Rest In Peace Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
I don’t think my words can express how great Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was as a wrestling manager and personality. So watch these videos and reminisce.
Remembering “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
Today is two years since “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has passed. He was an incredible force in wrestling and entertainment throughout my childhood, and into my adult life. As I was a wrestling fan from early childhood, Piper was always one of those guys who stood out to me. My first memories were when he feuded with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. As a small child the dog collar match really frightened me.
Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine (Dog Collar… by WWFOldSchool
A few years later, Piper would join the WWF and become an temporary manager, and personality, which led to his very own segment, “Pipers Pit”. This segment always consisted of Piper calling our other wrestlers to interview, then would insult them, and it would almost always end with a fight. The heat Piper had as a heel at WWF was amazing, and he hadn’t even wrestled. When he finally wrestled Hogan, in that MTV special with Cyndi Lauper and Captain Lou, he helped Hogan become more beloved by the crowd, for as snide and pompous as Piper could be, Hogan was equally wholesome and inspiring… it was one of Hogans more memorable moments of my childhood, and it was also what slung shot Piper to stardom.
Over the years Piper was the IC champion, was The “President” of the company, and was seen as a guest ref in matches, then from WWF went to WCW and ran an memorable feud with NWO that lasted nearly two years. He took a chunk of time off and returned to WWE in the early 2000’s, mostly in a non wrestling role. He left the company at some point, and had a brief run in TNA, after which he returned to WWE, as well as did a series of appearances on the Independent circuit before his death.
What really got me about Piper, was the way he was able to keep your attention. When he spoke, people listened, well unless they were booing… He could play the crowd like a violin, and very few wrestlers who have succeeded him, have even come close to his greatness on the mic. Piper influenced a legion of wrestlers, managers, and personalities, with his quick wit, and his seemingly boundless energy and love for the business.
He will never be forgotten.
Wrestler of the Week: Bob Backlund
BetWrestling.com’s Wrestler of the Week is The Greatest President we never had: Mr. Bob Backlund!
Remembering Andre The Giant
Andre The Giant died 24 years ago today. He stood an astounding 7’4″ and was one of the tallest wrestlers in the world. He was born in France in 1946 and began his wrestling career at 17 years old, in his home country. In the 1970’s he made his way to the United States to wrestle for Verne Gangne, and Vince McMahon Sr. By the 1980′ s he was a larger than life superstar inside and outside the ring. He died January 27, 1993 at the young age of 46, in France.
BetWrestling Staff Remember Andre:
Liz Savage:
“Some of my earliest wrestling memories were of Andre The Giant. Despite his size, he never scared me. I’ll never forget Wrestlemania III when no one though Hogan would defeat him, let alone pick him up to slam him! He has been undefeated for 15 years by then, which is a feat in itself. I also grew up as a huge fan of The Princess Bride, and his work in this movie. Losing a legend of this caliber at such a young age was really sad. Rest In Peace Andre. ”
Andre the Giant was a bit before my time, but he was a household name and I became a fan of the sport during his twilight years. I was really into Andre turning on The Heenan Family at Wrestlemania VI. I loved him in Cyndi Lauper’s music video, Goonies are good Enough Part 2.
Rest In Peace Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
We would like to extend our condolences to the Family of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. Jimmy was 73, and was suffering from stomach cancer. He recently was deemed unfit to stand trial for the death of his girlfriend in 1983 as we have previously reported.
Jimmy was known as a high flying wrestler, who was very much the inspiration for what you see in wrestling today. Jimmy was also one of the few wrestlers to wrestle barefooted. He also was the first person to wrestle the Undertaker. In his career he worked for many wrestling companies and territories, and worked the independent wrestling circuit until 2014.
On a personal note. I worked on a few shows with him during the time I was involved in wrestling. He treated everyone with respect, whether you were the champ or the ring crew, and was a very humble man. It was always a pleasure to be in his presence.
Rest in peace.