RIP Roddy Piper
 

Oh my god, i'm in shock :cry:

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/...er-dead-at-61/

RIP Roddy Piper

I am in shock. I thought it was some mistake and it was on the pro wrestling thread as well. Don't know what to say. Leo656 and I shared a laugh about the first prominent heel of the new age of pro wrestling. I hope it was not another delayed reaction to steroid use. Thanks for all the entertainment for thirty plus years and showing us you don't have to be muscular to be a wrestler or a villain. I actually know someone who named his kid after Roddy. Dang.

This caught me by surprise, another legend we lost.

Died of a heart attack apparantly. :cry:

Unreal. Just awful.

And although it was natural causes, I wouldn't be surprised if it was partially connected to his rough past. He was taking care of himself for a good long time but he had a lot of miles on himself before that. In his 20s he did a ton of steroids, coke, and drank a ton, before he had kids and calmed down. It's really easy to take 10-20 years off your life that way, even if you clean up early on. It's so common, in locker rooms they call it the "Wrestler's Cocktail", and it's just kind of something a lot of guys just accept if they choose to live that way.

Just speculating of course, but he was pretty open about his past over the years, and it happens so frequently you have to wonder. Guy seemed fine last week. Just unreal. What a shame. It's always too soon, but this was Too Soon.

Watching They Live tonight.

I know, right? :lol:

Hey Leo, how about posting a clip or two of Piper's Pit? Since our discussion last week I wanted to see the arguement Roddy had with himself in '85. What would you say was his best match or two?

(Audio is terrible, sorry, but it's the best I could find of the clip of Piper interviewing himself)

Match-wise, his best overall match was almost definitely his match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 8. His Dog Collar Match with Greg Valentine at Starrcade '83 is way up there as well, for sure. His MTV match with Hogan a few weeks before the first WrestleMania, "The War to Settle the Score", was a nice little brawl. He also did some good stuff with Rick Rude in '89.

It could have also been related to his cancer. Cancer attacks the whole body, including the heart, doesn't it? Although I suppose his cancer could have been related to his drug and alcohol habits in the past. Everything leads to everything.

I'd be happy if I could live to my 60s. And honestly, I think I'd rather die at 61 than living to my 80s-90s and spending the last 10-15 years of my life barely being able to move and eat by myself and getting slowly senile in the whole process.

Mom told me this when I woke up today. I'm so saddened by this because I actually remember Piper as a wrestler in WCW. One of my fondest memories was when I first started watching wresting and Piper was in a feud with Hogan. He stayed all night in Alcatraz the night before fighting Hogan at Superbrawl. I thought he was pretty out there to do that, but it was hilarious. Always loved when he'd come to Old School RAW and entertain the fans. He was a great guy and he'll be missed. My condolences go out to his wife, children, friends, and wrestling fans. RIP, Hot Rod. Thanks for the memories.

Heard about this last night. Hubby sent me a text while I was still at work. Then they were talking about it on the news when I got home. This is sad news- I remember watching him back when I was a kid, and he was one of the legends. RIP Roddy- you are missed.

Damn... :cry:

Roddy was a hilarious talker, I'm getting upset that these classic wrestlers are all dying now, guess the era will end. If Jake the Snake Roberts dies, I'm going to have a major meltdown.

Roddy, you psychotic lunatic, R.I.P.

Also, love this moment here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDKdHuyQpHY

One thing I remember watching was this match in WCW where actually beat Hogan at SuperBrawl and I want to say Hogan tried to embarrass Piper in front of his kid. My memories are a little fuzzy as I was 10 years old watching a video recording of a pay per view my dad's best friend showed me.

I actually found They Live (1988 ) on Youtube. Here it is in full. I know Roddy took a hiatus to act, but did not think it amounted to anything of note.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMym1-uf5eI

Yes, there was a feud like that, and I remember it. I remember that when Piper took the title from Hogan, he was wiping off the NWO spray paint and Colt was in the ring with him. I also remember when they fought at Halloween Havoc and the NWO handcuffed Piper to the cage and beat the sh*t out of him.

It's John Carpenter, so it's a bit cheesy, but it's good cheese and under-rated in general. Also responsible for one of the best lines ever in a movie: "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all outta bubblegum!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_K8prLfso

(Hail to the king baby! There would be no Duke Nukem without Roddy)

I literally just bought They Live on Blu-ray last week! Very sad news indeed :(

Beautiful tribute last night on RAW

Yes, I loved that tribute as well. One of the signs I saw said, "Hope there's bubblegum in Heaven. RIP, Hot Rod."

It seems wrestlers are dropping like flies as of late.

I was a big Piper fan, but first Randy Savage, follow later by the Warrior, and now Piper is gone?, In about a 5 year span? 3 of the biggest guys that made the 1980's are gone, If Hogan drops in a few years time at this point would not shock me with the going rate. I am a big Hogan fan, but it seems him, Big Boss Man and a few others are the only ones left from the 1980's. The big stars I am talking about.

Boss Man died 11 years ago.

That is what surprised me with WWE's handling of Hogan's Legends contract following him saying one word about one individual in an age old tape. Aside from Hogan they seem to be utilizing Michaels and Flair the most. I had hoped a little more with The Hitman, but after his Twitter jab at Hogan I don't know. Some wrestlers are mouthpieces. Take care of what is left and he is the biggest. Anyway, Hogan and Randy are a part of my childhood casual fan or not. As for Roddy, he was not so much a villain in the wrestling world as he was a jerk who liked to talk his mind in front of an audience. This was proven during his WCW run when his and Hogan's roles were flipped. Roddy I do not think its a stretch to say paved the way for the likes of an anti-hero such as Stone Cold to emerge. He was great in every way that counts as a wrestler and a good family man.

The Friday after he passed the #1 Roddy Piper fan I know came out at the local minor league game to sing the national anthem dressed like Roddy Piper with his little girl who was named Piper in his honor. It was a sweet moment and shows how much impact he has on individuals.

The tape was over ten years ago, I see no big deal about it myself. The 80's guys made the sport into the money maker that we know today. No offense to the earlier guys like George Wagner, but it became mainstream in the 80's.

And how did someone record his phone call from like a decade ago and also kept it for so long and decided one day to just make it public? i never understood that part of the story.


And even if Hogan's words weren't nice at all, giving him the Benoit treatment is pretty stupid. And speaking of that, I saw a Hogan action figure at Toys R Us a week ago or so. So I guess they haven't removed every figure of him from the stores of every country yet. Maybe I should have bought it since it's gonna become harder to buy a Hulk Hogan action figure in the future. And me having like 30 wrestling action figures and none of Hulk Hogan just feels kinda wrong, you know? :lol:

And Mike, Piper was definitely all you've said. He had everything to become a star outside of the ring as well, but I guess he either didn't want it or was held down by some barriers. It's also a shame that he never won the WWF title, but someone who can become a big legend without winning it is further proof of their talent.