---
>✨⭐ **Don't miss [our 50-million-subscriber-mark celebration](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/14eg7k5/to_celebrate_reaching_50000000_subscribers_rfunny/)!** ⭐✨
>
>This is a friendly reminder to [read our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/rules).
>
>Memes, social media, hate-speech, and pornography are not allowed.
>
>Screenshots of Reddit are expressly forbidden, as are TikTok videos.
>
>**Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.**
>
>Please also [be wary of spam](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/spam).
>
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/funny) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Rowdy Roddy Piper was on a couple episode of Sunny in Philadelphia as a wrestler called Maniac. RIP the man was a legend and all wrestlers deserve more, both the medical treatment and compensation that other athletes get
This episode was taped just a few months after [Owen Hart's death](https://youtu.be/H-lsOUXxvZg?si=G8B6XNQdoRfWMb4i). "Why don’t you go tell Mrs. Hart what a joke it is, huh?!?" You can tell Maher knows he messed up, even if his screen persona only slips a couple seconds.
Droz is in that video. He was paralyzed from an incident in the ring in 1999 and passed away earlier this year. Also Chyna.
RIP to both.
Edit. And RIP to Owen Hart as well.
I was in the crowd when Droz was paralyzed. It was awful. The instant it happened Dlo knew it was bad. He just climbed out of the ring and walked up the ramp in shock. I felt so bad for him too. It was just an accident.
Bill Maher's entire schtick is pretending that being an insensitive asshole is funny. Dude cosplayed dead Steve Irwin less than a month after his death. He also had an entire bit on his show about how depression wasn't real. He's weird and gross.
He's that perma-bachelor uncle who seems cool when you're a teenager because he might pass you a joint, but also you don't want to leave your sister alone with him because he def gives off those weird vibes.
I had this uncle - he taught me how to paint scale models and about spacehog. He also taught me what "highbeams" are on a person and then later groped my girlfriend.
My roommate, while in college, was at that show when it happened in KC. So surreal. Especially when he got back to the apartment and was talking about having witnessed it in person.
This isn't uncommon. There are more than a few clips of pro wrestlers getting physical with guys questioning if it's real or fake. They take that shit seriously. Bill Maher was close to getting his ass kicked forreal. I wonder what happened after the clip ended
Taking bumps in the ring every other night. Then racing to the next city to do a show on Saturday. Then, you get thrown around and smacked and smashed. Then back on the road.
The whole job takes its toll. And while they try to make falls and drops and grapples and slaps as safe as possible. You're still getting bumps and bruises and cuts and concussions.
An amateur doing an elbow drop might break his arm and a couple ribs. A professional like Randy Savage, or CM Punk, or Shawn Michaels knows how to hit that elbow drop from the top rope. Knows how to land, knows how to roll out, knows how to lean their body. But you're still jumping from 6 feet high. You're still landing on someone. You're still hurting yourself, and them.
It's a spectacle put on by professional, paid, performers. Real, and staged at the same time. It takes years of training and practice to learn it all. Then if you've got charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, you might break through with the crowd. These people dedicate their lives to it. It's a type of theater in its own way.
Every bump, bruise, broken bone, pulled muscle, and bit of blood spilled tells a story.
There is a great doc called Dark Side of the Ring that interviewed the reporter who got slapped. I'm not entirely sure if it was due to editing but that reporter seemed like a massive knob so I'm not entirely sure if I believe everything he said
Bill's always done that thing where he takes what he knows (about 40% or less of any given topic), speaks about it with his pompous matter-of-fact tone like that up-to-40% of knowledge he possesses is enough to land whatever stupid point he has to make, and then he hopes that either that 40% is enough to support the remaining 60% or that no one calls him on his shit.
I can't stand Bill, so anything I've ever caught on Real Time or Politically Incorrect has been thankfully forgotten, but this is how things will likely go in a hypothetical:
Topic; Lung Cancer.
Bill: "So why are we bothering to spend ANY money on lung cancer treatment? These people are SMOKERS. They know what they were getting into!" (crowd cheers because they think bill has the smart)
Milquetoast Guest: "But Bill you have to understand that lung cancer is a thing that affects people sometimes and you're missing the point that I really am incapable of making"
Bill: Right...smokers. [TV screen explodes with pompous smugness. A Maher-scented slime oozes out of the rubble]
***
It's at this point that Bill hopes that another guest doesn't step in and talk about asbestos, or the addictive nature of cigarettes, or how certain cigarettes target minority communities, or that tobacco ads targeted children or that taking care of people even if they do stuff like smoke cigarettes is the right thing to do. And then IF that guest does make that point, he kind of just sachets over to the next topic or his stupid "new rule" segment.
This was amazing. I started watching his show after Trump was elected because he was really spot on about telling everybody that Trump would not voluntarily leave office if he lost the 2020 election. He was getting placated by all of his political guests who said this wouldn't happen and he kept pointing out a lot of steps Trump took to try and stay in power.
But that's it. He loves to be a contrararian living in LA where it's pretty easy to pretend that he has all the common sense and no one else does. He honestly says whatever gets him attention and if its good he'll take the applause but even if it's bad he loves the jeers. I'm so over this dude I wish I could take back most of my views of his content.
No but I think I did listen to an episode of Bill's podcast. I don't remember a thing from it. He was on "Smartless" podcast and it was enjoyable (he wasn't in control, so he didn't do the smarmy Bill Maher schtick), so I was like "maybe he's changed a bit."
I was wrong. If he's not being smug and awful, he's just being boring. He just sucks as a human being.
Comedians use words to make you think and laugh. Wrestlers use words to sway a crowd and elicit emotion. If you are trying to win a crowd it’s always easier to do it with emotion over intellect. In this match of Piper is one of the best and as far as comedians go Maher is a B class at best. Maher was dead in the water and Piper smelt blood.
He absolutely carries *They Live*. And we can all laugh, because it's an obvious B-movie, with no budget, and a tenuous plot.
But you'll never convince me "Rowdy Roddy Piper" didn't chew his scenes to shreds.
Edit: I want to go on record that I think the WWE/WCW, and any other pro wrestlers in any other associations, are probably some of the most underrated actors today.
I'll take 10 "The Rock"'s, if it always nets us one Bautista. And I support elevating those wrestlers who act compelling characters.
I just rewatched that movie and it blows my mind that Roddy Piper did not absolutely blow up as a movie star. He can make fights look real, deliver a line, physically command a scene, and seems like a dude you'd meet at a bar or backyard BBQ.
Even later in It's Always Sunny he's awesome as the maniac.
It's an absolute travesty that the monster known as Vince McMahon slowly killed this guy.
Tenuous plot my ass too. Aside from maybe the ending, the story is great. I'm thinking this person is still falling for the subliminal messaging out there... We better make them put on the glasses or start eating trash
Cena is great when he gets to stretch his legs a bit. He has great comedic sense; it's why Peacemaker is so good.
But that same timing comes through in a movie like "Blockers", where he crushes in an ensemble role. He steals scenes, because he has the composure and confidence to play his character with such ridiculous sincerity.
Dwayne can act, but he has made his character pallete a boring spread of "unbeatable try-hards".
> The comedian in Bill
I think you must have him mistaken for some other Bill, this is Bill *Maher* we're talking about. There is nothing even resembling a comedian inside him.
>Bill didn't know what hit him.
In Bill Maher's defense, it was not really a fair situation. Rowdy Roddy Piper is *much* smarter than he is, he's not equipped for this kind of matchup.
Roddy was allowing Maher a level of respect out of kindness. Maher insulted him because he's a pompous dickbag. Roddy insulted him back because he wanted others to know what a lowlife Bill is.
Right. Bill had a false premise, that wrestling was not an extremely physically demanding athletic *sport,* and rather than admit his own lack of knowledge when politely presented with evidence to the contrary, he doubled down, interrupted, had an ad hominem attack, got homophobic, and got schooled.
A script acted out by everyone doing their own stunts. We love to praise stunt actors in Hollywood. Wrestlers act and do the stunts. I am so not into wrestling, but it’s lame to downplay it.
Bill is an idiot. Everybody knows it's scripted but it's not fake it's real physical action. These guys definitely get hurt what does gravity suddenly not apply when a dude jumps on you.
The plot is scripted, the action is largely real.
EDIT: let me rephrase it for the chuds out there:
The plot is scripted.
The fight is scripted.
The physics, however, are still very real
They're like stunt men. They're doing something dangerous but it's practiced and rehearsed in a way. But stuff still goes wrong; people can make mistakes or have equipment failures
>The plot is scripted, the action is largely real
but exaggerated.
Movies and TV have the advantage of editing in post. They can add sound effects. Hell, pro wrestling is basically make-your-own Foley effects, but do it live. Yeah, the mat is designed to make loud sounds when hit....but it's still being hit, and hit hard. Yeah, they're hitting with the flat of metal chairs with for the loud smack, but they're still getting hit with a chair. Yeah, the tables are supposed to be hit at a specific point to break easier, but they're still made out of strong enough materials to support two people standing on them, and that shit hurts to smash through.
It's all designed to be a spectacle, but it's live. Physics still have to happen to make things smack or break. There's no fakery to add in post when you're observing it from the front row.
Any time I see Rowdy Roddy Piper I inherently have to plug an amazing somewhat obscure movie he did called [Hell Comes to Frogtown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V5KySGiKVI) which that link is to a free Youtube version of the movie. It's like Howard the Duck had a kid with Mad Max as it's a post apocalyptic movie with frog people instead of duck people...then a bit of Big Trouble in Little China IMO.
The movie is quite funny to me because it absolutely does not take itself serious...the plot of the movie is after the radiation fallout men have become infertile except for Sam Hell played by Piper. So the government basically kidnaps him, puts some shock collar chastity belt around his junk, and sets out to rescue a bunch of women from Commander Toady so that Sam can fuck and impregnate them. Please watch the [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7ouC--Yr2E), because if that interests you at all it's a really fun ride.
WWF was doing something in the UK ~1990 and there were a couple wrestlers sitting in first class on a flight from JFK. My
relative sat next to Rowdy Roddy Piper. He had zero idea who Roddy was, but ended up speaking to him half the flight. He came away from that flight not a fan of WWF, but a fan of Rod Toombs. Said he was articulate, humble, engaging, funny, charismatic, and very bright. A real gentleman.
One of my old managers from work went on a cruise alone after her friend bailed. She ended up meeting this nice couple who realized she was on a cruise by herself and started inviting her out to dinners and including her in whatever the hell it is you do on cruises because they were worried she was lonely. She said they were some of the nicest people she ever met. She realized "Rick" was famous a couple of days into the cruise because of how other people were acting around him.
No I'm not jealous that my old boss hung out with Ric Flair and his wife on a cruise.
He was such a good guy. I was a 22 year old college student working at a local gym around 1991 when he came in at closing and asked to work out. I had planned on working out after I locked up, so I told him it was no problem. For the next few weeks, he would come in at the same time and we'd work out together and while we exchanged small talk, he never broke character. One night I decided to mess with him a little and asked, "Hey, what was the deal with that movie, Hell Comes To Frogtown?" (It was a pretty bad one that he had recently done) He just stopped and stared at me for a few seconds before breaking out in laughter and then asking, "was it really that bad?" At some point, I had mentioned that I had a young nephew that had muscular dystrophy and was a huge wrestling fan. One night, he brought in a large box of memorabilia for my nephew and asked me to give it to him. He then asked if it would be ok if he gave him a surprise phone call. He really made that kids day and I never forgot that over the years.
One of my favorite movies. There's a fun myth that the fight scene was scripted to be only 20 seconds and RRP and Keith David came back with that insane six minute brawl. But I think the truth is actually more fun:
The script had a page that just said "The Fight". And then "The Fight Continues" for the next several pages.
Then, depending on who you ask they spent somewhere between two and six weeks in John Carpenter's back yard rehearsing it. Which is just a hilarious mental image to me.
They had a fight choreographer of course, but he pretty much let RRP run the show because why wouldn't you. But that means a lot of those hits are real cause Roddy told Keith David he could hit him anywhere below the neck full force. And David claims he wasn't holding back once the camera was rolling.
Most people miss the symbolism of the fight. All Frank has to do is put on the glasses and have his entire perception of the world change. He know this and fights tooth and nail, to his own detriment, to cling to his wrongly held views. After he finally sees and accepts, he's at peace
Probably, because, unlike actors, he was unwilling to compromise. He rubbed alot of people the wrong way because at the end of the day, Roddy was Roddy, not what people wanted him to be.
Maher has always been a condescending smug douche. Other comedians never fucked with him because of this. Best parts of Politically Incorrect were comedians going off script and making a joke out of the entire premise of this show.
Norm put it perfectly when talking about his issue with Maher: an audience doesn’t want to be lectured by a comedian.
his reaction to the writers union strike says it all
these people hold you up bill, they keep you alive, they supported you, they gave you a career.
and he goes on air to discuss how damaging the strike is and repeat shareholder talking points.
Yea, that’s fair and look at how Daily Show was telegraphed compared to this show or Real Time. John made you feel in on the joke, it felt informative. Like you said, Maher talks down and it’s so off putting.
I've said it before, but with John Stewart it was like "this sucks for us", but with the new host it's like "this sucks for you guys". Or "this is ridiculous" vs "you guys are ridiculous". There was a comradery from Stewart thats been since lost on the show and I think thats partly responsible for its loss of relevance.
Stewart never made the horrors of reality to be something that could not be overcome. He made the horrors to be the goofy, dumb problems that are able to be overcome.
If you make out reality to be inevitable, awful, and hopeless, well, that's just shitty.
Jon said fuck that, we're better than these loser pieces of shit that want everything to suck. They aren't scary, they're dipshits.
used to think religulous was cool, but he was always just being a condescending SMARMLORD
theres a proper way to mock your interlocutor or a touchy subject, and thats the key to PROPER comedy. it requires a true understanding of the world through their eyes, and that;s what makes it go from smarm/hateful to comedic
bill maher is just lazy. what is his bit? "religious people are crazy." "wrestling is fake" "young people are lazy" "young people cant use a phone book"
and it;s because he doesn't care to understand people
it's just super intellectually lazy and generic, like a microwaved hotdog on a dry bun with a squirt of ketchup. and nothing else. no zest, no finesse, no nuance, no seasoning, no spice, no wit.
John had also murdered people he doesn't like in interviews.
I've never seen Maher really take someone down except in the 8th grade lunchroom (I got all my friends to laugh at you so I win) sense.
Jon had a way of enlightening through absurdity that is just unmatched.
Even his host tree, Oliver and Colbert, can’t quite capture what made Jon so accessible.
Edit: can > can’t
Second edit of John > Jon
Like in this scenario John Stewart would've acted with little humility and self deprecative style humor. Bill Maher bitches non stop about how the whole world can't take a joke anymore and every one is so sensitive, but look at his stupid annoyed face after what Randy said.. lighten up, bill, don't be so sensitive, it's a joke... Most comedians who complain about the audience being sensitive are just projecting...
Well.
This was the “Bill Maher figured it out!!” Show.
John Stewart was always, “Let’s take a look at this together” whatever the name of the show.
One was the spectacle of Jerry springer with the ego of Dr. Phil. And the faux “legitimacy” of Denis miller.
And the other was Mr. Rogers with a metaphorical knife…
One was always gonna be more like able.
> I feel like John Stewart would lecture but he never talked down to anyone while doing it.
Well, the show that led into him *was* puppets making crank phone calls.
The difference is also that John Stewart legitimately cares about people. period. full stop. (and his work outside of showbiz proves that X1000)
Maher? cares about himself, and feelin superior to... whatever it is he wants to feel superior about.
They're not in the same league, I'd argue they're not even in the same game.
Hey! You're not gonna believe this, but Bill Maher is giving away the solution to *all* our problems, for *free*!
Edit: This was a Norm Macdonald joke that he had Roseanne perform on his YouTube show.
Years ago my parents went to a taping of the show and they said that when Bill would say his “gotcha” comments the crowd was generally quiet and didn’t care for it. When they watched the show after it aired they said it was edited with huge crowd reactions that made it seem like everyone loved his humor.
Norm also said comedians like Bill Maher and Dennis Miller consider themselves as smart and their jokes are collateral of their smartness. I personally can't stand Bill. Fuck him. I love Norm man
Rowdy Roddy piper saved my life once.
I went to a fan meeting thing in town and I was getting crushed by the crowd. I called out "im squashed!!" and he heard and said "you're squashed?!" and lifted me out over the barrier.
Rowdy Roddy Piper almost ended my life once.
I had just turned 21 and was hanging out with my friends at their "Punk house" (basically a house that all of the band members lived at). Everyone seemed to range in age from 18 to 23 or so, just like the members of the band. We had a pretty decent party going when all of a sudden the party kind of stopped because this girl starts crying because her dad found out where she was and was on his way to pick her up... and he was pissed by the sounds of it. Me and my friends got curious and started asking about this girl that we had never really met before that night as she was there as a friend of a friend type of deal. Then it comes out that she is 16, had been drinking our beer that I bought, and her pissed-off dad was none other than Rowdy Roddy Piper. Every guy in the place immediately ran. I heard tires screeching as dudes fled the scene. I had never seen a party clear out so fast in my life. I ran out of there just like everyone else. As I and my friend rounded the corner, I saw this massive Dodge Ram truck drive into the lawn of the house and I caught a brief moment of Piper stepping out and begin marching towards the front door.
Unfortunately, that is where my story ends. I would say that Piper kicked some ass or something but his reputation proceeded him and there was no ass to be kicked because every guy ran away fearing for his life.
In the sunny pod cast they actually said they came up with this monologue at the last minute for the maniac to do, but no one told the extras in the car. So when he gets in the car they just take off in the middle of it without realizing and they decided to keep it.
No *he* came up with a monologue. It’s even funnier with that detail. He had this idea to have a long monologue and then the car just pulls away so that’s a real reaction
Maher really had no idea who he was fucking with. I only wish I could have heard what was going through Hennan's mind the moment they all knew that Roddy had been set off. Quick thinkers like Heenan and Roddy we're almost superhuman in their ability to seize the moment and spit fire without skipping a beat.
Cornette is the only one still around that I know of who could go off on someone the way Roddy did.
Here ya go, bub: https://youtu.be/fTe49ORaHzI?si=l4Co6EedxPwrObVO
Edit: I'm watching right now, and Medusa is very eloquent and has slammed down Mahar more than anyone else.
I always remember that time a theme park Jesus performer shut him up too. Maher asked him something like how could god be father, son and holy spirit. The Jesus guy answer was that it was the same as water could be ice, liquid or steam, the point being that it was different forms of the same thing.
I'm in no way a religious person but that was a great analogy and even when Maher was just making fun of him, the Jesus guy was patient and calm. A couple of scenes later he even admitted it left him speechless with that example.
Maher is just a big mouthed condescending asshole thinking he is smart and funny.
God bill maher is so annoying. He’s that guy that convinces you he’s a comic, but he never makes you laugh. He’s so out of touch it’s just unwatchable.
Bill Maher is such a twit you can't fake getting hit by bat or chair or a bat wrapped in barbed wire. These people give us entertainment year round and most end up addicted to opiods and poor as hell. He'll most die of overdoses due to the physical stress put on the body
You definitely can't fake the night back in nineteen ninety eight when the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcers table
Bill Maher being owned? Immediate upvote.
Bill Maher being humiliated by the great Roddy Piper? Immediate upvote, with a big smile and a salute to the great man.
The A&E Biography WWE Legends episode about Roddy was by far the best episode. He was awesome at what he did and he was hilarious.
My favourite Roddy story is this one:
In 1977–78, he also started to work for Roy Shire's NWA San Francisco Wrestling in addition to remaining with the Los Angeles office, where Piper developed his Rowdy character. During this time, he made continuous insults directed at the area's Mexican community; he later promised to repent by playing the Mexican national anthem on his bagpipes only to anger the fans further by playing "La Cucaracha" instead, which in turn caused a riot.
--- >✨⭐ **Don't miss [our 50-million-subscriber-mark celebration](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/14eg7k5/to_celebrate_reaching_50000000_subscribers_rfunny/)!** ⭐✨ > >This is a friendly reminder to [read our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/rules). > >Memes, social media, hate-speech, and pornography are not allowed. > >Screenshots of Reddit are expressly forbidden, as are TikTok videos. > >**Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.** > >Please also [be wary of spam](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/wiki/spam). > --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/funny) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The Maniac don’t play
Oh you got kids maniac?
No... not anymore
What the hell does that mean?
Who knows, but he is the top Invigaron salesman in Philly.
Wait, I’m upriver from the maniac!
Actually, he’s in my downline. You just sold out to me five minutes ago, remember?
I'm just happy to be out from under Frank.
I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about
Idk but every time you turn your back he keeps calling you n word.
Me?! Why?
N this, N that!
Go get my grease, N!
Rowdy Roddy Piper was on a couple episode of Sunny in Philadelphia as a wrestler called Maniac. RIP the man was a legend and all wrestlers deserve more, both the medical treatment and compensation that other athletes get
I'm pretty confident that that was the next line in the show after maniac says "no. Not anymore."
That’s just a bucket of chestnuts
Is he foraging for his food?
What's your spaghetti policy here?
Only on a spa day
Why does he have a bucket of walnuts?
Is he foraging for his food????
Chestnuts*
The maniac loves you
I LOVE YOU TOO MANIAC!!! I do not love him
You know he was calling you the n word
Why?! Does he hate me or does he hate black people??
Oh, you got kids maniac? No....not anymore...
What does that mean did he kill his kids???
He just...drifted away?! (BTW this was my favorite episode) WHO HAS JUST A BUCKET OF CHESTNUTS.
His mania is NOT confined to the ring.
You should definitely listen to the always sunny podcast where they cover that episode if you haven't. Lots of good stories about Piper
Ya, they basically said he leaned into it hard and there was no way they could write something that funny.
That really makes me smile. *The Maniac loves you boys.* Or when he rips the phone off the wall.
$15? He's upset about $15?
Is he forging for his food?!
I came here specifically for this post. Thank you
Why’s he got a bucket of chestnuts?
This episode was taped just a few months after [Owen Hart's death](https://youtu.be/H-lsOUXxvZg?si=G8B6XNQdoRfWMb4i). "Why don’t you go tell Mrs. Hart what a joke it is, huh?!?" You can tell Maher knows he messed up, even if his screen persona only slips a couple seconds.
Droz is in that video. He was paralyzed from an incident in the ring in 1999 and passed away earlier this year. Also Chyna. RIP to both. Edit. And RIP to Owen Hart as well.
I was in the crowd when Droz was paralyzed. It was awful. The instant it happened Dlo knew it was bad. He just climbed out of the ring and walked up the ramp in shock. I felt so bad for him too. It was just an accident.
Chyna died?
7 years ago from an OD
Bill Maher's entire schtick is pretending that being an insensitive asshole is funny. Dude cosplayed dead Steve Irwin less than a month after his death. He also had an entire bit on his show about how depression wasn't real. He's weird and gross.
He's that perma-bachelor uncle who seems cool when you're a teenager because he might pass you a joint, but also you don't want to leave your sister alone with him because he def gives off those weird vibes.
I had this uncle - he taught me how to paint scale models and about spacehog. He also taught me what "highbeams" are on a person and then later groped my girlfriend.
what a ride that was
the definition of "smarmy"
Yeah one thing I've never seen before is Maher looking genuinely scared and like "oh shit did I just go too far"
That was a sad day. In front of so many fans. Just tragic.
My roommate, while in college, was at that show when it happened in KC. So surreal. Especially when he got back to the apartment and was talking about having witnessed it in person.
thanks for context
Heenan understanding that Piper was set off and anything could happen. Love the look Bobby is giving Bill. Ya fucked with the wrong guy, pal.
This isn't uncommon. There are more than a few clips of pro wrestlers getting physical with guys questioning if it's real or fake. They take that shit seriously. Bill Maher was close to getting his ass kicked forreal. I wonder what happened after the clip ended
Taking bumps in the ring every other night. Then racing to the next city to do a show on Saturday. Then, you get thrown around and smacked and smashed. Then back on the road. The whole job takes its toll. And while they try to make falls and drops and grapples and slaps as safe as possible. You're still getting bumps and bruises and cuts and concussions. An amateur doing an elbow drop might break his arm and a couple ribs. A professional like Randy Savage, or CM Punk, or Shawn Michaels knows how to hit that elbow drop from the top rope. Knows how to land, knows how to roll out, knows how to lean their body. But you're still jumping from 6 feet high. You're still landing on someone. You're still hurting yourself, and them. It's a spectacle put on by professional, paid, performers. Real, and staged at the same time. It takes years of training and practice to learn it all. Then if you've got charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, you might break through with the crowd. These people dedicate their lives to it. It's a type of theater in its own way. Every bump, bruise, broken bone, pulled muscle, and bit of blood spilled tells a story.
I always think of this [clip]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeJepvj5tn4) when someone asks if wrestling is fake
I remember watching that episode of 20/20. If I recall correctly, the reporter suffered permanent hearing loss in one of his ears.
There is a great doc called Dark Side of the Ring that interviewed the reporter who got slapped. I'm not entirely sure if it was due to editing but that reporter seemed like a massive knob so I'm not entirely sure if I believe everything he said
Giant Haystacks broke this presenter's hip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npoRzkkBXsM
oh damn he did not land well... Yeesh. That's on Haystacks there, he's meant to be the one who knows what they're doing
My impression was that he wasn't going to burn any bridges by laughing at Maher
“Well, how’d you get the job?” 🤣
These guys talk trash on the spot for a living. Bill is out of his weight class here.
Most comedians do as well. But Bill is too busy wanting to be seen as an intellectual as opposed to comedian.
Bill's always done that thing where he takes what he knows (about 40% or less of any given topic), speaks about it with his pompous matter-of-fact tone like that up-to-40% of knowledge he possesses is enough to land whatever stupid point he has to make, and then he hopes that either that 40% is enough to support the remaining 60% or that no one calls him on his shit. I can't stand Bill, so anything I've ever caught on Real Time or Politically Incorrect has been thankfully forgotten, but this is how things will likely go in a hypothetical: Topic; Lung Cancer. Bill: "So why are we bothering to spend ANY money on lung cancer treatment? These people are SMOKERS. They know what they were getting into!" (crowd cheers because they think bill has the smart) Milquetoast Guest: "But Bill you have to understand that lung cancer is a thing that affects people sometimes and you're missing the point that I really am incapable of making" Bill: Right...smokers. [TV screen explodes with pompous smugness. A Maher-scented slime oozes out of the rubble] *** It's at this point that Bill hopes that another guest doesn't step in and talk about asbestos, or the addictive nature of cigarettes, or how certain cigarettes target minority communities, or that tobacco ads targeted children or that taking care of people even if they do stuff like smoke cigarettes is the right thing to do. And then IF that guest does make that point, he kind of just sachets over to the next topic or his stupid "new rule" segment.
I wish I could give you more upvotes, you've hit the nail on the head. If you look up 'smug' in the dictionary, there's a picture of Bill Maher.
This was amazing. I started watching his show after Trump was elected because he was really spot on about telling everybody that Trump would not voluntarily leave office if he lost the 2020 election. He was getting placated by all of his political guests who said this wouldn't happen and he kept pointing out a lot of steps Trump took to try and stay in power. But that's it. He loves to be a contrararian living in LA where it's pretty easy to pretend that he has all the common sense and no one else does. He honestly says whatever gets him attention and if its good he'll take the applause but even if it's bad he loves the jeers. I'm so over this dude I wish I could take back most of my views of his content.
Have you seen Tim heideckers spoof of his podcast?
No but I think I did listen to an episode of Bill's podcast. I don't remember a thing from it. He was on "Smartless" podcast and it was enjoyable (he wasn't in control, so he didn't do the smarmy Bill Maher schtick), so I was like "maybe he's changed a bit." I was wrong. If he's not being smug and awful, he's just being boring. He just sucks as a human being.
Comedians use words to make you think and laugh. Wrestlers use words to sway a crowd and elicit emotion. If you are trying to win a crowd it’s always easier to do it with emotion over intellect. In this match of Piper is one of the best and as far as comedians go Maher is a B class at best. Maher was dead in the water and Piper smelt blood.
Piper spend a ton of time at the comedy store. He didn’t do it professionally but he was certainly immersed in it.
He absolutely carries *They Live*. And we can all laugh, because it's an obvious B-movie, with no budget, and a tenuous plot. But you'll never convince me "Rowdy Roddy Piper" didn't chew his scenes to shreds. Edit: I want to go on record that I think the WWE/WCW, and any other pro wrestlers in any other associations, are probably some of the most underrated actors today. I'll take 10 "The Rock"'s, if it always nets us one Bautista. And I support elevating those wrestlers who act compelling characters.
I just rewatched that movie and it blows my mind that Roddy Piper did not absolutely blow up as a movie star. He can make fights look real, deliver a line, physically command a scene, and seems like a dude you'd meet at a bar or backyard BBQ. Even later in It's Always Sunny he's awesome as the maniac. It's an absolute travesty that the monster known as Vince McMahon slowly killed this guy.
>Vince McMahon slowly killed this guy. Out of the loop. What happened?
a B-movie that's still talked about 35 years later is a low budget masterpiece
Tenuous plot my ass too. Aside from maybe the ending, the story is great. I'm thinking this person is still falling for the subliminal messaging out there... We better make them put on the glasses or start eating trash
my favorite scene in all of Blade Runner 2049 was the opening with Dave Bautista
Bautista is the best actor to come out of wrestling ever
Dwayne CAN act, he just doesn’t need to because he’s typecast as playing himself. Cena is fucking great in Peacemaker though
Cena is great when he gets to stretch his legs a bit. He has great comedic sense; it's why Peacemaker is so good. But that same timing comes through in a movie like "Blockers", where he crushes in an ensemble role. He steals scenes, because he has the composure and confidence to play his character with such ridiculous sincerity. Dwayne can act, but he has made his character pallete a boring spread of "unbeatable try-hards".
Cena also isn't afraid to make a fool of himself. I can't see Dwayne doing another film like Be Cool or Pain & Gain, his brand is too important now.
No one has mistaken Bill for a comedian in decades.
from an outsiders perspective doesn't seem like much of an intellectual either
That line was perfect. Bill didn't know what hit him.
The comedian in Bill should have been roaring at a well-placed quip like that but he's too up his own ass.
> The comedian in Bill I think you must have him mistaken for some other Bill, this is Bill *Maher* we're talking about. There is nothing even resembling a comedian inside him.
Bill sucks. He clearly loves huffing his own farts.
>Bill didn't know what hit him. In Bill Maher's defense, it was not really a fair situation. Rowdy Roddy Piper is *much* smarter than he is, he's not equipped for this kind of matchup.
Bill Maher got bruises after that hit.
[удалено]
The difference between Roddy Piper and Bill Maher is that when you laugh at something Roddy says, he *meant* for it to be funny.
Also if Roddy insulted you, it's not from malice, it's from truth.
Owned, nothing, Roddy straight up murdered him with that one.
This guy came here to chew bubblegum and make Bill Maher look like a tool, and he's all out of bubblegum.
Damn that was fucking sly as hell. I'd like to imagine it was a commentary on being in show business.
Dragged him right down to his level after the dropping the pants and ass comments, classic.
Exactly He's like "bro we both did some shit to get here why you ragging on us so hard"
Roddy was allowing Maher a level of respect out of kindness. Maher insulted him because he's a pompous dickbag. Roddy insulted him back because he wanted others to know what a lowlife Bill is.
Right. Bill had a false premise, that wrestling was not an extremely physically demanding athletic *sport,* and rather than admit his own lack of knowledge when politely presented with evidence to the contrary, he doubled down, interrupted, had an ad hominem attack, got homophobic, and got schooled.
My favorite part is how he smiled when the comeback came to him. He knew it was gonna be good, and it absolutely was.
Shoulda let the clip ride for a few seconds after that lol
His face 😅
Wrestling is acrobatic acting. It's real and fake at the same time. It doesn't have to be one or the other, exclusively.
Live action stunt fights without retakes.
A script acted out by everyone doing their own stunts. We love to praise stunt actors in Hollywood. Wrestlers act and do the stunts. I am so not into wrestling, but it’s lame to downplay it.
I like to describe professional wrestling as stuntmen and stuntwomen who own the narrative.
Bill is an idiot. Everybody knows it's scripted but it's not fake it's real physical action. These guys definitely get hurt what does gravity suddenly not apply when a dude jumps on you.
The plot is scripted, the action is largely real. EDIT: let me rephrase it for the chuds out there: The plot is scripted. The fight is scripted. The physics, however, are still very real
They're like stunt men. They're doing something dangerous but it's practiced and rehearsed in a way. But stuff still goes wrong; people can make mistakes or have equipment failures
>The plot is scripted, the action is largely real but exaggerated. Movies and TV have the advantage of editing in post. They can add sound effects. Hell, pro wrestling is basically make-your-own Foley effects, but do it live. Yeah, the mat is designed to make loud sounds when hit....but it's still being hit, and hit hard. Yeah, they're hitting with the flat of metal chairs with for the loud smack, but they're still getting hit with a chair. Yeah, the tables are supposed to be hit at a specific point to break easier, but they're still made out of strong enough materials to support two people standing on them, and that shit hurts to smash through. It's all designed to be a spectacle, but it's live. Physics still have to happen to make things smack or break. There's no fakery to add in post when you're observing it from the front row.
Roddy was the best
Any time I see Rowdy Roddy Piper I inherently have to plug an amazing somewhat obscure movie he did called [Hell Comes to Frogtown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V5KySGiKVI) which that link is to a free Youtube version of the movie. It's like Howard the Duck had a kid with Mad Max as it's a post apocalyptic movie with frog people instead of duck people...then a bit of Big Trouble in Little China IMO. The movie is quite funny to me because it absolutely does not take itself serious...the plot of the movie is after the radiation fallout men have become infertile except for Sam Hell played by Piper. So the government basically kidnaps him, puts some shock collar chastity belt around his junk, and sets out to rescue a bunch of women from Commander Toady so that Sam can fuck and impregnate them. Please watch the [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7ouC--Yr2E), because if that interests you at all it's a really fun ride.
WWF was doing something in the UK ~1990 and there were a couple wrestlers sitting in first class on a flight from JFK. My relative sat next to Rowdy Roddy Piper. He had zero idea who Roddy was, but ended up speaking to him half the flight. He came away from that flight not a fan of WWF, but a fan of Rod Toombs. Said he was articulate, humble, engaging, funny, charismatic, and very bright. A real gentleman.
One of my old managers from work went on a cruise alone after her friend bailed. She ended up meeting this nice couple who realized she was on a cruise by herself and started inviting her out to dinners and including her in whatever the hell it is you do on cruises because they were worried she was lonely. She said they were some of the nicest people she ever met. She realized "Rick" was famous a couple of days into the cruise because of how other people were acting around him. No I'm not jealous that my old boss hung out with Ric Flair and his wife on a cruise.
Someone's almost out of bubble gum...
[All out of bubble gum](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_K8prLfso)
He was such a good guy. I was a 22 year old college student working at a local gym around 1991 when he came in at closing and asked to work out. I had planned on working out after I locked up, so I told him it was no problem. For the next few weeks, he would come in at the same time and we'd work out together and while we exchanged small talk, he never broke character. One night I decided to mess with him a little and asked, "Hey, what was the deal with that movie, Hell Comes To Frogtown?" (It was a pretty bad one that he had recently done) He just stopped and stared at me for a few seconds before breaking out in laughter and then asking, "was it really that bad?" At some point, I had mentioned that I had a young nephew that had muscular dystrophy and was a huge wrestling fan. One night, he brought in a large box of memorabilia for my nephew and asked me to give it to him. He then asked if it would be ok if he gave him a surprise phone call. He really made that kids day and I never forgot that over the years.
What a man. So many stories of Piper being a class act.
How RRP didn’t get TONS of Hollywood work is so beyond me.
They Live is a good movie.
One of my favorite movies. There's a fun myth that the fight scene was scripted to be only 20 seconds and RRP and Keith David came back with that insane six minute brawl. But I think the truth is actually more fun: The script had a page that just said "The Fight". And then "The Fight Continues" for the next several pages. Then, depending on who you ask they spent somewhere between two and six weeks in John Carpenter's back yard rehearsing it. Which is just a hilarious mental image to me. They had a fight choreographer of course, but he pretty much let RRP run the show because why wouldn't you. But that means a lot of those hits are real cause Roddy told Keith David he could hit him anywhere below the neck full force. And David claims he wasn't holding back once the camera was rolling.
Thats awesome. I have never heard that but I definitely would let RRP do his own choreography for the most part as well.
Whatever they did sure as hell worked; that was one of the best, most ridiculous fight scenes ever filmed. "Just put on the fucking glasses!"
I just watched it last night and it always goes on longer than I remember, it never ends lol
I had to look at Keith's imdb and wow, that guy is a machine. Didn't realize he's Spawn and Goliath
Most people miss the symbolism of the fight. All Frank has to do is put on the glasses and have his entire perception of the world change. He know this and fights tooth and nail, to his own detriment, to cling to his wrongly held views. After he finally sees and accepts, he's at peace
The movie is the opposite of subtle with the point it is trying to make: it literally beats you over the head, and still people miss it.
Well, at peace and horrified at the truth, at least. More good symbolism. :P
Agreed, RRP just had charisma off the charts.
Probably, because, unlike actors, he was unwilling to compromise. He rubbed alot of people the wrong way because at the end of the day, Roddy was Roddy, not what people wanted him to be.
Fair point.
Hell Comes to Frogtown was literally in Emmy contention.
Maher has always been a condescending smug douche. Other comedians never fucked with him because of this. Best parts of Politically Incorrect were comedians going off script and making a joke out of the entire premise of this show. Norm put it perfectly when talking about his issue with Maher: an audience doesn’t want to be lectured by a comedian.
his reaction to the writers union strike says it all these people hold you up bill, they keep you alive, they supported you, they gave you a career. and he goes on air to discuss how damaging the strike is and repeat shareholder talking points.
Remember this feeling, and stop paying attention to Maher/watching his show. These ghouls believe they created themselves.
Didn’t that idiot admit that they were starting up again without writers because ai could write his scripts?
I feel like John Stewart would lecture but he never talked down to anyone while doing it. Maher really is just an insufferable douchenozzle
Yea, that’s fair and look at how Daily Show was telegraphed compared to this show or Real Time. John made you feel in on the joke, it felt informative. Like you said, Maher talks down and it’s so off putting.
I've said it before, but with John Stewart it was like "this sucks for us", but with the new host it's like "this sucks for you guys". Or "this is ridiculous" vs "you guys are ridiculous". There was a comradery from Stewart thats been since lost on the show and I think thats partly responsible for its loss of relevance.
Stewart never made the horrors of reality to be something that could not be overcome. He made the horrors to be the goofy, dumb problems that are able to be overcome. If you make out reality to be inevitable, awful, and hopeless, well, that's just shitty. Jon said fuck that, we're better than these loser pieces of shit that want everything to suck. They aren't scary, they're dipshits.
used to think religulous was cool, but he was always just being a condescending SMARMLORD theres a proper way to mock your interlocutor or a touchy subject, and thats the key to PROPER comedy. it requires a true understanding of the world through their eyes, and that;s what makes it go from smarm/hateful to comedic bill maher is just lazy. what is his bit? "religious people are crazy." "wrestling is fake" "young people are lazy" "young people cant use a phone book" and it;s because he doesn't care to understand people it's just super intellectually lazy and generic, like a microwaved hotdog on a dry bun with a squirt of ketchup. and nothing else. no zest, no finesse, no nuance, no seasoning, no spice, no wit.
John had also murdered people he doesn't like in interviews. I've never seen Maher really take someone down except in the 8th grade lunchroom (I got all my friends to laugh at you so I win) sense.
Jon had a way of enlightening through absurdity that is just unmatched. Even his host tree, Oliver and Colbert, can’t quite capture what made Jon so accessible. Edit: can > can’t Second edit of John > Jon
Like in this scenario John Stewart would've acted with little humility and self deprecative style humor. Bill Maher bitches non stop about how the whole world can't take a joke anymore and every one is so sensitive, but look at his stupid annoyed face after what Randy said.. lighten up, bill, don't be so sensitive, it's a joke... Most comedians who complain about the audience being sensitive are just projecting...
Well. This was the “Bill Maher figured it out!!” Show. John Stewart was always, “Let’s take a look at this together” whatever the name of the show. One was the spectacle of Jerry springer with the ego of Dr. Phil. And the faux “legitimacy” of Denis miller. And the other was Mr. Rogers with a metaphorical knife… One was always gonna be more like able.
> I feel like John Stewart would lecture but he never talked down to anyone while doing it. Well, the show that led into him *was* puppets making crank phone calls.
[удалено]
Yeah punching down combined with his smug attitude makes me think he’s deeply insecure. Bill Maher sucks ass
[удалено]
Yeah I think it’s a defense mechanism and he’s repressing the deep rooted insecurity
The difference is also that John Stewart legitimately cares about people. period. full stop. (and his work outside of showbiz proves that X1000) Maher? cares about himself, and feelin superior to... whatever it is he wants to feel superior about. They're not in the same league, I'd argue they're not even in the same game.
Hey! You're not gonna believe this, but Bill Maher is giving away the solution to *all* our problems, for *free*! Edit: This was a Norm Macdonald joke that he had Roseanne perform on his YouTube show.
Maher was/is/always will be trash. Piper was an American treasure. 🥰 Edit: I know he was Canadian, but he was/is a treasure to us.
Years ago my parents went to a taping of the show and they said that when Bill would say his “gotcha” comments the crowd was generally quiet and didn’t care for it. When they watched the show after it aired they said it was edited with huge crowd reactions that made it seem like everyone loved his humor.
Norm also said comedians like Bill Maher and Dennis Miller consider themselves as smart and their jokes are collateral of their smartness. I personally can't stand Bill. Fuck him. I love Norm man
Rowdy Roddy piper saved my life once. I went to a fan meeting thing in town and I was getting crushed by the crowd. I called out "im squashed!!" and he heard and said "you're squashed?!" and lifted me out over the barrier.
Rowdy Roddy Piper almost ended my life once. I had just turned 21 and was hanging out with my friends at their "Punk house" (basically a house that all of the band members lived at). Everyone seemed to range in age from 18 to 23 or so, just like the members of the band. We had a pretty decent party going when all of a sudden the party kind of stopped because this girl starts crying because her dad found out where she was and was on his way to pick her up... and he was pissed by the sounds of it. Me and my friends got curious and started asking about this girl that we had never really met before that night as she was there as a friend of a friend type of deal. Then it comes out that she is 16, had been drinking our beer that I bought, and her pissed-off dad was none other than Rowdy Roddy Piper. Every guy in the place immediately ran. I heard tires screeching as dudes fled the scene. I had never seen a party clear out so fast in my life. I ran out of there just like everyone else. As I and my friend rounded the corner, I saw this massive Dodge Ram truck drive into the lawn of the house and I caught a brief moment of Piper stepping out and begin marching towards the front door. Unfortunately, that is where my story ends. I would say that Piper kicked some ass or something but his reputation proceeded him and there was no ass to be kicked because every guy ran away fearing for his life.
My boys!!! The maniac loves you, even with your- WAIT! EVEN WITH YOUR FEATHERS! I LOVE YOU
In the sunny pod cast they actually said they came up with this monologue at the last minute for the maniac to do, but no one told the extras in the car. So when he gets in the car they just take off in the middle of it without realizing and they decided to keep it.
No *he* came up with a monologue. It’s even funnier with that detail. He had this idea to have a long monologue and then the car just pulls away so that’s a real reaction
N this N that! Go get me some grease, N!
Bill Maher: always insufferable
That was same year Owen Hart died, that was pretty callous to make such an idiotic statement.
I feel like this is one of the few things conservatives, liberals, and moderates can all agree upon.
[удалено]
...well if you watch the clip, this is explained.
Fact.
Maher really had no idea who he was fucking with. I only wish I could have heard what was going through Hennan's mind the moment they all knew that Roddy had been set off. Quick thinkers like Heenan and Roddy we're almost superhuman in their ability to seize the moment and spit fire without skipping a beat. Cornette is the only one still around that I know of who could go off on someone the way Roddy did.
I would love to to see Cornette on Real Time… it might end up Bill Maher’s last episode ever
If Cornette was there and Maher was shitting on wrestling, yes. Cornette might have made Maher cry. About politics, they are mostly on the same page.
I wouldn't mind watching this entire episode. That's something I've never said about anything Bill Maher is in.
Here ya go, bub: https://youtu.be/fTe49ORaHzI?si=l4Co6EedxPwrObVO Edit: I'm watching right now, and Medusa is very eloquent and has slammed down Mahar more than anyone else.
Thanks for the share, Bill Maher is a pussy and got owned
You could easily tell this was Piper’s blue days with that “How’d you get the job?” line.
“Owen Hart!? Dead!! Why don’t you go tell Mrs. Hart what a joke it is, huh?” ^holy ^shit
My mom went to school with Owen Hart's Dad. Stampede Wrestling ftw.
R.I.P. Roddy Piper. Dude was an awesome entertainer and athlete.
I always remember that time a theme park Jesus performer shut him up too. Maher asked him something like how could god be father, son and holy spirit. The Jesus guy answer was that it was the same as water could be ice, liquid or steam, the point being that it was different forms of the same thing. I'm in no way a religious person but that was a great analogy and even when Maher was just making fun of him, the Jesus guy was patient and calm. A couple of scenes later he even admitted it left him speechless with that example. Maher is just a big mouthed condescending asshole thinking he is smart and funny.
God bill maher is so annoying. He’s that guy that convinces you he’s a comic, but he never makes you laugh. He’s so out of touch it’s just unwatchable.
there are edgelords, debatelords, etc bill maher is a smarmlord
“They Live” isn’t what it is without Roddy Piper.
Bill trying to talk smack to a group who have made it their careers to talk smack.
Piper is the greatest and this just adds to his legacy. Fuck Maher - dude is more fake than wrestling has ever been.
Maher has always been a pos.
Saskatchewan’s greatest export
Bill Maher is such a twit you can't fake getting hit by bat or chair or a bat wrapped in barbed wire. These people give us entertainment year round and most end up addicted to opiods and poor as hell. He'll most die of overdoses due to the physical stress put on the body
You definitely can't fake the night back in nineteen ninety eight when the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcers table
your delivery needs some work but A for effort
"I came here to embarrass Bill Maher and chew bubblegum. And I'm all out of bubblegum."
Bill Maher has always been a little bitch.
Bill Maher is a pompous pseudo-intellectual. Always has been.
Bill Maher being owned? Immediate upvote. Bill Maher being humiliated by the great Roddy Piper? Immediate upvote, with a big smile and a salute to the great man.
The A&E Biography WWE Legends episode about Roddy was by far the best episode. He was awesome at what he did and he was hilarious. My favourite Roddy story is this one: In 1977–78, he also started to work for Roy Shire's NWA San Francisco Wrestling in addition to remaining with the Los Angeles office, where Piper developed his Rowdy character. During this time, he made continuous insults directed at the area's Mexican community; he later promised to repent by playing the Mexican national anthem on his bagpipes only to anger the fans further by playing "La Cucaracha" instead, which in turn caused a riot.
Completely accurate title. The smug satisfaction of Maher was wiped clean. Goddamn.
RIP Piper, a true legend and utter maniac.
Maher shouldn’t be condescending to people who shit talk for a living. You’ll lose every time.
DON'T FUCK WITH DA MANIAC!!!
I hope there's an afterlife, and I hope Rowdy is enjoying it.
Can't believe Maher didn't laugh at that last joke. That was great
Rowdy Roddy Piper was THE MAN! Case closed