Radio Review: Roddy Piper
Show: "The Wrestling Guys"
Station: AM910 WPFB in Southwest Ohio.
Date: November 21, 2002
Host: Shawn Stidham
Report by Brad Lee of http://www.wrestlingxpress.com & http://www.thewrestlingguys.com

Shawn Stidham had the chance to interview the one and only "Hot Rod" Roddy Piper on the Wrestling Guys radio show this week, on AM910 WPFB in Southwest Ohio.

Shawn's interviews are now being archived at: http://www.thewrestlingguys.com and I suggest you go on over and check this one out, it's one you don't wanna miss.

Here are some highlights of what the "Rowdy One" one had to say:

Shawn welcomes Piper. Piper talks about the new book "In The Pit With Piper" and his book tour. He says he's been inviting retired wrestlers and boxers to the tour. Piper says HWA Owner Les Thatcher is coming up this Friday for the book signing in Columbus.

Piper says the state of wrestling is sad right now. The WWE is not for him.

Piper said he met a man by the name of Jason Sanderson, who was a 66 million dollar Powerball winner, at the Cauliflower Alley Club where he (Piper) was being honored with a lifetime achievement award and he gave a speech about wrestlers needing a union. Says Sanderson donated 44 acres of pasture and pine trees. It's called Daysprings Healing Center. Not a big hospital, but a place where wrestler's and boxers can go to get help for their banged up bodies, minds and souls.

He then talks about how the internet won't even mention the healing center, because anything good for the wrestlers, the reporters don't post it. He's been fighting them all his life. Roddy has pledged five percent of his earnings to go towards this healing center, and he feels this is the best thing he has ever did. He's a 48 year old man with 4 kids, and thinks all the wrestlers need to stick together and help each other out.

The publishing company for his book wanted him to damn Vince McMahon, but he didn't want to. He said he doesn't have a problem saying stuff to Vince's face but he doesn't go behind peoples back trying to put them down, and it isn't his job to damn Vince McMahon.

Says he doesn't understand this generation of wrestlers. Guys getting married on tv and 400 pound Samoans sitting on peoples faces.

In the opening of his book he says a lot of what he has to today is because of Vince McMahon, but there are a lot of things he disagrees with that Vince is doing now.

Says that back in the day, people didn't just come to WrestleMania to see Hulk Hogan, they came to see Hulk Hogan kick Roddy Pipers butt. Says he gives Vince all the credit in the world but does not care to turn on the tv and see stuff like necrophilia.

Glenn Hensley is the webmaster of http://www.rowdyroddypiper.com and he is going to get some footage to put on that site, of what wrestling should be.

Piper says he's not trying to hurt anybody with his book, he just thinks children should not see this garbage.

http://www.inthepitwithpiper.com, the website for the book, is where you can see footage from this tour. Says his "Piper Vision" is family friendly and necrophilia free. "Piper Vision" follows him on his tour for the fans to see what's happening.

Piper then says he understands why the wrestlers can't stand up and say something because they need to feed their families. The people like Les Thatcher stand up and stick by what's right.

Shawn then asks Piper why doesn't he start up a new wrestling fed and do it how is should be done. Piper replies by saying that there is one other fed out there (but he never mentioned a name) that he can put his stamp on. But he doesn't know if he could actually go through with it, because it would be up to them to keep it up. He would like to help them out for two or three months, get them on the right track, but he has been on the road his whole life and wants to be at home with his wife and kids.

Talks about the "Gordon Solie Incident" and the time he had to break a coconut over Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's Head.

Shawn surprised Roddy by asking him about the baseball bat in Vince McMahon's office. Piper says that him and Vince had a conversation, and he told Vince if he cheats him on a payday he's gonna take a baseball bat to him, it was a running joke between the two for about a year. So Piper had a shelf made with a baseball bat in it for Vince, with a plaque that says "First come, first serve." Said that Vince has it in his office to this day.

Piper said he doesn't look at his matches as matches, he sees them as fights. When you come to see him, whatever you think of wrestling, he will give everything he's got in fighting style, to take care of his opponents. He will combine all the fighting styles. His promos will be filled with emotion.

Shawn plugs some upcoming appearances for Piper. Friday night he will be in Columbus at Borders Books on Sawmill Road, 6 p.m. signing autographs. Saturday he will be in East Brunswick N.J. at 2:00 p.m. at Borders, and Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at Watchung, N.J.

Piper says Shawn is a stand up guy and that he thanks the fans for allowing him to have a family, keep him alive, and put him in the position to pay the fans back.

To hear the entire interview, go to http://www.thewrestlingguys.com and click on "listen." You will need a Real Player to hear it, and if you don't have one, there's a link on the listen page. Believe me, this is one you don't wanna miss.

***

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