The wrestling community is still reeling from the passing of the late, great Roddy Piper. He seemed to have a profound effect on everyone who had the chance to know him even a little, and it’s hard to imagine the grief those close to him must be feeling.
While people like CM Punk, A.J. Lee, and The Rock have cited him as inspirations, few wrestler’s careers were as directly influenced by Piper as Bret Hart. Both debuted for the then-WWF in 1984, but Bret cites their WrestleMania VIII match as the thing that really put him over.
After hearing of the news, Bret wrote the following on his official Facebook page:
I can’t find the words to describe the sorrow in my heart upon learning the news of my dear friend, Roddy Piper, passing away. He was my closest friend in the business, a man that schooled me and guided me throughout my career. In fact, if it wasn’t for Roddy Piper reaching out to help me, I’m sure I would’ve been a mere footnote in wrestling.
He was always there for me. He was family to me, a brother who loved me and was there for me through my darkest days. He was the only wrestler to come visit me when I suffered a stroke in 2002. He totally made me at WrestleMania 8 in our classic match. Passing a torch that many from that era couldn’t conceive of doing. We always called each other “cuz” because we were so close.
I loved you Roddy, and I’ll miss you and your laugh for the rest of my days. I’m stunned and the hole in my heart will widen as it sinks in that I lost a brother of such great worth. What a tragic loss to all that knew him.
Man, it sure is gonna be great when we can stop writing these posts.
