WWE Hall of Fame Wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper speaks during a press conference for the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, as wrestler Chris Jericho (R) looks on in New York March 31, 2009. The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania will take place at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas April 5. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES) - RTXDGPP
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is wrestling royalty. Piper has won more than 34 championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. Now, he adds a new credential to his resume as a reality star in WWE network’s “Legends’ House,” set to debut April 17th. Piper, 59, talked to FOX411 about the untimely death of colleague Ultimate Warrior, and the ghosts of wrestlers past that still haunt him.
FOX411: Many wrestlers have died young, and now comes the unexpected death of Ultimate Warrior at age 54. What does that loss mean for you?
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper: For the wrestling community, he had a tremendous audience. A lot of people used to knock him for his interviews for not making any sense. What they didn’t understand is they weren’t supposed to. They were for children. “I’m Batman. I’m Superman.” And there they are trying to get something great. No, they are for kids. The one thing I’ll say about him is he was a little different, as we are all are, but he would be speaking out about guys like myself, Ric Flair, some other guys saying, “You guys should hang it up. It’s embarrassing. You keep going out.” But he (legally) changed his name to Warrior. I found that a little hypocritical.
FOX411: You appeared on Lifetime’s “Haunting of…” series where you talked about being haunted by the ghosts of wrestlers past.
Piper: She (the medium) brought up Owen Hart…the ones that had passed, Curt Hennig, Rick Rude, I was real close with them with them all. She said Owen is really proud of you and they’re watching you. I believe it. And, what she meant by that is, I try to be the man’s wrestler. I try to stick up for them. I get emotional about this. It grabbed me.
FOX411: Are the spirits of the wrestlers still in your home?
Piper: Without a doubt. Adrian Adonis. His real name is Keith Franke. He thought of me like a brother. He was an orphan. When we were 22 years old, we were tag team partners called the Twenty-Twos. One day I was going crazy, and he said, “You know, Pipes, you’ve got to buy a house for your family." I was in Poughkeepsie and I was really having a tough day, and I never had a house of my own. He saved my house from burning down (after his death). You see, when I saw him (as a ghost), I saw him like when he was 22.
The 'Four4Four' panel takes on wrestlers dying young, and more.
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