Having read accounts of what brought Hogan to WCW, I would have felt the same as McMahon. If Hogan truly did promise McMahon he would never wrestle anywhere but WWE, that must have hurt Vince like hell.
Similarly, I felt bad seeing Piper show up in WCW and wondered how it came about. If it was simply a matter of money.....then that's what it was, yet I truly thought Piper would never work on a major competitor's shows, although it seemed harmless enough to have him lend a hand to small independent promotions close to his home.
Yes, I know....this is apparently a tribute thread for Roddy Piper and we're supposed to behave as if he were wrestling's version of heaven on Earth. Personally, I loved what he did during his active career and after. He was a true original and I don't know that there will ever be another like him.
Still, I was bugged watching him on WCW TV screens and would have been interested to know if he had given a Vince a chance to bid for his services or whether Eric Bischoff simply lured Roddy by offering one of his astronomically excessive money contracts.
Piper was paid good money, and he didn't have to wrestle full time, just hot shot some angles, including the reveal of Bischoff as being the real power broker of the NwO, which was a great swerve. Also, he got to work again with Hogan (who actually put him over, albeit in a non title match) and Flair (one of closest friends in the industry dating back to very early 80s before Flair was Champ and Piper went to WWE) which had to be a big appeal.
Piper was definitely one of the all time best, terrific at working a crowd and coming up with improvised spots, either in the ring or on the mic, to liven up and energize the audience. Along with guys like Flair & Dusty he was one the greatest mic guys of all time.
When you look at the explosion in mass appeal and it's entrance into the mainstream of American Entertainment Culture, Piper was easily one of the four or 5 biggest reasons among performers that pro wrestling achieved the status it did in the 80s. When you look back at so many great performers and angles across the various promotions from The Freebirds & Von Erichs, Ricky Steamboat, The Road Warriors, Midnight Express, Rock & Roll Express, Magnum TA, Nikita Kolloff, Sgt Slaughter, Ted DiBiase, Hart Foundation, and so many more, there a handful of entertainers who were so huge, so transformative, that captivated the audience more than anyone else. Piper was in that group in that era alongside Flair, Savage, Dusty, & Andre (I left out stars such Ultimate Warrior, Sting, & Lex Luger as they came very late in the decade after the pro wrestling explosion took hold nationwide).
Hogan easily tops that list but Piper was special because he was catalyst for Hogan's rise. Every great hero needs an equally great adversary or fans are not interested. This is why James Bond goes after international terrorists and corrupt billionaire capitalists bent on dominating the world instead of your run of the mill random drug dealer. The cartoon villains opposing the likes of Batman & Super Man are so much bigger than everyone else it literally takes a "Super Hero" to thwart them. Piper was the lead villain and perfect foil to oppose Hogan and his all things good 80s hero character. He was vindictive, unpredictable, crazy, and hugely entertaining on the mic & in the ring. Much like Dusty Rhodes hard working family man underdog was the perfect opposition for the selfish, womanizing, hard partying cheater Ric Flair, Piper was the crazed dog only someone as great as Hogan could put down. Piper did more to build up Hogan as his arch nemesis early in his tenure as Champ than anyone, and unlike many other Hogan foes who were built up only to be taken down, he sustained, and remained wildly popular even after their feud was done. Hogan (and by extension WWE) wouldnt have the same level of success initially without Piper's work, just like Flair probably doesn't get over as quickly or as well without the constant spectre of Rhodes haunting him. Piper helped take Hogan's character to a new level, and while Hogan clearly sits on top of a short list of mega stars who truly carried pro wrestling into another realm socially in the 80s above Savage, Flair, Andre, Dusty, and yes Piper it's Piper who should have an asterisk next to his name because he was the one working side by side Hogan during that massive growth as his main adversary and opponent.
Even in later years when he physically was not a full time in ring performer by any means he played a crucial role in the Monday Night Wars and probably did more to elevate Brett Hart's career than anyone.
RIP "Rowdy" - One the 80s Greatest Icons, one of the Founding Fathers of Pro Wrestling's Pop Culture Explosion, and of the industry's all time greatest entertainers. You'll be sorely missed.
