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In the Pit with Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Picarello
Creator: Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $0.78
You Save: $14.17 (95%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 544453
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0425187217
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.812092
EAN: 9780425187210
ASIN: 0425187217
Publication Date: November 5, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: This book is in brand new mint condition, and never been used. We deliver all over the world within 4-14 working days.
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Product Description
Here, in his own words, is the story of one of the greatest wrestlers ever-Rowdy Roddy Piper. The bagpipe-playing legend gets down and dirty about the world of professional wrestling-and his own career.
He takes readers back to his life as a teenage runaway and his first match, when he stepped into the ring for $25. He recalls his triumph as the youngest World Light Heavyweight Champion, and how he helped make the World Wrestling Federation the phenomenon it is today with little more than a microphone stand and a bow tie.
From a man who joined the game long before it emerged as big-time entertainment comes a story that tells it like it is-and that's filled with as much excitement as the jam-packed arenas where he fought his fiercest foes.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
 An Eye Opening Read August 31, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In the Pit With Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy does not disappoint. Raither it educates the reader with Piper not holding back. Remember, Piper is not under contract when he wrote this book so he did not pen this book out of fear of upsetting a promoter. Piper lays the wrestling business all out for the reader and the reader sees an unwritten message about the wrestling industry: "all that glitters isn't gold."
What Piper does best in this book is he freely admits he's not perfect. He admits he did some stupid things during his time on the road. However, Piper does has a redeeming quality about his views of life on the road. In the end it was all about supporting his family and finally getting home to his family.
Piper also shows how so many wrestlers were responsible for the boom of the WWF in the 1980s but only a select few were justly appreciated. Case in point read Piper's take on the aftermath of treatment he and Hogan received before and after Wrestlemania. Also, Piper lets the reader in on how shady promoters can be. A few saying Piper uses to illustrate this point: "if you can walk you can wrestle," and "if you're going to die die in the ring its good for business." Piper's stories about his less than friendly relationship with Mr. T is worth a look. You can't but help but understand Piper's reasons for refusing to take a dive to a movie star, they're not in his business and don't know anything about how to improve wrestling.
Piper's book does bring up a hard fact, wrestling has changed for the worse. Piper lets the reader know how wrestling has declined and the best thing Piper does is hold out hope that improvments will come in time. In the end pick up Piper's book and be prepared to never look at the wrestling industry the same when you finish. Piper not only relates the rigors of his life in wrestling, he teaches you the two contrasting views of the wrestling business and himself. Wrestling: money comes first and to Hell with you and your family. Piper: his wife and kids come first. Piper has the better view!
 Could be better August 23, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been a fan of wrestling for a while now (from the days when it was cool to now, when you see a bunch of 'roided up mutants with the speed and mobility of continental drift). I bought this book because it was the only one in the local bookstore that was written by a wrestler of the previous era of wrestling.
I had mixed feelings at the end of the book. On one hand it was certainly a book from the heart and there was not much (if any)ghost writing. No ghost writer could write this choppily! Far from making the book worse, the piecemeal style of Piper makes this book all the more enjoyable as you don't expect to see Shakespeare but something straight from the heart. Some stories were outright disturbing, but I liked Piper's honesty and straight-shooting style even when telling such stories. He didn't try to hide behind a facade of morality or fake regret. He seemed to call 'em as he saw 'em in the book.
The story about Theodore Roosevelt Reid was especially touching and it exemplified the fickle world of wrestling. Piper told it beautifully.
But there were too many things about the book that I didn't like. First, and most glaring, the self-aggrandization. Sure, Piper was a great wrestler and he could actually make squibs like Hogan look good, but to attribute to himself the sudden popularity of wrestling in the 80's and 90's is going a bit too far. He makes it sound like it was him who turned the world of wrestling around. Much as I love the guy I can't help but call bullcrap here. But to be fair to him, he does admit that he, like all other wrestlers, has a huge ego.
Besides, to claim that the world of wrestling changed because of his interviews is a bit much!
Another thing about this book I didn't like was the fact that a huge chunk of it was devoted to his time before the WWF and the WCW. This may have been intentional, to show the world that there was more to wrestling than WWE, but for many of us outside the US, (I am in Singapore), our first exposure to wrestling and guys like Piper was through the WWF and I personally wish that he had given greater exposure to his feuds in the WWF and WCW, because those were feuds we can relate to. He does mention occasional feuds with Adrian Adonis and especially Ric Flair, and then the Hart brothers but he could have given these more detailed coverage than a feud in a promotion no one has heard about.
Of course one can't please everyone, but I wish he had.
Another issue about Piper's writing which I didn't like was he tends to come off as someone who believes that the world of wrestling is immune to criticism, no matter what these guys get up to (including what might be called attempted murder). His reactions to fans who claim wrestling is fake sounds rather disturbing (including at one point saying, he'll choke your guts out before you get the words out of your mouth). While appearing to be a tough, no-nonsense streetfighter at other times, when he starts to pontificate about how tough wrestlers have it and all, he comes across as just being thin skinned and whiney.
Piper was one guy who didn't need a championship belt to get over with fans. In the WWF he only won the Intercontinental title once but that did not diminish his immense appeal one bit but his writing is something that has not quite lived up to his reputation as a wrestler and speaker.
In the Pit with the ego April 21, 2006
Informative read but also very one sided and littered with self promotion , which isnt that surprising all things considered.
Piper is very old school in his handling of the story and his storys are told with a strong sense of " my era was about real men being real men goddamnit"
His ego was in no way kept in check and at times hesimply got carried away with his telling of a story .
Still i think if he'd been able to write this book back at the height of his career it might of come out a little less jaded .
Still i was glad to see he didnt get on his soap box and rant on about the tragic death of Owen Hart , which i thought he would considering how hes addressed the subject in past .
Hot Rod can write March 25, 2006
A wrestler you loved to hate and a man you couldn't not love and respect. I had the opportunity to meet Roddy and have him sign my book.
A great read and an insight to the mind and life of those who choose to wrestle. The many men who met an early demise due to this activity. I highly recommend for anyone who grew up watching professional wrestling.
Hot Rod at his best January 29, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Roddy Piper is one of the most colorful people alive. This book is a great look at his life. The book is a fascinating read about an interesting man.
This book doesn't tell much about his childhood nor about his private life, but it does give a good look at his public life. As an admitted Piper fan, I absolutely loved this book.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Roddy after the book was published. His regret was that too much was left out due to circumstances beyond his control. My only hope is that Roddy comes out with another book and tells more of his story.
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