wrestling / Columns

Csonka Remembers Roddy Piper

August 1, 2015 | Posted by Larry Csonka

Another great has passed away. Thatā€™s the text I got from my brother, who is partly responsible for my wrestling fandom. When Dusty died it hit us hard, because we grew up loving the NWA, and Dusty was my guy. As I grow older, the men and women that formed my childhood (from an entertainment perspective at least) keep leaving, and I have to admit to you that it becomes harder and harder to write about and to put into words. Sure they may not be my friends, but if youā€™re a fan of anything, a die-hard fan that invests time into anything (wrestling, sports, Star Trek, Doctor Who, etc.) you get hit hard by these things. The Dusty Rhodes death hit me hard, I spoke about Dusty and that he was my guy, my motivation that made me believe that I could do anything I put my mind to because he did so. I didnā€™t have that same connection with Roddy Piper, but as far as being a professional wrestler goes, I have a lot of respect for what he accomplished and was a fan. Iā€™m going to discuss some of my memories, and hope that you folks will do the same.

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As I stated above, I was an NWA guy, something I have to remind a lot of new fans of because there is a generation that grew up only on WWE and do not understand a lot of what ā€œthe old guysā€ talk about. When I think of Roddy Piper, what comes to mind first is the 1983 dog collar match with Greg Valentine at Starrcade. I saw the match when I was very young, watched it again later on and as I began writing about wrestling re-watched the match and it brings to mind so many thoughts. First of all this was the first great Roddy Piper match I think of. I think we will all agree that while not bad in the ring, Piper was mostly known for his work on the microphone. But this match with Valentine, to me this is what the NWA was all about. It felt real, gritty and dirty; these men appeared to hate each other and were willing to tether themselves together with a chain and go to war. The match was far from a mindless brawl, as the action from the men, the psychology of the ear work and the super smart commentary from Bob Caudle and Gordon Solie is what makes this a classic. Roddy Piper helped make wrestling feel real to me.

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Piper had his share of in ring success for sure, but there is a reason that Piper was always looked at as a guy that never needed to be the champion, and that was because of his ability to talk. Considered an all time great promo by his contemporaries, journalists and historians, Piper was not only entertaining but was also a money promo. Back when cutting these kinds of promos were essential for a promotion/territory to survive, Piper talked the fans into the building. There were times where they came to cheer and support him, but more often than not, they paid to see him get his ass beat.

But on top of his great promo work, Piper was also very good when it came to commentary. In fact, I firmly believe that Piper set the early trend for what would be the heel commentator. Yes there was Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan, but when you look back on the work that Piper did with Gordon Solie on Georgia Championship Wrestling, it felt as if they were reinventing the wheel. The ā€œheel commentatorā€ may feel clichĆ©d and played out in 2015, but Roddy Piper truly made it cool

In the WWF, he got the chance to shine on the biggest stage in wrestling, and with that we got Piperā€™s Pit. Piperā€™s Pit was not only a huge success at the time (hell people still marked out for itā€™s return over the last few years) but became the blueprint for what every other ā€œwrestling talk showā€ wanted to be. There were several pretenders to the throne, but there will only ever be one Piperā€™s Pit.

“Just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions.”

If youā€™re around my age, Piperā€™s Pit tends to make you think of two things. The Jimmy Snuka angle, and his part in the Hogan vs. Andre feudā€¦

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I think itā€™s safe to say that Roddy Piper is one of the most important figures in the growth of the WWF during the Rock and Wrestling boom. Sure you had Mr. T & Cyndi Lauper help make wrestling cool, and Hogan was looked at as the God of wrestling that could do no wrong; but there is no God without the Devil, and Roddy Piper played that role perfectly. The celebrity involvement was huge, but Piper vs. Hogan was what made WrestleMania a success. To this day I have NO CLUE how Piper vs. Hogan did not headline Wrestlemania II. It made so much sense to me, and still does, but it was not meant to be. Imagine the build and how much different the event is when you remove Bundy and the horrible boxing match for Piper vs. Hogan. These men were perfect to feud with each other, and they certainly made the best of it. There is no doubt that the Piper vs. Hogan feud was essential in the growth of the WWF, it was the perfect case of good vs. evil, and they had the right guys in each role. I remember when the build to Andre vs. Hogan was happening, and how it unfolded on Piperā€™s Pit. In so many ways it was odd that of all people Roddy Piper appeared to be a sympathetic figure. But in an odd way it felt almost right that one of Hoganā€™s greatest adversaries was there. So many people use the phrase, ā€œthis is my houseā€ or ā€œthis is the house that so and so built,ā€ but when you look back on that boom, Piper was one of the men setting the foundation for what we have today.

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When I sat down to write this, I didnā€™t think that it would hit me as hard as the death of Dusty Rhodes. I had a huge emotional attachment to Dusty, but as I started to write, I realized how much love and respect I had for Piper. His charisma, the way he talked, remembering the dog collar match and the WM match with Bret Hart; simply put Roddy Piper is easily one of the best promos and heels in the history of the industry. The fact that he never got a run with the world title has been something that infuriated me over the years, sure I agree he was so good that he didnā€™t need it, but in this case, he was a guy that really deserved it. When Piper was on he was on, no one was at his level, and he made wrestling cool.

As a wrestling fan, I feel so blessed that I grew up in the time that I did. Sure wrestlers today are looked at as better athletes and can do some simply amazing things, but guys like Piper and Rhodes shaped my fandom, they made me a fan and I could never thank guys like them enough for that. I can only imagine the pain that his family is going through, as well as his friends. This has to be a difficult time for a guy like Ric Flair, who was close friends with both Dusty and Piper. To lose friends that you traveled with, worked with and shared your personal life with is a devastating thing. As someone who lost three close friends right after graduation, it takes a huge emotional toll on you.

Piperā€™s final days, in some ways, were very Roddy Piper. They were filled with controversy in regards to his podcast issues with Steve Austin and an odd appearance on the Rich Eisen show. As I watched the appearance, I thought to myself that he looked a bit rough. In no way did I think that he was that close to death. The man lived a hard life, traveled the roads for years, had a hip replacement and survived Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Piper seemed like one of those guys that would simply be here forever, and now heā€™s gone. I canā€™t do his career justice in this simple reaction column, all I can do is remember the good times, and thank him for helping to make me a fan of wrestlingā€¦

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Itā€™s a kilt Roddy, not a skirt, itā€™s a kiltā€¦

article topics :

Roddy Piper, Larry Csonka