return to Madison Square Garden this week. He said that many fans know that he is an independent spirit and that's something they like about him. He said MSG is a place where legends are created and where concepts are developed and he can't wait to return.

 

Speaking of his return to MSG, Roddy joked that he's considering setting up a tent since he will be in the building on Tuesday for Smackdown and then later in the week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the International Sci-Fi and Fantasy Creators Convention. He also put over his appearance at Baley's in Staten Island on Wednesday where he said he will conduct a LIVE Piper's Pit segment.

 

He confirmed that Tom and Bruce Pritchard had a lot to do with him returning to the WWE. He said that both of them have been great to him during his entire career and he trusts both of them completely. He noted that they went to bat for him and convinced management that he could still draw money and he didn't want to be labeled a coward for turning down the opportunity when both of them had stuck their necks out for him.

 

Roddy said he will be in the ring for the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday against Eddie Guerrero and he joked that he has been around so long because he's actually worked against Eddie's grandfather Hector. He joked about the segment with Eddie and Tajiri 2 weeks ago and in a light hearted fashion sent Eddie the following message "Eddie, I'm going to kick your ass this week at the garden".

 

He commented that Piper's Pit has sucked since it was brought back. He said the first one he did with Vince went great because they both were able to improvise. He said after that, the segment has been too structured and he's made it known that he needs to be able to be himself and the current setup is not his style. He said there are a lot of control issues going on behind the scenes and it's very difficult for him to operate in that kind of format. He said he has a lot of different Piper's Pit segments in his head and he hopes to use them more on the house shows and feels that if they go over then maybe Vince McMahon will alter his thinking that just because something is old doesn't mean that it's useless. Roddy closed the statement by saying he doesn't like the way he's being presented and feels it's a fight he isn't winning however he won't quit because that's not his style.

 

He said management was solely responsible for pairing him with Sean O'Haire. He said that people backstage felt that by putting O'Haire with him it would help Sean progress better by learning from Roddy however "Hot Rod" disagrees. Roddy said he doesn't mind being with Sean but he feels O'Haire needs to be given the chance to talk more. He feels O'Haire needs to be able to do his own thing because he's already talented and can cut a great promo and the problem with his character is that he hasn't been in situations where his character and his ability can shine thru. He said that nobody in creative has intentionally tried to hold Sean back and he has been trying very hard to get Sean to the next level. Roddy ended the statement by saying Sean O'Haire does not need to become the next Bob Orton because they are very different talents.

 

Roddy said he has no regrets regarding the Vince Russo controversy that took place during his brief NWA TNA stint. He said he feels he was a huge help because after the segment took place Russo had less of a role on camera in TNA. He said Russo was never supposed to come to the ring that night during his segment and feels that if a guy like Vince is the best they have to offer then it's a crying shame because he tore him apart in just 5 minutes. Roddy said that he feels like he rid the wrestling business of an evil for a short period and as far as the comments about Owen were concerned, he said Bret and the rest of the Hart family know how much he loved him.

 

We closed the interview by asking Roddy if he feels it's time for Bret Hart and the WWE to sit down and work things out for a proper farewell. Roddy said that in his own personal opinion, there is a lot of baggage Bret will have to deal with and a return can bring back a lot of bad memories. He questioned how much a man can take as Bret has went thru a lot of tough times during his life. He said he visited with him recently and told him he doesn't need to come back because he has nothing left to prove yet if he decided to come back it would have to be based on Bret's decision and if he did decide to return he'd be right behind him supporting his decision. Roddy also feels that it would be great for the fans but said that the backstage structure would be another issue Bret would have to overcome.

 

To hear the interview with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper log on to www.noholdsbarredwrestling.com. The No Holds Barred radio show is hosted by Jason Barrett and George "The Animal" Farmer and airs every Sunday night on 101.5 WPDH in parts of NY, NJ, CT and PA.