Line #49 Wrestling/RoddyPiper


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/roddy_piper.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't take your life for granted."'']]
3
4	Roderick George "Roddy" Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]] and occasional actor best known for his kayfabe rivalry with Wrestling/HulkHogan and starring roles in cult films such as ''Film/HellComesToFrogtown'', ''Film/TheyLive'' and ''Film/{{Jungleground}}''. He also [[AdamWesting parodied]] himself in two episodes of ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia''.
5
6	Piper was a big reason why the WWF (now the Wrestling/{{WWE}}) got so huge in the '80s and was one of its most popular villains. Hulk Hogan was considered a good guy back then and was one of Piper’s biggest rivals.
7
8	Known for his kilt, deafening bagpipe music, and big mouth, Piper feuded with nearly everyone in the business, along with some celebrity talents like Music/CyndiLauper and Creator/MrT. He was also the host of ''All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular'', a preview lineup of CBS kid's shows with bumper segments of Piper lording it over a studio audience.
9
10	Along with WWE and, later, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, he also competed in various Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance territories, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic (the Carolinas), UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco, UsefulNotes/LosAngeles and the Pacific Northwest territory in UsefulNotes/{{Portland}}, Oregon.
11
12	Among his in-ring achievements, he was a former 5x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/pnw/nwa/pnw-t.html NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion]] (3x w/Wrestling/RickMartel, 1x w/Killer Tim Brooks and 1x w/ Mike Popovich.) a former 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-h.html NWA (Mid-Atlantic)[=/=]WCW United States Heavyweight Champion]], a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion]] and a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]] (with Wrestling/RicFlair).
13
14	Piper pressed pause on his wrestling career in the early '90s to act in movies full time. He returned to the WWE several times and was inducted into [[Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame its Hall of Fame]] in 2005 and to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.
15
16	On July 31, 2015, Piper was found dead in his home from cardiac arrest. He was 61.
17
18	-----
19	!!! "Rowdy" Roddy Piper is the TropeMaker '''and''' TropeNamer for:
20	* ChewBubblegum: He's the one who said the immortal line in ''Film/TheyLive.'' The kicker? [[ThrowItIn He actually ad-libbed it]].
21
22	!! "Just when you think you have the tropes, I change the indexes!":
23	* TenMinuteRetirement: ''Many'', starting with his first, after ''[[Wrestling/WrestleMania WrestleMania III]]'' in 1987. Every time you'd thought he's gone for good, there go the bagpipes.
24	* EightiesHair: His "business in the front, party in the back" hair was supreme.
25	* AdamWesting: In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'', where he showed up in his iconic "Hot Rod" shirt and kilt, he and Creator/KeithDavid [[Film/TheyLive fistfight to snap the latter out of a]] LotusEaterMachine, and becomes a recruitable party member who uses wrestling moves to battle alien invaders.
26	* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: He was the last celebrity to be honored with his own Franchise/GIJoe action figure in 2007.
27	* ArchEnemy:
28	** Easily his biggest foe was Wrestling/HulkHogan. Piper was the Joker to Hulkamania's Batman; when you're [[TheRival THE RIVAL]] to the biggest name in wrestling history, and can boast that he (technically) never pinned you cleanly, you're definitely in slim company. He once cut some promos about ''escaping Alcatraz Island'' just to fight Hollywood Hogan in WCW, claiming, "...Think they would have loved ''YOU'' so much if they hadn't hated ''ME''?" Piper passed away the same week a scandal broke over Hogan's racist rants. In true Hot Rod fashion, he once again stole the spotlight away from Hogan (but not before actually coming to Hulk's defense).
29	** Also [[Wrestling/EddieGuerrero La Familia]] [[Wrestling/ChavoGuerreroJr Guerrero]], Wrestling/GregValentine, Wrestling/JimmySnuka, Creator/MrT, [[Wrestling/AllenCoage Bad News Brown]], Wrestling/RicFlair and Wrestling/RickRude. He'd have other feuds over his career, but these were the most famous.
30	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: After Wrestling/VinceRusso enters the ring during Piper's rant about the former, the latter threw in a very... personal question.
31	-->'''Roddy''': Did you kill Wrestling/OwenHart?
32	* AxCrazy: He went from zero to "whirlwind of fists and kicks" in a nanosecond, for any reason or no reason at all.
33	* BadassCreed: "I'm trying to find a place with peace. And if not, then let's fill it with mayhem."
34	* BashBrothers: [[Wrestling/BobOrtonJr "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr.]], Wrestling/PaulOrndorff, Ric Flair, Rick Martel, and Greg Valentine.
35	* BerserkButton: Basically everything, but if you really wanted to tick off Hot Rod, you'd say that the kilt was a skirt. [[WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow Mario "Jumpman" Mario, as played by Captain Lou Albano, was among those who pressed that button.]]
36	** And ''never'' say that wrestlers don't really get hurt or take blows or sneer at them in general as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIpsFgZ3gAc Bill Maher found out]].
37	* BigBad: Of ''WesternAnimation/HulkHogansRockNWrestling,'' where he was the designated leader of the heel gang opposed to Hogan and his friends.
38	* {{Biography}}: His autobiography ''In the Pit with Piper''.
39	* BoringButPractical: Piper's wrestling maneuvers in general. Not spectacular, barely legal but they usually got the job done.
40	* {{Bowdlerize}}: His contribution to ''The Wrestling Album'' was a cover of a song by Mike Angelo & The Idols originally called "Fuck Everybody." Due to the WWF's family-oriented direction, he had to change it to "For Everybody", which given that the original song put emphasis on the swear word, resulted in Piper singing "FOR! Everybody!" for no apparent reason. The word "ass" was also replaced with "trash" on two occasions.
41	* BrassBalls:
42	** Back in the California territory, he wanted to apologize for the way he treated La Familia Guerrero one week earlier, so he played the "Mexican national anthem" on his bagpipes (The theme he was playing was the world-famous "La Cucaracha") in front of an almost all-Mexican audience. It's a miracle he left that venue on his own feet!
43	** He even broke a beer bottle with his head on T.V. once.
44	* CantUnHearIt: As "Bolphunga, the Unrelenting" on ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternEmeraldKnights'' and as "Don John" in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''.[[invoked]]
45	* CharacterCatchphrase: A veritable fountain of them:
46	** "Sooner or later, EVERYONE pays the Piper."
47	** "Just when they think they got the answers, I CHANGE THE QUESTIONS."
48	** "'''[[TropeNamer I]]''' have come here to ChewBubblegum and kick ass... [[PreAssKickingOneLiner and I'm all out of bubblegum!]]"
49	** "''Real'' men wear kilts."
50	** "[[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant YOU]] DO '''[[BigNo NOT]]''' THROW ROCKS [[BullyingADragon AT A MAN WHO'S GOT A MACHINE GUN!]]"
51	** "I WAS ROWDY BEFORE ROWDY WAS COOL... ''HAAAA!''"
52	* CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown: The Piper Machine.
53	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}:
54	** He's been referred to as the Creator/RobinWilliams of wrestling. Watch him train people on Lance Storm's show, or really, listen to any of his promos.
55	** Blindsiding Jimmy Snuka... with a coconut to the head.
56	** That "Speaking of feet, [[{{Dissimile}} Tony Atlas is an asshole]]" line from ''Legends House''.[[note]]This was a reference to Atlas' somewhat disturbing foot fetish.[[/note]] The show was mostly forgettable, but Piper was peak Piper in the last two episodes.
57	* CombatPragmatist: Even as a {{face}}, some of his [[SignatureMove trademark attacks]] were eye pokes, spits to the face, and pimp slaps.
58	* CoolMask: As Piper Machine.
59	* CoolOldGuy: His gimmick in his last years was the awesome old-school guy that came in to teach the young punks a lesson. Some examples:
60	** Teamed with Ric Flair to defeat the Spirit Squad (represented by Kenny and Mikey) for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Championship]] at ''Cyber Sunday'' on November 5, 2006.
61	** Teamed with the Highlanders (Rory and Robbie) in a six-man-tag to defeat 3/5 of the Spirit Squad (Johnny, Kenny, and Mikey) on the November 6, 2006 ''Raw.''
62	** Defeated Wrestling/TheMiz with a rollup and a fast three-count courtesy of special referee Alex Riley in ''1:08'' on the June 13, 2011 ''Raw.''
63	* {{Crossover}}: His feud with Wrestling/CarlitoColon started in WWE but was settled in WWC with Piper pinning Colon. If you only watched WWE, you might not know they had a feud in the first place, since their promotion of two of their contract workers going to another company, continuing a storyline started on WWE television, was bare minimal.
64	* CurbStompBattle: In one of Piper's first matches ever (in Winnipeg in 1970), Larry "The Axe" Hennig completely squashed Piper in about ten seconds. Piper was a mere 16 years old at the time.
65	* DangerousSixteenthBirthday: Roddy had to leave home very early since his father (A policeman) was bashing heads with him since he was a kid. Then he had to live on the streets for a good amount of time until he could set up.
66	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: (In {{Kayfabe}}, of course.) It really comes to mind how vicious he could really get (as a face, no less!) delivering such brutal beatings unto [[Wrestling/AdrianAdonis "Adorable" Adrian Adonis]] and Wrestling/{{Goldust}}.
67	* DrillSergeantNasty: On Wrestling/LanceStorm's ''World of Hurt''.
68	* DudeWheresMyRespect:
69	** In storyline, Hot Rod always felt disrespected at how Hogan seems to get all of the credit for the Rock n' Wrestling era while Piper seemed to be treated as nothing more than a footnote -- an also-ran who dressed in a kilt and cracked corny jokes, like he wasn't getting the recognition he deserved. (Ironically, Hogan's scandals along with Piper's passing could change the public perception of their legacies.)
70	** This also extended to real life. In his autobiography, Piper said that Hulk Hogan and the other face headliners of the inaugural ''[=WrestleMania=]'' went to a swanky after-party after the event. Meanwhile, Piper and "Cowboy" Bob Orton were not invited, nor even given a ride back to the hotel. Also, Rowdy had to pay his dues the hard way, and he openly resented bodybuilders and celebrities [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections taking the spots]] of hard workers. See "SitcomArchNemesis" below.
71	* EarAche: One of the most famous examples in wrestling was the [[GimmickMatch dog collar match]] between Wrestling/RoddyPiper and Wrestling/GregValentine. Piper, already nursing an injury to his left ear from an earlier match with Valentine, would lose most of the hearing in his ear after several stiff shots with both Valentine's fists and the chain that was holding the two men together. It was because of this injury that led to the creation of ''[[TalkshowWithFists Piper's Pit]]'', as a way to keep him on TV while he recovered.
72	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: For as legendary and groundbreaking as ''Piper's Pit'' was, the first few segments from early 1984 showed the segment was still finding its footing. Although main-event stars Wrestling/PaulOrndorff, Wrestling/TitoSantana, Wrestling/TheIronSheik, and The Masked Superstar were guests, these were largely forgettable segments, as were many others featuring low- to mid-card faces, guests whom Piper simply mocked and wouldn't let get in a word edgewise. The first really remarkable ''Piper's Pit'', then, aired March 17, 1984, nearly two months after its debut, and featured Wrestling/AndreTheGiant picking Piper up by his shirt (after having enough of Piper insulting him) and an angry Piper screaming afterwards "You do NOT throw rocks at a man who's got a machine gun!" But it wasn't until later in 1984, with the infamous ''Pit'' where Piper smacked Jimmy Snuka over the head with a coconut (after making racist remarks about his heritage), another segment where Piper famously attacked a jobber (before declaring "Just when they think they got the answers, I change the questions!"), and the series of ''Pit'' segments with Cyndi Lauper, that ''Piper's Pit'' finally found solid footing.
73	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The final "Victory Corner," a short-lived interview segment that aired on ''WWF Championship Wrestling'' in late 1983 and early 1984, saw Piper introduced as the host of a new segment called ''Piper's Pit''. Piper declared he was going to pull no punches, speak freely of what he thought of his fellow wrestlers, do what he wanted, and cede no ground to wrestlers like Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/AndreTheGiant. How true that was.
74	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being one of the most notorious wrestling heels of all time, even Piper was visibly horrified when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKu13G91AlU Andre the Giant turned heel]] and [[KickTheDog ripped off Hulk Hogan's shirt and crucifix]]. And, as a bonus, even Piper [[PetTheDog felt the need to comfort Hogan]] when he noticed Hogan was bleeding.
75	* EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: Not only did his entrance theme feature bagpipes, he also occasionally played them himself, and was quite good. That's actually [[LineOfSightName how he got his ring name]]. He was walking to the ring for his first match while playing the bagpipes and was announced as "Roddy the Piper."
76	* FinishingMove: The good old-fashioned ''Sleeper Hold'', was Piper's finisher of choice... unless [[EasilyDistractedReferee the referee was distracted]], in which case he would deliver [[GroinAttack a devastating uppercut to his opponent's groin]]. He also had a punch flurry ending with a massive haymaker that would zigzag between being a finisher and a [[SignatureMove signature]].
77	* GenreSavvy: This in spades. Even as a face, he remembered every dirty trick in the book and exploited them at every chance.
78	* GoshDangItToHeck: "Stay the heck away from drugs, kids!" Yes he actually said "heck."
79	* TheGrinch: Inverted: he becomes a crusader for Christmas by [[ItMakesSenseInContext beating the crap out of Bobby Heenan, who was dressed as Santa Claus.]]
80	* HandicappedBadass:
81	** Lost hearing in his right ear due to a burst eardrum after an unusually brutal Dog Collar Match with Wrestling/GregValentine in 1983.
82	** His knee/hip injuries came into play in several matches.
83	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: He turned many times over his career.
84	* HeelFaceTurn: The most legendary of them all came in 1986, when he was visibly disgusted that the talk show segment he endorsed prior to his leave of absence in 1986 – "The Flower Shop," with Adrian Adonis (who had adopted a cross-dressing gimmick) – had devolved into Adonis obnoxiously flaunting his new gimmick and pushing it in the faces of fans, and was also disturbed that former friend and No. 1 henchman Bob Orton was now on his side. During a duel between the Flower Shop and Piper's Pit, Piper had the crowd 100-percent in his corner and when the heels couldn't get a word in edgewise and Piper just kept piling on the insults (to the delight of the crowd), they initiated a horrific attack. Piper, of course, didn't stay down long – he once commented that worse (i.e., his real-life background) had happened to him – and swore revenge.
85	* HeterosexualLifePartners:
86	** Piper and Flair on ''Celebrity Wife Swap''. Wendi keeps maxing out Ric's credit cards, Kitty is completely at sea, and at the center of it all is Rod -- the only person in the house who really 'gets' Naitch.
87	** Ric Flair once said that Piper was the only guy who could fill any building, any time, anywhere, just by being on the card. It was always a sellout. Keep in mind Naitch is not exactly known for his humility.
88	* HiddenDepths: Found a piano in World of Hurt's gym, and demonstrated he could actually play. He was also a pretty good singer and harmonica player.
89	* HotBlooded: The nut of his gimmick
90	* IllKillYou: After Wrestling/{{Sting}} had made the save for Piper and Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage from the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder [=nWo=]]] at the end of the October 13, 1997 ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', Piper actually said these exact words.
91	* IceCreamKoan: He didn't need to know how tough he was, to know how tough he was. And just when you thought you had the answers, he went and changed all the questions.
92	* IKnowKarate: Trained in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and was one of the few black belts under Wrestling/GeneLebell.
93	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: He's been stabbed by a fan to the point he had to be taken to the hospital by Wrestling/SgtSlaughter.
94	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Piper was legendary for using [[KitchenSinkIncluded whatever was on hand as a weapon]]. Probably most (in)famous was when Piper clocked Wrestling/JimmySnuka in the head with a coconut.
95	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Has there ever been a time when somebody ''wasn't'' beefing with Piper? That guy had pissing people off down to a fine art.
96	* KarmaHoudini: During Piper's WWF heel run in the mid 80's, many of his matches resulted in a countout or DQ finish. Thus, his feuds with top babyfaces like Andre and Snuka would not be properly paid off. Not even Hogan got to beat Piper properly during their feud.
97	** Subverted at the inaugural ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' in which Hogan and Mr. T beat Piper and Orndorff, but Orndorff took the pinfall loss, not Piper.
98	** Averted on very rare occasions, One example was a February 1986 Boston Garden show in which he lost to Bruno Sammartino in a steel cage match. Another was a July 1984 St. Louis show when he lost to Jimmy Snuka in a Fijian strap match.
99	* KickTheDog: Piper was the kind of {{heel}} who did this every chance he got. The coconut incident on Piper's Pit with Jimmy Snuka is a particularly infamous example.
100	* LargeHam: Even by wrestling standards!
101	* {{Manchild}}: His juvenile antics on Prime Time Wrestling often were reminiscent of a ten year old on one ''hell'' of a sugar rush.
102	* ManInAKilt: You don't say? At least the most triumphant one in wrestling.
103	* MotorMouth: In his prime, the man was a walking "rant machine" on wheels. He'd mellow down considerably as he got older, however.
104	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: The Hollywood Backlot Brawl with Goldust at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XII''.
105	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: He was supposed to be Scottish, after all, whilst speaking with a recognizable Canadian accent.
106	* NothingPersonal: During the Monday Night War, he didn't get the whole WWF vs. WCW thing and just saw them as two more territories.
107	* OhCrap:
108	** Had a noticeable one when, during his feud with Mr. America (Hulk Hogan in a knockoff ComicBook/CaptainAmerica mask), he tried beating an already down and out America with a flag pole, only for Zach Gowen to jump in the way. When Roddy tried to pull Gowen off, he instead pulled off Gowen's prosthetic leg. Piper could only meekly place the leg down, and flee the ring with what little dignity he had left.
109	** In 1984, Roddy went to Larry Holmes' gym as a promotional skit. He was assured that Larry wouldn't actually be there, so when he stepped in the gym, he yelled that he was Rowdy Roddy Piper and he was there to kick Larry Holmes' ass. [[RightBehindMe Guess who]] walks out of the office in response.
110	* OlderIsBetter: His fighting style was quite old-fashioned; he was one of the last persons you saw using maneuvers like the ''Airplane Spin'' and the ''Giant Swing'' in a non-comedic context.
111	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper or "Hot Rod".
112	* PowerStable:
113	** (in NWA Mid-Atlantic) "The Piper's Palace" leading Jimmy Valiant, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr. and Wrestling/AbdullahTheButcher in a feud against [[Wrestling/SirOliverHumperdink "The House of Humperdink"]].
114	** (in NWA Pacific Northwest): Wrestling/PlayboyBuddyRose's Army.
115	** (in WWF):
116	*** His off and on again VillainTeamUp with Cowboy Bob and [[Wrestling/PaulOrndorff "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff]], replaced later for [[Wrestling/DonMuraco "Magnificent" Don Muraco]]. Incidentally, Paul and Don's monikers were of [[TheNicknamer Roddy's own inspiration]].
117	*** ''[[Wrestling/SurvivorSeries Survivor Series '89]]'': "The Roddy's Rowdies" with Wrestling/JimmySnuka and Wrestling/TheBushwhackers.
118	*** ''Survivor Series '91'': with [[Wrestling/BretHart Bret "The Hitman" Hart]], [[Wrestling/DaveyBoySmith The British Bulldog]] and Wrestling/{{Virgil}}.
119	* PrecisionFStrike: Got away with saying "bullshit!" at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 21''; appropriately enough, it was in an interview segment with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin.
120	* RagsToRiches: Piper was homeless and lived on the street as a teenager. At one point, he owned nothing but his car and his bagpipes. Piper's net worth after he died was estimated to be around 4 million dollars.
121	** He used to wander hotels, in order to eat scraps on flatware left outside the door for room service to carry away.
122	* RedBaron: "Rowdy", "Hot Rod" and "The Rowdiest One."
123	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: On the September 27 (taped September 16), 1986, ''WWF Superstars'', Piper's [[TheDragon Dragon]] "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr. and [[Wrestling/DonMuraco "Magnificent" Don Muraco]] turned on Piper, siding with "Adorable" Adrian Adonis' "The Flower Shop," tore down the "Piper's Pit" set, and injured Piper's leg in the process. On the October 4th show (taped the same night), Piper came out with a crutch and destroyed the set of "The Flower Shop." This ultimately led to the hair vs. hair match between Piper and Adonis at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania III''.
124	* ShutUpHannibal: Piper had a bit in his interviews where he would ask someone a question, then just as they were about to answer, he'd pull the mic away and say, "I didn't want to know that bad."
125	* SitcomArchNemesis: He made Creator/MrT look like the fool on the microphone and in the ring. He also shoot-wrestled Mr. T to the mat at ''[=WrestleMania=]'', and didn't let him get in any of his spots. Roddy genuinely detested Mr. T, because he felt the man showed no respect to anyone in the business other than his buddy Hulk Hogan. They had many tense moments off-camera.
126	* SpiritualSuccessor:
127	** Piper passed the nickname "Rowdy" to Creator/RondaRousey, somebody known for speaking her mind in UFC.
128	** Most "Rock n' Wrestling" WWF personalities have a equivalent in 2010s WWE, and Piper is no exception: Wrestling/DeanAmbrose.
129	* TagTeam: (as Piper Machine): [[CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown "The Machines"]] with [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant Giant Machine]], [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Hulk Machine]],[[Wrestling/{{Demolition}} Super Machine (Bill "Masked Superstar"[=/=]"Demolition Ax" Eadie)]], [[Wrestling/TheBlackjacks Big Machine (Robert "Blackjack Mulligan" Windham)]], [[Wrestling/GeorgeSteele Animal Machine (George "The Animal" Steele)]] and [[Wrestling/TheCrusher Crusher Machine (The Crusher.)]]
130	** Several times World Tag-Team champion across various promotions, as stated above.
131	** There was a pilot for a series called ''Tag Team'' that starred Piper and Wrestling/JesseVentura.
132	* TalkShowWithFists: ''Piper's Pit'' is the originator.
133	* VillainSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIRNKkrVW5M "For Everybody"]], dedicated to your feelings in the eventuallity you may not like him.
134	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Piper couldn't stand snakes in the slightest, something that Jake Roberts loved to use when messing with him backstage. Jake's trolling eventually got so bad that he pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot Jake if he ever pullled out another serpent on him again.
135	* WildCard: See his CatchPhrase and GenreSavvy above. No one knew what Piper would do at any given time.
136	* WouldHitAGirl: By his last years, it was very much averted. He'd gone onto the WWE's programs to host special Piper's Pits specifically to scold heel wrestlers who hurt women the previous week. But this was not always the case, of course:
137	** In 1979, a then 25-year-old Piper – already having perfected his crazy, psychopathic heel character – once grabbed female wrestler Vicki Williams by the hair, lifted her up and screamed at her face, telling her there was no place in wrestling for women and that if she wanted to fight and challenge his manhood, he'd show her in short order how wrong she was.
138	** In 1984-1985, when the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection" era was in full swing and he was wrestling's most hated man, Piper (in {{kayfabe}}) hated rock music diva Music/CyndiLauper so much that he tried to attack her, without provocation, many times. He actually did assault her and her then-boyfriend David Wolfe during an infamous in-ring promo at New York City's Madison Square Garden (the setup being ''Series/AmericanBandstand'''s Dick Clark presenting an award to Lauper and "Captain" Lou Albano for their (real life) work with the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation). The incident brought Piper's feud with Wrestling/HulkHogan (an avowed friend of Lauper's) to a new level, and set up "The War to Settle the Score," aired nationally via MTV, where Piper's allies -- "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff and "Cowboy" Bob Orton -- threatened to seriously hurt Lauper, if not worse. Creator/MrT was in the front row and came to Hogan's aide during the match, thus setting up the first Wrestling/WrestleMania.
139	* WroteTheBook:
140	** When Wrestling/JakeRoberts says you're the best promo, you're the best promo.
141	** [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] has said that Rowdy was a big influence on him and his character. When all the best talkers put one man on top, you definitely know who the trailblazer was in that regard.
142	* WrestlingFamily: He was a cousin of [[Wrestling/OwenHart The]] [[Wrestling/BretHart Harts]].
143	* YouWouldntHitAGuyWithGlasses: Uh ... look at the name at the top of this page. Ask [[Wrestling/BrucePrichard Brother Love]] and Wrestling/JimmyHart (during his face years) ... or, during his heel run, Billy Red Lyons and (at least once) Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon if wearing glasses spared them.
144	----
145	-->''The Maniac loves ya...''

Context Wrestling / RoddyPiper