With the loss of wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper still fresh in our minds, it felt like the appropriate time to revisit this fun and bizarre television gem from 30-years ago. The Saturday Morning Cartoon Preview Special is a thing that started in the ’70s and rapidly gained popularity throughout the following decade.
The big four networks all took part and delivered to us some classic feats of television from CBS’ weird Dukes of Hazzard-themed, Scott Baio-hosted special, to NBC’s nightmare inducing TV hour starring the Cosby Show‘s Keshia Knight Pulliam and featuring the cast of Punky Brewster.
In 1985, the meteoric rise of many WWF wrestling personalities found celebrity status. CBS took advantage of this trend and pulled out all the frickin’ stops with their All-Star Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Saturday Spectacular, hosted by Rowdy Roddy Piper himself. What you get here is 100 % pure pop culture nostalgia as children’s entertainment from the ’80s meets the raucous and hilarious nature of Piper’s Pit.
With fresh previews of some now animated classics — along with a mixed bag of celebrity guests like Pee Wee Herman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, New Edition, Herve Villechaize, and Cindy Lauper — this special always comes to mind when I think of Roddy Piper. He was one of my favorite all-time wrestlers and his influence on the decade of my upbringing can be strongly felt in this strange, yet nostalgic, special. R.I.P Roddy.
Enjoy the weirdness, folks.
(Via YouTube)
