Today we are looking at Roddy Piper, let's see what you guys thought.
First, the good news!
- Promos - Best ever? Some of you think so, especially during his heel runs. Who didn't love him going off the handle, yelling, pointing everywhere, shaking his head back and forth. He was raw and emotional, a true master on the mic.
- Heel - Again, best ever? Well he's right up there with his antics especially during the 80's. He had some of the best ring psychology as well to get the crowd up to a nuclear level of hate for him.
- Pushed the Envelope - This is probably why he got so much heat, because of all the things he did over his career. Painting his body half-black, smashing a coconut over Snuka's head, mooning Rick Rude are just a few examples.
- Theme - Oh those bagpipes.
- They Live - Get some bubblegum and watch the movie.
LoneStranger - "I bought the special ticket that let me get autographs from all the big guys there. My wife went with me, but didn’t have a ticket for the autographs, so she just kinda lurked a couple arms’ lengths away from me as we went down the line. The guys smiled, shook hands, signed autographs, but it seemed like they were doing a job and they’d rather be somewhere else. When we got to Piper though, he was extremely friendly. He didn’t stay sitting behind his table, but rather stood up the whole time and walked up to me to give me his full attention. He went out of his way to pull my wife over and talk to her as much as he talked to me. I can’t remember the conversation, but I do remember he made it seem like he was a friend, he cared about us, and he really appreciated that we were there."
via images1.wikia.nocookie.net
Now the bad news...
- Never World Champ - Much like Jake "The Snake", he never got that world title run. I would say Piper was even more deserving of a reign during the height of his popularity as a heel. It won't define his career, but it's a shame he didn't get even a short run with the belt.
- WCW Run - I combined this with "staying past his expiration", which many of you pointed out. His matches were terrible, and his chracter evolution just didn't work. As we all know it's tough for these guys to leave the business.
- Brawling - His style was pretty much this, not tons of technical talent, which isn't a huge deal, but it counts. He would end up having pretty one-dimensional battles. Lucky for Piper his psychology was amazing so they always felt different.
- Hulk Hogan - He never beat Hogan clean during there battles in the WWF. It could have propelled him even further if he got that win, but unfortunately that type of booking never came his way.
My favorite comment goes to *Asterisk* - "Those 90s WCW matches suuuuucked. I know Piper drew a ton of money with those horrible Hogan matches, so I give them at least a little leeway: but Piper debuted in 1968, and should’ve retired after the hip replacement. It’s a miracle he can still walk unassisted. Those matches were completely irresponsible to Piper’s health, an insult to the talent on the undercard, and dangerous to the health of the eyes and the brains of people watching."
Finally, the poll! With 105 votes, Mr. Piper's average score is 4.4.
Thanks for commenting! Tomorrow's pick is red hot!
Until then!