It consider a solid personality to stand out in a sport full of them , but Roderick George Toombs , otherwise known as “ Rowdy ” Roddy Piper ( 1954 - 2015 ) , manage to support acareeras one of the most colorful character in the history of professional wrestling . For more on “ Hot Rod , ” including his martial liberal arts background and his unlikely turn as a full-grown - silver screen hero , keep reading .
1. Roddy Piper was a very accomplished bagpipe player.
Born in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada on April 17 , 1954 , the future “ Rowdy ” Roddy Piperearnedhis nickname early in biography . accord to Piper , he was “ too much ” for his parents to handle and lift up allow for home at the historic period of 13 . Piperlivedin early days hostels and hitchhiked . Despite his nomadic modus vivendi , he was an accomplished bagpipe player and lay claim he played in the Rose Bowl at age 12 before being across the nation recognized for his abilities on the instrument at age 14 .
It was the bagpipes that top to Piper ’s career in grappling . Playing with a band one dark at the Winnipeg Arena when he was still a teenager , Piper — who was also an amateur wrestler and boxer — volunteered to tread in for a wrestler who did n’t show up for a scheduled bout against Larry Henning . Piper came to the ring in a kilt and was announced as “ Roddy the bagpiper . ” Though the bout live on just 10 seconds , he had found his career .
2. Roddy Piper once wrestled a bear.
Before Vince McMahon ’s World Wrestling Federation ( later World Wrestling Entertainment ) organized pro wrestling in the United States , various regional organizations would do whatever they could to garner care and sports fan . While performing in Fresno , California , a immature Piper got an whirl to worm “ The Bear . ” Piper believed this was one of worm ’s theatrical sobriquet . It was n’t . The promoter , Roy Scheiers , wantedPiper to make do with a real Kodiak bear that had been declawed . Though Piper was expected to adjudicate and immobilise the bear , the animal maintain a dominant position until its animal trainer used a tranquillizer to terminate the compeer . Piper after notice a Quaker had smear honey in his trunks to make the bear more fast-growing .
3. Roddy Piper was a black belt in judo.
When Piper move to California in 1973 , hewrestledfrequently at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles . The showman for the territory was Mike LeBell , who had a half - brother , Gene LeBell , a notable martial artist who practice judo . Piper and Gene LeBell became Quaker . LeBell teach him judo and eventually awarded Piper a black belt in the art .
4. Roddy Piper suffered permanent hearing loss as a result of wrestling.
While wrestling may sometimes be dismissed as faux , injuries are a very existent and common happening for its jock . In 1983 , Piper harmonize to wrestle a “ dog collar match ” with Greg “ The Hammer ” Valentine . In the round , the human beings would beconnectedvia a chain attached to their respective neck catch . When one matman had enough slack on the string , he would use it to assault his opponent . Having the mountain range smashed into his foreland broke Piper ’s left eardrum and be him a 50 percent loss of hearing in that pinna . Owing to the nature of wrestling tours , Piper and Valentine twist the same dog apprehension match piles of time over the next two months .
5. Roddy Piper did not get along with Mr. T.
When McMahon had consolidated a number of wrestling territories in the 1980s , his next move was to produce a large - musical scale case with a lot of hype behind it . WrestleManiadebuted in 1985 andfeaturedHulk Hogan and Mr. T taking on Paul Orndorff and Piper in the main effect . Mr. Twas a celebrity thanks to his performance as Clubber Lang in 1982’sRocky IIIas well as the NBC television seriesThe A - squad . But Piper was leery of losing a bout to someone who was only making a go along appearance in the wrestling world and told McMahon he would n’t reserve Mr. T to vote down him in the bust . It was Orndorff who was pin . ForWrestleMania 2the following year , Piper and Mr. Tfacedeach other again , this time in a simulated boxing mates . Piper lost by disqualification after body - slamming Mr. T , a clear irreverence of the linguistic rule .
6. John Carpenter cast Roddy Piper inThey Livebecause the wrestler walked funny.
In 1988’sThey Live , a drifter with the enigmatic name of John Nada ( Piper ) discovers a seditious alien plot to control humans via subliminal messages . Director John Carpenter cast Piper after meeting the wrestler following his match in 1987’sWrestleMania III . “ Unlike most Hollywood thespian , Roddy has life sentence write all over him , ” Carpenter toldStarlogin 1988 . “ He has been hit so many time , that he is really give away up . He even walks funny , because his pelvis was shattered and his back was rick . He is unquestionably not a pretty boy . He ’s the toughest guy I ’ve ever met . You could run a truck into Roddy , and he would still be standing . ”
bagpiper ’s shopworn animalism won him the role . They Livewent on to become a furor classic , in part due to a laughably longfight scenebetween Piper and actor Keith David .
7. Roddy Piper became a member of G.I. Joe.
In 2007 , Hasbrounveileda limited - edition G.I. Joe figure of Piper as an Iron Grenadier Trainer from the Scottish Army for their yearly International G.I. Joe Convention . He joined fellow matman Sergeant Slaughter , whodebutedas a Joe in the 1980s . Piper also appeared at the conventionalism to sign autographs .
8. Roddy Piper released a pop song in 1992.
Along with Hulk Hogan and other wrestler , Piper helped popularise the WWE in the 1980s by appearing alongside singer Cyndi Lauper in medicine videos and on MTV . Lauper even got in the ring on juncture . In 1992 , Piper get out of his own comfort geographical zone byrecordinga single , “ I ’m Your Man , ” that was let go in the UK by Epic Records . you’re able to catch Piper croon in the picture above .
