Ronda Rousey was a destructive force in the UFC. Her popularity made her an easy transition to the world of sports entertainment and WWE. With her came the “Rowdy” nickname made so popular by Roddy Piper, a tribute that she was once afraid to make, but which has become a staple of her character.
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s Wrestling Legacy
Several wrestlers have the distinction of being big name stars in both the 80s and the 90s, with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart being among them. All of those names were world champions. Another name who was a star during those decades, but who never held a world championship, was “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
It’s a shame that Piper was never a world champion. Frankly though, he didn’t need a belt to be over. Piper was beloved, not for his championship totals or stellar in ring work, but by being such a great character, that whether he worked as a heel or face, he got over with the fans to the point that he became a household hame.
Few could dominate on the mic like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. His Piper’s Pit segments are some of WWE’s best moments, with the popular talk show format still being used to this day by wrestlers like The Miz. Piper worked more as a brawler, but no one could touch him in promos. It’s no wonder that MJF is such a huge fan. Who else could come to the ring to bagpipes while wearing a kilt and still be seen as the baddest man in the arena?
RELATED: 10 Best Roddy Piper Matches, According To Dave Meltzer
Why Ronda Rousey Adopted The “Rowdy” Moniker
Speaking of the baddest, Ronda Rousey might be billed as “The Baddest Woman on the Planet,” but it’s not just a catchphrase to a gimmick. Rousey has lived it. That came first as an Olympic medal winning judoka, before transitioning into an extremely successful mixed martial arts career.
Early in her career, when trying to think of a nickname, several people pointed out the alliteration of “Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey. The notion made Rousey uncomfortable, because it felt like stealing, when that’s what Roddy Piper was already so well known as being.
But then Rousey got to meet Piper. “I happened to see the 'Rowdy' one,” Rousey said in A&E’s Biography: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “and got his blessing and he was very sweet about it. He was like, 'Sure kid, no problem. Better do the name proud' or something like that."
Rousey did the name proud for sure. There was a point that Ronda Rousey’s dominance in the UFC was so overwhelming that she arguably became the most popular athlete, male or female, in the country. When Piper passed away in 2015, Rousey even dedicated her UFC 190 fight to him.
Rousey’s love for Piper spreads to his family. She has met Piper’s widow, Kathy Toombs, telling her, “Thank you so much for everything. Thank you for trusting me.” She has even trained in the wrestling ring with Piper’s daughter, Ariel Teal Toombs.
RELATED: 10 Things You Should Know About Ronda Rousey's UFC Career
Ronda Rousey Has Finally Become Rowdy Like Roddy Piper
It was a colossal moment when Rousey transitioned from the world of UFC to WWE. Love her or hate her, who can forget when she showed up in a WWE arena at the end of Royal Rumble 2018, noticeably clad in a leather jacket and a white “Hot Ronda,” shirt, emulating her fallen hero. That jacket actually belonged to Piper, given to Rousey by his son.
She was quickly pushed to the top of the WWE women’s division, becoming the Raw Women’s Champion, and battling it out with Becky Lynch and Charlotte, as the trio made history by being the first women to main event a WrestleMania at WrestleMania 35.
Fans had a big complaint, however. Rousey no longer seemed “rowdy.” In the ring we might get some of her badass mixed martial arts moves, but her character was flat. She was a smiling babyface who simply seemed happy to be there. There was so little of that scary, intimidating persona we saw in the UFC.
In the past few months that has finally changed, with Rousey’s heel turn that has actually worked to get her cheered more. Rousey has tapped into her inner “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, not just by beating up the likes of Adam Pearce, but in the way she verbally tears down him and everyone in her path. She has finally been set free to be as rowdy as she can be. Being herself, just as Roddy Piper was always himself, has become the best way she could ever honor “the rowdy one.”
