‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, R.I.P: Watch His 5 Most Memorable Film and Wrestling Career Moments

The sad news came out on Friday that legendary WWE wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper had died of a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 61. In a statement, WWE CEO and chairman Vince McMahon said that “Roddy Piper was one of the most entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE, beloved by millions of fans around the world.”

Piper was one of the biggest stars in what was then the WWF, at a time when it was making its first big splash into greater pop culture. While Wrestlemania was debuting and Cyndi Lauper was putting wrestlers in her music videos, Roddy Piper was the biggest villain in the WWF, and he did it through his unparalleled work on the microphone. Look no further than his iconic altercation with “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka on his recurring interview segment “Piper’s Pit.”

That moment would reverberate in wrestling history because it made Piper the most hated character in the business, and prime for a rivalry with its top hero, Hulk Hogan, at the first Wrestlemania. That feud would continue, with Piper going up against Hogan’s movie co-star Mr. T (more wrestling-to-Hollywood crossover that was typical at the time) at Wrestlemania II in a boxing match (please appreciate the guest commentary of Kate & Allie star Susan St. James in the below clip, or watch the whole match on the WWE Network):

Of course, as happens with many great wrestling villains, their superior performances earn them the admiration of fans. Roddy Piper was never destined to stay a villain for too long because he was too good at it, and before long he had stepped up to the level of one of wrestling’s biggest fan favorites. Even years past his in-ring prime, Piper still had that mouth, and the WWE put it to good use in his repeated returns to Piper’s Pit.

Piper’s wrestling legend was only enhanced by what he accomplished outside of it. Horror legend John Carpenter cast Piper as the lead in They Live!, his body-snatchers-esque sci-fi/horror hybrid. The film itself has become a cult favorite, particularly among Carpenter loyalists, and Piper himself made a mark with indelible lines of dialogue like “I’ve come to here to chew bubblegum and kick ass … and I’m all out of bubblegum.” The standout scene in They Live! is a marathon fight sequence between Piper and Keith David, a scene that’s been referenced and parodied countless times since:

Piper’s subsequent screen appearances tried to capture that midnight-movie cult vibe that They Live! had, with varying results. A movie like Hell Comes to Frogtown seemed to be calibrated specifically to court schlock collectors for years to come. How many other chances are you going to get to see a samurai-sword-wielding Roddy Piper give a man-sized frog creature the ol’ eye poke?

The best moments of Piper’s career had a kind of shameless audacity that walked the tightrope between classless and sublime. He was a wild-eyed entertainer who’d just as soon draw boos as cheers because either way he was working the crowd. He joins the ranks of many, many pro wrestlers who have passed too soon.

[Watch The Roddy Piper Story on the WWE Network]

Joe Reid (@joereid) is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. You can find him leaving flowers for Mrs. Landingham at the corner of 18th and Potomac.

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