WWE’s 10 Greatest Canadian Wrestlers of All Time
By Tim Sherry
WWE.com
7. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the recently deceased “Hot Rod” was truly an innovator of the sport. Piper was signed to the WWF in 1984 and within a year became involved in a feud with megastar Hulk Hogan which culminated in a tag team main event match at Wrestlemania I. Hogan, the megastar baby face matched up with the maniacal Piper was a perfect fit and helped hype their first ever pay per view immensely.
Piper had the ability to basically do anything in the business, He could work as a heel, cutting seething promos on his weekly Piper’s Pit, while even taking the liberty of caving in Jimmy Snuka’s head with a coconut on one show. He could work as a fan favorite, battling Adrian Adonis through 1986 and 1987 with the crowd rallying around him. He could wrestle with the best of them, no more apparent than in his scintillating Wrestlemania VII classic with fellow Canadian, Bret Hart. But man, could he talk. Piper was undoubtedly one of the best mic workers in pro wrestling history.
The “Rowdy” one was clearly before his time. He was the heel everyone loved to hate and then eventually the legend everyone revered. And although he didn’t accomplish the championship gold that many other on this list did, he undoubtedly left his mark on this sport which was recognized when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. Others have tried to emulate but there could just possibly never be another Roddy Piper.