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Roddy Piper- WWE The War to Settle the Score, February 1985
Rowdy" Roddy Piper is yet another WWE name that appears in the category of “Superstars who didn’t need the title.” But just because someone didn’t need it doesn’t mean they weren’t deserving.
The inaugural WrestleMania, Vince’s McMahon’s brainchild, changed the pro wrestling landscape forever. The event was headlined by the WWE’s new golden goose, Hulk Hogan teaming up with celebrity Mr. T to face the team of Paul Orndorff and perhaps the most hated man in wrestling at the time, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
As popular as Hogan was, there is little debate that the heat that Piper was able to generate for himself made Hogan that much more beloved as the conquering hero.
In the lead-up to 'Mania, Hogan and Piper would face each other at The War to Settle the Score. The match ended in a disqualification and ultimately led to the tag team main event for WrestleMania. Some fans wonder what would it have been like to see Piper take the title from Hogan at this event and set up an epic rematch between the two for the championship at WrestleMania.
There, Hogan could have regained the title in glorious fashion in front of a nationwide audience. The celebrity element could still have been easily included, but this approach could have put the focus on Hogan as the face of wrestling.
WWE could have easily capitalized on the heat-seeking nature of Piper. He deserved to be rewarded for his role in making his feud with Hogan worthy of necessitating a stage like WrestleMania. This was the time to do so.
