Roddy Piper [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Roddy Piper is a tremendous talker who goes up and down, fast and slow, funny and serious and it all seems to work. Obviously, this is not a four hour promo, but he throws some of his personality in there (you might say). His autobiography was interesting, but like Superstar Graham, Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair, you'd rather hear them tell their story rather than read it. This is sort of that in a way. It does not feel pieced together and revisionist like the WWE's, it does not lack the depth of a radio interview and a little less structured than his book. I think within a lot of blabbering there are some hints of great insight as he points to examples of Vince McMahon being ignorant to the true nature of pro-wrestling, how he got himself over and how he developed his character and promos. If you like Piper and even if you hate Rob Feinstein, you will enjoy this. Just when RF thinks they've got the questions, Roddy Piper changes the answers...

The Bad
The flipside of the previous statement, "Just when RF thinks they've got the questions, Roddy Piper changes the answers" is that Piper does not seem entirely direct and open. Could this just be his signature rambling run amok? Could he be more calculating and evasive than one might expect? Could he be working the entire time? My bet is that there is truth in all three possibilities. Roddy Piper is a self-admitted rambler and he seems to take a question and answer with a practically unrelated story. He is a good storyteller and all, but answering "what is your favorite match?" with a long story about working the Maritimes with Mad Dog Vachon is not really an answer. Although he has a rebellious streak in him, Piper is a shrewd businessman and this seems like just another "piece of business" at times as he makes some very measured comments about a host of people. I will always have a hard time believing that Roddy Piper has turned it off and is not still working to an extent.

The Rating: ****