10 Crazy Things You’ll Find On WWE Network (If You Search Deep Enough)
5. Crass Exploitation Of WWE Legends
'Legends House' was an optimistic pitch, in that it assembled various older WWE alumni in a Big Brother-type deal under the hope that the combative, charismatic personalities would converge to create some wholesome enough drama.
The reality was exponentially sadder, as became apparent in the first episode.
The producers engineered a bonding scenario, as these faux-reality types tend to do, by plying the stars with alcohol. This is timestamped on the Network as 'The Legends relax with some drinks'. Piper isn't among them. He had quit drinking and abusing substances in 2009, and, unable to cope with the temptation - "it clicks you back in" - leaves the house to wander the streets, and somewhat distressingly, howl at the moon. Worse, ominous synths and orchestral strings are played over the scene in post-production, to further engineer a narrative of his real distress. The show on which some whacky scenarios were to play out, perhaps an unscripted promo on a golf cart or two, soon degenerates into grim, sh*thouse theatre. Piper later told Sam Roberts at the premiere that he hated his experience. "I'm not sure I like myself," he says. Jesus Christ.
Piper wasn't a man without flaw, which we'll get to, but this was deeply exploitative.