Rowdy Roddy Piper
The 1980's were a great time to be a kid. Awesome cartoons every Saturday morning, great toys based on violent rated R movies, and wrestling. Professional wrestling is good now...but man, it was in it's golden age during the 80's. We had some of the most iconic, engaging and entertaining characters performing in front of us. Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, the Undertaker and Rowdy Roddy Piper were the ones I loved the most when I was a kid. It's incredibly sad that so many of the heroes I looked up to in wrestling are gone. That list of my favorites has only 2 living members left now that Roddy Piper is gone, too.
These wrestlers were larger than life, they perform incredible acts of athleticism, and seem to bask in the applause and adoration we shower upon them. But the constant pounding their bodies take, the emotional and mental toll of living on the road as entertainers wears them down and they often pass at a young age. Many of them struggle with substance abuse as well, simply looking for a way to numb the pain they put themselves through. It only makes their life spans that much shorter. These men are the modern gladiators, practically killing themselves for the entertainment of millions.
Roddy Piper was more than just a wrestler. He was also an actor and in one of the greatest action/horror movies of all time. They Live.
You can have as much bubblegum as you want now, Hot Rod. Rest in peace, buddy.
The fight scene between Piper and Keith David is the stuff of legend. It is one of the greatest choreographed fights I've ever seen. Roddy was a combination of believable bad-ass and over-the-top fool. The man was adored by millions as both an action hero and wrestler. Very few people in this world can say that about themselves.
Ol' Hot Rod was not a stranger to fighting for his life. In 2006 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He reportedly beat the disease in November of this year as his family stated that he was cancer-free as far as they knew. They said that he passed away of a heart attack in his sleep. At least he went peacefully.
You know that a wrestler is an amazing performer when he can play either face or heel and still garner the same amount of adoration. Whether he was teaming with the heroes or the villains, Roddy Piper always had a slew of fans rooting for him. Man...you sure will be missed. I'm sure you and Dusty can take Macho Man and Ultimate Warrior in a dream Tag Team match in heaven. Rest in peace.