Here's What 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper Really Thought Of Women Wrestlers

Throughout a phenomenal 42-year career in professional wrestling, the  late "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was known for displaying his trademark Scottish rage and male aggression when taking apart opponents. However, his views on gender relations were surprisingly progressive.

I interviewed "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in July 2013

at a convention in Indianapolis. 

Never shy about expressing himself, Piper spoke out about the status of women in the industry during an interview for the new documentary, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." I directed the documentary, which will screen on Thursday, March 29, at the Wexner Center for the Arts on the campus of The Ohio State University. For tickets and more information, click here. 

"Lady Wrestler" chronicles courageous black female athletes like Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo, Marva Scott and Ramona Isbell. These phenomenal women braved racism and sexism to excel in the male-dominated world of professional wrestling in the 1950s and '60s – before many of the gains of the civil rights and feminist movements had been won.

Piper knew several of the women featured in "Lady Wrestler." While making the documentary, I interviewed Piper in July 2013 at "Days of the Dead," an annual horror convention in Indianapolis. He was there to greet fans of the 1988 sci-fi/horror movie "They Live." The cult classic was directed by the legendary John Carpenter of "Thriller" fame and starred none other than Piper himself.

When I approached Piper, he was outspoken about the obstacles faced by Black women ‒ and women, in general ‒ in the wrestling industry.

"They had a hard, hard time," Piper said. "It was so competitive that, back then, I think it may have been very difficult for a Black lady." 

Piper acknowledged that, just as in many other industries, women ‒ and Black women, in particular ‒ had to work twice as hard to be acknowledged in the wrestling business.

"When they got on the mat, they had to perform and hit harder and they were rougher on each other than we [the male wrestlers] were," Piper said. "There was so much male dominance and they were always treated as just, you know, flash."

Piper said he had enormous respect for the African-American lady wrestlers' work ethic and all that they achieved in spite of the odds.

"These women were really trying to get over," he said, "as the guys were."

And just like the guys, he added, the lady wrestlers aspired to "being a world champion." 

My interview with Rowdy Roddy Piper took place two years before his untimely death from a heart attack in July 2015. He was very cool and approachable. And unlike his tough-guy image, he seemed like a really nice, sensitive man. Rest in peace. 

How Black Women Wrestlers Succeeded Against The Odds

Black History Month is a time to reflect on African Americans' accomplishments and countless contributions to United States. These accomplishments are all the more remarkable, considering the nearly insurmountable obstacles of racism and segregation that Black Americans have historically had to overcome.

The stories of African-American women who succeeded against the odds are chronicled in the new documentary I directed, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." The 83-minute movie will debut on Thursday, March 29, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St. on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus.

In the documentary, courageous Black women like Ethel Johnson and Ramona Isbell and the children of the late Babs Wingo and Marva Scott talk about excelling in the male-dominated field of professional wrestling in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. They competed in matches all over the world and were celebrated as heroes in Japan, Australia, Latin America, Canada and other many other places all over the world.

But back home in the United States, the women endured Jim Crow segregation. When wrestling in venues in the Deep South, they often had to go in the back door of restaurants, drink from "Colored" water fountains and stay in segregated hotels.

However, instead of being defeated by discrimination, the women used their circumstances to form lasting bonds with other African-American athletes and entertainers. 

In "Lady Wrestler," Ethel Johnson shares her experience of befriending boxing legend Joe Louis. In fact, Louis refereed some of the ladies' wrestling matches, as Ethel relates.

Ramona Isbell recounts running into famous Black celebrities who stayed in the same segregated hotels – legends such as Ike and Tina Turner, Ray Charles, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

As African Americans have done throughout history, the lady wrestlers and their peers survived and prospered through the power of unity, found strength in numbers and turned tragedy into triumph.

For tickets and more information about the March 29 screening of "Lady Wrestler," visit Wexarts.org. 

2017 Highlight: Guest Lecture At OSU, My Alma Mater

One of the biggest highlights of 2017 for me was having the honor of being invited by my friend and fellow writer Professor Frederick Luis Aldama to speak at his film classes at The Ohio State University in Columbus. I addressed the students in January and October about my soon-to-be-released documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." 

The experience of speaking at the university had a special significance, since OSU is my alma mater  — I graduated cum laude in '96 with a bachelor's degree in English. Adding to the specialness (as an English major, I hope that's a real word!) was that Professor Aldama's classes are held at the Gateway Film Center. "Lady Wrestler" screened there in June 2017 as part of the Film Festival of Columbus.

My lecture in February outlined the similarities between the brave women featured in "Lady Wrestler" and the fictional character Diana Prince in "Wonder Woman." As I pointed out to the students, wrestling legends such as Ethel Johnson and Ramona Isbell, whom I interviewed in the documentary, are similar to Wonder Woman in that they battled sexism and seemingly insurmountable odds to become heroines adored the world over. 

As some of Professor Aldama's students prepare to graduate this Sunday (Dec. 17, 2017), I have to give them a big shout of congratulations. And I have to give them an even bigger shout of gratitude for their attentiveness and asking insightful questions during my appearances. 

This is the message that Professor Aldama posted on Facebook at the conclusion of the "Film & Comics" class at the end of November:

Film & Comics 2017

It's a Wrap

Will miss this bunch of amazing students (including Groot, 
our resident guide/rescue doggie) after a semester's 
transmedial journey through the distillation and reconstruction of comics into films and films into comics as they make new our perception, thought, and feeling regarding race, sexuality, gender, and differently abled subjects. . .
Big Grx to my amazing co-pilot, Kristen Ferebee, as well as guest lectures by Cathy Ryan, Lindsay Harper Cannon and a guest appearance by director Chris Bournea. . .

Note: Poster art by Jason Gonzalez 

Getting Ready For Cannes: Memories of Paris

Since my first time visiting Paris almost 20 years ago in September 1998, I've had recurring dreams of returning to Europe. My trip to the 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival this week to promote my documentary, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring," finally affords me that opportunity.

Here are some of my memories of France from my last trip when I was a college student majoring in English at The Ohio State University and the Clintons were in the White House:

An overall welcoming feeling. France has long been a haven for African-American artists such as Josephine Baker, James Baldwin and countless jazz musicians. Perhaps because of this tradition, I felt totally welcome when I set foot in Paris. I didn't encounter the stereotype of French people being rude and condescending to American tourists. In fact, I found that people bent over backwards to give me directions and answer my questions and would often apologize if their English wasn't perfect.

A sense of history. Growing up in the United States, especially the Midwest where many subdivisions are newly built, everything feels recent. But walking down the boulevards of Paris and taking in architecture and sculptures that have been there for hundreds of years, the sense of history sweeps over you.

Diversity. Cultural diversity may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of a Western European country like France. But like all great cities, Paris is truly an international metropolis. 

I encountered other people of color of African descent like myself. In the hostel where I stayed, one roommate was from Australia and another was from Russia. My two roommates were friendly and showed me how to use the Metro, Paris' subway system — even if they did assume that because I'm tall and black, I must be a basketball player!

By the way, my trip to Paris back in '98 was to research my debut novel, "The Chloe Chronicles". The book invites readers on the the globe-hopping adventures of an exotically beautiful, multiracial young woman named Chloe Bareaux. The story begins in the City of Light — Paris. 

I plan to release a new, updated version of "Chloe" later this year. Details soon to come. Stay tuned...

The Cannes Film Festival: Two Adventures Rolled Into One

I'm really excited to have been accepted into Le Marché du Film, an international marketplace affiliated with the Cannes Film Festival where I'll meet with movie distributors around the world. I'll be promoting the documentary I produced and directed, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring."

Journeying to the French Riviera next month will be a two-for-one-adventure: not only will I be able to spread the word about "Lady Wrestler," I'll also get to walk in the footsteps of the characters I created for my debut novel, "The Chloe Chronicles." In a key sequence in the novel when the main character, Chloe Bareaux, is a teenager, she and her best friend, Gigi Cartier, defy their overprotective mothers, run away from their hometown of Paris and take up residence in a glamorous hotel in Monaco.

It will be really cool to actually see with my own two eyes where Chloe and Gigi frolic on the beach with a handsome American pop star named Montana and a mixed-race young Frenchman named Dominique.

I'll, of course, post updates from Le Marché du Film and the Cannes Film Festival when they kick off in mid-May. 

As Chloe and Gigi declare when they run away from home, "Monaco, here we come!"

(To view a quick video about my anxiety about traveling internationally given the recent terror attack in Paris and all the instability in the world, click here.)

Attending WrestleCon Was An Eye-Opening Experience

I recently realized that in the several years that I've been working on directing and editing the documentary "Lady Wrestler," I never actually took in a wrestling match. I came to this revelation while attending WrestleCon, a wrestling convention held in Orlando the first week of April. 

"Lady Wrestler" tells the story of African-American female pioneers like Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo, Marva Scott and Ramona Isbell, who braved racism and sexism in the 1950s and '60s to excel in the male-dominated field of professional wrestling. 

I found out about WrestleCon while browsing the Web one day and saw that one of the highlights of the convention would be a "Women's SuperShow." I thought it would be interesting to finally see firsthand the subject that I'd done so much research about in the past decade.

I landed in Orlando without any preconceived notions about what the WrestleCon experience might turn out to be. Before I started working on "Lady Wrestler" way back in '06, I knew next to nothing about professional wrestling other than watching it on WTBS as a kid in the '80s when Hulk Hogan and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper were superstars.

When I arrived at the hotel and convention center that hosted WrestleCon, I was pleased to find a lot of diversity. Not only were there male and female fans of all races milling around the convention floor, there were also white, black and Latino wrestlers signing autographs and posing for selfies with fans.

Attending my very first in-person wrestling match was a blast. The crowd for the "Women's SuperShow" was also diverse. And something that really struck me was how the men in the audience hooted and hollered and went crazy for the women wrestlers. 

When the female wrestlers would make their entrance, the male fans would rush to the sidelines to shake hands and high-five these women they obviously idolized. There were a couple of matches when women wrestled male wrestlers, and the men actually rooted for the women to dominate.

Interestingly, the women in the audience remained quiet the whole time. It was almost as if the men dragged their wives and girlfriends to this female-centered event, instead of the other way around.

Seeing the men going wild for these female superstars was such a refreshing contrast to the sci-fi/fantasy genre, where so-called fanboys brutally harass women who dare to enter their realm. Remember that horrible incident last summer when Leslie Jones was savaged by Twitter trolls just because she starred in an all-female remake of "Ghostbusters"?

Taking part in WrestleCon was a truly awesome experience. To see a quick video highlight on my YouTube page, click here. 

Bringing Little-Known History To The Big Screen

As 2017 gets underway, one of the things I'm most excited about is bringing to fruition a project I've been working on for many years: a documentary titled "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring."

"Lady Wrestler" chronicles the story of three sisters named Babs Wingo, Ethel Johnson and Marva Scott ‒ African-American women who garnered international success with their athletic grace and distinctive style decades before another African-American “sister act” ‒ Venus and Serena Williams ‒captured the world's attention by doing the same. 

As teenagers in the 1950s, Babs, Ethel and Marva were recruited by famed wrestling promoter Billy Wolfe, who was described in the press as the “self-made Maharajah of Muscle who had lifted women's wrestling out of the murky confines of carnivals and burlesques to make it one of the top-drawing attractions in America.” 

Wolfe's operation was based in Columbus, Ohio — Babs, Ethel and Marva’s hometown, and where I was born and raised.

As African-American women, Babs, Ethel and Marva were in a unique position, not only battling sexism, but racism as well. While many of their white female peers have been inducted into wrestling halls of fame, these women's names have been omitted from the history books ‒ perhaps due to racism or their reticence to revisit the past. 

"Lady Wrestler" finally tells not only the story not only of the three sisters, but of the dozens of long-forgotten women who blazed trails alongside them.

I'll be posting periodic updates about "Lady Wrestler" as the film's release approaches. In the meantime, you can find out more information at Ladywrestlermovie.com.