Keeping Roddy Piper in our minds on his 68th birthday...
Note - check out an interview I did with Roddy Piper and one with his daughter Teal.
Roddy Piper would have turned 68 on April 17, 2022. I still cannot believe Roddy Piper is no longer part of our living world. But if you're someone like me, he'll always be with us.
There was never anyone like Piper, and there will never be anyone like him again. He was a phenomenal and totally compelling performer. No wrestler/sports entertainer today has the elements the "Rowdy" one possessed.
I had the pleasure and the opportunity to become personal friends with Roddy. We often talked about what you need to have that certain "it" to make it to superstar status in the wrestling business.
"It's more than an it factor. It's a series of it factors, one on top of each other and it never ends! You need to keep up with all of them. You gotta adjust in a snap of a finger to make that it keep happening and keep on going," ," Piper would tell me during one of our road trips.
Remembering the one and only "Rowdy" Roddy Piper on his birthday ❤️ https://t.co/FhnAwMmXfn
Roddy was excellent at getting reactions from the crowd. His in-ring interviews could easily make the crowd love him or hate him. We talked about the classic incident where he was hosting "Piper's Pit" on WWE (then WWF) TV in mid-1984.
"Until I broke that coconut over his hard head, I was getting boos from the audience and some cheers. Once I cracked it over his head everyone hated me. I fed into that and it made me the most hated wrestler in the world. Every night at another arena I sometimes had to be taken out by the cops so the fans wouldn't be able to get to me," Piper said.
Yet he also knew how to elicit love from the crowd as well.
"Talk about a change of reaction. A year before that the fans could not have loved me more when I had a feud with Greg Valentine at Starrcade 1983. The people wanted me to kill Greg. A year later I was in that same position when I was fighting Snuka," Piper added.
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine loved "working" against Roddy Piper. We had a lot of discussions about what made Roddy tick.
"It's not easy. Roddy's got a lot of layers but his best one in my opinion his how hot-headed he gets on interviews. He stays on topic but he loses his mind. Roddy makes you listen to his interviews because no one knows what he's going to say -- not even he does. It's all adlib. The promoter would tell him the story and Roddy would go out there and sell it better than anyone could," Valentine said.
I want to point out that Roddy Piper was very, very charismatic. It's a cliché, but when he walked into any room, all eyes were on him. He had star quality and star power.
Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine entering building for a show! https://t.co/pzkqJHFCM8
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Roddy's daughter Teal at a wrestling convention and did an interview with her. She talked about what an amazing person and character her father was and that she is hoping to keep his legacy going.
Teal has no worries. Fans will always remember how special her father was and how no one can ever share his same mold as it can never be duplicated. I miss you, my friend.
Happy 68th birthday, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper -- wherever you may be making "Rowdy" happen these days!