"That was pretty f***ing heavy" - Veteran referee on Roddy Piper's stabbing incident
Legendary referee Bill Alfonso recently disclosed details about the time a wrestling fan stabbed Roddy Piper after a match.
Piper, who passed away in 2015, is widely regarded as one of the greatest villains in wrestling history. In the early 1980s, he risked the wrath of fans by getting himself disqualified in a series of matches against the popular Ricky Steamboat.
Speaking to WSI’s James Romero, Alfonso recalled how a fan reacted angrily after witnessing Piper’s heel antics:
“[The fan] pulled out a little pocket knife and stabbed Roddy Piper right in the gut. That was pretty f***ing heavy. It didn’t cause a lot of damage. Thank God it was a little pocket knife, a little case-knife about that big [points fingers to the camera], so that was quite eye-opening."
(Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use the above quote from this article)
As a referee, Alfonso added that he would often face backlash from fans if match results did not go the way they hoped.
Roddy Piper commented on the stabbing incident in 2006
#RowdyRoddyPiper #HotRod #Heat #Villain https://t.co/FvJTdARvdO
In 2017, a documentary titled Roddy Piper: In His Own Words was released by Nine Legends Film. Footage from 2006 showed Piper talking about the three times he was stabbed during his career.
Reflecting on the stabbing incident after his match against Ricky Steamboat, Piper revealed how close the fan came to causing him serious damage:
“First rule of a knife fight – don’t take your eyes off the knife. Broke that rule. I stopped, boom – he got me an inch from the heart." [H/T TMZ]
Piper chased after the fan before armed police quickly arrived on the scene. The WWE legend said the incident was the closest he had ever been to witnessing someone getting shot.