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| Scrooge's Tribute to Roddy Piper | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 3 2015, 10:33 PM (1,230 Views) | |
| Scrooge McSuck | Aug 3 2015, 10:33 PM Post #1 |
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I'll get you next time, toilet!
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Roddy Piper was a character. Whether or not he was working us or telling the truth, he always tried to make things entertaining. From his off-the-wall promos to his wild antics in the ring, Piper was always full of energy, and could get a crowd with the snap of a finger. As someone who mostly watched him during his WWF days, Piper was one of the first times I can think of where the “cool villain” was forced into a baby-face turn because fans loved him too much. Even as a baby-face, he might not have been as aggressive physically, but he could still cut promos and knock people down a peg or two. Despite “retiring” in 1987 for a career in Hollywood, Piper would always find his way back in a wrestling ring, sometimes for a long run, sometimes for one-night only, but you always knew that sometime, whether or not it’s sooner or later, the bagpipes would play and Piper’s Pit would come back again. I’m not really good at these things, and instead of preaching on and on, I’ll move on and talk about all the moments and matches that really stood out for me. Most of my time of being a fan of Piper came after I smartened up to wrestling, and unfortunately, I never got to see much of his pre-WWF days of the 70’s and early 80’s, but I don’t hold back in saying he was a heck of an entertainer just from the smaller body of work I had available to me. - The list has to begin with his incredible work with the “Piper’s Pit” segment, especially during the peak of his WWF career. You have the historic moment like smashing a coconut over Jimmy Snuka’s head after making some racially insensitive suggestions. Jobber Frankie Williams trying to stand up for himself and getting his ass kicked and thrown off the stage. Picking fights with celebrities like Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T. The outstanding segment where he interviewed himself and stated the best way to get a woman pregnant is sending her to his house. Even as a babyface, where he engaged in a long program with Adrian Adonis, he brought the goods, and Piper’s Pit was the catalyst of the Andre/Hulk hype for WrestleMania III. The Pit lost its luster when it was trying to be revived over the years, but a quick clip of him dousing Morton Downey Jr. with a fire extinguisher and the off-the-wall goofiness of the debuting Mr. America could still bring out the charm of Piper’s personality. - The match with Adrian Adonis at WrestleMania III. Dubbed his “retirement” match, he was the first wrestler to walk the aisle on a show where everyone else (sans Hulk) rode the motorized carts. The match was incredibly heated, had a satisfying finish, and then what really stuck with me: a fan hops in the ring, and instead of the usual of either running away from or beating the crap out of the intruder, he shakes the kids hand and hugs him (before security tackle his ass). Not that I’m comparing their importance in sports history, but it reminds me of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run and as he’s circling the bases, two men run alongside him to congratulate him, and that was that. - I’m not a big fan of his Hollywood work, but They Live is a must-see, especially for fans of quasi-Sci-Fi action movies. “I’m here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubblebum” is just an epicly awesome line. While I’m on the subject of his life away from wrestling, I loved his guest spot on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as “Da Maniac”, a character possibly inspired by “The Wrestler”, except with Piper’s signature… at times, craziness. - His performance at the 1992 Royal Rumble. First, winning the Intercontinental Title and looking like he just had the greatest night of his life, and then his participation in the Rumble match, and specificially when in the ring with Flair. I loved his energy, and then later in the match, when he saves Flair from a Jake Roberts beating, only to inflict damage on him soon after, it gives us some of the best commentary possible from Bobby Heenan. “I’m sorry, it’s not a skirt, it’s a kilt! … “You no good creep! You skirt wearing creep! It’s not a kilt, it’s a skirt!” - “That’s Tony Atlas!” Yes, we were supposed to know Tony Atlas became Saba Simba, but the way he says it and exposes how stupid the character is, you can’t help but laugh. - On an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event (April ’91?), he spanks Sherri and chases her around the ring while riding a broom-stick. Just typing that makes me laugh. - Working with Virgil in his feud against Ted Dibiase and his commentary during their match at SummerSlam. I honestly didn’t care for Piper’s PBP, but during that match, you could feel Piper pushing the match like it was the biggest deal, and it came across as very genuine. - Just about any time he would no-sell a move, most likely an inverted atomic drop, and poke someone in the eyes. Especially as a baby-face. - As you can tell, he didn’t have too many “great” matches, at least not much that stands out for me. The match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII is a given, but other than that… I don’t know. I didn’t watch much of Piper outside of his WWF/E runs. The Dog-Collar Match with Greg Valentine at the first Starrcade is some brutal stuff. As for his WWF work, he had a really good Cage Match against Bruno Sammartino in Boston, which proceeded taunting the local fans with posters of the Super Bowl Champion Bears. During his comeback and on-and-off status, he had some decent stuff with Rick Rude and a few matches with Curt Hennig that found their way to home video releases. When Flair came in, they had a handful of matches that could always be counted on for a good time. After that, I can’t think of much. His WCW run didn’t do much for me, and it would be insulting to try and measure his stuff from the twilight of his career like his returns in 2003 and 2006. |
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| Erick Von Erich | Aug 5 2015, 01:40 PM Post #2 |
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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Found this--- Piper's appearance with Joe Bob Briggs on "Monstervision". Contains the host and wraparound segments for "They Live". Watched it, live circa 1997, and it still holds up well. [doHTML]<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FYMbPSF5hUM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/doHTML] Makes me wish "MonsterVision" was still around, too. |
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| Erick Von Erich | Aug 5 2015, 02:53 PM Post #3 |
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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Found another, right here on Da' Board, from 2011: http://dawrestlingboard.com/index.php?showtopic=4765 (Piper's appearance on a radio show and some stories he told). Two more videos that make me happy: "My Way" tribute video from SNME, March 1987: [doHTML]<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5bQ4au0W_Vo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/doHTML] Watched the "final" Piper's Pit from the same timeframe (don't have the link, right now). Pretty much the same thing, but Piper is so sincere in thanking the fans, both times. I didn't say "seems sincere", because I feel he was genuinely sincere. Sure, he had a little big of an ego from being a big star, but he always seemed humble to me and not afraid to poke fun at himself and the craziness of pro wrestling. Met him once, circa February 2003, at an "after-party" following a local indy event. Extremely nice guy. He would ask everybody about their lives, like you were a guest on a talk show host. I was more than a little star-struck and rambled. Still, glad I got to cross-off "Have a Beer with Roddy Piper" from my bucket list. |
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12:06 PM Jul 11