Roddy Piper's 15 Most Memorable Moments

Fan favorite or villain, Hot Rod always left an indelible mark on wrestling.

By Scott Carlson /

The wrestling world was leveled Friday by the news that the legendary €œRowdy€ Roddy Piper, one of the most-hated and most-beloved wrestlers in history, had died. The Rowdy Scot was 61. Piper€™s death caps a month that saw the two central figures of the WWF€™s rise to national prominence in the 1980s fall from grace. Both Piper and arch-rival Hulk Hogan landed on the outs with WWE during July, Piper being released from his WWE Legends contract and Hogan being erased from history last week when eight-year-old racist remarks surfaced. Roddy Piper was a polarizing figure in the world of wrestling. A gifted talker, Piper€™s talent sometimes served to get Hot Rod into hot water. But Piper was one of the architects of the Rock €˜n Wrestling Connection that put WWF on the national map, launching professional wrestling into the mainstream and becoming a pop culture phenomenon. While Hulk Hogan was the hero, the knight in shining armor, Piper was his counterpoint, the devious villain who whipped fans into a frenzy. As Piper notably reminded Hogan at WCW€™s Halloween Havoc 1996, €œIf they didn€™t hate me so much, you think they would€™ve been cheering you so much? Throughout his lengthy career, Piper has had many memorable moments. This list will take a look back as some of his biggest moments throughout the past 30 years. Whether it was headlining the first WrestleMania or the numerous unforgettable Piper€™s Pit segments, there€™s plenty of memories of €œRowdy€ Roddy Piper to go around.