Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another cracking wrestling biography, 26 Nov 2007
Over the years, WWE have released some absolute winners when it comes to DVDs. The Rise and Fall of ECW, the Ultimate Ric Flair Collection, Shawn Michaels: From The Vault, the stories of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Bret Hart to name only a few. And here comes one of the more recent additions. Again focusing on another true wrestling legend.
For those who ask me `What does Rowdy Roddy Piper mean to wrestling?', I say this. Superman had Lex Luthor, Batman had the Joker, and Hulk Hogan...had Rowdy Roddy Piper. When Hulkamania first came to be, the then-WWE Champion needed the perfect arch-nemesis, and Piper delivered big-time. His contributions to the growth and success of the WWE are too major to be overlooked. So it's only fitting for the Hall of Famer to be honoured with a three-disc DVD set.
Right away, the documentary starts detailing Piper's origin. There're little things which please me about this story, just as there's stuff that makes me feel sorry for Piper. Hearing him tell about his childhood obviously spells out that it wasn't a happy one, but hearing how he used it to make him the person he is today speaks highly of his strength of character.
The story of how Roddy got into wrestling is both captivating and inspirational. In fact, Piper credits the experience for saving his life. After more about what `living the business' was like in the seventies (provided by several legends), the documentary explains how Piper evolved into a great brawler/character with true respect and love for the business. Especially during his time in the NWA, which culminated in a violent Dog Collar match against Greg Valentine.
Coverage of the WWE years kicks off with a bang, as it truly starts to showcase what Piper does best; TALK. Although his mike skills were the stuff of true talent and controversy in his early days, his talking ability PEAKED by the time he got into WWE. His interview segment, Piper's Pit, became one of the most revolutionary things in wrestling. Seeing all the memorable highlights of the segment made me praise Piper even more. It's pure entertainment and controversy because it had never been done before. And that's where the brilliance lies.
But as you continue watching the story, you'll learn that controversy isn't just part of Piper's gimmick, it's also who he is in real life. And this is evident when he discusses his feud with Hulk Hogan. During the debate over who the REAL star/draw was, I understood why Roddy really is rowdy as well as intelligent. Even more so when he discusses his hatred for Mr. T. Seeing Piper dress down a celebrity in public is both shocking and hilarious. I do understand why Piper dislikes Mr. T so much, even though I don't quite agree with the reasons. But seeing Piper stick to his guns and staying true to his beliefs again speaks highly of himself and his integrity.
Born to Controversy is very interesting and unlike any other superstar documentaries I've seen before. Previous wrestling stories have focused on individuals who are renowned for being gifted performers/wrestlers, and highlighted their greatest matches/feuds and accomplishments in the ring. More so than their characters. Here, it's the opposite. Piper has always had such a strong personality and it's a sensible tactic on WWE's part to focus much more on that than his wrestling ability, which (admittedly) doesn't really compare to that of any superior in-ring talent I could name.
Still, there're wrestling moments that can't be overlooked. And it's really pleasing to watch Roddy win the Intercontinental Championship. I consider his reign to be one of the greatest in the title's history because it was his only major WWE title reign and that it would lead to perhaps his greatest match ever against Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII. Interestingly though, while Piper appreciates the IC-title run, he says it wouldn't have bothered him if he'd never have got it. However, he feels very differently when it comes to the WWE Championship.
It's also nice seeing how much of a family man Roddy is. This portion of the documentary is quite touching in that it spells out that although controversial by name and nature, Roddy is also a genuine human being.
But as I said earlier, Piper's life itself revolves around controversy. And it's not always intertwined with entertainment. This is clearly emphasised during the chapters regarding his time in WCW and his return to WWE in 2003, where Roddy explains real-life problems he had with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Vince McMahon. When it goes on to his infamous interview with HBO, laughing time stops. Seeing Piper during the interview is heartbreaking and it absolutely disgusts me how the media once again targets wrestling, portraying their version of the truth for the sake of sensationalism.
The documentary does finish on a lovely and satisfying note, thankfully. To hear Hot Rod say how much his Hall of Fame induction meant to him is simply great, and the Hall of Fame is no better way to honour such a true legend.
The set-out of the 3-disc set is very well done, indeed. The first disc contains the documentary, some extra hilarious stories of Piper and a few matches. Disc two features more of his most memorable matches and disc three has nothing but the best editions of Piper's Pit. The selection is truly excellent, featuring all the best segments from the eighties and some really great ones from more recent times
Is this on a par with the releases I listed at the start of this review, though? Admittedly...not quite. The documentary remains excellent and the collection of Piper's Pits are legend. The problem is the matches. Though some are truly classic, entertaining and/or memorable, some range from average to really poor. So don't expect much greatness.
Despite that, Born to Controversy remains a high-quality release that does Hot Rod true justice. It's inspired viewing. Buy.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Hot Rod, 12 Jan 2009
Roddy Piper, as this DVD suggests more than once, was never the greatest in-ring worker to grace the squared circle, but boy...he could talk up a storm. The charisma and magic of "Hot Rod", evident even to the present day, is well and truly alive in this engaging and entertaining 3-disc set.
The documentary portion of the collection is a nimble look through Piper's rich and varied career, taking us from his early days in Portland all the way up to some of his latest returns to the WWE. The sheer wealth of archive footage makes for great viewing even if, at times, the majority of it is based on his out of the ring activities, specifically Piper's Pit. Indeed his WWF career up to his "retirement" at WrestleMania III is largely covered by four matches (three of which are WM bouts - the other is the War To Settle The Score from just prior to the first WM). His many WWF returns focus on his Intercontinental Title run, his interminable feud with Jerry Lawler (both men admit that their match at 1993's King Of The Ring was awful) and his bizarre battle with Goldust at WrestleMania XII, whilst his WCW stint is largely confined to his Starrcarde 1996 victory over Hulk Hogan. Still Piper's engaging commentary throughout keeps the pace up, even if it's sometimes difficult to believe EVERYTHING that he is saying.
In terms of extra's there are reams of matches and promo's over the remaining two discs. The standout matches are probably Piper's bloody Dog Collar Match with Greg Valentine from Starrcade 1993 and his WrestleMania VIII match with Bret Hart. I think it's fair to say however that few would relish watching all the matches on this collection back-to-back. Similarly, whilst a lot of the Piper's Pit promo's that make up the majority of the third disc are entertaining, there are only so many you can watch in one sitting.
Anyone who was entertained by Piper in the 80's and 90's will thoroughly enjoy this trip down memory lane. One of the best-talkers ever, Piper's influence on certain aspects of the business is still prevalent to this day but as this DVD set proves; many may have attempted to imitate Piper, but there will only ever be one "Hot Rod".
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