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He hailed from
Glasgow, Scotland and spent most of his early years in Canada. Roddy
Piper brought to the Ring a toughness and ability to irritate his
opponents and the fans that have set a standard by which others are
compared.
Roderick Toombs was the son of a tough Canadian policeman and this
toughness passed down to him. After repeated disagreements with his
father, young Roderick left his family's house at age 12 living wherever
he could for the next three years. Having become a noted young boxer
and amateur wrestler, he was offered $25.00 by a Canadian promoter
to appear in a match and he accepted. The 15 year old was defeated
by former world champion Larry "the Axe" Hennig in ten seconds.
Rather than be discouraged by the defeat, he foresaw his future -
and it was in wrestling.
As Roddy Piper he moved to the Pacific Northwest promotion and then
moved down to Los Angeles where he won the NWA Americas title and
the Los Angeles Battle Royal in 1976. He next held one half of the
NWA Americas tag team title and the NWA US title in 1978. In 1981
Piper took on Ric Flair and defeated him for the NWA US title and
then defeated Ricky Steamboat for the NWA Mid-Atlantic belt later
in the year. In 1983 he regained the NWA US title in a legendary dog-collar
match against Greg "the Hammer" Valentine. Having found
success throughout the NWA regions, Piper moved to the Northeast in
1984 to join the WWF. He became an immediate success as the top heel
in the promotion. While many credit Hulk Hogan for bringing about
the huge resurgence in popularity of professional wrestling (and rightly
so) it is important to remember that without the villainy brought
to the Ring by Piper, Hogan would never had been in a position to
be the conquering hero. Pipers challenge to Hogan and actor Mr. T.
would bring about the most important event in WWF history to that
point - Wrestlemania I. Although the match ended in a disqualification,
it brought mainstream attention to professional wrestling and allowed
the WWF to flex its muscle and become the major contender to the NWA.
Piper was quite capable as a ring performer but where he excelled
(and exceeded) was in front of a microphone. Piper was the most obnoxious,
irritating and offensive heel ever to set foot in the WWF and through
his Piper's Pit interview segment could be counted on to set into
motion most of the major storylines for the WWF. His speaking ability
gave him the impetus to move in another direction - that of a movie
star. Piper obtained numerous roles in movies, the most well-known
of which was "They Live." Piper gained wide praise for his
role and would go on to play in more than 15 other movies, one of
those rare wrestlers who were able to crossover to the "real"
acting world.
Rowdy Roddy Piper has become a standard-bearer for heel wrestlers,
transforming boring interviews and promo segments into an art form
and in doing so, has gained the respect of even those he spent so
long insulting.
Title Summary:
NWA Americas
Champion
NWA Americas Tag Champion (Multiple)
NWA US Champion
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Champion (4)
NWA Pacific Northwest Champion (2)
Canadian Tag Champion w/ Rick Martel
NWA Mid-Atlantic TV Champion (2)
2-time NWA US Champion
NWA Mid-Atlantic Champion
WWF Intercontinental Champion
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