Details on Vince McMahon giving WWE legend a car as a gift after WrestleMania match
Jim Ross recently revealed that Vince McMahon allowed Roddy Piper to keep the white Ford Bronco that was used at WrestleMania 12.
The WWE Hall of Famer defeated Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl at WWE’s annual extravaganza in 1996. The match featured footage of Piper arriving at the venue in a similar vehicle to the one OJ Simpson used during his low-speed police chase.
Ross, WWE’s former Head of Talent Relations, spoke about WrestleMania 12 on his Grilling JR podcast. He said McMahon was kind enough to let Piper keep the car after finding out how much he liked it:
“I go to Vince earlier in the day, ‘Hey, Roddy would like to buy that white Bronco and he wants to drive it home to Oregon.’ Vince said, ‘No, I’m not gonna sell it to him. I’ll give it to him. Go tell him it’s a gift.’ So that’s what I did, and it made Roddy very happy. He got a free Bronco out of it and drove it to Oregon,” stated Ross. [1:13:10-1:13:39]
Following WrestleMania 12, Piper drove all the way from the show’s venue in California to Oregon – a trip of more than 600 miles.
Jim Ross had no problem with Vince McMahon referencing OJ Simpson on WWE TV
Piper vs. Goldust! http://t.co/pO6n9GUu8X
OJ Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman on June 17, 1994. Later that day, an estimated 95 million viewers watched the former NFL star ride down a Los Angeles interstate in a white Ford Bronco.
Roddy Piper’s arrival to the WrestleMania 12 building was almost identical to Simpson’s police chase. While some may have viewed WWE’s parody in poor taste, Jim Ross said he had no issues with Vince McMahon’s controversial creative decision:
“No problem. It was timely. Newsworthy. It was relatable, so it didn’t offend me whatsoever.” [1:14:06-1:14:18]
Simpson was acquitted on both counts of murder on October 3, 1995, prompting WWE to consider hiring him as Piper's WrestleMania 12 opponent. The idea was nixed when it became apparent that sponsors would likely refuse to work with the company if the celebrity appeared.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.