Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story (2006)

Tagline: Just when they think they have the answers, I change all the questions. Or, if you prefer, I have come to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I’m all out of bubblegum.

Curiosity: Rowdy Roddy Piper is one of the best heels in wrestling history. And I love They Live. His guest appearance on Highlander, not so much.

Plot: This very serious documentary covers the life and career of wrestling legend Roddy Piper. The film covers his start in the industry at the age of 15 up through his rise with regional promotions and then the WWF. His film career even gets a nod! But mostly, it’s a collection of stories about how good Piper was at pissing people off. Also he’s a family man. Go figure.

Thoughts: I’m a Piper fan based on They Live, let alone Piper’s illustrious wrestling career. Having watched selections from his best matches on the DVD’s third disc, I’d say his technical skills were lacking. But Piper made up for that with his quick wit. It made him a better wrestler – there were plenty of times were things went wrong and Piper made them work, like when he accidentally got stabbed in the ear and started bleeding everywhere. In the ring, he could make anything work.

Of course, what fans probably remember Piper best for is “Piper’s Pit,” a promo segment where he’d interview other wrestlers. Piper was, in my mind, the penultimate heel. It’s skill to put over a bad wrestler in the ring; it takes even more skill to put someone over when he lacks the charisma needed when on the mic. Piper was never afraid to push buttons, hence the documentary’s title. Sure he could be funny, but he’d just as soon go for a boo as a laugh. There are plenty of clips in the documentary that still make me wince (On Mr. T, Piper had this to say in a promo from the mid-’80s: “He wears more chains than his ancestors!”). I don’t think you could get that on TV nowadays. Piper was the quickest mouth in the Federation, and he wasn’t afraid to make people uncomfortable. He could manipulate crowds’ emotions better than most. Yeah, Hulk Hogan made the WWF a household name, but Piper was just as important. Sometimes you have to ask yourself: Do you really want the face to win, or do you just want the heel to lose?

Reflection: Got-damn Piper was so funny on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.