Wrestling world mourns death of ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper
The pro wrestling and entertainment world mourned the death of the greatest villain in WWE history.
TMZ.com reported Friday that Roderick Toombs, known worldwide as wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, died of cardiac arrest in his sleep Thursday night in Hollywood. He was 61 years old. WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon made a statement:
“Roddy Piper was one of the most entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE, beloved by millions of fans around the world. I extend my deepest condolences to his family.”
Piper is the second WWE Hall of Famer to die this summer. “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes died in June.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, who will fight Bethe Correia at tonight’s “UFC 190” pay-perview event, has dedicated the fight to Piper.
Piper was trained by Rousey’s mentor, “Judo” Gene LeBell, when he was a teenager. LeBell is a martial artist, instructor, stunt performer and former pro wrestler.
LeBell gave Rousey the “Rowdy” nickname, but she originally opposed it, feeling it would be disrespectful to Piper. But Piper gave her his approval.
Piper was very instrumental in the WWE’s rise to pop culture and pro wrestling’s boom in the mid-1980s.
Piper, the Canadian native who was nicknamed “Hot Rod,” wore a kilt and entered the ring blowing bagpipes due to his Scottish heritage.
Piper became WWE’s top heel through his “Piper’s Pit” interview segments, insulting his babyface guests. In the most famous “Piper’s Pit” segment, Piper cracked a coconut over the skull of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka.
He was also Hulk Hogan’s main antagonist, and the feud rose to another level when Piper “attacked” pop singer Cyndi Lauper and Hall of Fame manager Captain Lou Albano.
That led to the historic 1985 MTV broadcast, “The War to Settle the Score,” featuring a main-event matchup between Piper and Hogan. In that match, Hogan was accompanied by Albano, Lauper and Mr. T.
A brawl at the end of the match set up the first WrestleMania main event at Madison Square Garden, where Hogan and Mr. T. beat Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff on March 31, 1985.
Piper then had a boxing match with Mr. T. at WrestleMania 2 in 1986. Piper lost the match by disqualification after bodyslamming Mr. T.
Piper and Hogan’s feud renewed, but the roles were reversed, in the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling promotion in the late 90s.
Piper as a babyface beat Hogan, the top heel as the leader of the “New World Order” faction, at the “Starrcade” pay-per-view event in 1996. Piper lost to Hogan at “SuperBrawl VII” in early 1997, but beat Hogan in a steel cage in October 1997.
Hogan, who was fired by the WWE last week for using racial slurs in a conversation caught on a sex tape, talked to TMZ about Piper.
“I will forever miss him,” Hogan said, and “He was my best friend. He is a legend.”
Also in WCW, Piper had feuds with the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Bret “The Hitman” Hart and the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
Piper was also a three-time United States champion (with WCW and National Wrestling Alliance), a former WWE Intercontinental champion and was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
A testament to Piper’s greatness as a performer was Pro Wrestling Illustrated naming him Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year in 1982, Most Hated Wrestler of the Year in 1984-85 and Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1986.
Piper did have a strong babyface run for WWE from 19861996.
Piper carved a niche in Hollywood, appearing on many TV shows and films.
Piper’s Hollywood highlight was his role in John Carpenter’s 1988 cult film, “They Live.”
“He was a great wrestler. He was an underrated actor and just a marvelous entertainer and I feel like I’ve just lost one of my close friends,” Carpenter told The Associated Press. “Roddy will always be loved because of his wrestling career. He really became a legend in pro wrestling. He will not be forgotten.”
(Montgomery Advertiser/TNS)