Chris Jericho recently did an interview with The Adam Carolla Show, where he discussed a wide range of topics.
During the interview, the AEW star discussed being influenced by Roddy Piper. Here are the highlights:
Roddy Piper’s legacy: “He’s still kind of a gold standard for, kind of, what you want to be in the business because he had such a great character… If you’re a great character in wrestling, it really lends itself to movies and TV and film, because that’s the basis of what wrestling is.”
Piper’s charisma: “He was the type of guy that could sell tickets by the promos… The personality and charisma and all those sort of things is what really matters in wrestling; Roddy was one of the best at it.”
The first meeting Piper in Mexico: “I was wrestling in Mexico and he happened to be down there shooting a movie [Immortal Combat]. I remember him just like standing in the corner with his eyes closed, just getting ready for this scene, and emerging and becoming this guy.”
Piper getting him a fight scene with Sonny Chiba in the film: “He was probably — I don’t know 60 at the time, and he would throw these kicks that came right across my jaw, like I barely felt them, right? You know, you do two or three takes and you’ve got to reset the cameras. And by take nine and ten, this guy’s f**king kicking me in the face… So yeah, that was Roddy’s big rib in booking me in a fight scene with Sonny Chiba, to get kicked in the face multiple times.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcription