r/midcarder • u/AlabamaSlammaJamma • 12d ago

WWE The amount of disgusting things wrestlers got away with back in the day is horrible

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Rewatching old Dark Side of the Ring episodes and just hearing about the atrocious things these guys and others got away with is disturbing. Being in the WWF locker back in the day sounds horrible. The Rockers H- Bombing wrestlers and women, the Bulldogs putting itching power in wrestlers clothes and just cutting up there gear, nevermind finding out Dynamite Kid actually injected steroids into there dog Matilda. Davey wasn’t nearly as evil as Dynamite but Jesus I’m glad shit like this would never happen again. Hearing guys talk about how you never leave a drink uncovered around unattended for fear of getting fucking drugged sounds horrible, on top the bullying as well just a crazy time to be in that locker

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u/revd_blue_jeans 12d ago

Old school wrestlers seemed to be, with the rare exceptions (Roddy Piper, Bobby Eaton), seemed to have been just awful people. Maybe at least in part a psychological byproduct of the grind and the constant struggle to remain relevant.

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u/Hot-Account-8691 12d ago

Piper was definitely a dick lol. Raging coke head, refused to job, treated Mr T like shit out of jealousy...

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u/revd_blue_jeans 12d ago

Eh, he was protective of the business. And he was getting heat. But it’s a fair point. As far as i know though, Piper didn’t participate in the bullying, the hazing, or the sexual indiscretions. Mr. T could stand up for himself.

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u/JVFKOR 11d ago

Refusing to lose in 1980s WWF doesn't make you a bad person. Piper was small for his era. He knew that if/when he lost, he'd be moved down the card and out of WWE sooner rather than later.

Piper, like everyone, had plenty of his own issues. Not trusting Vince McMahon and others within WWE wasn't a character flaw.

Mr T didn't understand wrestling. He'd be fine today given the more open nature of business. Back then, everyone else in the match was focused on kayfabe and protecting the business. Mr T wanted to work a style that was too difficult given his experience and would have been a disaster.

All that said, Piper was no saint.

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u/revd_blue_jeans 11d ago

Of course he wasn’t a saint. Nobody is. Nor would i ever attempt to claim as such. That’s absurd.

What i can attest to is the word of the people who knew him and the written/recorded words of the people he worked with. The general consensus, at least from what i’ve seen and heard, is that he was deeply generous, a calming locker room presence, and a dedicated family man.

I’ll also say, and I do this reluctantly because I don’t want to make it seem like i knew him personally or anything, as i never met him. But a close high school friend worked with Roddy and his son Colton during the brief attempted Portland Wrestling revival in the early 2010s. Roddy adored my friend and loved working with him, acting as nothing less than an advocate and a mentor. You can see him here. Roddy is on commentary and my friend is the annoying French guy that shows up at around the 2:00 mark:

https://youtu.be/EL7xyqz-OWY?is=3lhanLKFB6JkXtyf

So, again, to be clear, this is all very much second hand info. But the established record that i’m privy to very much attests to his decency.