In 2015 the planet of sports and entertainment lost a legend who gave up the ghost far too young. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper died of a attack at just 61 years aged . Born as Roderick George Toombs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1954, Piper was knowledgeable wrestling superstar whose "Piper's Pit" interviews were as legendary as his antics in and out of the ring. He was ready to morph his career into many areas of entertainment including acting. He appeared during a number of on-screen roles and did cartoon voices, but Roddy is perhaps best known for enjoying John Nada in They Live, the toilet Carpenter fantasy classic that has developed a cult following over the years. Never one to stay in one persona very long Roddy began as a villain wrestler, but often crossed over to being a touch of a hero or person of sorts. He also performed as a comedian as late as 2014 and had a powerful following as a podcast show host.
Roddy was primarily of Scottish decent and pleased with it as evidenced by the garb he wore into the ring. Although he became expertly adept at playing the Bagpipes at a young age, Piper says he cannot recall how that happened . Roddy does recall how he got his wrestling name. Early in his pro career he walked into the ring wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes. When the announcer forgot the surname he was using, he simply introduced the wrestler as "Roddy the Piper" and therefore the name stuck. Piper's life was always crammed with controversy which began when he was unceremoniously kicked out of junior high school School. He later left home as a young teen after variety of arguments together with his father. His dad was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and always concerned about the family's reputation. A natural athlete who figured out regularly, Piper managed to seek out add any number of gyms which gave him the cash to measure in Hostels.
Roddy had a really competitive spirit and commenced his athletic career as an amateur wrestler, boxer and judo competitor. He eventually won the distinguished Golden Gloves Championship and received a black belt in Judo from American pro wrestler, judo expert and champion Gene LeBell. By the time Piper was just 15 years aged he was able to turn pro and joined the American Wrestling Association where he gained a reputation as a "bad guy" wrestler. He moved on to the more affluent National Wrestling Alliance in 1975. This organization was huge at that point and produced variety of super stars including Buddy Rogers, Killer Kowalski, Bobo Brazil, Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk, Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, Great Malenko, Buddy Colt, Eddie Graham, Sting and Bobby Shane to call just a couple of .
In the late 1970s to 1983 Piper moved through various pro wrestling territories and went up against top stars like Ric Flair, Jack Brisco, Chavo Guerrero and lots of others. He was often compared to Freddie Blassie and therefore the two actually met in Madison Square Garden when Piper was given a match within the WWF by Vince McMahon. Blassie stuffed toilet tissue in Roddy's Bagpipes in order that he couldn't play them for the gang . In 1984 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper moved to McMahon's Worldwide Wrestling Federal and instantly became a professional wrestling super star thanks to all the TV coverage the WWF garnered. One would think he was at the highest of his career, but this was just the start . Piper became so popular and adept at interview skills that he was given his own TV segment called "Piper's Pit" which became a favourite of WWF fans.
Piper was involved altogether kinds of orchestrated mayhem including feuds that involved WWF stars Captain Lou Albano, Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino Greg Valentine and even Cyndi Lauper. Lauper was allegedly kicked within the head by Piper during an interview which cause a serious row with Hulk Hogan and Lou Albano (who appeared in Lauper's "Girls Just Want to possess Fun" music video). That blew up into a serious grudge match at WrestleMania. Piper also somehow managed to urge into a dispute with Mr. T (from the "A Team" television program and therefore the "Rocky 3" film). the 2 eventually settled their differences by facing off during WrestleMania II. Piper lost after being disqualified for an illegal move. Like many professional wrestling super stars, Roddy Piper was starting to feel the pain of a couple of too many injuries and took a year faraway from the WWF. He returned in 1986 with a revenge when he discovered that his "Piper's Pit" had been replaced by a show hosted by Adrian Adonis called "The Flower Shop". Piper appeared on the show, destroyed the set and every one this cause several very fashionable grudge matches that WWF fans really enjoyed.
By 1989 Roddy was more popular than ever and even hosted a live "Piper's Pit" during WrestleMania V. An appearance on the show by once popular TV host Morton Downey Jr. became an enormous mess when Piper pointed a fireplace extinguisher at the always smoking Downey and sprayed him down. As Piper's popularity continued to grow he began co-hosting clock time Wrestling in conjunction with pro wrestling legend Gorilla Monsoon. After replacing Bobby Heenan as co-host for the clock time show, Roddy and Heenan became fast enemies. Heenan enlisted "Ravishing" Rick Rude and Brother like to get revenge and a number of other entertaining encounters between the four followed. Brother Love (pro wrestler Bruce Pritchard, manager of The Undertake). Love wore a short time suit and had a wrestling character supported a number of the more outrageous tele-evangelists of the day. Love took over the TV spot once occupied by "Piper's Pit" which angered Roddy such a lot that when he appeared on the show he told Brother Love that he smelled and had bad breath. Piper threw mouthwash and toothpaste in his face.
Although he began scaling back his actual pro wrestling matches, Roddy Piper managed to remain within the thick of things by getting involved in additional feuds with competitors like Ted DiBiase (the Million Dollar Man), Jerry "The King" Lawler and Brett Hart. Piper was a daily at the WrestleMania events from 1989 to 1996 and even served as a star referee. Roddy moved to the planet Championship Wrestling organization in 1996 and joined within the much watched "Halloween Havoc" and "Starrcade" shows with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Brett Hart. Roddy later served briefly because the WCW Commissioner. During that reign he had major disputes with Rick Flair, Sid Vicious and Scott Hall. After peaking with the declining WCW, Piper found himself back with the WWF which in 2003 became Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. That stint included a well-liked match with Hulk Hogan who, even after he was attacked with a steel pipe by Roddy, won the event.
During a particularly controversial appearance on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" Piper admitted that he had taken drugs to stay within the ring over the past twenty years of his career. He also intimated that each one or most other pro wrestling stars did an equivalent in order that they might continue competing given the injuries all of them sustained and pain they felt. This got Roddy fired from Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. The TAW (Total Action Wrestling) group including NWA stars, grabbed him up in 2003 despite all the controversy. The move quickly proved to be an honest deal for both Piper and therefore the TAW. such a lot in order that Vince McMahon couldn't ignore Roddy's new found popularity and shortly brought him back to the now huge and still growing Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment in 2005. During that point Piper hosted yet one more "Piper's Pit" live show at WrestleMania 21. that very same year he was also inducted into the Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment Wrestling Hall Of Fame. Piper often appeared on the much watched "RAW!" and "SMACKDOWN" Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment TV shows which brought his talent and craziness to the eye of an entire new generation of professional wrestling fans.
From 2003 to 2014 Piper continued to create his popularity with more "Piper's Pit" shows and various matches and feuds with Ricky Steamboat, Zac Rider, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and lots of others. Roddy had a couple of rough patches during this point including some injuries he sustained from an auto accident in 2005 and a diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2007. He recovered from the accident injuries and was said to possess been arrested from the lymphoma in 2008 after receiving treatment for nearly a year. As his appearances on the main pro wrestling TV shows wained, Piper still appeared at variety of popular independent pro wrestling events like WrestleReunion joining other famous veterans like Bob Orton Jr. and Terry Funk. Popular MMA and UFC female star competitor Rhonda "Rowdy" Rousey (12 wins, 0 losses as of this writing) met Piper and told him she was an enormous fan. She asked if she could use his "Rowdy" moniker and he happily gave her his blessing. She recently dedicated her match against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 to Piper after hearing about his death. She won the match in 34 seconds.
Piper's final years were spent appearing on various TV shows including "Celebrity Wife Swap" while doing voice overs for popular cartoons, making comedy club appearances and taking over a couple of more acting gigs along side his pro wrestling duties. He never faded from from public view and even appeared on "Celebrity Ghost Stories". During that episode he admitted having seen the ghost of his friend and fellow pro competitor Adrian Adonis in 2013. Roddy last lived in Portland, Oregon, together with his wife Kitty. He had four children: Three daughters and a son. Piper became a Grandfather after his daughter Anastacia recently gave birth. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper gave up the ghost as a results of a attack on July 31, 2015. this is often a standard explanation for death among former pro wrestling stars. After a lifetime of pushing their bodies to the limit I suppose that their hearts just eventually give out. no matter the explanation for his death, Piper are going to be missed by the many fans who thoroughly enjoyed his skills and rowdiness in and out of the ring.
Roddy was primarily of Scottish decent and pleased with it as evidenced by the garb he wore into the ring. Although he became expertly adept at playing the Bagpipes at a young age, Piper says he cannot recall how that happened . Roddy does recall how he got his wrestling name. Early in his pro career he walked into the ring wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes. When the announcer forgot the surname he was using, he simply introduced the wrestler as "Roddy the Piper" and therefore the name stuck. Piper's life was always crammed with controversy which began when he was unceremoniously kicked out of junior high school School. He later left home as a young teen after variety of arguments together with his father. His dad was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and always concerned about the family's reputation. A natural athlete who figured out regularly, Piper managed to seek out add any number of gyms which gave him the cash to measure in Hostels.
Roddy had a really competitive spirit and commenced his athletic career as an amateur wrestler, boxer and judo competitor. He eventually won the distinguished Golden Gloves Championship and received a black belt in Judo from American pro wrestler, judo expert and champion Gene LeBell. By the time Piper was just 15 years aged he was able to turn pro and joined the American Wrestling Association where he gained a reputation as a "bad guy" wrestler. He moved on to the more affluent National Wrestling Alliance in 1975. This organization was huge at that point and produced variety of super stars including Buddy Rogers, Killer Kowalski, Bobo Brazil, Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk, Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, Great Malenko, Buddy Colt, Eddie Graham, Sting and Bobby Shane to call just a couple of .
In the late 1970s to 1983 Piper moved through various pro wrestling territories and went up against top stars like Ric Flair, Jack Brisco, Chavo Guerrero and lots of others. He was often compared to Freddie Blassie and therefore the two actually met in Madison Square Garden when Piper was given a match within the WWF by Vince McMahon. Blassie stuffed toilet tissue in Roddy's Bagpipes in order that he couldn't play them for the gang . In 1984 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper moved to McMahon's Worldwide Wrestling Federal and instantly became a professional wrestling super star thanks to all the TV coverage the WWF garnered. One would think he was at the highest of his career, but this was just the start . Piper became so popular and adept at interview skills that he was given his own TV segment called "Piper's Pit" which became a favourite of WWF fans.
Piper was involved altogether kinds of orchestrated mayhem including feuds that involved WWF stars Captain Lou Albano, Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino Greg Valentine and even Cyndi Lauper. Lauper was allegedly kicked within the head by Piper during an interview which cause a serious row with Hulk Hogan and Lou Albano (who appeared in Lauper's "Girls Just Want to possess Fun" music video). That blew up into a serious grudge match at WrestleMania. Piper also somehow managed to urge into a dispute with Mr. T (from the "A Team" television program and therefore the "Rocky 3" film). the 2 eventually settled their differences by facing off during WrestleMania II. Piper lost after being disqualified for an illegal move. Like many professional wrestling super stars, Roddy Piper was starting to feel the pain of a couple of too many injuries and took a year faraway from the WWF. He returned in 1986 with a revenge when he discovered that his "Piper's Pit" had been replaced by a show hosted by Adrian Adonis called "The Flower Shop". Piper appeared on the show, destroyed the set and every one this cause several very fashionable grudge matches that WWF fans really enjoyed.
By 1989 Roddy was more popular than ever and even hosted a live "Piper's Pit" during WrestleMania V. An appearance on the show by once popular TV host Morton Downey Jr. became an enormous mess when Piper pointed a fireplace extinguisher at the always smoking Downey and sprayed him down. As Piper's popularity continued to grow he began co-hosting clock time Wrestling in conjunction with pro wrestling legend Gorilla Monsoon. After replacing Bobby Heenan as co-host for the clock time show, Roddy and Heenan became fast enemies. Heenan enlisted "Ravishing" Rick Rude and Brother like to get revenge and a number of other entertaining encounters between the four followed. Brother Love (pro wrestler Bruce Pritchard, manager of The Undertake). Love wore a short time suit and had a wrestling character supported a number of the more outrageous tele-evangelists of the day. Love took over the TV spot once occupied by "Piper's Pit" which angered Roddy such a lot that when he appeared on the show he told Brother Love that he smelled and had bad breath. Piper threw mouthwash and toothpaste in his face.
Although he began scaling back his actual pro wrestling matches, Roddy Piper managed to remain within the thick of things by getting involved in additional feuds with competitors like Ted DiBiase (the Million Dollar Man), Jerry "The King" Lawler and Brett Hart. Piper was a daily at the WrestleMania events from 1989 to 1996 and even served as a star referee. Roddy moved to the planet Championship Wrestling organization in 1996 and joined within the much watched "Halloween Havoc" and "Starrcade" shows with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Brett Hart. Roddy later served briefly because the WCW Commissioner. During that reign he had major disputes with Rick Flair, Sid Vicious and Scott Hall. After peaking with the declining WCW, Piper found himself back with the WWF which in 2003 became Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. That stint included a well-liked match with Hulk Hogan who, even after he was attacked with a steel pipe by Roddy, won the event.
During a particularly controversial appearance on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" Piper admitted that he had taken drugs to stay within the ring over the past twenty years of his career. He also intimated that each one or most other pro wrestling stars did an equivalent in order that they might continue competing given the injuries all of them sustained and pain they felt. This got Roddy fired from Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. The TAW (Total Action Wrestling) group including NWA stars, grabbed him up in 2003 despite all the controversy. The move quickly proved to be an honest deal for both Piper and therefore the TAW. such a lot in order that Vince McMahon couldn't ignore Roddy's new found popularity and shortly brought him back to the now huge and still growing Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment in 2005. During that point Piper hosted yet one more "Piper's Pit" live show at WrestleMania 21. that very same year he was also inducted into the Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment Wrestling Hall Of Fame. Piper often appeared on the much watched "RAW!" and "SMACKDOWN" Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment TV shows which brought his talent and craziness to the eye of an entire new generation of professional wrestling fans.
From 2003 to 2014 Piper continued to create his popularity with more "Piper's Pit" shows and various matches and feuds with Ricky Steamboat, Zac Rider, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and lots of others. Roddy had a couple of rough patches during this point including some injuries he sustained from an auto accident in 2005 and a diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2007. He recovered from the accident injuries and was said to possess been arrested from the lymphoma in 2008 after receiving treatment for nearly a year. As his appearances on the main pro wrestling TV shows wained, Piper still appeared at variety of popular independent pro wrestling events like WrestleReunion joining other famous veterans like Bob Orton Jr. and Terry Funk. Popular MMA and UFC female star competitor Rhonda "Rowdy" Rousey (12 wins, 0 losses as of this writing) met Piper and told him she was an enormous fan. She asked if she could use his "Rowdy" moniker and he happily gave her his blessing. She recently dedicated her match against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 to Piper after hearing about his death. She won the match in 34 seconds.
Piper's final years were spent appearing on various TV shows including "Celebrity Wife Swap" while doing voice overs for popular cartoons, making comedy club appearances and taking over a couple of more acting gigs along side his pro wrestling duties. He never faded from from public view and even appeared on "Celebrity Ghost Stories". During that episode he admitted having seen the ghost of his friend and fellow pro competitor Adrian Adonis in 2013. Roddy last lived in Portland, Oregon, together with his wife Kitty. He had four children: Three daughters and a son. Piper became a Grandfather after his daughter Anastacia recently gave birth. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper gave up the ghost as a results of a attack on July 31, 2015. this is often a standard explanation for death among former pro wrestling stars. After a lifetime of pushing their bodies to the limit I suppose that their hearts just eventually give out. no matter the explanation for his death, Piper are going to be missed by the many fans who thoroughly enjoyed his skills and rowdiness in and out of the ring.