Hogan and Mr. T defeated Piper and Paul Orndorff on March 31, 1985, at the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden. Along with Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, Rowdy Roddy Piper was one of the names that shaped professional wrestling into what it is today. Of course, his most famous Piper’s Pit segment included Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Piper cracking a real coconut over the legend’s head.
Advertisement
Fact is, “Hot Rod” was the top heel of his time.
Despite his popularity, he often played the villain and was voted by the WWE as the No. 1 Villain in Wrestling History.
I grew up watching WWE during the Ruthless Aggression Era that was ruled by John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H and others so I never got the chance to really see Roddy Piper in action.
“Thank you for the name… Will do it justice and do you proud tomorrow”, she wrote.
And a family member added:
“Our family is saddened by the sudden passing of our father and beloved husband, Roderick Toombs aka Rowdy Roddy Piper.”
WWE stars and friends such as Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho and the Iron Sheik also shared their condolences on Twitter. “He was an awesome man and a true friend”, Schachter said.
Piper was a one-time Intercontinental Champion, but many of his best moments came outside of the ring. A brawl at the end of that fight would lead to the first WrestleMania.
“He was a great wrestler”. However, Piper was not just good in the ring, he was an all around entertainer.
Carpenter said he was “devastated” by the news.
Piper in his wrestling days. Piper’s pro wrestling career began in the early 1970s where he worked for organisations including the AWA and the NWA. “He will not be forgotten”.
Piper went on to star in a slew of movies and TV series, including several projects that are now in post-production.
“I will forever miss him”.
The wrestling world is now in mourning, with a major outpouring of grief from all corners of the industry.
Advertisement
In 2006, the WWE announced that Piper had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and would receive treatment.
