Piper's obvious skill is his mouth, but I don't want to undersell his in-ring ability. Admittedly, he wasn't rewriting the book on moves like Tiger Mask, but Piper was a 'classic'-style wrestler with a heel moveset and amazing psychology. Piper knew when to do everything, and why, and he was happy to take a beating as well as dish one out. While few of his matches would appear on an all-time list, his promos and feuds are among the best ever.
What I remember about Piper the most are moments. A few are in the ring, like his chain match with Greg Valentine that cost him hearing in one ear, but most are of the yammering variety. One that really stands out from his pre-WWF days is an incident in the Portland/Vancouver territory done in 1980 for All-Star Wrestling (I think, anyway). Piper and Rick "Not 'The Model' Yet" Martel were feuding with the Sheepherders, a pair of brutal New Zealanders who WWF fans will remember as the comical Bushwhackers. Piper delivers a heated monologue, the takes a full, unopened bottle of beer and breaks it on his own forehead (this wasn't a gimmick bottle, either). Piper keeps on talking trash with blood pouring down his face, and what he said doesn't even matter. It was gold.
The man born Roderick Toombs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, had more than his share of over-the-top moments as well. His visit to Bob Orton's doctor, and basically anything else he did on Tuesday Night Titans, still cracks me up. When Bad News Brown insisted on fighting a black opponent, Piper actually painted half of his body black, giving a crazy promo that started with him standing 90 degrees from the camera so as not to giveaway the paintjob right away... I've heard this called insensitive, but it was the kind of thing Piper could pull off. The visual is still worth it, even if the angle wasn't great. His Intercontinental Championship in 1992... the list goes on. Even in his recent appearances, he kept up with the younger stars on the mic, even while some other 'legends' of his time turned into Mike Adamle (too recent? how about Art Donovan or, if you're going for a more metaphorical reference, Ted Arcidi).
I won't get into Piper's success as the first pro wrestler to deliver a watchable movie performance in They Live, a movie that feels as relevant today as it did way back when. I will not go into Piper's Pit, or the many, many angles and classic moments that happened in those segments, because there are too many. But I'll list a few of the imitators, because I love doing that:
- The Barber Shop
- The Flower Shop
- Carlito's Cabana,
- The Highlight Reel
- The Peep Show (I love Christian)
- MizTV
- Cafe de Rene
- The Cutting Edge, with Not Matt Hardy's Friend Anymore
- The Snake Pit
- The VIP Lounge (MVP was great)
- A Flair for the Gold, with Ric Flair - this might predate Piper's Pit, but Lensman predates Superman, and nobody gives a fuck about Lensman. A Flair for the Gold was short-lived and not all that good, despite the ever-talented Ric.
- The Heartbreak Hotel, with Shawn Michaels
- The Body Shop, with Jesse Ventura
- The Brother Love Show
There are more, but I honestly don't know if the Internet is just making up 'Mulligan's BBQ' and 'Funk's Grill'.
Anyway...
Rowdy Roddy Piper was a legend, one of the best heels and all-around entertainers in professional wrestling history, and a huge part of the WWF's boom period. Every true fan of the business will miss him, and even if you hate him you'll remember Roddy Piper.
Oh, and he boxed Mr. T at Wrestlemania.
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