a&e biography roddy piper

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REVIEW: A&E Biography – “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

John pollock reviews the second a&e biography in its wwe series with a two-hour documentary on "rowdy" roddy piper..

A&E BIOGRAPHY: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

A&E Biography aired its second feature in its WWE series with a two-hour documentary on Roddy Piper.

The documentary was strengthened by the focus on Roderick Toombs than simply the performer, which was two distinct personalities. Over time, the fictional version appeared to overtake the individual from a public standpoint in how Piper presented himself.

If there was a star of the piece, it was Kitty Toombs, the widow of Piper, who came off as a saint that yearned for her husband to get off the road and turn off the professional wrestling business.

Unlike the Steve Austin documentary, this one dove deep into his family and personal life yet the common thread between the two was the unforgiving toll this industry takes on the families and performers. For a documentary that had WWE involvement and cooperation, it wasn’t painting the industry in the brightest light. If you are an A&E viewer with a cursory understanding of the business, I can’t imagine you left with a strong affinity for this form of entertainment given the sacrifices required.

Piper’s history has always been difficult to navigate because fact and fiction were blurred for so long that the result was Piper having his own understanding by mixing them together. After he died, his children finished his autobiography and set out to separate the facts from the fiction because there was so much of the latter.

They focused a fair amount on his work in Los Angeles where he really broke out as one of the best heels in the industry for his promo ability. This era was obviously enough of a priority for the doc makers as they interviewed Gene LeBell and historian Rock Rims (who has written excellent books on the territory). There was enough existing footage to support a chapter in the documentary as it was his feud with the Guerreros that drew significant attention especially given that the show aired in other markets including New York.

In the Austin doc, his upbringing and pre-WWE career were encapsulated in just over twenty minutes. In this one, they focused a lot on his work in Los Angeles, Portland, Mid-Atlantic, and Georgia Championship Wrestling. In the case of Georgia, it was his usage as an announcer with Gordon Solie that lifted ratings to the already surging program while Piper continued full-time in Mid-Atlantic. This era climaxed with the Dog Collar Match against Greg Valentine at the first Starrcade event one month before Piper made his debut for the WWF at a taping in St. Louis.

The substance of the documentary was who this man was off-camera through the words and memories of his immediate family. Besides Kitty, there were lengthy interviews with son Colt, and daughters Ariel and Falon. Ariel has gotten involved in wrestling since her father passed away and between this documentary and interviewing her in the past, she is a tremendous speaker.

The home videos of Piper with his family came off endearing and were a rapid juxtaposition going from those moments to the out-of-control character on screen. The family clearly had their concerns about Piper acknowledging his partying and declining health in later years.

They didn’t shy away from the drug use, specifically noting cocaine with a scary reality outlined by Bret Hart that “the wrestlers became their own doctors” while on the road nursing pain with the breakneck schedule of the ‘80s, which was out of control. It was telling to hear from other wrestlers that on the scale of wild, Piper was as far out there as anyone without getting too specific.

It also outlined depression issues Piper suffered from stemming from his childhood trauma, which again, no one got specific regarding incidents other than the abuse he suffered at a young age appeared to be a burden he never was able to take off his shoulders.

The most significant wrestling portion of the documentary was dedicated to the first WrestleMania and the lead-up on MTV after The War to Settle the Score. The footage was incredible to relive given the sheer heat Piper generated from the angle involving the record being smashed over Lou Albano’s head and kicking Cyndi Lauper at Madison Square Garden. The War to Settle the Score aired on MTV six weeks before WrestleMania and generated a 9.1 rating featuring Hogan vs. Piper. The purpose of the match was to set up the main event of WrestleMania with the involvement of Mr. T.

It was explained in easy-to-understand terms for the non-wrestling fan of Piper’s aversion to working with Mr. T much less to lose to the outsider at WrestleMania. Hogan described himself as the babysitter and cited the old-school instincts of Piper and Paul Orndorff that missed the larger picture of what Mr. T was there to accomplish. Make no mistake, without Mr. T, WrestleMania is probably nowhere near the success it was and did mean the most of the four men involved in the main event match. The match was geared towards Mr. T pinning Piper, but the veteran wouldn’t go for it (demonstrating just how much influence Piper possessed and was willing to exert) leading to the compromise of Orndorff taking the pin after Bob Orton hit him with the cast.

Hogan said Piper made a large miscalculation by not agreeing to lose to him during the ‘80s as each could have made a lot of money if Piper was willing to lose. The mindset of Piper was that losing to Hogan was the one card he could always hold onto and the day he cashed that one in, his heel status would diminish like every other heel that was built up for Hogan to chop down. The reality is that Piper could talk his ass off and there was always going to be a prime spot for him. The two did reunite in WCW and did strong business together where Hogan got his long-awaited win after interference from Randy Savage in February 1997.

In a mild surprise, they did cover the HBO Real Sports interview that led to Piper’s firing from the WWE in 2003. Piper had returned three months earlier at WrestleMania in Seattle for his latest program with Hogan. The interview had been shot prior to Piper’s return but the air date was in June. Piper was vocal about the staggering death rate within the industry and included the eerie line that “I’m not going to make it to 65”, which sadly, he did not. None of Piper’s claims from the HBO interview were refuted and Vince McMahon stated they needed to part ways and could not believe the words coming out of Piper’s mouth.

It’s a complex topic and one that can’t solely rest on WWE; however, they are the industry leader and the subject of pensions and health care are still pertinent ones today where ex-wrestlers are frequently reliant on Go Fund Me campaigns for health ailments. Critics of Piper’s stance would argue that wrestlers must be responsible with their money as they are many that were not. However, we are living in an era where television rights fees and now streaming deals for WWE are astronomical with talent not sharing in that revenue but that’s a hill the talent needs to climb and won’t be concessions WWE, or UFC will make voluntarily by cutting talent into a piece of that revenue. There is no argument regarding WWE and UFC fighters being underpaid, only by how much and whether they have the organizational capacity to assemble and fight for a larger piece. History has determined that is not the case and is a great benefit to both promotions to avoid collective bargaining or any kind of organizational apparatus for its wrestlers and fighters.

Towards the end, they focused on Ronda Rousey extending the lineage of Piper within wrestling after adopting the “Rowdy” moniker during the early days of her MMA career. The day after Piper’s death in 2015, Rousey fought Bethe Correira in Brazil and spoke about Piper during her post-fight speech with Joe Rogan, which would have been a great clip to include.

Overall, I thought this documentary explored some more interesting aspects primarily with the family, which I found so much more engaging than any of the wrestling portions. In both documentaries, the toll is so great on the family and those are the ones you sympathize with. It takes an unbelievable drive to succeed at this level, but another reality is that it requires selfishness too. The trade-off is the top talent will provide for their family and give them a better life, but the cost is high with a father than is rarely present. When you hear your child or spouse state their wish was to have more time with you, it’s awfully difficult to reconcile that.

Copyright © 2024 | POST Wrestling

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

• Episode aired Apr 25, 2021

Focuses on "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who is universally considered one of WWE's greatest villains. During his Hall of Fame career, he played the role of the antagonist against a who's who of WWE ... Read all Focuses on "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who is universally considered one of WWE's greatest villains. During his Hall of Fame career, he played the role of the antagonist against a who's who of WWE greats, while amassing more than 30 championships. Focuses on "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who is universally considered one of WWE's greatest villains. During his Hall of Fame career, he played the role of the antagonist against a who's who of WWE greats, while amassing more than 30 championships.

• Vince McMahon
• Ronda Rousey
• Roddy Piper
• 2 User reviews

• Self - WWE Chariman & Ceo

• (archive footage)

• Self - Roddy's Son
• Self - Roddy's Wife

• Self - Roddy's Daughter
• (as Ariel Toombs)
• Self - Former NHL Player
• Self - Professional Wrestling Historian
• (as Keith Greenberg)

• Self - Roddy's Wrestling Coach

• Self - WWE Executive Director, Creative Writing

• Self - WWE Hall of Famer

• (as Sgt. Slaughter)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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User reviews 2

• May 10, 2021
• April 25, 2021 (United States)
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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Under the award-winning “Biography” banner, each episode tells the intimate, personal stories behind the success of some of WWE’s most memorable Legends and events. Through rare archival footage and in-depth interviews, each episode explores a different Legend and their immense impact in the WWE universe and on pop culture. Legends featured this season include Randy Orton, Sgt. Slaughter, Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon, Diamond Dallas Page, British Bulldog, and the longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.

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A&e biography – “rowdy” roddy piper: what we learned.

• April 29, 2021

Eric E. Jenkins

The A&E Network series Biography is featuring a number of professional wrestlers on its show. This week, the featured wrestler was the legendary “Rowdy” Roddy Piper . Fans know that Piper, as the villain to Hulk Hogan ’s hero, was instrumental in the birth of WrestleMania 1 . However, there is much about Piper that was not common knowledge. Viewers learned a lot more about “Hot Rod” from this show.

When he became a star, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper tried to be pinned as little as possible.

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper tried to lose as few matches as possible. He felt that by doing so, it would be more meaningful when it happened. Roddy lost the World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Title cleanly to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 8 because Piper knew that it would help Hart get over.

For Roddy Piper, family came first.

Because of his troubled childhood, Piper’s family was most important to him. Piper would return home from the road and rent a hotel room so that he could recover from his wrestling injuries. He never wanted his kids to see him in pain. Once he was home, Piper’s only concern was being a good husband and father. The family filmed as much of their lives as they could so that he could see the kids while he was away, and see what he missed when he returned.

After signing with Georgia Championship Wrestling, Piper began his career there as a heel commentator.

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper entered Georgia Championship Wrestling as a heel commentator who would ruffle the feathers of the babyface wrestlers. This would help him to generate heat. When the time was right, Piper engaged in physical confrontations inside of the ring.

Piper filled a notebook with quotes and sayings that he later incorporated into promos.

Piper’s ability to talk came from hours of preparation. Julius “Dr. J” Erving once said that a reverse dunk in a game was not dangerous because he had spent hours practicing the move. Piper approached promos much the same way. He would write down lines that he hoped to incorporate at some point or another, and he would use these thoughts when they best fit the circumstance.

Piper created the, “I have come to chew bubble gum and kick ass, but I’m all out of bubble gum” line and saved it for just the right time. John Carpenter liked the line and decided to use it in the movie ‘They Live.’

Piper was stabbed at least three times during his career.                       

Piper was such a successful heel during the kayfabe era of wrestling that the fans truly hated him. He was once severely stabbed in his chest. Another wrestler had to hold Piper’s wound closed. At the hospital, the doctor said that the blade missed Piper’s heart by 1/2 inch.

Because he had been stabbed multiple times, Piper wore a leather jacket that was he had lined with Kevlar.

Roddy Piper made a mistake that was almost very costly.

During the infamous Jimmy Snuka episode of Piper’s Pit, the WWF provided Piper with a gimmicked coconut for him to use as a weapon on Snuka. However, in the heat of the moment, Piper grabbed the wrong coconut and smashed it against the skull of “Superfly.” Surprisingly, Snuka sustained no injury. The two men were able to have an extended rivalry that drew considerable money for the company.

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper had a third career after his wrestling days were over.

After wrestling and movies, Piper was able to forge a career as a stand-up comic in his later years. He worked with comedy writers and turned his professional wrestling road stories into a stand-up act. The move to comedy allowed Piper to continue performing in front of live crowds without the pain of taking bumps.

Piper sent Hulk Hogan a message from the grave.

Hogan told a story about how, after he found out that Piper has passed, he noticed that he had a voice mail message from “Hot Rod” on his phone. The message stated that Piper had seen “the light” and was walking with Jesus. Piper told Hogan that Piper loved Hogan and would be praying for him.

Piper did not want his kids in the business.

Roddy Piper did not want his kids to follow him in the business, but their children made their own decisions. Of his four children, two have entered the world of combat sports. His daughter Ariel Toombs became a professional wrestler, working under the name Teal Piper . She has appeared for AEW and SWE Fury . Roddy’s only son, Colt Toombs, attempted to make a name for himself in the world of MMA.

Stay tuned to the  Last Word on Pro Wrestling  for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Sheamus fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of Sheamus and WWE content on the  WWE Network  and  Peacock .

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The cable station A&E has recently formed a tag team with WWE for a new set of Biography episodes. Focused solely on their stars, the series’ latest episode was on the legendary Hot Rod, Rowdy Roddy Piper . While some fans might think that there’s not much more that die-hard fans could learn about the legendary Hall Of Famer, rest assured there is.

Related: Every Version Of Roddy Piper, Ranked From Worst To Best

So far, one of the best parts about this series is that there are bits of information and embellishments on stories that fans have known for a long time. He was trained by Judo Gene LeBell, but did you know that LeBell also taught him how to be a heel? Or how close he actually was to the Hart family or "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey. There are plenty of new nuggets to learn in the special.

10 Bret Hart Explains The Cousin Story

For the past decade or so, it has been revealed that Roddy Piper is a cousin of The Hart Family, which was not disputed by anyone. Considering there were 12 kids, certainly a random cousin here or there could’ve also been part of the wrestling industry. Bret would explain that the cousin relationship was more of a term of endearment. Piper, much like Hart patriarch Stu grew up in Saskatoon, and he and Bret would joke that they have to be related somehow based on that location.

9 Rough Upbringing

Some wrestlers talk about growing up with a hard life. But it seems like "Rowdy" Roddy Piper really did. According to Piper’s son, Colt, Piper grew up moving around and always getting into fights so that he would garner a reputation of being the toughest and the other kids would leave him alone.

Related: Roddy Piper's 5 Most Treacherous Acts (& 5 Most Heroic)

Meanwhile, his daughter Ariel explained that her grandfather would beat Roddy. His widow, Kitty further explained that as the youngest of the family, Roddy always felt like an afterthought. He seldom wanted to talk to anyone about his early days, they were just too dark.

8 Leaving Home

After graduating high school, Roddy grabbed his bagpipes and left home. To survive, he lived in youth hostels, begged for change during the day, and fought hard for survival at night. Unfortunately, he even had to steal to get decent meals from time to time.

According to Hot Rod , it was Father O’Malley in the hostel who suggested he head into wrestling for 25 dollars a night. His first match was getting trounced by Larry The Ax Hennig. Eventually, an announcer would announce him as Roddy The Piper, and the name stuck for life.

7 Piper’s Notebook

Throughout the special, footage of Piper’s notebook was shown. Hot Rod would think of all kinds of one-liners and would jot them down. It helped make him so quick-witted in the ring and in the movies as well.

Related: 5 WCW Wrestlers Roddy Piper Loved (& 5 He Hated)

He handed director John Carpenter this notebook while filming They Live . Carpenter took the movie’s most famous line right from Piper’s book - “I’ve come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum.”

6 Playing The Bagpipes

From an early age, Roddy Piper played the bagpipes. According to Hot Rod, he was able to be pulled away from everyone and it became his hideaway. One fun story was when Roddy was in the California territory, feuding with the Guerrero family, his first real break thanks to his trainer Judo Gene LeBell. He told the fans that one week he would return and be able to play the Mexican National Anthem in tribute to them and apologize for attacking the Guerreros. Ever the heel, Piper played “La Cucaracha,” a song about a cockroach instead. The incident had the predominantly Mexican audience ready to attack the ring.

5 Meeting Kitty

Roddy never if ever spoke about his personal life, so it was nice for his fans to meet his children and widow, Kitty, and hear their stories of their dearly departed husband and father. When Piper headed to the Portland territory, that’s when he met Kitty way back in 1979. She was a waitress working the graveyard shift and according to Kitty all of the wrinkles on her face were from Roddy making her laugh. He would always ask her out, but it was eventually Piper’s tag team partner, Killer Tim Brooks who got them together. He asked Kitty to please give him his phone number because I’m getting beat to heck out there because all he does is think about you.

4 His Intro To Mid South

When Piper left the west coast and headed to Mid South, a new way to introduce a wrestler was born. Since Hot Rod’s mouth was his biggest asset, he came in as a color commentator. Little by little, his heel tendencies would peek through in his commentary. Until finally the real Hot Rod showed up. The nice suits were shed in favor of the traditional bagpipes and kilt and the region was finally introduced to the real "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, the guy “nuts enough to throw sticks and stones.”

3 The History Of The Leather Jacket

For years, Hot Rod wore a leather jacket, even to the point where it became an iconic part of his character. His son, Colt even gave it to Ronda Rousey so she could wear it during her shocking debut.

According to Colt, the jacket and any leather jacket he wore was lined with Kevlar, in order to protect the mega heel Piper from getting stabbed by wild fans, since several times over, he actually was stabbed.

2 The Birth Of The Pit

After Vince McMahon tried to teach Roddy how to be Roddy, Hot Rod said “give me the microphone and get out of my way.” As usual, Vince knew that he should play to a Superstar’s strengths and handed Rowdy his own talk show.

Related: The 10 Greatest Wrestlers To Never Be World Champion Anywhere

Everything about Piper’s Pit was unscripted, including the infamous coconut smash. Snuka might have known the shot was coming, but what he didn’t know was that Hot Rod grabbed the wrong coconut that hadn’t been gimmicked. No wonder Snuka was peeved off for the rest of their careers.

1 Refused To Job To Mr. T

According to Kitty, with Piper being very old school, he did his best to cooperate during the Rock N Wrestling Connection. He knew it was good for the business, but he always wanted to appear strong. Fans have long known that Hot Rod plain didn’t like Mr. T. Heading into WrestleMania, both McMahon and Hogan tried to convince Hot Rod to do business and lay down for Mr. T. Piper continued to refuse and at the first WrestleMania, still didn’t take the pinfall for the loss. Bret Hart also acknowledged this, knowing full well that when he defeated Piper at WrestleMania VIII , Piper wouldn’t lay down for just anybody.

Next: 10 Things About DDP's Career That Made No Sense

• Roddy Piper

10 Catchy 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper Quotes

But Rowdy Roddy was in a class by himself when it came to baiting opponents and fans with his insults and brash proclamations, his outrageousness leading to a run as host of the WWE interview show Piper's Pit and fueling a legacy as arguably the most notorious villain in WWE history.

Piper's reputation was bolstered by his willingness to embrace the bad-guy role and his careful behind-the-scenes preparation. He often stayed up late scribbling ideas into a notebook, leaving him ready to deliver the goods whenever a microphone was thrust in his face.

But Hot Rod was also capable of turning his focus inward, particularly in his later years, as he reflected on his decades of service to a demanding sport and the time spent away from his family.

Here are 10 quotes from a wrestling legend, featured in the A&E documentary Biography: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper , who always knew how to keep audiences tuned in to what he would say or do next:

On his ability to keep people on their toes: "Just when they think they got the answers, I change the questions."

On the importance of picking one's battles carefully: "You do not throw rocks at a man who's got a machine gun."

On his reputation as a troublemaker: "I think the most controversial thing I did was stir up controversy."

On his failure to be intimidated by the sport's champions: "I am the legend killer."

On an opponent's frightening face: "You couldn't get a date with a 100-dollar bill on your forehead."

On seeing a plan through (as quoted in the sci-fi feature film They Live ): "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum."

On his willingness to help another wrestler's career: "I wouldn't lay my shoulders down for anybody. But when I do, I make somebody. And it means something."

On his convincing performance as pro wrestling's ultimate villain: "The people wanted to kill me."

On his devotion to parenthood: "There's an old saying: You need a license to hunt, you need a license to fish, any jerk can have a kid, it takes a man to be a dad."

On the lasting thrills of his profession: "Best part of my job? When you come with your daddy, and your mommy and you're all excited. We can put a smile on a little boy's face – that's the greatest reward a guy could ever have in his life."

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