July 31, 2015(2015-07-31) (aged 61) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death
Cardiac arrest caused by hypertension
Spouse(s)
Kitty Jo Dittrich
(m. 1982)
Children
4, including Teal Piper
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
The Masked Canadian[1][2] Piper Machine ”Rowdy” Roddy Piper[3]
Billed height
6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[3]
Billed weight
230 lb (104 kg)[3]
Billed from
Glasgow, Scotland
Trained by
Gene LeBell Leo Garibaldi Tony Condello Joe Fiorino Stu Hart[4]
Debut
1969[5]
Retired
2011
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.
^Cite error: The named reference OWOW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Pocket Books. pp. 47–51. ISBN 978-1-4165-3257-6.
^ abcd"Roddy Piper WWE Hall of Fame Profile". WWE. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
^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.
^Kelly, Ross (July 31, 2015). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Roddy Piper". CBS. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
^"'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, wrestler 2015". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
^"Top 50 Wrestlers of All Time". IGN. November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
^WrestleMania 21: WWE Hall of Fame 2005 (bonus feature; Roddy Piper's induction speech) (Digital Video Disc). WWE Home Video. April 2, 2005.
^DeVega, Chauncey (August 7, 2015). "America is a neoliberal horror movie". Salon. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
2015), better known as "Rowdy" RoddyPiper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international...
wrestler, also known by the ring name Teal Piper. She is the daughter of the professional wrestler and actor RoddyPiper. After graduating from high school in...
1963 short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson. Starring RoddyPiper, Keith David, and Meg Foster, the film follows an unnamed drifter who...
In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and RoddyPiper. Also, Wendi Richter (accompanied by manager Cyndi Lauper) defeated Leilani...
wrestling's bad rap". avclub.com. September 19, 2009. RoddyPiper (2002). In the Pit with Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy. Berkley Books. p. 10. ISBN 0-425-18721-7...
Wrestling. Starting in January 1984, Orndorff took on "Rowdy" RoddyPiper as his manager. Piper nicknamed Orndorff "Mr. Wonderful", a nickname that he used...
Jimmy Snuka, he entered into his first major feud with Snuka's rival RoddyPiper. He left the WWF in early 1985 and went to other territories. In late...
last kill shot at Piper but is overpowered and killed. Piper and Sarah embrace and rejoice at having survived their ordeal. RoddyPiper as himself Shane...
event in Uniondale was a boxing match pitting Mr. T against "Rowdy" RoddyPiper. In Chicago, the main event saw a 20 man “Over-The-Top-Rope” Battle Royal...
Matches held at WrestleMania VIII included WWF Intercontinental Champion RoddyPiper defending his title against former champion Bret Hart, WWF Champion Ric...
In the Pit With Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy is a 2002 autobiography of Canadian professional wrestler Rowdy RoddyPiper (real name Roderick Toombs), it was...
the “Adorable” Adrian Adonis name. He would be involved in a feud with RoddyPiper, which culminated in a hair vs. hair match at WrestleMania III. After...
Adonis and Rowdy RoddyPiper began when, following a leave of absence from the WWF in mid-1986, Piper returned to find his Piper's Pit segment replaced...
by Jackson and Randall Frakes. The film stars professional wrestler RoddyPiper as Sam Hell, one of the last remaining fertile men in a post-apocalyptic...
his archrival "Rowdy" RoddyPiper and "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff when "Cowboy" Bob Orton, who had been in the corner of Piper and Orndorff, accidentally...
RoddyPiper. On the November 13 episode of Raw, Flair and Piper lost the World Tag Team Championship to Rated-RKO, due to a disc problem with Piper and...
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, accompanied by Jimmy Snuka against the team of RoddyPiper and Paul Orndorff, who were accompanied by Cowboy Bob Orton. The financial...
professional wrestler "Rowdy" RoddyPiper. After meeting Piper (circa 2012 or 2013) through Gene LeBell, who helped train both of them, Piper personally gave his...
four-year hiatus, The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley. RoddyPiper had his first match since 1994. WrestleMania is considered the World...
Famer RoddyPiper dies at 61". July 31, 2015. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2018. "WWE Hall of Famer RoddyPiper has...
Hardy in an Extreme Rules match, Chris Jericho defeated the team of RoddyPiper, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka, and the annual Money in the Bank ladder...
main event, WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Rowdy RoddyPiper by disqualification to retain the title. The undercard featured a 16-man...
Ventura participated in a six-man tag-team match in December 1985 when he, RoddyPiper, and Bob Orton defeated Hillbilly Jim, Uncle Elmer, and Cousin Luke in...
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