With a decades-long career, Roddy Piper has earned the adoration of fans and fellow wrestlers alike, creating his own unique path to stardom. Often called the best to never win a world title, Piper had all the hallmarks of a great wrestler, but it was his ability on the mic that truly stood out. The Rowdy One's charisma, wit, and sharp tongue made him no stranger to controversy, but they were also his golden ticket to the very upper reaches of professional wrestling.
Born Roderick George Toombs, Piper's road through the wrestling business was not a conventional one. A champion amateur boxer and wrestler, Piper debuted at the age of fourteen and would continue to job throughout the early 1970s, until his first major break in 1975, wrestling as "Masked Canadian" (in a feud against the Guerreros), while slowly building his more well-known "Hot Rod" persona. His successes in the mid-1970s were no small feat, with Piper -- one of the best heels in the promotion -- winning titles such as the NWA Americas title (which he defeated Chavo Guerrero for), the NWA United States title, the NWA World Tag titles, and several other regional tag team titles with a few different partners.
Piper's first taste of stardom came in the 1980s upon reaching Jim Crockett's NWA Mid-Atlantic promotion, as he rose through the ranks got even more tastes of championship gold. Piper embarked on great feuds with Ric Flair and Jack Brisco, winning the NWA Mid-Atlantic United States title and the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship, respectively -- titles which he would win multiple times, while facing even more legendary competition, like Ricky Steamboat. Eventually, Piper would deviate from the villainous persona he had worked for the majority of his career until this point, turning face for a short run. During this time, he faced Sgt. Slaughter, Flair, and so on, but his greatest test as a face came from Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. The duo would put on a spectacular feud, which came to an end at Starrcade '83 in a brutal dog collar match, with Piper leaving battered, but victorious.
In January of 1984, Piper would finally make the jump to the WWF, instantly rising to some of the greatest heights of his career, once again becoming a top heel (the top heel in the WWE, and only behind fan-favorite Hulk Hogan, in terms of overall stardom). Piper's feud with Hulk Hogan would become a thing of legend, as the two men would face of in physical and verbal battles, with matches at War to Settle the Score (an MTV special) and WrestleMania I, where Hogan successfully teamed with Mr. T to defeat Piper and Paul Orndorff. From there, Piper would begin a feud with Mr. T which would last until WrestleMania II, where Piper would lose to Mr. T in a boxing match.
Piper's longest lasting impact in the WWF was not in the ring, though -- no, it was his famous "Piper's Pit" segment. From the famous Hogan/Andre altercation, to the coconut shot heard 'round the world, Piper's Pit was the quintessential wrestling interview segment, that the likes of Edge, Chris Jericho, and The Miz have all tried to duplicate since. Piper's command of the mic, quick thinking, and ability to interact with others made him a natural in terms of using these Piper's Pit segments as a means of advancing feuds.
After a short face run which led to Piper's retirement, Piper would take off on hiatus lasting almost 3 years, before finally returning back to the WWF in 1989. Though his stardom would never reach the heights that it had reached during his first WWF run -- when the Rock 'N' Wrestling Connection was in full force, with "Hot Rod" at the forefront of the wrestling business -- Piper achieved many successes, winning the WWF Intercontinental Championship against The Mountie, and defeating Goldust in a "Hollywood backlot brawl," as well.
Shortly thereafter, the "Hot Rod" made his way over to WCW, where he had some success -- namely, defeating "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan at Starrcade '96 and beating Bret Hart for the WCW United States Championship -- but he had slowly begun to make his way into semi-retirement. After the shut down of WCW, Piper would sporadically make appearances in major wrestling companies -- some appearances in TNA, highlighted by his famous shoot on Russo, and WWE returns that featured feuds with Hogan, a tag team title victory alongside Ric Flair, and a WrestleMania match against Chris Jericho -- even further proving his worth to the wrestling business with his longevity.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is a legend in the very sense of the word, a true hall of famer.
Did You Know?
- Piper's debut came in a ten second loss against Larry Hennig.
- Piper's hiatus from the WWF was so he could try his hand at acting, starring in films such as They Live.
- Gene LeBell -- American Judo champion -- awarded Piper a black belt in Judo.
- Piper's best friend is ex-NHL player and Stanley Cup winner Cam Connor.