10 Fascinating WWE Survivor Series 2006 Facts
8. Roddy Piper Was Pulled From Ric Flair's Team
The opening match was a four-on-four deal with Ric Flair captaining a team of legends against four Spirit Squad members, sans Mitch. Flair's cell of icons was to include Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter, and Rowdy Roddy Piper, whom he'd recently become Tag Team champions with.
Shortly before the pay-per-view, Piper ended up hospitalized, diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. A mass had to be removed from his back, before undergoing subsequent radiation therapy to fully rid him of the disease.
It was his return to action that enabled him to realize his situation. Piper was voted into a team with Flair at Cyber Sunday, and the rigors of wrestling once more actually called attention to the mass in his back. Piper even noted that if the fans hadn't voted for him at Cyber Sunday, he may not have been diagnosed in timely fashion.