Roddy Piper’s Greatest Career Highlights

Hollywood Back Lot Brawl

As a recognized movie star, Roddy Piper was no stranger to Hollywood by the time WrestleMania 12 came around. Due to an injury to Gorilla Monsoon at the monstrous hands of Vader, Piper was named the interim President of WWE. But that position caught the eye of the roster’s resident critic, the bizarre Goldust, who saw Hot Rod as an object of affection. A man’s man in every sense of the word, Piper claimed that he would make a man out of Goldust when the two clashed at WrestleMania 12 in one of the most visually unique contests in history.

Clips of the battle would take place throughout the night, rather than being a standard bell-to-bell affair. Beginning in the parking lot of the Arrowhead Pond arena, the cinematic camera angles and variety of stunts made this feel in many ways like a movie fights scene rather than a match. Goldust ran over Piper in his golden Cadillac, only for Piper to take up pursuit in his white Ford Bronco. The cars engaged in a low-speed chase along the Anaheim highway, in a scene very similar to the OJ Simpson car chase two years prior. Eventually concluding the brawl in the ring, Piper kissed Goldust following an intriguing beatdown, before disrobing him in front of the thousands in attendance. Certainly one of the most unique scenes in WWE history.