November 3, 201212 yr Author comment_5518816 Piper has half his face painted black. He says Sapphire confirmed that everyone in Harlem thinks Bad News Brown is a jerk. He says he can be black, and starts singing "Beat It", or he can be white, and starts singing opera. Oh, Roddy. I'm reminded of the Simpsons comedian on how black people drive versus how white people drive. He points out that Brown is stupid to call him a spineless cockroach, because cockroaches don't have spines. I ... think that's true, but I am half-tempted to check Wikipedia. This is a fun interview.
November 9, 201212 yr comment_5519440 Insects are invertebrates, yes. Most of this makes absolutely no sense at all in that '90s Piper way. That said, he sort of pulls it together at the end by asking rhetorically, "Ain't I crazy enough to get the job done?!" Gorilla concurs with, "He IS crazy!" Then when Piper turns the black half of his face to the camera as his music hits, he does a fucking Zip Coon minstrel routine. Bad News had a PROBLEM working with this guy? You don't fucking say.
November 23, 201212 yr comment_5520823 Dont know who imagined these two together wouldn't cause issues but it did make for some memorable moments and I never knew piper did the half black/white thing before mania.
January 18, 201312 yr comment_5528652 Piper shows off his half blackface look. According to Sapphire, the people of Harlem don’t like Bad News. It seems like Sapphire is Piper’s go to person for all questions and answers about Brown.
January 19, 201312 yr comment_5528972 Not only that, but Sapphire is Piper's go to person for all things related to the black community, apparently. Seriously, I have to ask...had everybody in the WWF lost their goddamned around this time? You have Hogan and Warrior babbling on about God knows what, you have Piper coming out dressed in half blackface, Dusty Rhodes is wearing polka dots, you have a white man pretending to be from deepest darkest Africa...seriously, what the fuck is going on?
September 21, 201312 yr comment_5564032 I believe this is the first appearance of Piper going half blackface. This is definitely something that you wouldn't see in today's world. I still don't really think I get the point he was trying to make with it.
December 16, 201410 yr comment_5645614 According to Piper himself, he was trying to preach a message of tolerance, that color doesn't matter, only what's inside you. If you say so, Rod........... The promo itself is typical Piper; crazy, but unlike Warrior's promos, having some small connection with the world the rest of us live in. At least Rod acknowledges his own craziness and tries to have some fun with it instead of acting like he's immortal. Using Sapphire as an expert on African-Americans everywhere seems dubious to me too, but she's the only other African-American babyface that the WWF has other than Koko, who's jobbing in the opening match, so I can understand it. I heard somewhere about Bad News having a major problem with Piper's promos, and I can't blame him for it either. Maybe Rod should have gone up against someone who was more willing to be a target for his mouth, such as Lanny Poffo (who deserved at least one WrestleMania bout as a thank-you for his years of loyal service). It wasn't like the Bad News feud was going to make money on the road after Mania; surely there was a more compatible choice for a one-off out there.
December 29, 20159 yr comment_5717790 I simultaneously watching this and looking over a graduate school application (awful) so I looked up, saw Piper looking at Gene (whiteface) and didn't think anything of it, looked down, looked up again, and oops, half blackface. At first I thought it was warpaint, but nope, it's a racial thing. I believe he says he's got "a little Chinee" in him as well. Man...
December 15, 20168 yr comment_5778730 Roddy Piper comes out for an interview with Gene Okerlund and cautiously keeps one side off camera; turns out it’s because he has painted half of his face black! He’ll be facing Bad News Brown at Wrestlemania VI because they couldn’t find anyone else to fight him. He’s already spoken to Sapphire (clearly you ask the black woman for information on the black man!) and she’s said how the people of Harlem think he’s a jerk and a bully. Come Wrestlemania VI, Bad News is going to be no news at all! Wow! I never knew that Piper did the half black/half white gimmick before Wrestlemania itself? Interview is all over the place but the crowd are lapping it up. Barely three months into the Yearbook and it’s kinda shocking how often racism, homophobia and blatantly accusing people of being on steroids are used in promos. Thing is it’s more often the faces that are guilty of this! Crazy times.
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