One of the things the WWE has shown no patience for over the year is anyone that shares the company’s dirty laundry to the public, and that police led to This Day in Wrestling History.
To be fair, no company like when an employee takes them to task in the media, especially when they talk about their coworkers dying and it harms the industry and that’s what Roddy Piper did.
While we think the WWE should’ve just taken the body blows and continued, they thought better of it and released Piper.
The statement
On HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Piper spoke about wrestling deaths with a critical eye toward the WWE as he listed the various painkillers he and others used as well as steroids.
He went on to say that he wouldn’t live to be 65 when he talked about what he could do at age 49 when he couldn’t touch his pension plan until he turned 65.
He also weighed in on how the business made him into someone he hated, and about the lifestyle leading to early deaths of wrestlers (Special thanks to balls.ie for the quote).
“Everybody’s dead. They’re all dying early and nobody cares about it … They take them and they screw them up so much. They being the rash of promoters I’ve gone through in 30 years.”
The segment aired on June 24, 2003, and two days later the WWE decided to part way this Piper, who was signed to a short term deal.
On good terms
As we’ve noticed over the years, things in professional wrestling tend to work out one way or the other, and Piper returned to the WWE in 2005 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, Piper’s prediction was right and he passed away on July 30, 2015 at the age of 61.
As news of his death spread, Vince McMahon issued a statement:
“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.”
Director John Carpenter, who directed Piper in They Live, 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.”
We never know when we’re going to see a This Day in Wrestling History moment whether good or bad, and each serve a purpose and remind us of our history.
What’s your favorite Roddy Piper memory? Let us know in the comments below.
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