Book ~ "Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story" (2016) Colt Baird Toombs and Ariel Teal Toombs

From Goodreads ~ In early 2015, Roderick Toombs, aka Rowdy Roddy Piper, began researching his own autobiography with a trip through Western Canada. He was re-discovering his youth, a part of his life he never discussed during his 61 years, many spent as one of the greatest talents in the history of pro wrestling. Following his death due to a heart attack that July, two of his children took on the job of telling Roddy's story, separating fact from fiction in the extraordinary life of their father.

Already an accomplished wrestler before Wrestlemania in 1985, Roddy Piper could infuriate a crowd like no "heel" before him. The principal antagonist to all-American champion Hulk Hogan, Piper used his quick wit, explosive ring style and fearless baiting of audiences to push pro wrestling to unprecedented success. Wrestling was suddenly pop culture's main event. An actor with over 50 screen credits, including the lead in John Carpenter's #1 cult classic, "They Live", Piper knew how to keep fans hungry, just as he'd kept them wishing for a complete portrait of his most unusual life. He wanted to write this book for his family; now they have written it for him.

Roddy Piper was professional wrestler and actor. He was born in Saskatoon, SK, in 1954 (I didn't know he was Canadian). He was the youngest of three children and his family moved around a lot because his father worked for the CN Rail Police. His father was a strict disciplinarian and Roddy left home at an early age and fell into wrestling. Starting out, he did the circuits across Canada and the States before becoming the mouthy heel "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. He was in the process of researching and writing this book when he passed away in suddenly in 2015 and two of his children took up the job of finishing his story.

I was a fan of wrestling in the late 1980s and early 1990s (I even attended Wrestlemania VI in April 1990 at the SkyDome here in Toronto). I knew wrestling was fake but it was fun. I like reading bios and have had this on my to-be-read list for years so finally read it. Despite his persona of being a heal, Roddy sounds like a nice fella who was loved and respected by all. It was interesting to read the behind-the-scenes stories of the wrestling world and the wrestlers who were villans and enemies but actually good friends of Roddy's. I found it was written at a high level with just enough detail. I found myself Googling the names of wrestlers I haven't thought about in years to see what they are up to today (alas, many had passed away young). It's an interesting book if you are/were a wrestling fan. There are lots of pictures at the end. As a head's up, there is swearing and descriptions of drug and alcohol use.