The wrestling world was leveled this summer by the news that the legendary Rowdy Roddy Piper, one of the most-hated and most-beloved wrestlers in history, died at the age of 61. Roddy Piper was a polarizing figure in the world of wrestling. A gifted talker, Pipers 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 WCWs Halloween Havoc 1996, If they didnt hate me so much, you think they wouldve been cheering you so much? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBMTYUjuuMg While its never good news that someone has died particularly at such an age WWE did an admirable job (as usual) memorializing Piper, with superstars honoring him throughout the night. Probably one of the most heartfelt tributes came from the Miz, who during a segment of Miz TV gushed about the Rowdy Scot and talked about how Pipers Pit was the original wrestlers talk show.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
