From the Horses Mouth

Welcome to the interview segment of our program. Here we will get it straight form the source. Sit back and enjoy what the people, who help put on the bigg show, have to say about the sport we call wrestling.

 

Roddy Piper Speaks Out

Roddy Piper went back to the WWE for one more run at Wrestlemainia 19 when he interfered in the Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon match. Piper's Pit was alive one more time, and he became one of the most important people on WWE SmackDown next to Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan, as always. Now after being released, Roddy Piper talks for the first time since being released from WWE about everything that happened while he was in WWE.

First off how are you?

"I feel great. I am honored because there are not many people who have me back twice. I feel pretty good. On a personal note, my second oldest child is in Italy right now, she got a 4.0, and is an honor student, and she is now going to UCLA. So for a professional wrestler lacking education, it's a pretty proud moment for her dad."

The comments you made on the HBO special about wrestlers involved with drugs and deaths included admitting that you took drugs. Do you think this was the main reason you were released from WWE?

"I don't think it had a thing to do with it. No. Not at all. In my book In the Pit with Piper, the wrestling fan received 80,000 words. If you read between the lines In the Pit with Piper, you would have known that I went through a spell under the lifestyle of a professional wrestler. What you're referring to on HBO as far as using drugs, it's a little misleading. The fellow by the name of Armen Keteyian was the guy, who interviewed me, and the interview was about two hours, and then they asked if they could interview me with my family, and that took two and a half hours. During the interview we talked about a players association, and Armen Keteyian generally asked, 'what did Dr. Zahorian have and where?' Well, it was Hershey, Pennsylvania, and there was this doctor who was prescribing drugs, and 30 minutes later Armen Keteyian in the same interview said, 'Roddy, you lived like this for 20 years?' Yeah I did. I didn't take every one of those drugs because he had asked me about what prescriptions or drugs he had. I have been arguably in this sport for more then 30 years, and no one knows including me, but as the interview was played, they showed nothing of my family. What I did with HBO Real Sports, Brian Gumbel and Armen Keteyian, was that they had been after me since January, and I kept pushing it off as I didn't want to do the interview. They were interested in doing a story on chapter 12 in my book which was "the Sickness", and I admitted that yes, that was 12 years ago, and all the drugs they named I wasn't taking, but on the other hand, I was in court. You can look up the transcript, and see what I was and wasn't doing. I wouldn't do the interview unless I had my team there, so I had the B roll of all the footage. You have HBO Real Sports here who is trying to do a piece with the deaths of professional wrestlers that I have been speaking of, and with you in our first interview I believe, and what I thought of what Vince McMahon was doing. We bring me ahead to the first appearance on WWE SmackDown, and I ended it with "I hate you too Vince McMahon". It was pretty much in your face, what I was saying all along, and what is in the book. When you see Vince McMahon slapping the paper out of Armen Keteyian's hand, this is Vince McMahon losing his temper. I think when it came down to why I was terminated was that it was about who can handle the pressure, and who was the best stickman in the world, and it's not Vince McMahon. I just think I made a multi-millionaire angry, and this multi-millionaire decided that he didn't want to be bothered handling Roddy Piper. Every time we came in the ring to do the Piper's Pits, it became more Mr. McMahon, and the quality of them was decreasing. It was a way out for him not having to deal with somebody he couldn't control."

So your response is that you came off better then Vince McMahon did on the HBO Real Sports special, and with that Vince McMahon fired you because of that?

"Exactly."

What was the exact statement you were given from WWE as far as your release goes?

"I saw it like everyone else saw it when WWE put it on the internet, and I have not spoken to anyone from WWE at this point when I am speaking to you Chris. They put up this statement, and they referred to the HBO special which we just talked about as a reference point. From 1971 to 1991 if you're talking about a drug use, this is 2003, and that is irrelevant. I believe that self destructive was in the statement, and I had in my hand the booking dates with Piper's Pit with Vince McMahon in house show venues for August, and I had received a three month working visa for Japan as I was scheduled to go over there too. There were no contract disputes at all, everything was settled. I was in the hotel at Madison Square Garden the same night the HBO special aired. Ironically Hulk Hogan took his mask off and quit, and I found via this statement the next day of self destructive behavior, and I wasn't wrestling, as I was only doing Piper's Pits, but via many lawyers, we know there was no contractual disagreements as it was already done. I have not done any drugs since I was in that darn court with Dr. Zahorian which was 1991, and yes sir it is his ego, and in a little defense of Vince McMahon, he has taken it upon himself as far as keeping sports entertainment running, and it's very hard for one man to run the sport as we see from week to week on the show."

Why did you decide to go back to WWE, and do the run in at Wrestlemainia 19 in the Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon match?

"I was on The Best Damn Sports Show, and I knew that Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan were going to wrestle each other, and I said Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan have been living next door to each other their whole life, and put me in the middle as referee and I will have them kill each other, and that is what started the ball running. The reason I came into the ring not as referee was that they were going to come back after Wrestlemainia 19, and this might have been the lowest Wrestlemainia they ever had, and the fact I would make a surprise appearance and come back and do a match on the pay per view would make more sense and to a point that is correct."

What were your thoughts on the creative direction of WWE SmackDown, and your thoughts on how Piper's Pit came across?

"The first Piper's Pit I call free falling and I don't write them or construct them in that matter. I felt really good as I believe it got the highest share for that segment in the history of that show, and from there on I believe that Vince McMahon tried to become Roddy. Piper having Piper's Pit and here comes Mr. McMahon. I did a taped interview and I said Vince McMahon, Jr. and they bleeped out the Junior. The next week I come out and introduce Vince McMahon, and he said, 'After all, who better knows a big American success story than Vincent Kennedy McMahon.' When I would say something on Piper's Pit, the next week it was compensated for. There was a young fellow by the name of Zach Gowen, and he asked if I would pull this kid's leg off. I went to Zach Gowen and found out he was a baseball player, lost his leg to cancer, and he had been in a wrestling camp, and could do these maneuvers quite well. Once I looked at in the way it was his dream to be a professional wrestler, I knew that he needed some propelling to get to that main event slot, and there is no other way he would have got there. What are you going to do? Put Zach Gowen against The Big Show, and it's going to draw money? No. I am going to help this kid get a lift up, and that was that, but if you look at it from that point, and how much Zach Gowen wanted to be a professional wrestler, but if you look at the picture for the WWE that's not a nice way of a killing a top commodity off or putting a mask over a famous wrestler like Hulk Hogan as Mr. America. One of the most stupidest times when I was in the ring was saying that you're not Mr. America, you're Hulk Hogan. The idea was with the way things were structured by Vince McMahon on Piper's Pit, he was trying to kill my heat and step in as the host. At Wrestlemainia 19, he made himself the main event, and now he wants to be in front of the camera, and he picks Hulk Hogan to wrestle him, and he picks Roddy Piper to come down who got a bigger ovation then both of them, and Vince McMahon got over his head."

Do you think there is too much McMahon in the major storylines on WWE SmackDown?

"Yes...Yes...Yes. Next question."

On May 18, 2003 WWE Judgment Day 2003 you were defeated by Mr. America aka Hulk Hogan. In your biography, you talked at length on why you refused to lose to Hogan, what changed your mind this time around?

"Well, Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemainia 1 was a totally different story. I was fighting for my family and he was fighting for his. My job, as I saw it was to help out young guys, and to get my business back on track that is professional wrestling. I believe that it was off track, and there are only a few people who can put it on track. I was open and honest, and if that worked for the fans, and at my point in my career, I owed it."

Were you surprised to see Hulk Hogan leave the WWE because he was not happy with his creative direction?

"Surprise? Yes. The most ironic thing is that for different reasons our time with WWE ended at the same time and me and Hulk Hogan became pretty close towards the end, and that day in Madison Square Garden was the last day for Hulk Hogan who took his mask off after the cameras went off and said good bye. It is kind of ironic, but I don't know if it's coincidental or not."

Did you think Sean O'Haire lost out when you were let go?

"The creative team in WWE didn't understand how to get someone like that over. Sean O'Haire is one hell of a guy, and he can speak for himself, and he doesn't need Roddy Piper. I think the WWE did a tremendous disservice by putting him with Roddy Piper. Let them go out and do what they need to do because I can only tell you how Roddy Piper can draw money. I wish him nothing but the best."

Why do you think WWE never gave you the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?

"I didn't need one. Only people who can't draw money need belts. The only thing I need is a great opponent."

You're going to be starring in a movie with Janet Jackson real soon, am I right?

"Yeah. The filming starts September 2nd and it has Janet Jackson, Christopher Walken, and Emilio Estevez, so I am going to be doing that movie."

Finally, what is in store for your future?

"As we wind this up, you Chris are doing a great job. I wish you all the luck in the world and for the listeners and readers watching you, you are very respectful, and have all my respect from that. UPW is going to be a ball, and at the end of this seven day camp, the top ten guys have to go into this battle royal on a real deal card, and that is going to be the best entertainment for me. It's going to be a very tough camp, but a sincere honest one. I would like to do animated voices. I think that would be a blast. I am a big kid fan. I am going to do entertainment in various ways."

Sean Waltman sent out the following statement via his mailing list: Statement in Response to the Recent News Story that Aired on Celebrity Justice on 8-11-2003

                    

From Sean Regarding JoanieHello Everyone,I want to Thank You for your support & kindness. Also for not rushing to judgment over such a disturbing situation. I wish I could say none of this happened, however some of Joanies claims are based on a true story. I will shed more light on what happened when I am able to sit down and type for an extended period of time. I am using a Kinkos computer , as My Computer is out of action. I did want to at least let you know I am grateful for all of your support. I didnt know what the reaction was going to be to such a damaging story. I was originally served with a 1 page document that didnt have her statement on it. That was 2 days later. I was served with the real copy of the order on Monday. Her story has major holes in it that I will point out & prove after I have time to get My nuts together. Even typing this has been exhausting . The Celebrity Justice piece & The Globe article due out this week are very damaging, and even if She admits She completely distorted the truth & She was Sorry, The thought of Me doing the things She claims will be in people s minds now. I am curious to know why if She was in hiding from Me and the restraining order was for August 1st , then why did She have Me take her to the airport Friday night so She could fly to Chicago for the comic book convention. That is after we spent the day in bed together at her apartment . She wanted Me to go with her at that point. Actually I knew She probably didnt, because She was going there to support a movie project she was in by a comic book illustrator. A really good guy by the way. I got text messages from her the next day saying it would be good to be apart. I never saw that one coming 1000 miles away. So I called and said I was in Chicago, just got in. That made her furious, and I was hung up on. She told Me not to ruin this for Her & used some very harsh 4 letter words in a really disturbing tone. She thought I was there & if I was I would have been nuts out of luck. A day and a half later She finally text messaged Me. I let her know this restraining order was going to make me look bad. She text messaged Me wanting the ladys number from the Globe so She could smooth things over. I have the text messages saved . She has totally distorted and manipulated the truth and conveniently left out very important facts.I Love Joanie more than I thought was possible. That Love is unconditional . She could not grasp that concept, so she didnt believe it. But I do. And this is in spite of the countless times in which She purposely did or said things to hurt me. She said I threatened to kill myself. Never in My life have I said I was going to Kill Myself. I told Her that She was slowly killing me & to just get it over with. I have definitely seen my lowest point thus far in my life.
She makes the claim in the report that She thinks I have a drug problem, because She seen needles in my bag. Well She would know everything in my bags because She has snooped through all my personal things since the beginning . Her saying I have a drug problem yet no mention of her own issues of that nature. I have needles for a variety of things like vitamin b 12 & other things. She has given me a shot in the ass with those needles more than once by the way. I dont like telling my private matters to the whole world, but I want it to be the truth if its going to be public. I can handle the truth, even when it hurts. I admit my faults, Why the hell cant others do the same? They have most of the same kinds of flaws as I do. Yet they seem to think that if they dont admit them , they dont exist. Bullshit. foar have been accused of being homosexual, and having starred in pornography. I have been hit by her more than once. I Only used any holds to restrain her from hurting Me. One friend of ours warned Me that She was trying to get Me to hit her. She also mentioned that on July 14th I broke the window out of her passenger side door. I did break her window after relentless name calling & provocation.Notice July14th. Well thats the day after My birthday. She was in Chicago until the 12th & coming home on My birthday to have a party for Me. She never once called Me (I called her) I never saw her on My birthday & definitely no card or gift. I was a cry baby and I should get over it, according to her. I was so upset by her constantly mocking me, that I asked her Please back off. Please. She kept on & I lost My composure and smashed the window out with My elbow. She kicked me out on the side of the street. Thats what happened there. I should have seen the writing on the wall. I am a glutton for punishment & abuse I guess.
The incident was blown out of proportion by her. I never tried to hurt her only restrain her & fend her off. However I did shove her to the ground, and when She ran back at me with her hands in the air as to hit me, I placed my right foot into her chest & Shoved her back to the ground again. A true kick to the body would have sent her to the hospital . Joanie is an incredibly powerful woman, one of the strongest in the world at one time. She bench pressed 350 pounds plus . The world record was only about 30 pounds difference. I wrapped her in a rear naked choke (My legs wrapped around her waist) She has turned this into Me trying to snap her neck. Never did I cut off her wind pipe. I was trying to keep us both from getting hurt. I do not mean to offer this as an excuse for My part in this. There is never an excuse. My wife Terry punched Me over 10 times in the face and I didnt hit her . So I wanted to give you a better idea of what happened . I know this is my side of the story , from my point of view. I will take a polygraph test to back up my statements. I think its a good idea actually. Since My reputation has been damaged by Joanies claims, Maybe we could go on Celebrity Justice and both take a lie detector test.
Im not holding my breath for that to happen.I really must go after 5 hours on this Kinkos computer. I feel like I needed to get this out for you all to see. I still love Joanie .
People ask what kept me there so long when I should have been gone along time ago. I asked Joanie to marry me, she made me the happiest man on earth for the first 3 months or so. I always told her that I would never give up on her. I kept on hoping that she would come back to being like she was when we were first together. She is almost a completely different person. I remember thinking I had finally found my happiness after years of constant drama from my marriage of over 11 years. Well my time with Joanie easily outweighs the entire rest of my adult life in the drama department.I really must go now. I am ashamed of myself for letting things escalate to this point. I am ashamed of putting Joanie ahead of my children. They are the greatest thing I have & I have forsaken them for a woman. That sounds terrible and it is. Good bye for now.Yours truly, Sean Waltman

Best there ever was By BRET HART -- For SLAM! Wrestling

                                    

Just the other day, I ran into Jim on the Bow River bike path.

You know, Jim (The Anvil) Neidhart.

We stopped to drink a couple of ... soda pops.

Jim was beaming --like a little kid with a big devilish grin as he pulled a magazine out of his backpack.

It was the Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 40th anniversary of the WWE special edition.

He flipped it open and pointed to an classic Hart Foundation photo. "Greatest tag team in the history of the WWF! Not bad, huh?" he said, chuckling and pulling his goatee.

To tell the truth, I took it as a huge compliment because I know how hard both of us worked at trying to earn that claim when we ruled the world of tag team wrestling as two-time WWF champions.

Jim and I were a unique team for a lot of reasons, as we combined Jim's speed and strength with my skill and ring psychology.

We were like a Porsche and a tank.

Another thing that was unique to our relationship was, of course, the fact Jim was married to my sister Ellie and ranked right up there as one of Stu's favourite son-in-laws.

Even to this day, I've never had an argument with Jim and we've remained close friends through some bizarre and trying times.

As I flipped through the mag, I couldn't help but notice I was rated the greatest intercontinental champion of all time. Another huge compliment.

I smiled at the fond memory of some of my greatest IC matches -- against the late, great British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, and Mr Perfect, Curt Hennig.

And then there was Wrestlemania VIII with Roddy Piper.

A few months ago, the WWE asked wrestling fans around the world to vote on who was the greatest world champion of all time and I was touched and delighted when I heard I'd won.

When I think of the great WWF champions -- Bruno Sammartino, Buddy Rogers, Superstar Billy Graham, Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan -- I feel genuinely honoured to even be considered in their company.

Any great wrestler will tell you he wouldn't have gotten very far without the loyalty and support of his fans.

But, really, I stood on some pretty tall shoulders.

Because I grew up inside the business, I was able to watch and appreciate how Buddy Rogers put the psychology into wrestling, changing it forever into what it is.

Bruno and Backlund were two of the classiest champions I ever watched and I tried to emulate them throughout my career by carrying myself with dignity and respect like they did.

Superstar Graham and Hulk Hogan were the consummate showmen who kicked the doors wide open.

Like Jim, I wore a beaming smile when, just a couple of weeks ago, Edge told me I'm Kurt Angle's favourite wrestler.

Angle, who I've yet to meet, along with Stone Cold, Undertaker and The Rock are all great wrestlers in their own right.

When I look back over my career, one of my biggest fans and closest friends -- who buoyed my confidence in those dark, early days when I needed it the most --was my tag partner Jim Neidhart.

He rarely gets the credit he deserves but I've always known I wouldn't have become a great champion without him.

We clinked our soda pops together and toasted the old Hart Foundation days.

Best there is ... best there was ... best there ever will be. 

Piper discusses return to WWE by Phil Speer May 6, 2003 credited to WWE.com

WWE.com finally got a chance to sit down and interview “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Sitting in a weight room in Manchester, N.H., recently, Piper, accompanied by his trusted business associate, Lewis Rach, talked about how he could possibly return to WWE after the comments he’s made recently, and more.

WWE.com: What’s your relationship like with Vince McMahon?

Piper: Actually, pretty good right now. We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve been through a lot of valleys and a lot of mountaintops. And it’s a pretty sincere, straight-up relationship. If I want something, I say it; if he wants something, he says it. So the relationship is not one built on talent/promoter, it’s built on a young guy, Vince McMahon Jr. (actually Vincent K. McMahon), trying to take over a company while another young guy in his peak, Roddy Piper, met all at the same time.

WWE.com: What about your relationship with Hulk Hogan?

Piper: Hogan comes somewhat under the McMahon equation, with the exception that Hogan was an enemy of mine, and I of him in the beginning because he was getting cotton-balled by the promoter -- which happened to be Vince McMahon – and I wasn’t, though I was drawing just as much money. So I was ticked off at that for a while. But at the same time, Hulk Hogan was a great opponent, and after time goes by and you wrestle a guy enough times on a mat of intensity as it was in 1984 on, or 1985 on I guess, you get a respect for each other. What started as a relationship of jealousy and animosity, and the fact that Piper wouldn’t do business, has all dissolved into, “Man, we’re still alive and we’re here. Let’s hug each other.”

WWE.com: Who is responsible for the success of WWE – for catapulting it into the national and international spotlight the way it is today?

Piper: First of all, Cyndi Lauper and her manager Dave Wolff, who was the liaison between McMahon and MTV. At the same time, he was managing me, which made me much more trustable in their camp, as I was asked to kick Cyndi in the head. When a manager is asking if I’ll kick the female entertainer of the year in the head at Madison Square Garden, and if I will take care of her, that’s a rather serious responsibility, especially when there’s six cops, Dick Clark and Hogan and Mr. T. So who’s responsible for it? I know where you’re coming from. The bad guy draws the money. That’s what you’re looking for, I think.But at the same time, for the bad guy to do that, he has to have a tremendous opponent, and Hulk Hogan is that.

WWE.com: Do you think you get enough credit for helping catapult WWE into the national and international spotlight?

Piper: Now I do. Yeah. But not then. They didn’t want me to get credit because I was more of a lone wolf. In my career, I was trained to rely only on myself and not draw alliances, unlike Hogan and McMahon. There’s nothing wrong with either one of them; it’s just two different ways of handling yourself in the business of professional wrestling. But when people look back on it now, there’s no doubt in their minds that they came to see Roddy Piper get his ass kicked. If anybody doesn’t see that, then God bless you.

WWE.com: How did you end up coming back to WWE this most recent time?

Piper: On the “Best Damn Sports Show,” I heard that McMahon and Hogan were going to go at it, and I was just filling time. I said, “They’ve been living next door to each other all their lives. If you really want to fight, put me in the middle and I’ll get them to kill each other.” Next thing I know, I got a call. That’s how it started.

WWE.com: How long are you here for?

Piper: As long as I want to be.

WWE.com: How much can you wrestle?

Piper: As much as I want to.

WWE.com: How much are health problems a factor? I know you’ve got a replaced hip, for example.

Piper: Well, the hip was in 1994, so I’ve had I don’t know how many wrestling matches since then. Can I fight 20 years from now? I don’t think so. But if you’re just asking about the present day – contemporarily, right now – I can do pretty much what I want to. If you’re asking me for my boundaries, not the boundaries of the company, then I think I can pretty much do what I want to do. At the same time, I want to be in the ring with an opponent who knows what he’s doing, so there can be some quality coming out of it. Otherwise, it’s no fun doing it just to do it. It’s fun doing it to be the best at it. That’s fun.

WWE.com: But if you want to work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – wrestling all those days – could you?

Piper: You know, I haven’t tried it for a long time, other than this last little run. I don’t know. I couldn’t really give you an honest answer on that one because I got run over by a car a little more than a year ago, busted my right ankle, four ribs, my liver, my spleen and my back in two placesSince then, I haven’t got in (the ring that often). So to be sincere with you, I’ve got to give it a shot. I don’t know if I could do it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, like you’re saying, but I’d sure give it a try. (Laughs) I’d be there.

WWE.com: Did something specific happen to your hip, or was it wear and tear over the years?

Piper: It was just wear and tear over the years. I’ve had more than 7,000 pro fights. Actually, I knew about 10 years before it happened that I was going to have to have a hip put in. I just went with it. And so it just wore, wore, wore until one time I was running at the Venice Gold’s Gym on an incline on the treadmill, and it just blew it right out. The very last straw that broke the camel’s back was when I wrestled Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII. Bret was coming off the ropes, and I stuck my right foot up straight, and I caught all his weight, but it jammed and that was the one that actually finished it off.

WWE.com: I think you were just talking about this, but what happened on Jan. 31, 2002 – a date I found in your book? There was a car accident?

Piper: Yeah. I was in Los Angeles and there was this guy. I was a passenger. And I don’t know what was wrong with him. All of a sudden he took the car and on purpose slammed it into the wall of Highland Avenue in downtown L.A., where Highland and 101 meet. We went along the wall and then careened out, shot off a lamppost and then two Suburbans hit my side, broke my right ankle, four ribs – one rib went into my liver four inches – my spleen and my back in two place. This kid here, Lewis Rach, actually saved my life. I walked home from the accident – caught a cab – and I told him, “Leave me alone. I’m just going to have a bath and go to bed.” And I guess I went down in the bathtub, and when Lewis called the paramedics, my blood pressure was 60/30, and they thought I was gone. I’m still here, for some reason.

WWE.com: How are you feeling today, physically?

Piper: Physically, I know I’ve been through war. I feel very much like I’ve been through the battle. Mentally, a lot more appreciative for everything, I think. If anything, it might’ve taken away a little of the meanness that I had in me, which is good for everybody.

WWE.com: I could be wrong, but it seemed like toward the end of your book, you strongly implied that you’d never return to WWE, and you’ve made some other anti-WWE comments since then. Am I wrong about that?

Piper: No, not at all.

WWE.com: So that being the case, how did you wind up back here?

Piper: What I said was that Vince McMahon is sick – equating it to the sickness that I talk about in the book – and that he is all-consumed. They were doing necrophilia and Grandma’s (breasts) were being shown and two guys were getting married. You want me to go on? You got my idea? If you’re going to do that bulls***, I ain’t interested. But that’s all gone all of a sudden. OK. Then I don’t have a problem with it. But folks don’t want to forget – this sport belongs to the fans and to the wrestlers, and that’s it. Everybody else just leeches money off them.

WWE.com: It’s funny because you also talked in the book about never taking a Stink Face, and how you’d never want to see your son wrestle a Samoan wearing a thong. And your first feud coming in is with Rikishi. Is that a coincidence?

Piper: No, I think they’re testing me. They asked (if I’d take the Stink Face). I said, “No, it ain’t happening.” They asked if I’d kiss McMahon’s ass. (I said), “No, it ain’t happening.”

WWE.com: You’re willing to wrestle Rikishi, but there’s certain things you’ll still not do.

Piper: Do I have any problem getting in the ring and wrestling Rikishi? Not at all. Not at all. I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually let naked men sit on my face with their ass. How about yourself? Is that fun for you? I won’t even do it for money. But to (wrestle) with you? That’s great. Nothing against Rikishi at all. It’s just what he’s chosen as a piece of business. But you have to have a morality level to get out of the sickness, and I just don’t see what the purpose is there. I don’t find it entertaining, only humiliating to the family members of that particular person.

WWE.com: But you do think they’re testing you by having you in a feud with Rikishi right away?

Piper: I have no proof. But the first thing I was asked was about the Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club. “Nope.” And then (they asked me about) the Stink Face. “Nope.” But he can hit me in the head with a coconut. That’s not a problem. But I don’t see how we’re going to draw any money (by me taking the Stink Face). If somebody could explain it to me, and make it equal millions of dollars, or maybe put all my kids through school and take care of them for the rest of their lives (then I’d do it).But if I’m doing it to give entertainment to something called WWE that has no reflection on me financially, nor will give a f*** about me when I go out the door, no, I ain’t doing it for them. And if you are, then you’re just as sick as they are.

WWE.com: Do you plan to be at WrestleMania XX at Madison Square Garden? Would you like to be there?

Piper: I was there on the 10-year. One and 10. I guess I’d be fun to be there for XX, you know, just to have the honor of saying, “I, X, XX.” Yeah, I think there’s a good possibility, because of the earlier question you asked about the relationship with McMahon. McMahon knows me as a man, and knows what money I can draw and can’t draw, and knows my morality structure. He’s very clairvoyant when it comes to where he sees things going. So I can see this stretching into WrestleMania XX, and that would probably be the end of Roddy Piper.

WWE.com: Can you tell me about the Frats T-shirt? How did it come about?

Piper: (The people listed on the T-shirt) are all guys who have died, whether it was suicide, murder or whatever. As things are proceeding here, we have the highest suicide rate of any sport. I wear them on my back to remind everybody. I just wonder when everybody’s going to catch on, and help these young kids that we’ve got coming up before they die.

Little angel of wrestling By Bret Hart

Miss Elizabeth was one of the most genuine ladies the business ever saw

Miss Elizabeth was a flower among the weeds. She died Thursday morning in Cobb County, Ga., of causes yet to be determined.

She was 42. To wrestling fans, Liz is best remembered as the prim and proper manager/valet of her real-life husband, Randy (Macho Man) Savage. Not to take anything away from Randy but I'm sure he'd agree Elizabeth's classy appeal had no small part in his rise to the top. Away from the spotlight, the real Liz was very much like the character she played. She was shy and quiet and her elegant grace was easy on the eyes. She and Randy were great together and had already been married for years before their live-on-pay-per-view wedding at Summerslam '91. Even though it was part of the storyline, it was obvious to anyone backstage the ceremony was very real to Liz, who looked at it as renewing their vows and was emotional and beaming. About a year later, insiders in the wrestling world were shocked when Randy and Liz divorced. The fans found out a few years later when the split was presented as part of a storyline. I remember envying Randy for being able to bring his wife on the road all the time but, in hindsight, it seems to me anyway, that never being out of each other's sight probably contributed to the demise of their fairy-tale romance more than anything else. When my kids were young and I brought them on the road with me, Liz would often graciously offer to watch them while I had to work. When my oldest daughter, Jade, now 20, was still in single digits, she idolized Liz and enjoyed getting all dolled up like her. One thing that shouldn't be overlooked about Liz is that when the wrestling business slid into sleaze in the late '90s, she remained a lady. She was more than deserving of the moniker First Lady of Wrestling -- which, in no small irony, was also the title given to my mother by fans and wrestlers alike. Both my mother and Miss Elizabeth somehow managed to stay true to themselves, civilized and polished, sharp and articulate, even though they were constantly surrounded by ruffians and chaos. I don't recall ever seeing Liz in a bad mood. She was always courteous and polite and never ever developed a trace of a prima- donna attitude. She never walked around with her nose in the air thinking she was bigger than the wrestlers, even though for a time she was, unlike most of the women who came up after her. When I arrived in WCW in December of 1997, I was pleasantly surprised to find Liz there, managing Lex Luger. One of my last conversations with her was in the spring of 1999, shortly after my brother Owen died. She sensed my heartache as she gently told me after watching me for all these years, she just wanted to thank me -- for what, I wasn't sure. But she went on to say I was her favourite and, although she didn't pretend to be an expert, she said she'd seen with her own eyes how hard I'd worked -- for everybody in the dressing room -- year after year. She said she wanted me to know how truly sorry she was things had turned out so dark for me at the end and I deserved so much better. She gave me a sincere hug and, over the years, her kind praise has meant so much more to me than she will ever know. Miss Elizabeth was my friend. I loved her dearly and will miss her dearly. I only wish I'd have told her how very much she meant to me, too. All those wrestlers in heaven will have to part and make way for the little angel of wrestling.

Interview with Goldberg by Phil Speer Credited to WWE.com

SEATTLE – March 31, 2003 -- WWE.com caught up with Goldberg moments before he made his surprise appearance tonight on RAW.

WWE.com: How does it feel being here in WWE?

Goldberg: I feel like a kid getting on his bicycle for the first time after 10 years of not riding it. It’s a totally different experience. I’ve only known wrestling in WCW. You always have these assumptions of how it’s going to be, and it’s totally different than me working at WCW. It’s totally professional. They’ve really got their s*** together here. I’m very happy to see it.

WWE.com: What about being backstage and meeting some new people, and seeing others that you haven’t seen in a while?

Goldberg: It’s great. It’s terrific to rekindle relationships because it’s like me being on a football team. I played football for many, many years and I relished those relationships. To be able to reacquaint with these guys is really, really cool.

WWE.com: Are you anticipating any tension backstage?

Goldberg: You know, you always prepare yourself for something like that, coming from the volatile backstage that I came from at WCW. But from what I’ve seen so far, it’s pretty much on the up-and-up. But I guarantee I’ll be ready for any backstabbing if I see it.

WWE.com: Who are the guys you’ve kept in touch with?

Goldberg: Arn Anderson, Rock, Nick Patrick. That’s about it.

WWE.com: A lot of fans want to know what took you so long to get here.

Goldberg: I used my brain. Anybody in the same position, if they were sane, would have done the same thing.

WWE.com: So it was a process of waiting for your WCW contract to expire?

Goldberg: It was a process of a lot of things. It’s not just money. It’s not just the old contract that I was owed. When the planets aligned correctly, I pulled the trigger. Nothing more, nothing less.

WWE.com: Are you here long term or are you here short term? Or is it too early to say at this point?

Goldberg: It’s too early to say.

WWE.com: There was an incident a few years ago at a convention involving you and Triple H. What happened?

Goldberg: Ask him.

WWE.com: Is it safe to say you two have buried the hatchet?

Goldberg: Business is business.

WWE.com: How do you feel about working with The Rock?

Goldberg: It’s always an honor to get in the ring with somebody that’s established himself like The Rock has. But he’s just another victim. It’s great analyzing it before I step through the ropes, but when I step through the ropes, he’s just another piece of prey.

WWE.com: Are you anticipating that some WWE fans might boo you because they perceive The Rock as “their guy”?

Goldberg: If I worried about what the fans thought, then I wouldn’t be here. I’m out here to do a job. If they like it, great. If they don’t, get in line.

WWE.com: Do you know at this point what your schedule is going to be? All TVs? Some TVs? All house shows? Some house shows?

Goldberg: No idea.

WWE.com: What have you been up to since wrestling fans saw you last?

Goldberg: I’ve done a couple of movies. I wrestled in Japan. A bunch of charity work – Humane Society stuff, and as many Make-A-Wish appearances as possible. That’s about it. Trying to heal up a little bit too.

WWE.com: Heal injuries from your football days or your wrestling days?

Goldberg: I’ve had injuries since I dropped out of my mom.

WWE.com: How are you feeling now?

Goldberg: I’m all right. I’m good enough to be here, but I’ll never be 100 percent again. Who will be? But 50 or 75 percent of me is better than 100 percent of 99.9 percent of people on the planet.

WWE.com: Did you envision to that you’d eventually make it to WWE?

Goldberg: Not necessarily because I never knew. I never really knew. No.

WWE.com: There was a lot of talk about a meeting you had with The Rock on the set of his new movie. What that just a situation where you both happened to be in town?

Goldberg: The deal was, he was on his movie. A buddy of mine that was an assistant on

my last movie, was an assistant on his movie. I called him right when I got off the plane from Japan. Ironically, he was on Rock’s set, right down the road. So I stopped by and said hello.

WWE.com: Do you think your relationship with The Rock is a catalyst for you being here?

Goldberg: In all honesty, if it wasn’t for that relationship, I don’t know if I’d be here right now.

WWE.com: Some of your critics have said you lack passion for this business. What do you have to say about that?

Goldberg: The main reason why I’m here is to entertain little kids. Period. The main reason I came back to wrestling in the U.S. is to entertain little kids. The reason why I came back to wrestling in the U.S. is because I got an e-mail from a guy whose brother died over in the war. He got shot by a sniper. The kid was 19 years old and he lived, breathed and ate Goldberg. Hearing something like that makes you sit back and really think, “Where the hell are my priorities? What’s my calling?” So for every kid that’s walked up to me and asked me when I’m coming back, for every kid that’s e-mailed me on BillGoldberg.com, and for everybody over there in the war fighting and risking their lives to ensure our freedom … that’s why I came back. So yes, I do have a passion for entertaining. No question.

WWE.com: How are you feeling about tonight? Are you nervous?

Goldberg: If I wasn’t nervous, then I wouldn’t be a human. If I wasn’t nervous I’d have ice running through my veins. Being nervous is good.

WWE.com: Anything you want to add?

Goldberg: I’m just happy to be here, man. I appreciative to them for making me part of the team. I will not let them down, nor will I let the fans down

 

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