The Summer of 2015 has been very tough for wrestling fans. In June, Dusty Rhodes passes away. In July, Hulk Hogan was fired for racist comments. Then on the very last day of the month, wrestling loses another soldier as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper passes away at just the age of 61. The cause of death was revealed to be a Cardiac Arrest.
Wrestling has suffered heartbreak in back to back weeks. Piper passed away the week after Hogan was removed from WWE. Two straight weeks end on a sad note.
As a WWF/E fan, this is one of the deaths that cuts the deepest because Piper was one of my favorite villains. Roddy was a natural villain as he drew heat in various territories, from Portland, NWA Los Angeles, NWA San Francisco, NWA Mid-Atlantic, all the way to his legendary stint in the WWF.
Piper won various titles across the region from US Titles, Tag Titles to the Intercontinental Title. What Roddy may have lacked in a World Title, he made up for with his popularity.
Roddy Piper embodied a true villain, as he had no remorse whatsoever. He was as dastardly as you could get. If you look up the word "Controversy" in the Dictionary, Piper's picture should be next to the definition.
Piper was a fixture in the territories during the '70s and early '80s, as he feuded with the likes of Ric Flair, Greg Valentine, The Sheepherders (later Bushwhackers), along with the Guerreros. His dog-collar match with Valentine at Starrcade '83 caught the attention of Vince McMahon. Roddy Piper would join the WWF in early 1984 as the rest was history.
Roddy Piper was a trendsetter on the microphone, as his Interview Segment "Piper's Pit" paved the way for other wrestlers to do interview shows. From Jake Roberts' "Snake Pit" to Brutus Beefcake's "Barber Shop" all the way down to Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel", they all owe credit to Roddy Piper for opening the door.
Even Shawn Michaels had an Interview show called "Heartbreak Hotel" for a short time. However, none of those shows that I just mentioned ever came close to the impact of "Piper's Pit". Roddy's timing on the mic was second to none, as he would never let anyone outshine him on his stage.
Roddy Piper was a lightning rod for feuds. From Jimmy Snuka, Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant you name it he has feuded with them at some point.
Perhaps Piper's most famous segment on his show was when he smashed Jimmy Snuka over the head with a coconut. Roddy was not afraid to cross any line.
The Rowdy One was the key villain that Vince McMahon had in mind for his vision to launch the "Rock & Wrestling" Era, as Piper was the quintessential villain of his generation. He was not flashy like Ric Flair, but he knew how to get under your skin and constantly frustrate you.
Some of the best moments of Piper's feud with Hulk Hogan, Cyndi Lauper, and Mr. T took place on Piper's Pit. It was the perfect environment to start a feud.
Who can forget how Piper smashed Cyndi Lauper's award over Capt? Lou Albano's head? At one point, Piper and Albano were best friends. The next moment, Piper pulls out the knife to stab him in the back. Even though Capt. Lou was a heel manager, it goes to show that you could not outsmart Roddy Piper. He knew how to show how dangerous he was when you least expected it.
With Piper as the antagonist to Hogan and MTV, the War To Settle The Score was launched in February 1985. This main event would kick off the first WrestleMania in March 1985.
When Hulk Hogan and Mr. T were the guest hosts of Saturday Night Live the night before WrestleMania I, Piper stayed true to his heel form as he did not appear on the show. Instead, he and "Cowboy" Bob Orton cut a promo insulting Hogan and the show.
When I think about it now, Piper did have a point when he said, "People didn't buy a WrestleMania ticket just to see Hulk Hogan. They came to buy a ticket to see Hulk Hogan kick the crap out of Roddy Piper."
Hogan was the hero of the company and Ambassador of Wrestling, but Piper was the villain that he needed to feed off of.
Every great hero needs a strong villain. What would Superman be without a Lex Luthor or Brainiac? What would Batman be without the Joker? At that point, Piper was the perfect rival for the Hulkster.
Years later, Piper would emerge in WCW to face off with an old rival, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. Roddy shot from the hip as he exposed his past with The Hulkster on Halloween Havoc in October 1996.
In the promo, Piper says, "You think they would cheer you so much if they didn't hate me so much?". It goes back to the point that he made about his importance to the first WrestleMania.
Roddy would continue feuding with Hulk's friend Mr. T going into WrestleMania II. He would return to feud with Adrian Adonis leading into his "farewell" match at WrestleMania III.
Towards the end of Piper's initial WWF run, he would win his first title in the company by winning the Intercontinental Championship. Roddy would hold the title in a transitional period as he would march into WrestleMania VIII where he would lose the title to Bret Hart. It was a great way to put Bret over as the top star in the Intercontinental Title picture, as The Hitman would climb even further later in the year.
Piper was never pinned on live TV during his WWF run until his match with Bret. They told a fantastic story, as I would rank that match as one of the best of both of their careers. At Summerslam 1992, Roddy Piper played the bagpipes with a Scottish band before Bret's match with The British Bulldog in the main event.
For a short time, Piper served as the Interim WWF President when Gorilla Monsoon was out of action.
In his later years, Piper would return to WWE as he would make sporadic appearances here and there. In 2005, Piper and Hogan were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame together. As time would go on, Piper's screws were not all the way together. He would come across as a man that had even more of an edge following years of frustration and tragedy.
In 2003, Piper even predicted that he would not make the age of 65 during a Shoot Interview. Recently, Roddy was the host of his own Podcast "In The Pit with Piper" and was also one of the stars of "Legends House". The last mainstream headline that Piper made was that he had a beef with Stone Cold Steve Austin over a Podcast episode. I can't imagine how Austin feels right now.
It has also been revealed that during his last Piper's Pit show here in Maryland, Piper said that he did not know how much longer he was going to do this. He said that he would continue working to the best of his abilities. It was similar to Warrior, but the effect was not as sudden. Three weeks later, Piper passes away.
In the greatest irony of them all, Roddy Piper has become a hero while Hulk Hogan has become a villain in the eyes of the media.
Ronda Rousey dedicated her fight at UFC 190 to Piper.
Recently on Monday Night RAW, WWE played a great tribute to The Hot Rod that included a 10 bell salute.
Sadly, the bagpipes play no more. Rest in Peace and Power "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
April 17, 1954-July 31, 2015
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