Roddy Piper

Roddy Piper
Piper in 2009
Birth nameRoderick George Toombs
Born(1954-04-17)April 17, 1954
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedJuly 31, 2015(2015-07-31) (aged 61)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathCardiac arrest caused by hypertension
Spouse(s)
Kitty Jo Dittrich
​
(m. 1982)​
Children4, including Teal Piper
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Masked Canadian[1][2]
Piper Machine
”Rowdy” Roddy Piper[3]
Billed height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[3]
Billed weight230 lb (104 kg)[3]
Billed fromGlasgow, Scotland
Trained byGene LeBell
Leo Garibaldi
Tony Condello
Joe Fiorino
Stu Hart[4]
Debut1969[5]
Retired2011

Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor.

In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1984 and 2000. Although he was Canadian, Piper was billed as coming from Glasgow and was known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance music; this was because of his Scottish heritage.[3] Piper earned the nicknames "Rowdy" and "Hot Rod" by displaying his trademark "Scottish" short temper, spontaneity, and quick wit. According to The Daily Telegraph, he is "considered by many to be the greatest 'heel' (or villain) wrestler ever".[6]

One of wrestling's most recognizable stars,[7] Piper headlined multiple PPV events, including the WWF and WCW's respective premier annual events, WrestleMania and Starrcade. He accumulated 34 championships and hosted the popular WWF/WWE interview segment "Piper's Pit", which facilitated numerous kayfabe feuds. In 2005, Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Ric Flair, who dubbed him "the most gifted entertainer in the history of professional wrestling".[8]

Outside of wrestling, Piper acted in dozens of films and TV shows. Most notably, he took the lead role of John Nada in the 1988 cult classic They Live[9] and a recurring role as a deranged professional wrestler called Da' Maniac on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference OWOW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Pocket Books. pp. 47–51. ISBN 978-1-4165-3257-6.
  3. ^ a b c d "Roddy Piper WWE Hall of Fame Profile". WWE. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  4. ^ Hornbaker, T.; Snuka, J. (2012). Legends of Pro Wrestling: 150 Years of Headlocks, Body Slams, and Piledrivers. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. ISBN 9781613213148. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  5. ^ Kelly, Ross (July 31, 2015). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Roddy Piper". CBS. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  6. ^ "'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, wrestler 2015". The Telegraph. August 16, 2015. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  7. ^ "Top 50 Wrestlers of All Time". IGN. November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  8. ^ WrestleMania 21: WWE Hall of Fame 2005 (bonus feature; Roddy Piper's induction speech) (Digital Video Disc). WWE Home Video. April 2, 2005.
  9. ^ DeVega, Chauncey (August 7, 2015). "America is a neoliberal horror movie". Salon. Retrieved September 12, 2015.