Roddy Piper

Real name: Roderick George Toombs
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 235 lbs.
Date of birth: April 17, 1954
Date of death: July 31, 2015
Billed from: Glasgow, Scotland
Pro debut: 1972
Trained by: Tony Condello
Finishing move: Sleeper

Biography

– At age fifteen, Piper won the 167-pound Amateur Wrestling Championship of Manitoba.
– Piper lost his debut match against Larry “The Ax” Hennig, the father of Curt Hennig.
– In 1975, Roddy received his first big push in Los Angeles, where he wrestled as the “Masked Canadian.”
– Piper defeated Chavo Guerrero for the NWA Americas title on March 12, 1976. Piper also defeated Guerrero for the same title in 1977 and 1978.
– Piper won the NWA Americas tag team titles three times in 1976; twice with Crusher Verdu and once with The Hangman.
– On July 22, 1977, Piper won the NWA World Tag Team titles with Keith Franks, who would later become “Adorable” Adrian Adonis. The team defeated Tom Jones and Mando Guerrero.
– Piper and Ron Bass won the NWA World Tag Team titles from Chavo Guerrero and Black Gordman on April 21, 1978.
– Piper captured the NWA United States titles on June 24, 1978, when he defeated Moondog Lonnie Mayne.
– On December 31, 1978, Piper and Killer Brooks beat Dutch Savage and Johnathan Boyd for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles.
– Also in 1978, Piper and John Stud teamed up to claim the Mid Atlantic Tag Team title.
– Piper and Ed Wiskowski (Col. DeBeers) won the NWA World Tag Team titles in February 1979.
– In 1980, Piper and Rick Martel won the NWA Pacific Northwest tag team belts three times.
– Piper and Martel captured the Canadian (Vancouver) Tag Team titles from the Kiwi Sheepherders.
– On November 1, 1980, Piper won the Mid-Atlantic Television title in a tournament, defeating Paul Jones in the finals.
– Also in 1980, Piper claimed a Salem Championship Tournament Trophy.
– Piper beat Ric Flair for the Mid-Atlantic U.S. Heavyweight title, and then in November, he beat Jack Brisco for the heavyweight title, on January 27, 1981.
– Piper defeated Ricky Steamboat for the Mid-Atlantic title on November 1, 1981.
– Piper pinned Jack Brisco for the same title on July 7, 1982.
– On April 16, 1983, Piper beat Greg “The Hammer” Valentine for the NWA United States title.
– At Starrcade ’83, Piper beat Valentine in the legendary “dog collar” match. Roddy lost 75% of the hearing in his left ear, which remains today, and it also threw off his equilibrium, and he was told his wrestling career was over.
– Piper signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 1984.
– On November 9, 1985, Piper challenged Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight title at the “Wrestling Classic.” Piper lost the match by disqualification when bodyguard, “Cowboy Ace” Bob Orton, interfered.
– In late 1985-early 1986, Piper had his own interview segment called “Piper’s Pit.” It was a segment in WWF programming where he talked to other wrestling stars. One of his shows featured Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. On his show, Piper attacked Snuka and nailed him with a coconut. After the brutal attack, Piper uttered these words, “just when they think they got the answers, I change the questions.”
– Piper and Mr. T squared off in a boxing match at Wrestlemania II. Piper was disqualified in the fourth round when he scoop slammed his opponent.
– Piper had his “retirement match” during the third Wrestlemania, in a hair versus hair match with Adrian Adonis. Roddy won with a sleeper, and Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake did the haircutting honors.
– Piper did a Piper’s Pit segment at Wrestlemania V, interviewing Brother Love and Morton Downey Jr. At one point, Downey blew smoke in Piper’s face.
– At Wrestlemania VI, Piper painted himself half black for a match with “Bad News” Brown (who is African American). The match ended in a double countout.
– Piper became a color commentator throughout 1990 and 1991 on WWF Superstars and WWF PPVs.
– Piper won the Intercontinental title from the Mountie at Royal Rumble 1992. Roddy dedicated the win to his son Colt.
– Piper serviced as a special guest referee at Wrestlemania X for the Yokozuna v. Hart WWF title match. (Hart won the match).
– The “Rowdy” one served as President of the WWF in early 1996, after Gorilla Monsoon was injured.
– Later in 1996, Piper left the WWF for WCW. He appeared at “Halloween Havoc” to “break Hogan’s monotony.”
– Piper defeated “Hollywood” Hogan with a sleeper at “Starracade ’96,” yet at WCW’s annual mega event, the WCW title was not at stake, and Hogan retained the gold.
– It appeared that Piper won the WCW title at SuperBrawl VII in 1997, but the referee did not call for the bell, and Hogan nailed Piper with brass knuckles to win the match.
– Team WCW gained revenge at “Slamboree” when Piper, Carolina Panther linebacker Kevin Greene, and Ric Flair defeated team nWo.
– After a split up, Piper defeated Flair at the 1997 “Bash at the Beach.”
– Piper was named “Interim Commissioner” of WCW.
– Piper defeated Hogan yet again at “Halloween Havoc” ’97 in a steel cage match.
– On the February 8, 1999 “Nitro” show, Piper pinned Bret Hart to win the United States Heavyweight Championship.
– At the 1999 Slamboree, Piper defeated Flair via ref’s reverse decision.
– In the fall of 2000, WCW terminated Piper’s contract.
– On May 18, 2001, Piper defeated Michelle Starr in Coer D-Lane, ID for Matt Osborne’s independent promotion. It was his first match since being released by WCW.
– In November 2002, Piper’s autobiography In the Pit with Piper: Roddy gets Rowdy was released.
– At Wrestlemania XIX in Seattle, WA, Piper did a run in during the Hulk Hogan-Vince McMahon blood bath, and attacked Hogan with a steel pipe.
– Piper brought back “Piper’s Pit” on the April 10, 2003 edition of “Smackdown,” and smashed a coconut over the head of Rikishi.
– In June 2003, WWE officially released Piper from his contract.
– At the Victory Road PPV in Orlando, FL, Piper’s guest for “In the Pit with Piper” featured Jimmy Snuka.
– On January 30, 2005, Piper, Snuka and Jimmy Valiant defeated Col. DeBeers, Buddy Rose and Bob Orton at the Wrestle Reunion event in Tampa, FL.
– On the February 14, 2005 edition of “Raw,” WWE announced that Piper would be inducted into the company’s hall of fame.
– Piper was inducted into the WWE hall of fame on April 2, 2005. The next night at Wrestlemania 21, Piper hosted a special edition of “Piper’s Pit” featuring Steve Austin.
– At Cyber Sunday ’06 in Cincinnati, OH, Piper and Ric Flair defeated the Spirit Squad to capture the WWE Tag Team titles.
– On November 27, 2006, Piper revealed that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. “It seems like I have been fighting someone, something, someplace, in some manner, my whole life. But this fight is one I am gonna win!” said Piper in a statement.
– Piper was inducted into the GERWECK.NET Hall of Fame on June 1, 2009.