(Photo: Courtesy of WWE)
For the second time in less than two months, I am writing something for this website about the death of one of my very favorite wrestlers. For the second time in less than two months, there are tears in my eyes as I try to articulate my own feelings towards a legend. Roderick Toombs, AKA Roddy Piper is dead and for the second time in less than two months, professional wrestling will never be the same.
As with my piece on Dusty Rhodes, I will not attempt to give you a biography of this man. There are far more knowledgeable people who can and probably already have done that. They've written about Roddy's amazing skill with a microphone. His ability to insight rage one moment and laughter the next. So, as with my previous pieces, I will simply attempt to tell you what "Rowdy" Roddy Piper meant to me, personally.
When it is at its best, you can see simple, beautiful stories being told in pro wrestling. Good vs. evil. Heroes vs. villains. Roddy Piper was that villain. He went up against beloved wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Snuka, and Paul Orndorff. He even took on celebrities like Cindy Lauper and Mr. T!
Hogan was a hero to many in those days, but every hero needs his villain. As longtime WWE wrestler William Regal put it, "Without dragons, you don't need dragon slayers. Roddy Piper was the best dragon wrestling ever saw." Piper wasn't 6'5. He didn't weigh 300 pounds. He was just a trash talking tough guy who would say whatever he needed to say to piss people off. That's what a great villain does in pro wrestling. He makes you want to pay to see him get his ass kicked. Nobody ever did that better than Roddy Piper. That is what his legacy is, at least for me. He was the most amazing villain that I've seen and the perfect foil for Hulkamania.
"I have one hip and I hurt all the time, but as long as these folks say so... I will crawl down here on my hands and knees to give them one more memorable moment. Because old school is cool."
The quote above was from a promo Roddy cut in February of 2009. A film called "The Wrestler" was generating Oscar buzz and WWE decided to play off of the film's plot, with Piper and other legends like Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat coming back for one more shot at glory when they went up against Chris Jericho. All these years later, Roddy Piper was still great on the mic, but instead of making people angry this time, he was rallying people behind himself and the other legends. Because when you're as good at what you do for as long as Roddy was, the people cannot help but acknowledge the entertainment you provided for them and they will show their appreciation. I was fortunate enough, along with my two brothers, to see one of the final "Piper's Pit" segments ever on RAW live. On January 6th, 2014, Roddy shared the ring with the Shield, CM Punk, and the New Age Outlaws and he gave a great performance, as he almost always did. That's the most powerful memory I have of Roddy Piper. He gave myself and my family a performance that helped send us home happy that night. He was a legend, he was a pioneer, he was a great hero, he was a better villain, but above all... Roddy Piper made me happy. He made me proud to be a wrestling fan. God bless the Hot Rod for that.
In closing, I can only say that my prayers are with the Toombs family and give one last hearty "Thank you" to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Old School won't be quite as cool without him.
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Liam Renner is a contributor to The Wrestling Life, heard weekly on The Elite Podcast Network
As with my piece on Dusty Rhodes, I will not attempt to give you a biography of this man. There are far more knowledgeable people who can and probably already have done that. They've written about Roddy's amazing skill with a microphone. His ability to insight rage one moment and laughter the next. So, as with my previous pieces, I will simply attempt to tell you what "Rowdy" Roddy Piper meant to me, personally.
When it is at its best, you can see simple, beautiful stories being told in pro wrestling. Good vs. evil. Heroes vs. villains. Roddy Piper was that villain. He went up against beloved wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Snuka, and Paul Orndorff. He even took on celebrities like Cindy Lauper and Mr. T!
Hogan was a hero to many in those days, but every hero needs his villain. As longtime WWE wrestler William Regal put it, "Without dragons, you don't need dragon slayers. Roddy Piper was the best dragon wrestling ever saw." Piper wasn't 6'5. He didn't weigh 300 pounds. He was just a trash talking tough guy who would say whatever he needed to say to piss people off. That's what a great villain does in pro wrestling. He makes you want to pay to see him get his ass kicked. Nobody ever did that better than Roddy Piper. That is what his legacy is, at least for me. He was the most amazing villain that I've seen and the perfect foil for Hulkamania.
"I have one hip and I hurt all the time, but as long as these folks say so... I will crawl down here on my hands and knees to give them one more memorable moment. Because old school is cool."
The quote above was from a promo Roddy cut in February of 2009. A film called "The Wrestler" was generating Oscar buzz and WWE decided to play off of the film's plot, with Piper and other legends like Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat coming back for one more shot at glory when they went up against Chris Jericho. All these years later, Roddy Piper was still great on the mic, but instead of making people angry this time, he was rallying people behind himself and the other legends. Because when you're as good at what you do for as long as Roddy was, the people cannot help but acknowledge the entertainment you provided for them and they will show their appreciation. I was fortunate enough, along with my two brothers, to see one of the final "Piper's Pit" segments ever on RAW live. On January 6th, 2014, Roddy shared the ring with the Shield, CM Punk, and the New Age Outlaws and he gave a great performance, as he almost always did. That's the most powerful memory I have of Roddy Piper. He gave myself and my family a performance that helped send us home happy that night. He was a legend, he was a pioneer, he was a great hero, he was a better villain, but above all... Roddy Piper made me happy. He made me proud to be a wrestling fan. God bless the Hot Rod for that.
In closing, I can only say that my prayers are with the Toombs family and give one last hearty "Thank you" to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Old School won't be quite as cool without him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liam Renner is a contributor to The Wrestling Life, heard weekly on The Elite Podcast Network
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