8 Times WWE Went Scottish
2. Rowdy Roddy Piper
Unarguably Scotland's biggest contribution to pro wrestling, predictably for our so-called sport, he's straight out of Saskatchewan. But Rowdy Roddy Piper went all in, smartly and loyally immersing himself in all of the well-known customs, clichés, and tropes of Scottish culture, sporting some tartan trunks in his early days, before upgrading to the full kilt, sporran, and bagpipes during his lengthy and heralded spells at the top of the industry in WWE and WCW. Crucially, he performed the gimmick with pride and integrity, not allowing himself to be portrayed as a caricature in the vein of Akeem, Tiger Ali Singh, or *shudders* Saba Simba.
On Piper's Pit, a medieval Celtic tavern was the site of some iconic moments, ensuring some of the more enduring angles of the expansion era were performed in front of tartan wallpaper (and grandiose pictures of Piper looking like the King of Scotland himself). Roddy leading the Balmoral Highlanders through a stirring rendition of Scotland the Brave to a sold out Wembley Stadium at SummerSlam '92 is genuinely one of the warmest moments of transatlantic solidarity the company has ever produced, and made for lip-wobbling poignancy in the wake of Piper's passing in 2015.
His Canadian passport matters not: Roddy Piper will always be proudly claimed by Scotland as one of their own.