10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Sept 15)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Roddy Piper Almost Died When Filming A WCW Promo

Roddy Piper Alcatraz
WWE Network

Neal Pruitt was a producer in WCW who worked on several of the most famous segments the promotion ever fired out. Before SuperBrawl VII, Pruitt shot some skits involving Roddy Piper which saw the Rowdy one travel to Alcatraz Island in preparation for his pay-per-view match against Hollywood Hogan.

Via his Secrets Of WCW Nitro podcast, Pruitt recalled how Piper nearly died when standing at the front of a boat and leaning out over the sea. Hanging onto the mast, the beloved wrestler wasn't happy with the take and wanted to do it again. That's when the ship's captain came out of his cabin and told both Piper and Pruitt that the mast could've broken and he could have fallen into the '60 degree' water.

There were sharks in the water too, which means Roddy could realistically have died within minutes had he toppled overboard. Undeterred, Piper filmed the segment again without the captain's blessing even though he knew it could've ended in disaster.

What other big wrestling facts did you learn this week? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.