When Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper clashed at Madison Square Garden on MTV 40 years ago today, they didn’t just settle a score – they revolutionized professional wrestling. The February 18, 1985 event, “The War to Settle the Score,” marked a pivotal moment where sports entertainment crashed headfirst into mainstream pop culture, forever changing both industries.

The Night Wrestling Invaded MTV

In the heart of New York City, Madison Square Garden was electric as WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defended his title against his bitter rival, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. But this wasn’t just another wrestling match – it was the culmination of the groundbreaking “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection,” a revolutionary partnership between the World Wrestling Federation and MTV that would help transform wrestling from a regional attraction into a national phenomenon.

Pop icon Cyndi Lauper, who had already made waves in the wrestling world through her association with Captain Lou Albano, sat ringside as two of wrestling’s biggest stars collided. The atmosphere was more rock concert than wrestling show, exactly as WWF promoter Vince McMahon had envisioned.

Chaos Erupts in the Garden

The match itself devolved into beautiful chaos when Piper’s allies, Paul Orndorff and Bob Orton Jr., stormed the ring. Hollywood tough guy Mr. T, who had been watching from ringside, leaped into action to defend Hogan. In the ensuing mayhem, Piper kicked Lauper in the head – a shocking moment that would make mainstream headlines and set the stage for an even bigger event.

In an unscripted moment that perfectly captured the collision of worlds that night, pop art legend Andy Warhol accidentally wandered into a live interview area. Rather than creating an awkward moment, Warhol improvised a passionate endorsement of the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection, adding another layer of mainstream credibility to the spectacle.

The Birth of WrestleMania

The War to Settle the Score did more than deliver ratings for MTV – it laid the foundation for WrestleMania. The wild brawl between Hogan, Mr. T, Piper, and Orndorff would continue six weeks later at Madison Square Garden in the main event of the first WrestleMania, establishing a template for celebrity involvement that WWE follows to this day.

Four decades later, the impact of this revolutionary broadcast continues to resonate. The successful fusion of wrestling, music, and mainstream entertainment that night created a blueprint that transformed a regional wrestling promotion into a global entertainment empire. As WWE now streams on Netflix and collaborates with today’s biggest stars, it’s worth remembering the night on MTV that started it all.

The War to Settle the Score wasn’t just a wrestling show – it was the moment sports entertainment truly became entertainment for everyone. Forty years later, its influence can still be felt every time wrestling crosses over into mainstream culture, proving that sometimes the biggest victories in wrestling happen outside the ring.

The War to Settle the Score Results

Here are the complete match results from WWF War to Settle the Score on February 18, 1985 from Madison Square Garden in New York City:

• Johnny Rodz defeated Jose Luis Rivera by pinfall
• Hillbilly Jim pinned Rene Goulet
• Don Muraco defeated Salvatore Bellomo via pinfall
• Moondog Spot and Rick McGraw fought to a draw
• David Sammartino secured a victory over Moondog Rex by pinfall
• Nikolai Volkoff pinned Swede Hanson
• Leilani Kai defeated Wendi Richter to win the WWF Women’s Championship
• The U.S. Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo) retained their WWF Tag Team Titles by defeating The Assassin & The Spoiler
• Paul Orndorff defeated Tony Atlas via pinfall
• Jimmy Snuka pinned Bob Orton Jr.
• Hulk Hogan retained the WWF World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Roddy Piper by disqualification

Learn More About The War to Settle the Score

To learn more about this iconic event in professional wrestling history, we recommend this episode of the Our Vantage Point retro wrestling podcast:

Well, today’s the big day. After weeks of counting down, Christmas Day is finally upon us.

This day will see countless people around the world open presents, and as we all know, WWE is no stranger to embracing the Holiday spirit

Here are five of the best Holiday moments to curl up in a warm blanket and watch this festive season.

5: A Christmas Carol starring ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper

We all have our favorite renditions of Charles Dickens’ classic tale ‘A Christmas Carol’ which tells the story of a wicked man who turns good when he learns about the meaning of Christmas.

Some people see the Muppets Christmas Carol as the best, while others like my father herald Alastair Sim’s 1951 portrayal of Ebeneezer Scrooge as the best telling of the story.

Well on December 20^th, 1985, the WWF gave their own rendition of A Christmas Carol, this one starring none other than ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper.

Unquestionably the biggest heel of the year, that week’s episode of Tuesday Night Titans saw Piper visited by three spirits, eager to teach the Hot Rod to change his wicked ways.

Unlike Scrooge though, Piper learned no lessons, and would instead vow to be more wicked after his ghostly visitations.

It would be another two years before Piper turned face and become one of the most beloved good guys of all time, and by 1989, he’d be the one defending Christmas from Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan.

4: A Very Merry D-X-Mas

Forming in 1997, D-Generation X would establish themselves as a counterculture, anti-authority group, much to the chagrin of WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter.

After making an ass out of the company, Triple H and Shawn Michaels would go one step further, exposing their buttocks to spell out a festive message, all while Chyna was in the ring with them.

To counteract, Slaughter booked a gift of a main event: Shawn Michaels Vs. Triple H for HBK’s European title.

After teasing dissension for the rest of the show, the pair ‘fought’ in the ring, but to call this a match is a stretch.

Triple H “powered” Michaels to the mat out of collar and elbow tie-up, then comically ran the ropes before delivering a big splash that didn’t make contact.

One pinfall later and the Game was the new European Champion, while the two friends celebrated their very fake match.

Sure, it may have devalued the European title somewhat, but DX got one over on Commissioner Slaughter in an iconic festive moment.

3: The Arrival of Xanta Claus

We all know the story of Santa Claus: the rosy-cheeked, bearded legend who lives at the North Pole, and judges whether people have been naughty or nice.

Well after a career of humiliating others, Ted DiBiase was definitely on the naughty list, and proved just how bad he could be in 1995.

Interrupting a segment with Savio Vega and ‘Santa,’ DiBiase proved everybody has a price for him, as Mr. Claus attacked Vega.

With that, DiBiase introduced the wrestling world to Xanta Claus, the polar opposite (quite literally) of Jolly ol’ Saint Nick.

Xanta Claus (played by future ECW staple Balls Mahoney) would not last long, and while the angle is incredibly goofy, it goes to show that anything can happen in the WWE.

2: ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Stuns Santa Claus

WWE has hosted plenty of festive shows over the years, but the December 22, 1997, episode of Raw remains arguably the best holiday edition of the red brand ever produced.

Airing from Worcester, Massachusetts, the show was dripping in festive cheer, but the most iconic moment came from good ol’ ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.

After a fake Santa Claus mocked a young boy, Austin made the save, stomping to the ring in that way only the Bionic Redneck can.

Berating the evil Santa, Austin dropped the not-so-jolly Saint Nick in what has become an iconic Christmas moment.

For all of Austin’s badassery, the segment showed that Austin still had a heart, cementing why it was okay to cheer this foul-mouthed, beer-swilling S.O.B.

Stunning the fake Santa proved that you could never quite predict what the Rattlesnake was going to do, and this unpredictability would be just part of what would launch Austin into mega-stardom the following year.

1: Tribute to the Troops

For most of us, the holidays are a time to be with family and loved ones, surrounded by presents, food, and warmth.

For those serving in the armed forces though, they don’t get to enjoy such luxuries, but WWE attempted to bring some festive cheer to those on duty.

In 2003, WWE introduced Tribute to Troops, an event that has become an annual display of support and appreciation for those who are risking their lives for their country.

The brainchild of John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield, the show still carries on to this day, though takes place back in the U.S. instead of being in the Middle East as it was originally.

Nevertheless, this small token of appreciation goes a long way, and with the show taking place every December, there are plenty of seasonal festivities to enjoy each year at Tribute to the Troops.

William Regal may be impressed by what MJF does in AEW, but that doesn’t make the Salt of the Earth a true villain of wrestling.

MJF returned to AEW at the All Out Pay-Per-View, following a three-month hiatus, stemming from scathing comments made against AEW and Tony Khan.

At the event, MJF won the Casino Ladder match as the Joker entrant, earning an AEW World Championship match.

Fake Bad Guy

With his win at All Out, MJF has a championship title match, presumably with current AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.

Part of what has made MJF such a successful performer is his heel persona, which William Regal doesn’t buy as he explained on the Gentleman Villain podcast.

“I’ve always seen the potential in him. Not sure I like the way he goes about doing stuff. If you want to be a real bad guy, there are things that you can do and things that you can’t. I used this term on AEW the other week and it’s only a few people know this term. O-D-V, which is an ordinary decent villain.”

Regal explained that to be an ODV means knowing that those non-wrestlers are off limits, a lesson that MJF hasn’t learned.

“Anybody who signs up to be a pro wrestler, you’re fair game for anything my wicked mind wants to do to you. But if they don’t, you leave them alone.”

Roddy Piper

With his heel work, many (including WWE Hall of Famer Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts) have called MJF this generation’s Roddy Piper.

Addressing the comparison, Regal said that MJF couldn’t hang with the legendary talker.

“Roddy Piper would have seen straight through him. He would have gone ‘this is a lad who’s not grown up the same as us.’ He’s not got the same mentality.”

“Roddy Piper would have seen straight through him.”

William Regal.

“You might think you’re a bad guy, you might want to act like a bad guy. But there’s a difference there’s a big difference and very few people know that. A lot of people who got through this job by just acting like a bad guy.”

Tough Enough

Years before arriving in AEW, MJF tried out for the 2015 season of Tough Enough.

Speaking about MJF’s formative years, Regal discussed why the Salt of the Earth never made it in WWE NXT while Regal was in charge.

“He was young. Far too young to get hired [by WWE.] And there was only so many places in NXT. If you’ve got a full roster and somebody young [comes along] you go ‘right now what you need to do is go out and do your thing.’ Make people notice you, which he did.

MJF wouldn’t make it on the show, but his audition tape (suspiciously) remains on WWE’s YouTube channel.

When wrestling fans hear the name Roddy Piper, a number of different concepts might come to mind.

He was, perhaps, the greatest talker in wrestling history and certainly the host of the greatest wrestling talk show of all time. He was one of the best heels ever, and a darn good babyface too.

Then there’s the matter of WrestleMania.

Absolutely no one has a legacy at the Showcase of the Immortals quite like Hot Rod, ranging from all-time classic performances, to matches fans thought were his last, to a series of downright bizarre matches, to playing an interviewer, guest referee, and a number of points in between.

Roddy Piper’s Historically Great WrestleMania Performances

The original WrestleMania certainly wasn’t the greatest iteration of the event, but was one of the most historically important ones for establishing the WrestleMania brand and cementing WWE’s place atop the wrestling world.

Roddy Piper’s contributions to the event can’t be overstated. While Hulk Hogan was explosively popular and it was a score to sign Mr. T as his tag team partner, Piper was the engine of the heel side of that equation—the bad guy whom fans were all too eager to pay to see get his comeuppance against the heroes.

Paul Orndorff was the muscle and a formidable villain in his own right, but there’s no question Piper was the top bad guy on the show.

On the flip side of Piper’s great heel work at WrestleMania 1 came arguably his greatest babyface performance and perhaps the best match of his WWE career at WrestleMania 8. There, Hot Rod went out of his way to put over Bret Hart, taking a rare pinfall loss to drop the Intercontinental Championship.

It’s telling that, after this important victory, Hart would work world title matches at three out of the next four WrestleManias.

Roddy Piper’s First And Last Retirement Matches

At WrestleMania 3, a babyface Roddy Piper battled Adrian Adonis in a match that was billed to be Hot Rod’s last time in the wrestling ring. By all indications, he really did mean to transition to Hollywood, and did take part in his share of films in the years to follow.

Seeing him put Adonis to sleep and pass the upper mid-card babyface torch to Brutus Beefcake, who cut Adonis’s hair afterward, was a fitting enough send-off.

Of course, Piper wasn’t really done by a long shot.

Twenty-two years later, he’d work his true final match for WWE at a WrestleMania, when he teamed up with Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka in an elimination handicap match against Chris Jericho.

Hot Rod was a shell of his former self by then but performed respectably in an entertaining spectacle.

Roddy Piper’s Unusual Encounters At WrestleMania

Roddy Piper took diversification of his WrestleMania resume to the next level with his efforts at WrestleManias 2, 6, and 12.

WrestleMania 2 saw him headline his leg of the event from the Nassau Coliseum in a boxing match that went off the rails with celebrity visitor Mr. T. From there, he engaged in an even uglier spectacle at WrestleMania 6 with Bad News Brown.

The otherwise forgettable match achieved infamy for the poor choice for Piper to wear black paint over half his body.

Piper may have had his strangest match of all at WrestleMania 12 in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl with Goldust.

This was one of WWE’s first stabs at a cinematic match, staged outside before it gave way to a high-speed chase, clearly deriving from real-life OJ Simpson theatrics that was still in the news at the time.

Finally, the battle returned to the arena and culminated in the ring with Piper stripping Goldust’s garb to reveal lingerie underneath—a humiliation that was apparently profound enough for Hot Rod to be declared the winner.

Roddy Piper’s Guest Referee Appearances At WrestleMania

After appearing in the main event of the first WrestleMania, set in Madison Square Garden, it was only fitting that Roddy Piper returned to the venue for WrestleMania 10, this time to serve as guest referee for the last match of the show—a WWE Championship clash between Yokozuna and Bret Hart.

Piper counting the pin offered some symmetry to the first decade of WrestleMania, in addition to calling back to Hot Rod and The Hitman’s history from WrestleMania 8.

Piper officiated Hart’s match again at WrestleMania 11—a less auspicious affair when Hart won an I Quit Match over Bob Backlund.

While Hot Rod’s role felt a little random in this context—and a number of fans were annoyed with his insistence on repeatedly asking if either man gave up into a mic–it nonetheless kept Piper in the ‘Mania mix, adding another unconventional chapter to his history with the event.

In addition to the matches Roddy Piper wrestled or officiated at WrestleMania, he appeared at other events as well.

He hosted editions of Piper’s Pit with Morton Downey Jr. and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleManias 5 and 21, respectively. He was also Virgil’s cornerman against Ted Dibiase for WrestleMania 7 and interfered on Mr. McMahon’s behalf against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 19.

He made a series of oddball backstage appearances for WrestleManias 21, 30, and 31, too, all adding up to the most unusual legacy any wrestler ever has, or likely ever will have at WWE’s biggest annual event.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has an all-time dream opponent, and it just so happens to be a WWE Hall Of Famer.

Recently, MJF took part in a Q&A during the For The Love Of Wrestling convention in Liverpool, England. During the Q&A, MJF was asked about his all-time dream opponent. The All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star answered with WWE Hall Of Famer Rowdy Roddy Piper.

“Roddy Piper,” MJF said. “I feel the only person that in the modern who can hold a candle to me on the stick, whether I want to admit it or not, is CM Punk. Even though I beat him in his hometown of Chicago, verbally. Absolutely bent him over with my mic skills.

“Do I think Roddy Piper is the only person that could go toe-to-toe with me on the stick in the history of professional wrestling? The answer’s yes. Was the man absolutely insane, and do I think we would have a barbaric match as well that would stand the test of time? Yes.

“I got a lot of people tell me that I remind of the Rowdy one, and I think that would be one hell of a match. So, that is my answer.”

Sadly, Piper passed away in 2015. However, MJF could find his way to WWE in the near future. In January of 2024, MJF’s contract with AEW is set to expire, and he has been very open about possibly journeying over to WWE.

The 26-year-old has stated that, if Vince McMahon is willing to shell out the cash, he’ll happily jump ship. This would be a pretty big move, as only one notable star has left AEW for WWE. That being Cody Rhodes, who left AEW earlier this year and re-debuted in WWE at WrestleMania 38 against Seth Rollins.

It will be interesting to see if MJF ultimately decides to depart to WWE in 2024, or if he’ll stick around with AEW for the foreseeable future.

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

Jon Moxley stars in Cagefighter: World Collide, a film about about a pro wrestler who crosses over to the world of mixed martial arts. Cagefighter premieres (outside the United States) Saturday night, May 16th at FITE.TV.

We had a chance to speak with the AEW World Champion last week. Moxley spoke about a wide range of topics, including his experience working on Cagefighter and whether or not AEW should sign some of the 20+ wrestlers recently released by WWE.

Moxley also spoke about wrestling with no crowds and cinematic matches. The Ace of AEW wrestled Jake Hager in an empty arena last month on Dynamite. We asked Mox about what it was like to practice his craft in such a different environment than he’s used to. This prompted him to tell a great story about some advice he got from the late all-time legend, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

Below, check out Jon Moxley’s comments about wrestling with no audience, cinematic matches and valuable advice he got from “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. His comments about Piper come at the 1:38 mark.

Roddy Piper’s Advice for Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley enjoyed a good relationship with WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, a master of pro wrestling psychology. Moxley already had a lengthy career under his belt by the time he worked with Piper in WWE, but there were still some lessons to learn from the master.

“You know Rowdy Roddy Piper told me once, I had a pretty good relationship with him,” he began. “One time he came to like a Smackdown or something? I can’t remember exactly how he phrased it, but I was out there wrestling; I did something and I was just kind of soaking in the adulation of the crowd or playing to the crowd or something like that, you know?”

Piper then dropped some invaluable knowledge on Moxley about how to enhance his connection with the audience by basically ignoring them.

“He came to the back and found me, he’s like ‘you went too much babyface’ or something. I can’t remember exactly [what he said] but he’s like ‘don’t even worry about them’ [the fans]. He’s like ‘you look at the guy’s shoes.’ Basically saying you stay focused on your opponent. You’re there to hurt him, kind of thing.”

Piper’s Starrcade 1996 Entrance

Jon Moxley recalled Piper’s ring entrance at WCW Starcade 1996 as an example of Hot Rod completely immersing himself in the moment.

“If you go back and watch? One of the best instances you’ll ever see, again on a weird tangent, but one of the best instances you’ll ever see is Roddy Piper at Starrcade 96 against [Hulk] Hogan. Where he beat Hogan with the Sleeper, but yet it’s somehow inexplicably not for the world title, I think?”

“If you watch just Roddy Piper’s entrance? From the moment he walks through the curtain his eyes are locked on Hogan. And it’s just like, it’s like this death march to the ring. Even though he was in his 50s with an artificial hip? When you watch that and you watch the entrance you’re like ‘this dude’s going to war.'”

You can watch “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s match against Hollywood Hogan from WCW Starrcade 1996 below. Ironically, the clip includes the entire match, minus their entrances.

Visit FITE.TV to order Cagefighter: Worlds Collide (Outside the United States. The film will be released in the US later this year)

Last night’s SmackDown Live began with an interesting promo segment between WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and his Clash of Champions challenger, Randy Orton.

Kofi spoke about the long-term issues between himself and Orton. Randy then interjected himself into the conversation, pulling out a letter supposedly written for him by Kofi’s son asking him to stop hurting his dad.

It turns out that Orton’s contribution was actually a throwback to a 1984 “Rowdy” Roddy Piper promo, as highlighted by WrestlingNews.co’s Angel Rodriguez:

“You Are A Mean Man, Mr. Orton”

Kingston admitted that the issues between the two Superstars have escalated after Orton made things personal:

“He made it very personal when he brought my family into it. He made it personal when he, alongside his new found buddies The Revival, tried to take out my friend, my partner, my brother, Xavier Woods.”

Orton then interrupted Kingston, repeatedly calling him “stupid.” It was at this point he pulled out the letter left for him under his hotel room door. He claimed the letter was written with heart before reading its contents:

“Dear Mr. Orton, stop hurting Kofi Kingston. Kofi is not stupid. Kofi is a good man, but you are a mean man, Mr. Orton. So mean that you make my hero Kofi Kingston cry at night. Do you want to know how I know this? Because Kofi Kingston isn’t just my hero. Kofi Kingston is my dad.”

The two will face off for the WWE Championship at Clash Of Champions on September 15th at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.  

WWE unveiled a bronze statue of the late great WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. This special honor took place On Thursday night during WrestleMania AXXESS session in Brooklyn, New York.

As seen in the video listed below, Piper’s entire family, as well as wrestling legends Ric Flair, Sting, Jimmy Hart, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake were present for the unveiling of the statue.

Piper joins Andre The Giant, Dusty Rhodes, The Ultimate Warrior, Bruno Sammartino, and Ric Flair as the sixth names to be immortalized by the company with a statue.

WWE touted the announcement of the unveiling of the status as “The presentation puts Hot Rod in an exclusive club of legendary competitors immortalized in bronze.” The WWE website noted that a few hundred fans were also present for the reveal.

Piper, real name Roderick Toombs, is one of pro wrestling’s most recognizable stars due to his legendary career while working for several promotions including the WWE and WCW. During his time with the WWE, he was an Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion. Piper passed away back in 2015 at the age of just 61 years old. 

WWE Superstar Goldust was recently a guest on former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Goldust discussed his famous Hollywood Backlot Brawl with WWE Hall Of Famer Roddy Piper from WrestleMania 12, how he got to know Piper better during the feud, wanting to get color in the match despite Vince McMahon’s wishes, hitting Piper with a car, and Vince McMahon taking he and Piper to the hospital after the match. Here are the highlights:

Getting to know Piper better during their feud:

“That’s where I really got to know Roddy and kind of get close to him. And, man, he was gung-ho and ready to go. I didn’t really find out until the TV, I think, when [WWE personnel] came up to me and said, ‘you’re flying to L.A. with Vince [McMahon] and Bruce [Prichard] and Roddy after our TV.’ And I’m like, ‘okay, what are we doing?’ I don’t have any idea what I’m doing, so I was going to go shoot this backlot brawl with Roddy Piper. I was like, ‘wow, this is pretty awesome.’ Yeah, I was just like a kid in a candy store, man and it was very cool.”

Wanting to bleed in the match despite Vince McMahon’s wishes:

“I was really wanting to get some juice back then, really badly. Vince did not want it, so I asked Roddy to open me up the hard way. And that was my way of, ‘okay, Goddang it! I’m going to do bleed whether you like it or not because I want to blade. It gets you into it more. And so [Piper] slammed me up on the hood [of the car]. That’s the only thing I told Roddy about this whole thing: ‘please, hit me. Bust me open.’ And you’d think that Roddy being in the [professional wrestling] business for has long as he had, he would know how to do that, right?

“So he put me on the hood, and he mounts me, and I’m ready for it, man. He’s looking straight at me and he throws his fist straight down, but he hits me square in the forehead and I mean hard. It’s like a brick hitting cement. And I’m just like, ‘what the hell?’ And still in my head, ‘ah, nothing, man.’ He’s still beating me up. ‘Do it again!’ He reaches up and he drills me again and you hear a crack and it’s his hand that breaks on my head.”

Him hitting Piper’s knees with the car despite the planned finish being Piper is supposed to narrowly escape getting hit:

“I started revving up the car and I’m looking at Roddy and he’s probably a good 20 feet away, so I put it in park and I start to drive. I speed up just a little bit and I’m looking dead at him and I’m thinking, ‘please, dear God, move.’ He doesn’t move. He doesn’t move and his knees hit and it just buckled the whole car. It was gross sounding.”

“His knees too, man. I mean, when I watch it back, his fist on my head, you can see it and hear it. You’re not really seeing it or hearing it while it’s happening, but I remember his knees specifically hitting the front of that hood of the car, man, buckling. And I was like, ‘ooh, man. That sounded terrible. I just killed Roddy Piper!'”

Vince McMahon taking both he and Piper to the hospital after the match:

“Vince took us both to the hospital. He had his hand fixed. I had a concussion. One take. One take.” Goldust added, “I went into that dumpster hard too, but I was fine. It was more Roddy’s hand than anything. And Roddy’s tough, man. They didn’t have a cast on his hand. I don’t think. I can’t recall that. He just tapes. That’s the way they did it back then. Those old school guys, they just tape up and go, man.”

You can listen to Goldust’s appearance on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

– WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler recently held a Q&A on Twitter while traveling to China for a promotional tour. Ziggler addressed the rumors going around that his deal with WWE is up come the end of October:

https://twitter.com/kmc4201992/status/920705067761709057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/920708266048438272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Ziggler also commented on how he has been booked on SmackDown Live as of late:

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/920700225378926592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– Nine Legends Films released the following on a new upcoming film focusing on WWE Hall Of Famer Roddy Piper. The preview can be seen below:

“New Roddy Piper Roddy Film Production
A percentage of all sales go to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital

“On 31st July 2015 the world lost one of the most recognizable and successful wrestling personalities of all time, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. A new film production is now available to stream from Nine Legends director David Sinnott which features never before seen footage of “The Hot Rod” titled: “Roddy Piper: In His Own Words”. Dig deep inside a forty year career which was spotlighted in the WWE and WCW as well as the big screen, including the lead role in John Carpenter’s cult classic, “They Live”.

“David Sinnott: “This project meant a lot to me to put together. I have fond memories of working with Piper on another project and it didn’t sit well with me that so much great footage was locked away in a vault. I recall his daughter was present for the entirety of our film shoot and it was clearly evident that he was a decent family man. It was important for me to connect with Roddy’s wife, Kitty Toombs, for input on this project.”

“Kitty Toombs: “This is Roddy, candid, serious and at times laughing at himself as he digs into some of the psychology and experiences that propelled him in and out of the wrestling arena.”

“A percentage of all sales will be donated to the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, a hospital which had a special place in Roddy’s heart.

“Kitty Toombs: “Roddy saw first hand during his decades in Portland, Oregon the groundbreaking, good work being done at the Doernbecher Children Hospital. Throughout the years he loved giving time volunteering as a celebrity during fundraisers but even more so, just stopping by to roam the halls and chat with the children. He shared with his family how those kids were the real heroes and what they gave him was far more than they ever realized.”

“Roddy Piper: In His Own Words is available to stream now at www.ninelegendsfilm.com for $7.99, which includes access to “Nine Legends”, starring Bill Goldberg, Mike Tyson and Chris Jericho.”

WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose recently appeared as a guest on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show for an interview. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On Roddy Piper comparisons and his favorite Piper moment:

“I don’t know how you can not take it as a compliment. I was able to have a lot of good conversations, spend a good amount of time with him through the last couple years which was, that’s a rare opportunity and I don’t think a lot of guys got that. Me and him really just kind of clicked because he just kind of sensed that we had a similar outlook on stuff. The thing I like about him, I’ve been asked about him since he passed away a few times, the thing I always say is my favorite Roddy Piper moment was one of the nights he was wrestling Hogan it was in WCW. He’s wrestling Hogan and he’s the big hero finally going to go up against the NWO or whatever and just the entrance makes you go, “Man, that’s what wrestling, that’s where you captivate people.” ‘Cause they just went out there and back raked each other for fifteen minutes, they’re both like fifty five by that point, but the entrance he just walks down, Roddy Piper music, and he just walks to the ring, down the ramp, with like this death stare at the ring, like this thousand yard, like he’s in a different mental place. He’s doing nothing but doing everything. The way he walks the ring, you know that Roddy Piper is ready to die in the ring fighting the NWO that night, he does not care, he will fight to the death. This is the end of the world fight. It’s so hard to capture that anymore because it’s such a fun, entertainment thing nowadays. We have so many shows and so much content. When is there an end of the world fight to the death anymore?”

On his current role in WWE:

“Lenny Harris was a utility player for the [Cincinatti] Reds, he’s on my favorite players because he literally played every position on every night he played a different position. First base, short stop, whatever, but he was a beloved guy because he was always there and could do anything. I think I’m one of the only guys here, I mean we have so much great talent here, but I can do anything. I can literally do anything. That’s not me being like, “oh I’m so great,” I’m just like. I know what I’m doing. I’m not some schmuck they just hired and threw down in the Performance Center and gave him an entrance or anything that like. I’ve been around enough and have enough experience, I know what I’m doing pretty much. I like to think I’m a good mechanic for the company. “Oh well, we sprung a leak? Call Ambrose, throw him in there.” I like that because I think it has really upped my value with the company and I think that they realize nowadays too another Dean Ambrose isn’t going to walk through the door anytime soon or ever. So. I kind of exist in my own little space, I kind of got my own little corner of the room carved out for myself which I like.”

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Today, WWE 2K16 got some new downloadable content (or DLC), the Legends pack, which adds six of WWE’s greatest legends (almost all of whom are Hall of Famers) to the game: The Big Boss Man, Trish Stratus, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Lita, and Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig). The DLC pack is $8.99 on its own but is also available as part of the $24.99 Season Pass that covers all of the game’s DLC.

Also, the Terminator DLC, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as his most iconic character, is now available as a standalone item for $4.99. Previously available only as a pre-order code with early copies of the game, it features Arnold as the T-800 character with looks inspired by tge first two Terminator films.

Here’s 2K’s whole press release:

2K today announced WWE 2K16’s next downloadable content offering, the Legends Pack, is available now for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, as well as Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system, and Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft for a suggested price of $8.99. TheLegends Pack features a diverse roster of playable talent, including WWE Hall of Famers Dusty Rhodes, Lita, Mr. Perfect, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Trish Stratus, as well as WWE Legend Big Boss Man.

Also available for standalone purchase today is blockbuster action film star and WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger, playable as two characters – T-800 from The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day films – for a suggested price of $4.99.

The Legends Pack is also included in the WWE 2K16 Season Pass. For a suggested price of $24.99, a savings of more than 20 percent versus individual content purchases, players will receive the following items as they become available:

• Accelerator
  • Players will gain instant access to all unlockable content available in the game (excluding downloadable content);
• New Moves Pack
  • Featuring more than 30 new moves, including the Corner Enzuigiri (made popular by WWE Diva Nikki Bella), Avalanche Ram (made popular by WWE Diva Paige), Sidewinder Suplex (made popular by WWE Superstar Kevin Owens), Standing Crossface Chickenwing (made popular by WWE Superstar Stardust) and Dragon Sleeper (made popular by NXT Superstar Finn Bálor);
• 2015 Hall of Fame Showcase
  • Playable matches include:
    • “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts;
    • Rikishi vs. The Rock;
    • Alundra Blayze vs. Paige;
    • Larry Zbyszko and Arn Anderson vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes
    • Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ric Flair;
    • The Bushwhackers (Butch Miller and Luke  Williams) vs. The Natural Disasters (Typhoon and Earthquake);
    • The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) vs. Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray);
• Future Stars Pack                                                                                             
  • Playable NXT Superstars: Samoa Joe, Diego, Fernando, Blake and Murphy

Additional downloadable content available now for WWE 2K16 includes the following:

• MyPlayer KickStart (PS4™ system and Xbox One Exclusive)
  • Players will gain instant access to boost created Superstar ratings and attributes in the game’s MyCareer mode

Developed collaboratively by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K16 is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and is available now for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

– The following is the latest trailer for The Masked Saint, which is scheduled for a January 8th release next year. The movie features WWE Hall Of Famer Roddy Piper in what appears to be his last-ever theatrical release.

– The Hard Knocks South Gym out of Tampa, Florida posted the following photo of John Cena today. The photo features Cena squatting a new personal record of 611 pounds.

New PR for @JohnCena. 611lbs. And yes squat nerds, it was very much low enough. pic.twitter.com/uQyyIGxgzw

— Hard Nocks South (@HardNocksSouth) November 3, 2015

– WWE posted the following look at their “Rise Above Cancer” campaign with the Susan G. Komen Foundation last month.

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Here’s something you may not know about “Rowdy” Roddy Piper: He was a black belt in judo under “Judo” Gene LeBell. One of the two sons of promoter Aileen Eaton, LeBell and his brother Mike eventually took over the Los Angeles promotion where Piper got his first big break.  Gene also worked as an underneath wrestler and the promotion’s “policeman” before retiring and becoming a uniquely animated TV interviewer. So he had plenty of dealings with Piper, and they became friends for decades, coming to an abrupt end over the Summer when Piper passed away.

Today, a new interview with LeBell was released by Submission Radio. Being that it’s the first time he’s been on the show since Piper’s death, they asked LeBell about his friend:

Well Roddy Pipper, he’s good. I mean, when I say good, I don’t take that lightly. He would have made a fortune off MMA, but he was making a fortune doing Piper’s Pit. And every time he got in a bad mood he’d call me up ‘come on, we’re going down to the gym and wrestle’. And he spent a lot of time on an airplane, going from town to town. He had a little radio program here I was on, and two days before he passed, I was with him and he said he wants to come down on Monday to the dojo and workout. And I said ‘no problem’. I says ‘how do you feel’? He says “I’m tired. Gene, I’m really tired”. And you burn the candle at both ends, it’s gonna come up and get you in the middle.

[…]

So anyway, he at 61, he passed. And I used to – I have a terrible memory. But I used to tell him, every year his birthday was April 17th and 1954. And I said ‘oh, it’s you’re birthday’, you know and he always asks ‘how do you remember?’. Well I do things through association. I won Judo nationals through that date for the US on April 17th 1954. So you know, now I am 104 and going up, but he was a good guy.

Live Audio Wrestling out of Canada recently caught up with WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart to talk about the passing of his close friend, Roddy Piper, on the new “The Kliq Rules” WWE DVD and the latest Owen Hart project.

Below are some of the highlights from the interview, which you can watch in full above.

On the death of his close friend, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper: “Roddy’s a really hard one; that’s like losing a brother. I can’t say I’ve gotten over it. If anything, I haven’t even really absorbed it yet. I find myself reaching for the phone all the time to give Roddy a call. He was so much more than any of the other wrestlers who worked with me. He was a guy that mentored me and helped me in the very beginning of my career. He gave me advice back at a time when nobody was giving advice to me. Always good advice. When I wrestled him at WrestleMania VIII, I look back at those times – Mr. Perfect would be another one – there’s a few guys who would reach down and help pull someone like me up to the next level. You can take your Jake Roberts and your Hulk Hogans and your Ultimate Warriors and a lot of these guys that were big names back then, but they never did anything for me. They never helped me, they never thought of helping me, and when they had a chance to help me they never did. But Roddy Piper was a guy that looked after guys like me, and a lot of the younger talent when the opportunity came for him to help make my career and pull me up to the next level. I owe a lot to Roddy Piper.”

On the recent release of “The Kliq Rules” DVD: “They were literally a cancer in the dressing room, all of them. I don’t doubt that Shawn Michaels is sorry for a lot of that kind of behaviour. Kevin Nash was a great wrestler and a good guy, but I don’t think he could be that proud of that association. It was a cancerous environment in the dressing room with those guys and they certainly did more negative than positive to the business. Scott Hall, all you have to do is just look at him. He’s a train-wreck with his own life and he was a malcontent, or a guy that when you were close to him long enough you start to feel the same way he did; you just felt so self-destructive and unhappy with your life and your job and everything. He was a guy that was infectious with his bad, bad sort of moods and unhappiness in his own life that would spread to all the other wrestlers. And you know, I’m glad I’m not remembered for that kind of stuff. I’m remembered – I think if you talk to different wrestlers from that era, the Savio Vegas and those kinds of wrestlers that were on my cards – they’re all pretty proud of how I conducted myself, how I related to them and how I may have been the top guy but I didn’t act like a superstar; not to my friends and not to my peers.”

On the upcoming “Owen: Hart of Gold” DVD: “I’m looking forward to it but I’m not really optimistic that it’s going to be a great job. Martha [Hart, Owen’s widow] handcuffed them so much. I don’t know if they’re even allowed to use any pictures from the past. It’s a poorly done DVD because of all the restraints and the limitations that Martha put on it. To me, that’s such a lousy thing to have happen. I think Owen would turn in his grave if he knew how much trouble Martha has gone to erase his career and make sure that nobody enjoys anything about his career today. It’s a bitterness and selfishness that I can’t stand by anymore. I think Martha’s taken the wrong approach and she should understand that, you know, we all miss Owen. I lost a brother, I lost a great friend and maybe one of the closest people I knew on this earth. I want to celebrate his career, I want to watch his matches back – not just with me, but with everybody he worked with. His time with WWE, they got so much footage and so many great memories with Owen, and here she is standing in the way of that saying, “Nobody can see these videos. No one should see anything that brings back any of his career.” […] They couldn’t use any pictures from his childhood, they couldn’t use anything from Stampede Wrestling. They had so many restraints. Even the interviews, the questions that they did with me were so bullshit. The whole thing was so bullshit that sure, there’s an Owen Hart DVD, but it’s the shits. […] I think WWE maybe had good intentions, but I’m not very impressed with the quality that it’s going to be. I haven’t seen it, I’m not optimistic but I’m hoping that it’ll be better than I think. But I could tell by the questions that they asked me and the interview that they did with me that it was a very short version of [Owen’s story]. I’m not really gonna hold up hope that it’s gonna be as great as it should be, and I feel bad because that’s Martha’s fault.”

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As reported earlier this week, WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart took part in a Periscope Q&A with TSN and during the discussion, “The Hitman” had some negative comments to make about a fellow WWE Hall Of Famer.

Hart reportedly stated that he hopes “The Hulkster” never comes back and while he doesn’t remember him as a racist, he is “kind of glad” Hogan got busted for something.

Bret Hart also mentioned that Hogan is probably “glad” that Roddy Piper died because his passing took the edge off of the racism controversy that Hogan had been dealing with at the time.

Hogan, who eventually caught wind of the comments made by Hart, took to social media to offer the following response:

https://twitter.com/HulkHogan/status/640009577619136512

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https://youtu.be/4AgYsM8DWh4

Bret Hart took part in a Q&A session on Twitter and Periscope this week to discuss a bunch of topics, including Hulk Hogan’s racism controversy, CM Punk’s WWE departure, the Hart Foundation and more. Here are some highlights:

– Kevin Owens is one of his favorite wrestler, period. He’s a hard worker, a great heel and looks like a wrestler. Bret doesn’t agree with people who say he’s fat. He’s stocky and solid and resembles great big men like Bam Bam Bigelow.

– Bret loves CM Punk and says wrestling hasn’t been the same since he left. He was the best of the last generation and raised the bar for everyone. He was innovative, had a great sense of psychology and stood up for all the right things. Punk did what needed to be done and Bret has nothing but respect for him.

– Bret hopes Hulk Hogan never returns to WWE. Hogan should stay in Tampa in his little world of idol worship of himself. He feels bad for Hulk because he doesn’t remember him being a racist, but in his experience, a vast majority of white southern wrestlers “tend to be a little racial all of the time” and the n-word was used frequently whenever there wasn’t a black guy in the room. He’s glad Hulk got busted.

– Roddy Piper was the guy he kept in touch with the most from his wrestling days and it’s very sad he’s gone. He talks to Steve Austin, CM Punk, the Bella Twins and Natalya & Tyson Kidd. Most of his friends from his era are gone.

– Bret thinks Cody Rhodes is the best technical wrestler today. He also put over Goldust. He likes Seth Rollins a lot, but can’t forgive him for breaking John Cena’s nose and said you can’t call yourself a great wrestler when you’re making big mistakes like that.

– He thinks The Sharpshooter is the best finisher in wrestling history.

– Bret named Tyson Kidd as a very underrated wrestler.

– His best match ever was the Iron Man Match with Shawn Michaels at WresteMania 12 and thinks his match with Steve Austin the following year was a “work of art.”

WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On how his preparation differs from other WWE Superstars: “I like to take things moment to moment. I don’t try to be anything that I’m not because that would be in-authentic and I was blessed with certain talents and certain abilities and others I wasn’t. I try to do things I do and do them well and I don’t try to pretend to be anything that I’m not. If I’m in a bad mood, your gonna get Dean Ambrose in a bad mood. If I’m in a good mood your gonna get happy, fun Dean Ambrose that day. I would literally take whatever I’m feeling, that’s just what you will see in the ring.

I like to just be myself and I just go out there and kind of just do whatever I want to my own devices and it’s kind of just not just the fans but WWE slowly realized another Dean Ambrose isn’t going to walk through the door anytime soon. So I kind of occupy my own space and kind of carve out my own little spot. Fans don’t want to tune in and see you do the same things every week and when they hear your music for me they like to think that any wild thing may happen when I come through the curtain because sometimes I don’t know. I make as much up as I possibly can as I go along.”

On his memories of the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper: “Everybody loves Roddy Piper. There’s so many of these shocking out of nowhere passings and it’s so weird because these are the guys that my generation grew up watching, it sucks. Everybody loves The Hot Rod and my favorite Roddy Piper memory is a very specific one because I recently not too long ago watched it. Starrcade 96 when he fought Hogan for the Championship when he came back to WCW, it was a terrible, sloppy match with two old guys but awesome and was such a spectacle.

The cool part of it was his entrance. One of the best entrances you will ever see if you really watch it and you are into the story and you really watch what he is doing, it’s like this death march to the ring. You have this on-going decade long blood-feud with Hogan and he knows that he is going to get beat up by the nWo and ganged up on 20-1 and it’s a one man war against the nWo and he’s just coming down the aisle as simple as can be, no flashy entrance or pyrotechnics. In WWE everyone has the special entrance.

In NXT they have a dance move that they do and they get in the ring the same way every time and its like their schtick. It was so refreshing to go back and watch that because he comes out and just stares at the ring and burns a hole with his eyes and walks down the aisle as simple as humanly possible. His eyes are just cold and it just tells so much, you know he is willing to go in there in the middle of that ring. He is going to fight to the end. If he walks away with the championship, cool but he’s prepared for this to be the end. It’s very intense and most people who watch it wouldn’t put that much thought into it but get on WWE Network, watch Starrcade 96 and just watch Piper’s entrance it’s such a cool thing.”

On being compared to stars such as Piper, Terry Funk and Brian Pillman: “I really can’t answer that because I try not to put any thought into what I am doing. I go by what I feel, whatever happens, happens. I think a lot of those guys probably thought the same way.”

On the reason he works so well with Seth Rollins: “Our styles just meshed well. First time we ever wrestled was in FCW. We never crossed paths before. It was maybe one of the first times that people started to pay attention to what was going on in Developmental just from a wrestling standpoint. I had a certain following and he had kind of ran with a different crowd on the indy scene like Ring of Honor and it kind of was a clash of indy worlds happening in Developmental. It just clicked immediately. I felt that stuff that he did was complimenting the stuff that I did.

The stretching and they physical stuff in the holds, it was such a phsyical style I was doing at the time and just kind of meshed with his and it was like peanut butter and jelly, like mixed perfectly together the stuff that we were doing. He is such a smart guy and visualizes and comes up with cool things and then you have just the way that I would like go off-the-cuff a lot of times, we could go out and wrestle thirty minutes and literally not talk at all before hand, it just meshes well and then you know WWE styles still mesh and it’s hard to explain. There’s just that certain chemistry with people. He’s so good, its like anyone can have a good match with Seth Rollins and we kind of bring out the best in each other from a healthy competitive standpoint and all the great opponents always had that together like Ric Flair/Ricky Steamboat and Nick Bockwinkel/ Verne Gagne.”

On who in WWE tries to bring down the house the most: “I think all of the core group of guys right now, myself, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, The Wyatts I think we all have that competitive chemistry with each other because we are kind of pushing each other and we are the guys kind of carrying the load right now as far as 300 nights a year. We are the guys who are counted on to tear the house down and wrestle 15-20 minutes on Raw each week and I think that’s a real healthy thing across the board.”

Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.

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– Following the “ring rat” controversy between Amanda and Sara Lee on this week’s edition of the WWE Tough Enough post-show, “Tough Talk,” WWE has banned another term. After the show, where Amanda accused Sara Lee of being a “ring rat,” WWE sent word that the term “ring rat” is banned from any stories on their website.

– Among the pro wrestlers who attended the invitation-only funeral for the late WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper at The Comedy Store in Hollywood, California on August 17th were Austin Aries, Diamond Dallas Page, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Chavo Guerrero Sr., Mando Guerrero, Lisa Marie Varon, Gene LeBell, Rock Riddle, Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett, Dave Marquez, Will Sasso, John Morrison and Rick Bassman.

– The following are some recent WWE attendance figures:

* August 15th in Citrus Springs, FL for NXT drew 300 fans
* August 15th in Detroit drew 5,500 fans (Seth Rollins tour, John Cena pulled)
* August 15th in Sioux Falls, SD drew 3,500 fans (Roman Reigns tour)
* August 16th in Bemidji, MN drew 2,500 fans (Rollins tour)
* August 16th in Fargo, ND drew 5,500 fans (Reigns tour)
* August 17th in Minneapolis for RAW drew 10,000 fans

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(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The cause of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s sudden death at 61 has been confirmed.

His death certificate, obtained by TMZ.com, states that the WWE Hall of Famer died of a heart attack triggered by a pulmonary embolism in his lungs on July 31, 2015.

Piper, who is survived by his wife Kitty and four children, was found dead that day in his home in Hollywood, California. He died in his sleep.

Piper was a professional wrestler for 45 years, the record confirms, and had a history of high blood pressure and hypertension, which is a known cause of clotting. He was previously diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2006, though last November he declared was cancer free.

Piper’s death certificate, which TMZ has posted, can be seen here.

WWE legend The Honky Tonk Man recently released a video where he revealed the fact that he and Roddy Piper were having some issues at the time of his passing.

HTM and Piper had some Twitter exchanges earlier this year after Piper called HTM an “assh*le” on The Adam Carolla Show and said he was jealous.

HTM claimed that as far as he knew, he and Piper were on good terms when he passed away and he was recently looking to appear on the “Piper’s Pit” podcast. He also noted that the two were supposed to meet up at a wrestling convention in California to smooth things out.

“We were going to kind of bury the hatchet, so to speak, and find out really what our problem had been, that I wasn’t aware we had one,” said HTM. “But I was looking forward to seeing him and talking about it.”

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Following his untimely passing, Diamond Dallas Page reflects and shares some stories on the late, great “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

Lucha Underground star Chavo Guerrero recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On what is The Chavo Show and what makes it different from other shows: “What I didn’t want to do is another wrestlers podcast. This is a different kind of interview show on the net and you know how the interest of fans go, so it’s a quick little twelve to nineteen minute video thing but it’s actually more then just a podcast with talking it will be something where you can see us interacting.”

On Roddy Piper taping the pilot episode of The Chavo Show: “The way it came about and it’s sad that we are even talking about it like that now but it was going to be my pilot episode. That actually was the fourth episode that I filmed but it was Piper, so he gave us some They Live stories and how that all came about, I’ve known the guy since I was five years old so just the camaraderie of us hanging out together really came through on camera and since things weren’t really ready we were wondering, do we scrap this episode but it was just so good and I want people to see Roddy the way I knew Roddy. It’s getting a great buzz and again Roddy Piper is getting ratings and stealing the show and thank GOD he was able to help me out so it’s kind of bitter-sweet. I am happy and proud it’s out there but I am missing my friend.”

On how do you handle working different characters and gimmicks when they are pitched: “A lot of times it was how things were done at TV and thinking about how you get on TV, so when they pitch stuff to you sometimes you say that’s something I probably wouldn’t pick for myself but if it was all up to us we would all be the Heavyweight Champion, the John Cena or the Batista. When they give you something it’s like, Ok let’s not knock it out of the park and let’s run with it. One thing that I’ve been told also is that I kind have shown on TV that I was able to do everything. I’ve been able to be a tag team wrestlers, a singles wrestler, a heel, a face, a different character making people laugh and cry and people hate me. So I’ve kind of been able to do a little bit in a sense, kind of do everything. Which is cool because that translates into Hollywood because they kind of start seeing different ones I play on TV and they start thinking wow this guy can do some stuff.”

On if being an accomplished performer has helped at Lucha Underground: “Being on Lucha Underground now it’s like a movie so you’ve got to be able to act a little bit. We go back there and the Director Skip Chasyn likes working with me because I can do things in a few takes so it’s kind of worked to my advantage.”

On Eddie Guerrero not being recognized by management while alive: “If you remember he (Eddie) went a long time with getting overlooked and passed over and told by WWF/WWE he was just a Cruiserweight and would never be THE guy. We all knew that Eddie was great. The fans knew that Eddie was great. But it’s like he wasn’t 6’10’ and he wasn’t 300 pounds, he was always the guy that could work and get those people over who couldn’t get themselves over. Eddie was in that spot for a long time and even after he was the World Champion in WWE he went back and he ended up working with Luther Reigns they wanted him to get this big (Kurt Angle’s) henchman over and Eddie was pissed. He was just coming off a World Champion run and now they wanted him to get a guy over when he should have been working with Triple H, with Shawn Michaels but they put him back with putting guys over. It took him a long time to get that recognition.”

On wrestlers similar to Eddie that don’t get the respect they should by management: “It makes me kind of angry a little bit. People always say he’s so good, well YES. Like CM Punk it was the same thing. He was really good, threatened leaving the company so they put the rocket on him for a little bit. Sometimes, the guys that are always held down are the guys that are the best ones at making everyone look good. They are so good at their craft that nobody else can make them look good so they are stuck in a rut just alway putting people over.”

On what made Eddie and Chavo, Los Guerreros so special as a team: “I think at that time and there were a lot of good tag teams that were at their best. The Hardyz, The Dudleyz, Edge and Christian were still around here and there but there was a lot of really, really good tag teams. But at that time as far as overall and as far as wrestling and performance and entertaining and kind of doing everything I feel that we were just in the zone. Teaming with Eddie was the best because we didn’t even have to talk matches. We knew each other so well, we’ve been doing this with the ring in the back yard since we were born it just came so natural to us.”

Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.

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Chyna has responded to Sean Waltman’s accusations that she “bum rushed” Triple H at Rowdy Roddy Piper’s Funeral and was almost taken down by security.

Chyna said she had no idea Hunter was going to be at Piper’s funeral, but they did come face to face outside after paying their respects.

She calmly embraced Triple H with a hug and whispered into his ear that she is sorry about everything she’s said about him this year.  She added that she has been under a great deal of emotional distress and felt the need to make peace with him.

Chyna says there was no ‘altercation’ and no security – “It was a tender moment between two people who once cared about each other.”

– WWE will be releasing out a special Roddy Piper tribute magazine on 8/31.

– Following up on our report about Stephanie McMahon cashing out over $2 million of WWE stock earlier this week, several other WWE executives have been selling of their shares as well:

• Kevin Dunn sold 40,000 shares of WWE stock on 8/5 at $22.74 for $909,600.
• Michelle Wilson, WWE’s Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, sold 25,000 of her shares for $546,284.
• Basil V. Devito Jr., WWE’s Senior Advisor of Business Strategies, sold 4,100 shares on 8/10 at $21.75 for $89,029.00.

– An interesting note on the Seth Rollins vs. Neville WWE title match last week on RAW (8/6). This was the first time the WWE championship was defended on RAW since January 7, 2013, when CM Punk faced Ryback in a TLC match.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)