Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs ( April 17 , 1954 – July 31 , 2015 ) , better known by his ring name " Rowdy " Roddy Piper , was a Canadian professional wrestler and film actor . In professional wrestling , he is best known for his work with WWE . Although he is Canadian , due to his Scottish heritage , he was billed as coming from Glasgow in Scotland and was known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance music . He earned the nickname " Rowdy " by displaying his trademark " Scottish " rage , spontaneity and quick wit , and despite being a crowd favorite for his rockstar - like persona , often played the villain ; he was also nicknamed " Hot Rod " . He was never a world champion , but he accumulated thirty - four championships in various promotions during his career . Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 . Early life . Toombs was born in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan and raised in Winnipeg , Manitoba . He attended Windsor Park Collegiate . His father was an officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police while they lived in The Pas , Manitoba . After being expelled from junior high and having a falling out with his father , Piper hit the road and stayed in youth hostels wherever he could find them . Professional wrestling career . By the age of 15 , he made his pro debut in Winnipeg , against Larry Hennig . Piper lost the match in ten seconds . He was a boxer and an amateur wrestler before he started to become a pro wrestler . He won the Golden Gloves boxing championship . He was awarded a Black Belt in Judo from Gene LeBell , American Judo champion , instructor , stuntman , and professional wrestler . American Wrestling Association ( 1973 – 1975 ) . From 1973 to 1975 , Piper was a jobber in the AWA , Kansas City , the Maritimes , and Texas working for Paul Boesch ' s NWA Houston Wrestling promotion and in Dallas working for Fritz Von Erich ' s Big Time Rasslin . What was supposed to be a brief run in California , however , turned out to be a long term stint as booker Leo Garibaldi and publicist Jeff Walton were impressed with Piper and saw the money making possibilities he had as a villain . National Wrestling Alliance ( 1975 – 1980 ) . By late 1975 and early 1976 , Piper was a top villain for Mike and Gene LeBell ' s NWA Hollywood Wrestling . In 1977 – 78 , he also started to work for Roy Shire ' s NWA San Francisco Wrestling in addition to remaining with the L . A . office . Los Angeles was where Piper developed his Rowdy character and became one of the most hated villains in Los Angeles since the days of Classy Freddy Blassie . During this time , he made continuous insults directed at the area ' s Mexican community ; he later promised to amend by playing the Mexican national anthem on his bagpipes only to anger the fans further by playing " La Cucaracha " instead . Piper also served as manager for several villains in Los Angeles and worked as a referee from time to time . Piper feuded with all the fan favorites in the area and had a long feud with Chavo Guerrero , Sr . . As part of the L . A . storyline , Roddy Piper feuded with Chavo and the whole Guerrero family for about three years in the L . A . territory going so far as to routinely wear a T - shirt to the ring reading " Conqueror of the Guerreros " . The feud started during a TV bout in early 1976 where Chavo was defending the Jules Strongbow Memorial Scientific Trophy against Piper . Late in this match , Gory Guerrero ( who had been in Chavo ' s corner giving him advice throughout the match ) was slapped by Piper . Chavo " lost his cool " and starting punching Piper , getting DQ ' ed and losing the Scientific Trophy for " breaking the rules " . A short time later , Piper then defeated Chavo for the Americas Heavyweight Title ; the two competed in the top feud in Los Angeles for the better part of three years . They main evented against each other often during this era ( 1976 through 1978 ) . The hair match gimmick was one of the top stipulations between these two , resulting in Piper getting his head shaved . Another top stipulation was when Chavo beat Piper in a loser leave town match and Piper immediately reappeared as The Masked Canadian . In his first televised match as The Masked Canadian , Piper actually teamed with Chavo to battle the Americas Tag Team Champions ( Gordman and Goliath ) and Piper turned on Chavo late in the match , causing Chavo to get pinned . Piper wrestled as The Masked Canadian for several months until he was unmasked by Hector Guerrero . By late 1978 - early 1979 , Buddy Rose talked Piper into leaving the California promotions for even more fame in Don Owen ’ s Pacific Northwest Territory where he teamed with Killer Tim Brooks , Rick Martel , and Mike Popovich to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship . Piper also won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship with victories over both Lord Jonathan Boyd and " Playboy " Buddy Rose . Mid - Atlantic ( 1980 – 1983 ) . In late 1970s , Piper ventured to the Mid - Atlantic territory . He beat Jack Brisco for the Mid - Atlantic title and Ric Flair for the US belt which turned into a huge feud . In 1981 , Piper started with the Georgia territory as an antagonistic villainous commentator . In 1982 , due to showing up late for a match , he was fired and reportedly blackballed . Piper maintains this in his book , but others dispute this . He did receive an offer from Gary Hart to go to World Class Championship Wrestling but the money was not good enough . Instead , he went to Puerto Rico for a month or so and was able to get booked by Jim Barnett shortly thereafter . It was in Barnett ' s promotion Georgia Championship Wrestling that Piper became a fan favorite to save broadcast partner Gordon Solie from an attack . In " Wrestling to Rasslin " ' , Gerald W . Morton and George M . O ' Brien described the transformation : " the drama finally played itself out on television when one of his [ Piper ' s ] hired assassins , Don Muraco , suddenly attacked the commentator Gordon Solie . Seeing Solie hurt , Piper unleashed his Scottish fury on Muraco . In the week that followed , like Achilles avenging Patroklas , he slaughtered villain after villain . . . In the arenas fans chanted his name throughout his matches . " Eventually , Piper moved back to Jim Crockett Promotions . As a fan favorite , Piper feuded with Sgt . Slaughter , Ric Flair , and Greg Valentine . Piper ' s feud with Valentine culminated in a dog collar match at the first Starrcade . Valentine broke Piper ' s left eardrum during the match with the collar ' s chain , causing Piper to permanently lose fifty percent of his hearing . World Wrestling Federation . 1984 – 1987 . Around this time World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) owner Vince McMahon contacted Piper , who insisted on serving out his contract with Jim Crockett . Piper started in the WWF in late 1983 and at the same time fulfilled dates with Crockett . On his way out of Crockett ' s promotion he became a heel , which set the stage for his WWF run in 1984 . He started as a manager at first , due to the injuries he sustained during his dog collar match with Greg Valentine , but soon started wrestling full - time . Piper came in as the manager for " Mr . Wonderful " Paul Orndorff , and soon began to wrestle with Orndorff as well . Later that year , he was given his own interview segment called " Piper ' s Pit " , in which he talked to other superstars and which frequently ended in a fight between Piper and his guest . The " Piper ' s Pit " segments helped create the feuds Piper had with other wrestlers . According to Piper ' s autobiography , " Piper ' s Pit " was completely unscripted and was in fact so popular that it was taken on the road . In addition to pleasing many of his fans who wanted to see the Pit in person , it accomplished other things : it gave Piper the opportunity to heal some nagging injuries while still retaining his heat with the fans . An early guest on " Piper ' s Pit " was his Mid - Atlantic nemesis Valentine , who also arrived to the WWF . In a rare occurrence for WWF programming at the time , the two made reference to their history in the rival organization and hinted at rekindling it , but as the two were now top villains , they both agreed that they had mutual respect for each other , and it was left at that . In one " Piper ' s Pit " , Piper had an interview with Jimmy Snuka . Piper started insulting Snuka ' s Polynesian heritage by bringing out pineapples , bananas , and dropping coconuts onto the table ; this was to make Snuka " feel at home " in an act of " remorse " after Snuka was not given much time to speak the previous times he was on " Piper ' s Pit " . Snuka took offense to this and Piper then attacked Snuka by smashing him over the head with a coconut and shoving a banana in his face . He followed this up by whipping Snuka with his belt . Snuka was legitimately knocked woozy allowing Piper to leave before Snuka , now seriously enraged , could fight back . This incident led to a long feud between the two . Piper also insulted Bruno Sammartino during a " Piper ' s Pit " which led to a feud between the two , ending in a steel cage match which Piper lost . Another feud , this time between Piper and Hulk Hogan erupted soon after and became what was at the time the highest - profile feud in wrestling history , thanks to the involvement of pop singer Cyndi Lauper , where Piper kicked Lauper in the head — and even attacked Captain Lou Albano — with Hogan seeking revenge as a result . In 1985 , MTV broadcast " The War to Settle the Score " , featuring a main - event matchup between Piper and Hogan , who was accompanied to the ring by Albano , Lauper , and Mr . T . This event set up the very first WrestleMania , which pitted Piper and Paul Orndorff against Hogan and Mr . T . Orndorff was pinned by Hogan when Piper ' s bodyguard " Cowboy " Bob Orton interfered and mistakenly struck Orndorff instead of Hogan with his trademark " injured " arm covered in a plaster cast . In " Born to Controversy " , Piper recalled how he had to keep Mr . T busy with tie - ups and other shoot wrestling moves to keep Mr . T ' s lack of wrestling ability from being seen by the fans , thus ruining the match . From this situation , Piper and Mr . T ' s real - life relationship became hostile , leading to the inevitable conclusion that they be put into a feud with one another . It was on Right After Wrestling in March 2011 , hosted by Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas , that Piper explained why WrestleMania didn ' t feature a 1 - on - 1 main event . He said it was because that match happened at the War to Settle the Score , before the WrestleMania event actually happened . Piper once again faced Mr . T , this time alone , in a boxing match at WrestleMania 2 in 1986 . Piper lost the match by disqualification after bodyslamming Mr . T . Following a leave of absence from the WWF , Piper returned during a TV taping on " WWF Superstars " in 1986 against jobber A . J . Petrucci and received a thunderous ovation from the audience , turning him face . After being slapped in the face by Petrucci twice , Piper placed one hand behind his back and beat his opponent to a pulp . One of the more memorable " Piper ' s Pit " sequences during this time came when he had Hulk Hogan on the show to present him with a trophy for being the WWF Champion for 3 years . Shortly after presenting Hogan with the trophy , Hogan ' s long - time friend , André The Giant , came out to congratulate Hogan , but closed the segment by simply stating : " Three years to be world champion . . . it ' s a long time . " After saying this , Andre went to shake Hogan ' s hand , apparently placing a little too much pressure causing Hogan to wince in pain . The following week , Hogan attempted to return the favor by presenting Andre with a trophy for being undefeated for 15 years , and unwittingly took over the interview . Although the attempt was sincere , Andre couldn ' t help but notice that the trophy was noticeably smaller than the one Hogan received the week before , and grew irritated when Hogan became the focal point of the spotlight once again . As Hogan was attempting to congratulate Andre , the Frenchman abruptly stormed off the Pit set . The following week , Piper attempted to get some answers and Jesse " The Body " Ventura interrupted the segment only to tell Piper that something was amiss in the Hogan / Andre situation , and that he needed to have Hogan on the set next week and he would produce Andre so they could have the situation resolved . Piper stayed true to his word and brought Hogan out the following week , only to be stunned when Andre appeared with his long - time nemesis , Bobby " The Brain " Heenan , at his side . Hogan pleaded with Andre to explain why he was with Heenan and Andre simply replied with " I ' m here for one reason , to challenge you to a championship match at Wrestlemania . " Hogan attempted to keep the peace , only to have Heenan order Andre to attack Hogan to show how serious he was in his challenge . Andre ripped off Hogan ' s shirt and gold crucifix necklace , leaving Hogan in hurt and shock and with Piper of all people trying to console his former enemy . Piper then brought Hogan back the following week to get Hogan to respond to Andre ' s challenge . When Hogan sidestepped the issue for several minutes , Piper put it to him bluntly : " Yes or no ? Are you or are you not going to face Andre the Giant for the WWF championship at Wrestlemania ? YES OR NO ? ! ! " Hogan paused for a brief second only to respond with a thunderous " YES ! " Piper was distressed to find his " Piper ' s Pit " segment replaced by " The Flower Shop " , a segment hosted by the then effeminate wrestler Adrian Adonis . Piper spent weeks crashing Adonis ' show and trading insults , leading to a " showdown " between the two segments that ended with Piper being assaulted and humiliated by Adonis , Piper ' s former bodyguard Orton ( now in Adonis ' employ ) , and Don Muraco . The trio left Piper with his face covered in red lipstick lying in the middle of the remnants of the " Piper ' s Pit " set , which had been destroyed . In response , Piper stormed the set of Adonis ' show and destroyed it with a baseball bat . This led to their Hair vs Hair match at WrestleMania III , which was billed as Piper ' s retirement match from wrestling before he left to become an actor full - time . Piper won the match with the assistance of Brutus " The Barber " Beefcake , who had been sheared by Adonis shortly before the match . 1989 – 1996 . Piper returned from a hiatus with a live " Piper ' s Pit " at WrestleMania V , where he hosed down a smoking Morton Downey , Jr . with a fire extinguisher after causing Brother Love to run off when he removed his kilt . Three to four months after this , Piper began co - hosting Prime Time Wrestling with Gorilla Monsoon , providing a much needed change of pace from the constant bickering that was caused between Monsoon and Bobby Heenan during Heenan ' s tenure . Heenan insisted on having his own show opposite Prime Time called " The Bobby Heenan Show " , which was basically used as a catalyst to insult Piper and Monsoon after leaving " Prime Time " on bad terms . Eventually , Heenan ' s comments began to irritate Piper and Piper finally told Heenan to either " put up or shut up . " Shortly after this , Heenan brought " Ravishing " Rick Rude into the mix by inviting him to his show to further insult Piper . Piper responding by mooning Rude at Summerslam distracting him and causing him to lose the Intercontinental title to the Ultimate Warrior . The feud reached the physical level when Piper made an appearance on " The Brother Love Show " to address his position on the matter . Brother Love provoked Piper for several minutes by questioning his courage and ring ability . Piper finally had enough and told Love he had bad dental hygiene . When Love questioned Piper for bringing this up , Piper pulled out a small bag of toiletries and began dousing Love with toothpaste and mouthwash . Rude made his move during this moment and attacked Piper from behind , eventually spewing mouthwash into his eyes rendering him temporarily blind . Rude vowed revenge for both the title loss and the abuse of Love , and the two engaged in a very physical and violent feud that lasted the rest of the year . The feud finally came to an end when Piper defeated Rude in a match where the stipulation stated that if Piper won , Heenan would have to dress as Santa Claus for an episode of " Prime Time " . Piper was victorious , and Heenan was forced to dress as Claus the following week . Initially , Heenan seemed pleased with portraying Santa and even went so far as to imitate Claus and wish everyone a Merry Christmas . However , as the show progressed , Heenan ' s true motives were revealed as he began to call Christmas " a sham " , and that the children of the world had been " scammed " by their parents . Piper snapped and attacked Heenan , ignoring pleas from Monsoon to stop the attack due to Piper ' s agreement to abstain from physicality on the " Prime Time " set . Piper refused , and in turn , was fired from " Prime Time . " Piper also wrestled Bad News Brown at WrestleMania VI in 1990 after the two men eliminated each other at the Royal Rumble . The match ended with both men being counted out of the ring , but the real highlight of the match was Piper ' s choice of ring attire . In true ' Rowdy ' fashion , Piper cut a promo and came to the ring with half his body painted black in a strange attempt to play head games with Bad News . In 1991 , he supported Virgil in his feud against " The Million Dollar Man " Ted DiBiase and was present at their matches at WrestleMania VII and SummerSlam . He also renewed his feud with Ric Flair and at the 1992 Royal Rumble defeated The Mountie for his first , and only , Intercontinental Championship . He lost it soon after to Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII . After playing the bagpipes at SummerSlam , he disappeared from the WWF . He reemerged in 1994 at WrestleMania X as guest referee for the WWF Championship match between Bret Hart and Yokozuna . During the match , commentator Jerry " The King " Lawler remarked that he hated Piper and continued to taunt Piper on his " King ' s Court " segment on " Monday Night Raw " , eventually culminating with Lawler bringing out a skinny teenager in a Piper T - shirt and kilt and forcing him to kiss his feet . Enraged , Piper agreed to wrestle Lawler at the King of the Ring , where Piper emerged victorious . Piper wrestled as a fan favorite , saying he had " made a mess of most of his career as a heel " , and adding to the face attitude by donating part of his purse from the fight with Lawler to a children ' s hospital in Ontario . Leaving the WWF again , he soon returned in 1995 at WrestleMania XI , once again in a referee capacity , for the submission - only match between Hart and Bob Backlund . In 1996 , Piper was named as interim WWF President , following Vader ' s malicious assault on Gorilla Monsoon , following the Royal Rumble . As president , Piper had become the object of affection for Goldust . Enraged , Piper claimed he would " make a man " out of Goldust at WrestleMania XII , in a " Hollywood Backlot Brawl . " While the contest began in an alleyway behind the Arrowhead Pond , Goldust jumped into his gold Cadillac and ran Piper over , ultimately escaping ( allegedly ) onto the highways of Anaheim . Piper pursued in his white Ford Bronco , which when viewed from aerial footage looked similar to the O . J . Simpson " low - speed " chase from two years prior ( the WWF had attempted to be humorous and recycle the footage with Vince McMahon quipping on commentary , " This footage looks awfully familiar " ) . The two eventually returned to the arena , where Piper disrobed Goldust in the ring , effectively ending the confrontation . With Gorilla Monsoon back in control of the WWF by the end of the night , Piper once again left the Federation . World Championship Wrestling ( 1996 – 2000 ) . Later in 1996 , Piper joined World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) . He appeared at Halloween Havoc to " break Hogan ' s monotony . " In his first appearance , Piper asked Hogan , " Do you think [ the fans ] would ' ve loved you so much , if they hadn ' t hated me ? " Piper and Hogan wrestled in a non - title match in the main event of Starrcade , WCW ' s biggest pay - per - view event of the year . Piper defeated Hogan with a sleeper hold . Piper faced Hogan in a title match at SuperBrawl VII . This time , Hogan beat Piper when Randy Savage interfered and joined the New World Order ( nWo ) . Promos showed Piper locking himself in the Alcatraz prison and vigorously exercising in order to prepare for the highly anticipated match . During the spring of 1997 , Piper joined forces with Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen in their battle with the nWo . Shortly thereafter , Piper and Flair feuded before Piper disappeared from the scene . Piper briefly returned in October 19 97 to face Hogan once again in a steel cage match , which Piper did win . In early 1998 , Piper once again returned to feud with Hulk Hogan , Randy Savage , and Bret Hart . In early 1999 , Piper had a short run as United States Champion , became WCW Commissioner , and resumed his feud with Flair over control of WCW . Piper also had a short feud with Buff Bagwell in the summer of 1999 , where he was defeated by Bagwell , whose mother got involved . In late 1999 , Piper was featured on WCW Television , in an angle with Vince Russo , who was now portraying himself as the " Powers That Be " ( an unseen power that was controlling WCW ) . At Starrcade , Piper was the special referee in the WCW title match featuring Goldberg and Bret Hart . This match was otherwise notorious for Goldberg legitimately injuring Bret Hart , giving him the concussion that would eventually lead to his retirement . Forced by Russo , Piper called for the bell when Hart locked in the Sharpshooter on Goldberg , when it was apparent that Goldberg had not submitted . Piper apologized for this incident the next night on " Nitro " and attempted to make the save for Goldberg when Bret Hart and the nWo beat him down , but the nWo also attacked Piper . Piper ' s last appearance was at SuperBrawl in 2000 where he was a surprise referee in the title match between Sid Vicious , Jeff Jarrett And Scott Hall . The feud between Piper and the Powers That Be ended shortly after and Piper disappeared , never to be seen on WCW TV again . In the fall of 2000 , WCW terminated Piper ' s contract , and the organization ceased to exist after being sold to WWF several months later . Before going to the WWE in 2003 Piper was the figurehead and commissioner of the now defunct XWF promotion featured in its earliest live events . ( Indiana , Milwaukee , Green Bay ) World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2003 ) . In November 2002 , Piper ' s autobiography , " In the Pit with Piper : Roddy Gets Rowdy " , was released . At WrestleMania XIX in Seattle , Washington , Piper ran in during the Hulk Hogan - Vince McMahon match and made his second WWE run as a villain by attacking Hogan with a steel pipe . He brought back " Piper ' s Pit " on the April 10 edition of " SmackDown ! " , and after aligning with Sean O ' Haire , Piper smashed a coconut over the head of Rikishi , a relative of Snuka . At Backlash that month , Rikishi returned the favor to Piper . Piper was then put in a program against " Mr . America " . The storyline was Hulk Hogan had been bought off WWE television forever by McMahon . Hulk Hogan returned " incognito " although the joke was that everybody knew who he really was , which infuriated McMahon . At this point , Piper and O ' Haire were portrayed as McMahon ' s lackeys attempting to unmask Mr . America . Despite Piper being a heel he still got cheered due to being a legend . Around the same time on " Raw " , Chris Jericho started " The Highlight Reel " — a show similar to ' Piper ' s Pit ' . The two even verbally sparred on TV , with Jericho calling Piper fat and telling him to call him " when he lost some weight " ; Piper ' s retorted , " I have seen Chris Jericho wrestle . I have heard Chris Jericho talk . I have even heard Chris Jericho sing . So I ' ll make you a deal : I promise you that when I lose some weight , I ' ll call you . And when you get some talent , you call me . " At Judgment Day , the two met again , with Jericho telling Piper he made a wrong turn and missed the senior ' s home and alluding to the incident where Piper ripped off a fan ' s ( later revealed to be Zach Gowen ) leg and used it as a weapon , mentioning there were some midgets and lepers he could thrash , and while patting Piper ' s stomach , asked if he ate the leg . Piper responded by blasting him for ripping off the Piper ' s Pit idea and drilling it into the ground and called Jericho ' s birth an " accident " . In June 2003 , WWE decided to stop using Piper ( who was working without a contract at the time ) after a controversial interview with HBO ' s " Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel " in which Piper discussed the darker side of the wrestling business . On his 2006 DVD , Piper claimed that HBO took parts of his interviews out of context to make wrestling look worse . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2004 – 2005 ) . In 2004 , Piper appeared for the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) promotion , hosting several " In the Pit with Piper " interview segments . He interviewed former rival Jimmy Snuka at the company ' s first three - hour pay - per - view , Victory Road , where he dared Snuka to get revenge by hitting him with a coconut . Instead , TNA wrestler Kid Kash eventually used the coconut on Sonjay Dutt . Piper also served as a member of the National Wrestling Alliance Championship Committee , culminating in refereeing a match at Final Resolution between Scott Hall and Jeff Hardy . The Vince Russo / TNA Controversy . One of Piper ' s more controversial TNA moments came during one of its weekly pay - per - view shows . Vince Russo at the time was at the center of a massive power struggle ( kayfabe ) between the TNA roster and Russo ' s stable of young wrestlers called Sports Entertainment Xtreme . Piper had requested a segment to plug his new book , but instead , used the time to basically shoot on Russo and his effect on the world of professional wrestling . Piper touched on subjects from the death of Piper ' s real - life cousin , Owen Hart , for which Piper held Russo to blame , to the downfall of WCW amongst other touchy subjects . Russo came to the ring basically " in character " to confront Piper . But , when Piper got in Russo ' s face , Russo made the comment that Piper was " a moron " . Piper not only took offense to the remark , but delivered a " potato shot " to the side of Russo ' s head . Russo immediately realized that Piper ' s heat with him was legitimate , and quickly backed off unsure of what Piper might do next . When The Harris Brothers hit the ring to try and cool the situation down , Russo became visibly upset as Piper continued to vehemently shoot on him . Russo got so upset that at one point in time it took both the Harris ' to restrain him . Piper later said in a shoot interview that everything he had to say to Russo was real and that he was willing to get physical if Russo had taken it that far . Russo retaliated later by saying that he and Owen were very close and that Piper wasn ' t even with the company the night Owen died so he had no way of knowing how upset he was with Owen ' s death . World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2005 – 2015 ) . Hall of Fame ( 2005 ) . On February 21 , 2005 , it was announced that Piper was to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame . Piper held an edition of " Piper ' s Pit " at WrestleMania 21 where he interviewed Stone Cold Steve Austin . The interview was interrupted by Carlito , who was promptly beaten up by both Piper and Austin . In February 2005 at an event called WrestleReunion , Piper teamed with Jimmy Valiant and Snuka against Colonel DeBeers , " Cowboy " Bob Orton , and " Playboy " Buddy Rose . On the July 11 , 2005 episode of " Raw " , Piper returned as a face to host " Piper ' s Pit " with guest Shawn Michaels , who superkick ed Piper at the end of the show . This was during Michaels ' feud with Hulk Hogan . Piper once again appeared on " Raw " on October 3 , 2005 for " Raw Homecoming " . He hosted " Piper ' s Pit " with guest Mick Foley ; later in the segment , Randy Orton and " Cowboy " Bob Orton appeared and attacked both Foley and Piper . SmackDown ! ; Feud with The Ortons ( 2005 ) . This event sparked a mini - feud between Piper and The Ortons . On the next " SmackDown ! " after " Homecoming " , Piper took on the Ortons in a handicap match . Piper won with a roll - up on Bob Orton after a distraction by The Undertaker . On October 28 , Piper teamed with Batista and Eddie Guerrero to take on Randy Orton , Bob Orton , and Mr . Kennedy . Piper won after applying the sleeper hold to Bob Orton . Piper ' s feud with The Ortons came to an end on the November 4 , 2005 episode of " SmackDown ! " with a DQ victory over Bob Orton . World Tag Team Champion ( 2006 ) . Piper returned to " Raw " on September 11 , 2006 for a six - man tag team match win with The Highlanders against the Spirit Squad . He also appeared on the " Raw Family Reunion " , along with Money Inc . and Arn Anderson to accompany Ric Flair ringside for a match against Mitch of the Spirit Squad . On November 5 , Piper won the World Tag Team Championship with Ric Flair from The Spirit Squad at Cyber Sunday , after being chosen to be Flair ' s partner by voters at WWE . com over Sgt . Slaughter and Dusty Rhodes . On the November 13 , 2006 edition of " Raw " , Piper and Flair lost the title to Rated - RKO . Piper never made it to the ring , as he was attacked by Edge with a con - chair - to before the match . On November 17 , 2006 , WWE announced on their website that Piper was flown from the UK to his home state of Oregon and had surgery for what was originally believed to be kidney stones , but was speculated to be a disc problem in his back . It was later determined to be cancer . As a result of the procedure , it was announced that he was withdrawing from the Survivor Series match which would have pitted himself ( as a co - captain ) , along with Flair , Anderson , Sgt . Slaughter , and Dusty Rhodes against the Spirit Squad . He was replaced with Ron Simmons . Various storylines ( 2007 – 2015 ) . He made a return to " Raw " on an episode taped February 12 , 2007 , during which he announced that his friend Dusty Rhodes was to be the first person inducted into the 2007 class of the WWE Hall of Fame . During his appearance Umaga , with manager Armando Alejandro Estrada , entered the ring and laid out both men . He then returned on the June 11 , 2007 edition of " Raw " as part of " Mr . McMahon Appreciation Night " , where he introduced a video of some of McMahon ' s most embarrassing moments . In 2008 , after finishing his therapy for Hodgkin ' s lymphoma , he made a brief appearance in the Royal Rumble , primarily focusing on " Superfly " Jimmy Snuka . Both men were eliminated by Kane shortly after they entered the ring . Piper returned to " Raw " on April 28 , 2008 . He was a backstage visitor , and was confronted by Santino Marella . Marella poked fun at Piper ' s weight , which resulted in Santino getting slapped by Piper . The next week , Piper was a guest on " Carlito ' s Cabana " and Carlito and Santino were about to double team Piper when they were chased off by Cody Rhodes and Cryme Tyme . On May 12 , Piper ' s interference stopped Santino and Carlito from beating Rhodes and Hardcore Holly for the World Tag Team Championship . Santino then threatened Piper with retaliation , culminating in a confrontation with Piper during the May 16 edition of " Jimmy Kimmel Live ! " . He wrestled his presumed last match on April 18 , 2008 one day after his 54th birthday at Newburgh Free Academy ’ s Spring Slam . On October 26 , 2008 , however , Piper appeared on WWE ' s Cyber Sunday as one of the three choices fans could choose to face Marella for the WWE Intercontinental Championship . The other choices were Goldust and The Honky Tonk Man . Honky Tonk Man was chosen and won via a disqualification due to interference by Beth Phoenix and therefore did not win the title . Goldust then entered the ring , followed by Piper . The three candidates then fought Santino , afterwards celebrating together in the ring . Piper appeared on the October 27 , edition of " Raw " as a special guest commentator , along with both Goldust and Honky Tonk Man , for Marella ' s match against Charlie Haas . On February 16 , 2009 Piper returned to " Raw " to confront Chris Jericho after Jericho continued to act disrespectfully towards the Hall of Famers . After the segment , Jericho attacked Piper . One month later , on the March 16 edition of " Raw " , Piper would get his revenge when he , along with Ric Flair , Jimmy Snuka , and Ricky Steamboat , attacked Jericho . For the first time since Wrestlemania XII in 1996 , Piper wrestled at WrestleMania XXV along with Snuka and Steamboat with Flair in their corner to go against Jericho in a three on one handicap match . Jericho won the match ; Piper was the second of the three to be eliminated . Piper later guest hosted WWE Raw on November 16 , 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City . Piper challenged Vince McMahon to a street fight later in the evening only to have Randy Orton come out to fight against , then shortly after Kofi Kingston came out to stop Randy ' s assault on Piper . He inducted Wendy Richter to the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame on March 27 , 2010 . He also appeared the next night on Raw as one of the Legend Lumberjacks in a match that involved Christian and Ted Dibiase . Two months later , Piper turned heel for one night only by hiring DiBiase to capture guest host Quinton Jackson so he could " gain revenge on BA " , but was unsuccessful . On the July 12 , 2010 edition of Raw , it was hinted that Piper could possibly be the Anonymous General Manager as on an e - mail sent to Michael Cole , the GM said " Just when you think you have all the answers , I change the questions . " The idea was abandoned on the July 24 edition of Raw when Cole said " And if you ' re not down with that I got two words for you " which was Triple H and Shawn Michaels trademark line as D - Generation X , but again this idea was dropped . On the November 15 , 2010 edition of Raw , Piper quickly turned face during a return of " Piper ' s Pit " telling John Cena to do the right thing by calling the WWE Championship match at " Survivor Series " between Wade Barrett and Randy Orton down the middle . He went on to point out that legends such as Ricky Steamboat , " Mr . Perfect " Curt Hennig , Jimmy Snuka , and himself had never won a World Championship in WWE . On January 29 , 2011 , Piper made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ( PWG ) during the WrestleReunion 5 weekend , defeating nineteen other men , last eliminating Terry Funk , to win the Legends Battle Royal . He appeared in a backstage segment at WrestleMania XXVII where he hit Zack Ryder in the back of the head with a coconut , reminiscing of what he did to Jimmy Snuka . Piper made an appearance on the June 13 , 2011 edition of Monday Night Raw , hosting " Piper ' s Pit " once again . His guests were The Miz and Alex Riley , which led to a match with The Miz with Riley as the special guest referee . He went on to win the match , and won $ 5 , 000 out of The Miz ' s money per the pre - match stipulation . Roddy Piper noted that he was paid $ 5 , 000 for his appearance on the June 13th RAW for Piper ' s Pit with The Miz and Alex Riley . He made a television appearance in WWE and hosted a Piper ' s Pit segment featuring John Cena on the November 28 , 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw . He also appeared on November 29 , 2011 special holiday edition of SmackDown . Piper returned on the April 10 , 2012 special edition of Smackdown : Blast from the Past , in which he hosted Piper ' s Pit featuring Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee . Piper made an appearance on June 18 , 2012 and made a segment with Cyndi Lauper and Heath Slater . He then reappeared on the 1 , 000 episode of Raw on July 23 , 2012 , where he and various other WWE Legends helped Lita take down Heath Slater . On the August 13 episode of Raw , Piper hosted another edition of Piper ' s Pit with Chris Jericho , which was interrupted by Dolph Ziggler . On the January 6 , 2014 " Old School Raw " , Piper hosted Piper ' s Pit with The Shield as his guests and was about to get beat down when he was saved by CM Punk and the New Age Outlaws . Piper and Paul Orndorff appeared in a backstage segment , and shook hands with Hulk Hogan and Mr . T during WrestleMania XXX , making amends around 30 years after competing at the very first WrestleMania . On August 11 , 2014 Piper made an appearance at Hulk Hogan ' s Birthday celebration on Monday Night Raw , celebrating in the ring with many other WWE legends . On July 8 , 2015 Ric Flair said that Piper was no longer under contract with the WWE . Other media . Piper featured in the wrestling documentary " Bloodstained Memoirs " . Piper was a guest on a 1985 " Saturday Night Live " episode , tormenting hosts Hulk Hogan and Mr . T , and has appeared as a special guest on " MADtv " along with Bret Hart . In 1991 , the pilot episode for " Tag Team " , a television program about two ex - professional wrestlers turned police officers , starred Piper and Jesse " The Body " Ventura . Piper appeared as a wrestler loosely based on himself in an episode called " Crusader " from Walker , Texas Ranger where his name was Cody " The Crusader " Conway . Piper appeared as a prison antagonist in an episode of " The Outer Limits " TV series . Piper was the host of ITV ' s Celebrity Wrestling in the UK . Piper appeared as a character named Commander Cash on " RoboCop : The Series " . Piper appeared as a choice in the " Wheel of Destiny " segment of The Man Show . Piper also starred in the 1988 John Carpenter cult classic , " They Live " . Piper played a drifter turned saviour of the human race after discovering a pair of sunglasses that allow him to see the world ' s elite for what they truly are , money hungry aliens with a new - world - order - like agenda . That same year , he starred in the cult classic " Hell Comes to Frogtown " . He also starred in an episode in the second season of the Highlander TV series , and appeared in the " It ' s Always Sunny in Philadelphia " episode " The Gang Wrestles For the Troops " as " The Maniac " , a parody of Mickey Rourke ' s role in the film " The Wrestler " . In 2007 , Piper became the second pro - wrestler , the other being Sgt . Slaughter , to have their likeness crafted in a G . I . Joe figure . According to his filecard , he is a trainer for Destro ' s Iron Grenadiers . In April 2005 , Piper co - presented " Celebrity Wrestling " in the United Kingdom on ITV1 . This Saturday evening reality show saw celebrities learn wrestling and compete in challenge matches . After a few weeks the program was to be canceled , due to a huge drop in TV ratings but instead was moved to Sunday mornings to finish its final episodes . In the 1980s , Piper also appeared in singer Cyndi Lauper ' s music video for the song " The Goonies ' R ' Good Enough . " He also appeared as a guest VJ on MTV in 1988 . " Wizard " ' s list of the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time ranked Roddy Piper as # 35 . On October 29 , 2009 , Piper appeared as pro - wrestler named " Da ' Maniac " on season 5 episode 9 ( " The Gang Wrestles for the Troops " ) of the sitcom " It ' s Always Sunny In Philadelphia " . In UGK ' S " International Players Anthem " DJ Paul pokes fun at Andre 3000 asking him why is he dressed as Roddy Piper . On March 14 , 2010 , Piper appeared in an episode in CBS ' s ' Cold Case ' playing a wrestler named Sweet Sil . The episode was titled ' One Fall ' . The team reopens the case of a dock worker who was moonlighting as an indy - circuit wrestler until he was shot dead in 1986 . In September 2010 , Piper appeared in a FunnyorDie . com video , fighting against childhood obesity in a PSA parody . The clip included him using wrestling moves on children eating junk food and the parents who feed junk food to their kids . In 2010 Piper was expected to appear in a reality series from Red Line Films the producers of Dhani Tackles the Glode and the Ocho de Cinco Reality Series . In 2013 , Piper appeared as himself in the video game Saints Row IV , appearing as an NPC that can be called by the player to assist in combat . He first appears in a brawl with actor Keith David , and has unique dialogue with other NPC characters . On September 13 , 2013 , Piper appeared in an advertisement video for Klondike Bars , in which he responded to a fan ' s request that he " chew bubble gum and try to kick my @ ss " . He then proceeded to wrestle the man in his living room , no - selling a coconut and stopping short of bashing him over the head with an urn containing his dog ' s ashes . Personal life . Piper and his wife Kitty live in Hillsboro , Oregon , and have four children : daughters Anastacia Shea , Ariel Teal , and Falon Danika and son Colton Baird . Anastacia has a child , making Piper a grandfather . His son Colt Toombs is also an aspiring professional mixed martial arts fighter . His daughter Ariel Teal Toombs is following her dad ' s lead in Hollywood as an actress . Throughout his career , Piper consistently refused to remove his wedding band while performing in the ring . Piper is also a cousin of the Hart wrestling family . On April 4 , 2006 in Winnipeg , Manitoba , Piper was issued an award by the Mayor , Sam Katz . On July 27 , 2006 , he had the honor of throwing out the first pitch of a St . Louis Cardinals / Chicago Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago . On November 27 , 2006 , it was announced on WWE . com that Piper has Hodgkin ' s lymphoma , and he finished radiation therapy on January 15 , 2007 . This was also confirmed on Piper ' s official web site where he posted messages of thanks to all his fans and stated that had the fans not chosen him as Ric Flair ' s partner at Cyber Sunday he would not have been taken to the hospital and diagnosed with his disease as early as he was . In November 2008 a video spread around the internet showing Piper smoking pot and taking a hit from a bong in front of a crowd cheering him on , although he later acknowledged his use of medicinal marijuana " to alleviate the symptoms associated with cancer . " This was reiterated on a blog from Jim Ross . On July 2 , 2009 , TMZ . com reported that Piper was arrested on suspicion of DUI in the early morning hours in Hollywood , California . Piper was stopped by police at around 1 : 00 a . m . and given field sobriety tests . He was then arrested . His bond was set at $ 5 , 000 . Death . On July 31 , 2015 , Piper died in his sleep at the age of 61 at his home in Hollywood , California . His death certificate attributes this to cardiopulmonary arrest caused by hypertension , listing a pulmonary embolism as a contributing factor ; TMZ reported this as a heart attack caused by the embolism . Piper is survived by his wife , Kitty , their four children , and four grandchildren . News of his death broke minutes before the Hall of Heroes dinner to cap off the Mid - Atlantic Wrestling Legends FanFest in Charlotte , North Carolina , where about 600 current and former wrestling personalities and fans had gathered . He received a ten - bell salute after the planned salute to fellow former professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Fame r Dusty Rhodes , who had died on June 11 , 2015 in Florida . Another ten - bell salute was given at the beginning of the August 3 , 2015 , episode of " Raw " . Vince McMahon , the CEO of WWE , said , " Roddy Piper was one of the most entertaining , controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE , beloved by millions of fans around the world . I extend my deepest condolences to his family . " Film director John Carpenter said , " Devastated to hear the news of my friend Roddy Piper ' s passing today . He was a great wrestler , a masterful entertainer and a good friend . " In an HBO " Real Sports " interview conducted by Piper in 2003 , he had predicted that he was " not going to make 65 " because of his poor health , and that he made his 2003 return to WWE because he could not access his pension fund until reaching the age of 65 . Legacy . Piper is considered one of the greatest heels in wrestling history . Piper ' s Pit interview segments were considered innovative , especially in an atmosphere where only the people like the World champion got to talk , and the wrestlers were the interviewees - never the interviewers . Many of the people on Piper ' s Pit never got to be World champion , but were main eventers . According to Bobby " the Brain " Heenan , he could just leave Piper in a room and return twenty minutes later with Piper having done a class - A promo . Filmography . Voice acting . In 2006 , Roddy Piper ventured into the realm of voice acting , appearing on Cartoon Network ' s animated series " Robot Chicken " ( as himself ) , as well as providing the voice of The Pyro Messiah in the " Night Traveler " multimedia adventure series produced by Lunar Moth Entertainment . He will also be doing voice for Green Lantern : Emerald Knights