Roddy Piper

[10.0] "Roddy Piper is one of the all-time greats. A legendary talker, people seem to gloss over what he could do in the ring. A gifted brawler, while he aged rapidly and I would say has not had a good match after 1992, in his prime he was captivating to watch, one of the best of his era in North America. While some of his promos are hard to look back on and some even were already insensitive (looking at you WrestleMania 6), he is still a legend of the business."

[8.0] "Piper was God-tier on the mic and rather ordinary in the ring. He didn't just ad lib, though, he filled notebooks with one-liners, put downs, and catch phrases. His appeal as a heel came from that mouth writing checks his body couldn't cash. At his best, he kept it real on the mic. He didn't just insult other wrestlers, he made you look at them from a completely different angle that cut the legs right out from under their ring persona. His charisma was undeniable and fans loved his face turns. I can't speak to the man's IRL racial views, but his feud with the Guerrero family, for example, was him deliberately pushing buttons to piss off Latino fans. It was a work, and it worked well. They hated him and wanted to see the Guerreros beat the snot out of him. Professional wrestling has a LONG history of exploiting national, ethnic, religious, and regional identities to generate emotional investment. But saying that Roderick Toombs was racist without concrete evidence sounds like virtue signaling."

[3.0] "Yeah... no. He's probably *the* wrestler that I just don't get the hype around. Everyone's got a few, and Roddy confuses me the most. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that he can't wrestle, he can do a decent brawl, but he can't do anything else. But the promos are what everyone loves him for... and I just don't get it. He rambles without ever making a point for minutes on end and then out of nowhere puts on his "serious voice" and says something threatening. Copy, paste, for twenty years. I'm fairly certain that 90% of the love for Piper comes from the "Piper's Pit" interviews. Which, in fairness was his best stuff by far. Mostly because he had a time limit. It was pretty good at times though."

[8.0] "A name so synonymous with wrestling that I named my second dog after him! His promos were eccentric at worst and captivating at best. His matches, though probably his weakest aspect, always seemed like he was trying to emulate reality; with the right opponent, like Bret Hart or Ric Flair, he could put on all-timers. He brought life to the dower medium of the wrestling talk show, and played the perfect foil in the rivalry that strapped a rocket to the WWF."

[6.0] "A pivotal figure in wrestling whose actual in-ring work does not really hold up under scrutiny and whose promos ranged from "absolutely incredible" to "horrifyingly racist dogshit". Hard for me to rate objectively in any sense as I don't think there's any single Roddy Piper match I would call particularly great in any way- I am including his rather good matches with Greg Valentine here as I think there were way better violent brawls in other companies in that era if you care about wrestling beyond the bubble of whatever WWE has fed you with its historical revisionism- but even in his worst matches (basically anything after like 1994 if we're being brutally honest) he was still at least a compelling enough character and wild personality for me to still find him enjoyable to watch despite my tastes leaning towards workrate and technicality. He'd be a strong seven but the insistence on racist stuff drags him down an entire point for me. Still awesome in They Live though."

[3.0] "He pisses me off with the constant, incessant. shoe horned, evergreen racism. Some of the ring work was acceptable (not great) but it's not nearly enough to make me overlook THE RACISM. I liked his color commentary when in Mid Atlantic (+1). I absolutely LOVE "They Live" (+2). But FFS, he will make CERTAIN you KNOW he is racist every half chance he ever got. Proof? He makes APE NOISES when being programmed with black people. not just black wrestlers, ANY black person. Fuck that. I know some asshats might think its fine & he's A TOTAL 10! But in the ring, even his bell to bell stuff is LACKING. Not a fan. Want more? He's painfully annoying as a cohost on Prime Time Wrestling, his commentary for Royal Rumble 91 is grating and he REFUSED TO TAKE PIN FALLS! Over rated bullshit."

[10.0] "Funny enough my introduction to Roddy Piper never even came from a match. At like 8 years old, I watched John Carpenter's They Live, and when I got a little older and saw the same dude from the movie I loved wrestling against Bret Hart for the IC title, I was starstruck. Guess I've always been partial to heels, but Hot Rod in particular is one of my favorites ever. I'll admit he had some dud Wrestlemania matches, but man, were the highs high."

"I feel like I'm going crazy. This is the guy people rave about as the greatest promo to ever live? Actually, I much prefer him as a babyface. As for in-ring work, he could actually go when he wanted to, Roddy is a better wrestler than given credit for."

[10.0] "Sometimes, a wrestler has a personality that takes over the room, and nothing else matters. Roddy Piper took over arenas as both a face and a heel. I'm not sure we've seen anything like "Piper in Portland". And his early work in WWF was underrated, honestly. Piper was the guy that everyone could love to hate, and he was the guy that we felt good rooting for. His promos are absolutely legendary. I don't think that's a learned ability - he was born to do this. Absolute legend. Very few wrestlers could have accomplished what he did without the title around their waist."

[7.0] "Despite not being the best in the ring, his mic skills undoubtedly catapulted him to stardom during the federation's golden era. It's a shame he lacks title reigns, but that didn't stop him from becoming a wrestling legend, R.I.P. Hot Rod"

[10.0] "A pivotal figure who revolutionized wrestling entertainment. He popularized the Dog Collar Match with Valentine. While it may not have been the first, it was one of the first and arguably the most famous. Piper's Pit was an innovation in how the wrestlers would tell their stories and was also novel in that a Heel was the host. As expected from a Heel, Piper would press the interviewee's buttons and have multiple combative confrontations. He never had high flying moves but that was part of his brand as a "rowdy" brawler. He helped launch Starrcade. He was arguably the spark that ignited the fire that was Wrestlemania. Without Piper's antagonism of the Huckster, Hulk may never have gotten as big when he did. His WCW years weren't as stellar but the 80s period, particularly 84-87, were so stellar that it warrants a 10 rating regardless. Personally, my favorite of all time."

[9.0] "Roddy Piper wasn't just a great wrestler--he was a force of personality that helped define an era. While he never needed a world title to stay relevant, his promo work alone made him one of the most memorable and influential characters in wrestling history. "Piper's Pit" revolutionized the talk-show segment, and his feud with Hulk Hogan laid the groundwork for the WWF's mainstream explosion in the '80s. In-ring, he was a tough brawler with underrated psychology, and he always made his opponents look better. He could be funny, intense, unhinged, and real--all in one promo. Simply put, he was one of the best heels to ever do it. An icon who didn't play by the rules--Hot Rod was wrestling's original agent of chaos."

[3.0] "Roddy Piper was a character a lot of people grew up admiring. He stood out in an era where personalities drove business, and Piper's chaotic energy made him a standout. But the deeper you dig into his career, the more the legend starts to crumble. Let's start with the obvious. Piper was never great in the ring. He was a punch-and-kick brawler with very little depth to his in-ring work. His matches were messy, repetitive, and often relied on stalling and crowd noise to feel alive. Most of his big moments came from Piper's Pit or backstage segments, not bell-to-bell action, sans Orndorff and Bret Hart carrying him at WrestleMania. He built his legacy around not losing and protecting his character, even when it made no sense. Taking the leg drop from Hogan was too much for his ego, so he skipped the pin and left a lot of money and credibility on the table. That may have protected his mystique in the short term, but it also kept him from ever having a signature run. He was famous, but his actual match catalog is paper thin. The nostalgia is strong, but nostalgia doesn't make a body slam any better. Physically, he was juiced up at points but never had a great physique. He had charisma, sure. He could work a crowd and sell well when he wanted to. But his promos, while legendary in energy, often amounted to rants and nonsense. He talked in circles. He screamed. He raved. He got over through volume and unpredictability, not substance. If you look back at the actual content of what he said, it rarely made much sense. Then there's the ugly part that too many fans ignore. On his podcast making racist jokes, including references to lynching African American wrestlers, that went unchecked by many but said a lot about who Piper may have really been. For someone that many view as a folk hero, hearing that was stomach-turning. The idea that he "joked" about that and still got a pass from large portions of the fanbase is a stain on his legacy. And then there's the late-career era. Sting wrestled into his 60s. Edge/ Cope, is over 50 and still going hard. Piper stuck around long past his expiration date and not because he had something left to prove. He just wanted attention and a paycheck. He would stumble into segments, barely move in matches, and added nothing but empty nostalgia. Jericho's takedown of him -- calling him selfish and out of touch for taking TV time from younger talent -- was one of the most satisfying reality checks in wrestling history. Piper had his role in the early Hogan era. He was the cartoon villain. He sang "For Everybody" on the first WWF album. He was a fixture on the Rock n Wrestling cartoon. But after WrestleMania 1, he stopped bumping, stopped evolving, and started repeating himself. Brother Love and Bobby Heenan took more bumps on TV than he did post-1985. When he did return, it was usually around projects like Hell Comes to Frogtown or a failed TV pilot. The passion wasn't there. The work rate never was. He was a pioneer in terms of character and personality. He helped define the talk show segment in wrestling. He made chaos into a tool. But if you strip away the nostalgia, you're left with a guy who couldn't touch Randy Savage in charisma or ring work. He was loud and he got over -- but once the volume goes down, there isn't much left worth replaying."

[10.0] ""Rowdy" Roddy Piper is one of my all time favorite wrestlers for so many reasons. The man was a promo wizard, often making his promos feel like shoots that come from the heart (even if he will go off topic and try to tie it back to the point he was, previously, making), Piper's Pit is still the best talk show in wrestling no matter how many great shows have came after, while he wasn't a great wrestler in the traditional sense, he was a good brawler and it worked for his character, either way, he was still able to tell stories in the ring and work the crowd like no other, look at his match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII along with his dog collar match with Greg Valentine, true classics that withstand the test of time. This might be off topic, "They Live" is the best movie to star a professional wrestling and I will die on that hill. Overall, Hot Rod was a great heel, talker and worker who will forever be remembered as one of wrestling's greatest professional wrestlers to ever step foot inside a ring and grab a mic. R.I.P. Roddy Piper."

[10.0] "Piper was revolutionary and incredibly important to the wrestling business being where it is today. Fantastic brawler in-ring and his mic skills are up there with the very best. Still gets talked about to this day, despite passing almost 10 years ago. Just goes to show how highly regarded he is. Will never be another Roddy Piper."

[7.0] "Amazing talker, decent brawler, below average wrestler. Especially when it came to taking bumps. He was really uncoordinated, even in his prime. However, he more than made up for it with his unending charisma and near perfect mic skills. Towards the very end of his career, 1999 and later, you could tell his heart wasn't into it and his work suffered. He's still one of the all time greats."

[10.0] "His matches are typically messy brawls, (which is how his character is supposed to fight), and his promos were heat-seeking gold. Sometimes, you could barely understand what he was saying, but that's because he was more focused on making you believe he was crazy rather than getting his point across. But then, he went to the WWF and had to make his style a bit more cartoonish, toning it down a bit. Even with those restrictions though, he was still a master at what he did."

[9.0] "For every great face, you need a great heel. For Hulk Hogan, that was Roddy Piper. My god, this man had incredible charisma, able to generate heat just his grin. One of the best promo guys ever, came across as a threat and believable. Without a doubt, one of the best heels in history. He then became a great babyface for the rest of his career but for me, the edge was gone. Regardless, he is one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time and deserves all the praise he gets."

"Roddy Piper, the man that had it all. Gone all too soon, RIP. You don't have to be the greatest technician of all time to be considered the GOAT, so if we're talking heels? RP the GOAT."

[7.0] "A career of two halves. The first half is brilliant with Roddy being one of the most watchable guys on earth, the second half went from diminishing returns to outright dire to the point you want to turn the TV off but his star power kept him over. The prolonged period where he was pretty much shit means I won't go higher."

[8.0] "Roddy Piper is full of charisma while beeing absolutely incredible wrestling wise, he has not gotten as many opportunities as he deserves, but he could have been one of the biggest of all time."

[9.0] "Piper was one of the best in the business in terms of his charisma and his mic skills. In the ring his matches were normally good with his brawling abilities, ability to work the crowd and selling being his best assets. Crowd bought whatever he was selling whether face or heel. Can't believe he never got a world title run."

"In a world of copied gimmicks, Piper was 1 of 1. No other wrestler was like the Rowdy one, in or out of the ring. Definitely high on the list of most influential performers ever."

[10.0] "Easily one of my all-time favorites, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper is one of the best and most important talkers and entertainers in wrestling history, nobody could do it like him... the man just exhales charisma. Piper is the true definition of a perfect heel, and every person that tries to be a villainous character on television should look up to him. He clearly wasn't the best or most gifted athlete ever in terms of ring-skill, but at that time the most important thing was the character work, and he was simply the best. Piper absolutely has to be ranked in every list of the best heels and mic workers ever, the Piper's Pit was phenomenal."

[10.0] "If there ever was a wrestler deserving of a 10 out of 10, it's Roddy Piper. The guy was a master storyteller in and out of the ring, I really don't think there has ever been anyone better. Some of his stuff might look dated, but in the 80s this was the most "real" guy you were ever going to see in wrestling. He also was in so many significant places, in so many different time periods, and his runs are fantastic in about all of them (until 96 maybe and that's mostly due to age). *And* he had time for acting. They Live is easily the best movie featuring a wrestler and I can't imagine anything beating it out. Piper definitely had weak points (some of his stomps and strikes aren't great, he utilized old-fashioned spots well into the 90s) but he's potentially the best promo of all time and was rarely *truly* bad between the ropes. A+ talker, A gimmick/look, and a hard B for in-ring. His influence is still felt today, and his historical significance is second to only guys like Hogan, Bruno, and Austin. A definite top 10 all time guy who is often forgotten these days when it comes to GOAT discussions."

[7.0] "Promo master, his Piper's Pit interviews were memorable and iconic, because he often made it look like a shoot, as the infamous Frankie Williams episode. His in-ring work was overrated for me, not a great moveset. Despite that, he was an entertaining brawler, very intense, with lot of stamina, who could work a crowd like no one, because was great in ring psychology. One of the best heels in the Golden Era of WWE."

[10.0] "One of the best talkers in wrestling history. Piper had a good look and a great gimmick. Piper's pit is one of the best wrestling segments in wrestling history. Although he wasn't the greatest in the ring, however, his mic skills certainly make it up. Plus he didn't need a technician wrestling style, he is better as a brawler."

[10.0] "Probably the greatest talker in the history of wrestling. He is sometimes criticized regarding his lack of in ring skills. But in Roddy's case, since he was a brawler and he could play his character so well it did not have a negative effect on his overall performance at all. He didn't wrestle but rather fought his opponents and is one of few people who told the story perfectly through his in ring stuff. There have been many past and present wrestlers who got inspired by his mic skills and story telling abilities. Truly an inspirational man, and from the stories about him, was a lovely human too. May he rest in peace."

[10.0] "One of if not the greatest promos to ever walk the earth. A legend in the ring and on the stick. Its a shame he never got a world title push because it wouldve been deserved."

[10.0] "Piper was pretty much excellent at all facets of wrestling. It sucks that he isn't around anymore, it really is a testament to someone who was so giving to wrestling, but the life of being a pro wrestler wasn't giving back to him. Career peaks pre-WWF, with excellent work in Portland, and NWA + Mid-Atlantic. A wrestling icon who had 10+ years of prime work, going into his time in the WWF."

[8.0] "Vital to the boom period and one of the best talkers. One of the reasons for that is that he would never stop talking, so the good stuff carried the weird stuff. Not the best worker ever but had two of my favorite matches (vs Hart at WM8 and vs Valentine at Starrcade 83)."

[7.0] "Possibly the greatest heel of the 80's or at the very least in the top 3. I loved his returning baby face run in the late 80's but when he came to WCW in 96, he was looking noticeably old and his matches with Hogan were pretty terrible. I prefer to remember Piper form 1983-1992."

[10.0] "Roddy is by far one of the best promos in the history of wrestling and one of the best in ring as well. He is certainly the best to never win a world title."

[9.0] "If in ring work was the only criteria he'd get a 7 and be lucky to get that. This guy was an over achiever and the fact that he might've got some consideration for being the top guy in a promotion is a testament to his skill on the mic and his politics backstage. It's surprising that he's rated ahead of Hogan on this site. Probably he was more influential on the next generation of wrestlers than Hogan. He can't be a 10 because while he made the most of his talent, he was just a little too small and lacked the athletic skill of a Micheals or a Bret Hart, smaller guys who did take that next step."

[10.0] "The man without whom there would be no rock'n'wrestling era and who was the best heel of the 80s and a pretty good face in the 90s when he was going to left the company. Roddy had a lot of really bad matches in his career both in his best years and an endless bunch of thrash in WCW and upon his return to the WWE, when he was already worn out by injuries, but still his memorable character, skills on the microphone and charisma outshine all bad. However he's had quite a few good matches nonetheless, like the match with Bret Hart when he passed the torch, as well as the legendary feuds with Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Snuka and the Guerrero dynasty. A very talented person who was able to connect with an audience. In his early years, he could cause the heat and put his life in danger more than once when fans literally rioted. At the same time, at WrestleMania 3, fans supported him almost more than the main star of the show, Hulk Hogan. Roddy made an invaluable contribution to the development of the industry, becoming an example for many future generations of wrestlers."

[9.0] "One of the 80s very finest. Extremely charismatic in every aspect, and possessed an incredible showmanship skill. In the ring, he was not a Flair or a Bret, but he could hang in there with the best of them. Unfortunately, longevity doesn't prove to be his strength, and some of his work in the late 90s wasn't so good in all honesty."

[10.0] "Roddy is one of the GOATs of all pro wrestling. Whether as a heel, or a face you paid money to see him. People who criticize him as a worker are the kind who expect to see 30 different flips, super-kicks and false finishes while no-selling everything to move from one contrived planned spot to another. Roddy told stories in his matches, and he told them well. He was a brawler, a scrappy, half-insane, loud-mouthed fighter who could talk a mile a minute. He possessed the innate skill that any pro wrestler or entertainer in general wants and that is the ability to connect with an audience."

[8.0] "All things considered, it s an 8 from me. I really, really like Roddy, I ve enjoyed most of his movies too. Very charismatic, good look - very different from everyone else, mic skills - 10, but his in ring skills weren t all that great. His selling was comical at times, which I am not a fan of, his thumb to the eye, back rake, working punches, etc - his moveset was lacking. But he compensated for it by being the personality he was. What I ve always found strange was, that he was supposed to be Scottish (Glasgow, if I remember correctly ) and he never even tried to sound even remotely Scottish. It probably would have been hard to pull off, since he talked so much and so fast, plus most people probably didn? t even know what Scottish accent sounded like, so it didn? t matter to anyone."

[5.0] "The nostalgia is strong with this one. A punch kick guy and not much of a worker. Was on the juice but not a great physique. Famous for promos but basically spoke nonsense. Decent seller. Charismatic. Knew how to work crowd and more importantly protect character. Felt taking the leg drop would kill his mystique so he never got a signature run. Left a lot of money on table. Had very few televised matches of any quality until he returned after Hell Comes to Frog Town and his TV pilot. Associated with early Hogan Era due to war to settle the score but rarely appeared on TV outside Piper? s Pit. Orndorf did all the working in his Wrestlemania main event. Villian on Hulk Hogan? s Rock n Wrestling cartoon. Sang? For Everybody? on first wrestling album. Heenan and brother love probably took more bumps than Piper after WM1 on TV. Innovative announcer and personality in Portland. Even without personality quirks and departures would never have been able to compete with the far more compelling and talented Randy Savage or even Ted DiBase. Was wise to make himself scarce, because his hackneyed and boring matches exposed his huge limitations in ring. Should get a 4 for ring skill and clownish selling. 8 for personality. 6 for actual content of what he said."

[10.0] "My god was it fun to watch anything the Hot Rod was involved in in the 80s, even in the early 90s. I wish I had a way to easily watch more of his NWA action. Might not have been the most technical or most intriguing in the ring, but he was a wildman and hella over."

[9.0] "A sensational draw in his heyday, probably one of the biggest stars then in terms of crowd investment: Piper was a master in getting your attention if it was him either being in the actual match or just operating around it, and could at ease play with their emotions just fine from blinding rage to heavy cheers. Sure, he was never that well put together in the ring and wasn't a technical masterclass but he DREW so much in every generation of wrestling he was in (well apart from the New Gen but that wasn't quite his fault) and knew how to adapt to who he was playing up to and who he was facing. He's more of a entertainer than a pure wrestler if that makes sense, focusing less on workrate and more on intense storytelling and a more scrappy style. Make no mistake about it, he's definitely got a whole barrel of pretty solid matches under his belt. His rapid fall in terms of wrestling quality in the mid 90's due to a mix of age and wear and tear was rough, even if he was still over. Less said about his bizarre WWE 2003 run, the better. He's a legend of the ring and a hallmark of character wrestlers in a age where nearly everyone had a colourful gimmick: the difference between them and him was that he lived his gimmick to the full, to the point where I'd argue there wasn't a difference at all between the two."

[9.0] "Was not the best between the ropes but one of the best of all time with a microphone in his hand. In Mid Atlantic became so hated that it got to the point where fans couldn't boo him anymore and started cheering. The same happened in WWF, he was a big reason for the WWFs success in 1984-85 and he was one the best heels of all time. Later work in WCW was not so great but was already cemented as a Legend by then."

[10.0] "The greatest vilain of all time. In 1985 he was an integral part of creating Hulkamania and Wrestlemania. The innovator of the interview show. He mastered the art of the heel promo and drawing heat."

[9.0] "An absolute star. A gem on the mic & as a heel. A loose cannon which Hogan played off of very well. Later in the business he was always fun to see pop up from time-to-time."

[6.0] "Talk about overrated. Okay in the ring and good promos but nothing more. Absolute refusal to lose clean to anyone for ages. At least he knew when to leave and make mediocre movies."

[8.0] "Roddy Piper got over based on his charisma and interviews, which is quite remarkable considering his interviews, if you actually listen to the words, rarely made sense . But Piper had such great delivery that he made them work."

[10.0] "One of the best heels of all time. Best promo at the time. Innovator of the wrestler promo segment with his Piper's Pit. Underrated in ring. He was the standout star of his Era."

[10.0] "One of the greatest heels of all time and I actually loved Piper even more when he became a face in the late 1980s. His promos were intense and when he hams it up I enjoy it even more. There are two ways to really rate a wrestler and that's through their promo/character work and the other is through their in-ring ability. This guy is near the top of both of those lists."

[6.0] "Although Roddy Piper had a wonderful peak as a heat-seeking heel and host of his own talk show, I think his refusal to ever show vulnerability (read: eat a pin) really hurt him. Whereas his body type and appearance should have led to him being booked as a Batman type, he always wanted to play the Superman role. And his fast-talking, stream of consciousness style of promo never worked for me, much in the same way I never got Robin Williams's style of comedy."

[10.0] "The greatest wrestling heel ever (Heenan being the greatest heel manager). SO entertaining on the mic, and in the ring too. I could say more, but just watching anything he ever did will pretty much portray it better than my words can. Truly one in a million - the wrestling world is definitely not the same without him. RIP"