10 Wrestling Gimmicks Handed Down To Other Wrestlers

7. 'Rowdy'

Roddy Piper Ronda Rousey
WWE

In what must be regarded as one of wrestling's most unlikely stories, Roddy Piper became such good friends with UFC mauler Ronda Rousey before his death that he bequeathed his 'Rowdy' gimmick to her. From there, 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey was born, and she'd go on to trade Octagon for squared circle in 2018.

The fascinating thing is that Ronda had originally spurned the 'Rowdy' name friends were calling her because she felt it'd be disrespectful to Roddy. 'Hot Rod' viewed things a bit differently. To him, the fact both had been trained by Gene LeBell was special, and he loved her attitude, so Piper gave Rousey his personal blessing to inherit the name.

Born through Roddy's approval or not, it was still weird when Ronda marched out in a kilt and 'Rowdy' shirt at WrestleMania 34. Some fans would never get used to the idea that Rousey was "the new female version of Roddy Piper" before she took a sabbatical post-'Mania 35. Those people might never be truly comfortable with the thought.

Ronda could likely give a highland fling about that.

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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.