Remembering "The Hot Rod": Roddy Piper 1954-2015

I had planned my last post of the week to be about Lucha Underground's first Ultima Lucha. Instead, I'm talking about something far sadder.

Image credit: WWE.com.

I'm not quite sure how to write about the death of Roderick Toombs, the man we all came to know in the early 1980s as Roddy Piper. He is such an essential aspect of my childhood, but not for the same reason an Ultimate Warrior or a Junkyard Dog was. After Darth Vader and the Emperor, he was the first icon of evil, I really remember.

Daniel Bryan, John Cena, and the Divas

Ten years ago, I'd have said John Cena was a punk. I am not a fan of white rappers, especially ones who do it part time as a hobby, and Cena was one of the worst wrestling rappers of all time. Like Brock Lesnar, Cena came at the end of my time watching the WWE, when I came back, I wasn't really surprised that Cena was still around, but I wasn't happy about it.

When I came back to the WWE universe, I took an immediately liking to Daniel Bryan. He was just so different than the old style wrestlers, his in-ring skills were impressive and while his beard is pretty nasty, it was unique. Much like Mick Foley, Daniel Bryan had that 'everyman' vibe, that he was just like one us, but his hard work and perseverance took him right to the top of Wrestlemania 30. Every time I heard a story or rumor that Vince McMahon didn't like Bryan, the more I wanted to support him. His work with ROH was phenomenal, whereas Cena has been a WWE company boy from day 1.