Roddy Piper
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper, as they used to call him, was a Canadian professional wrestler. Because of his Scottish heritage, he would often appear on matches dressed in a kilt, followed by bagpipe music. It was this Scottish short temper that earned him both nicknames Rowdy and Hot Rod. He appeared in numerous shows and movies, including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Carpenter’s cult creation They Live. He died in 2015 in his sleep, following a cardiac arrest brought on by hypertension.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Jake Roberts was also known as The Snake because of his love for these slithering reptiles that he would sometimes bring into the ring. Near the end of his career, he became fat and his drug abuse created lots of problems. Fortunately, in an effort to bring his old self back, he moved in with Diamond Dallas Page, who helped him lose weight and sign up into rehab. Thanks to DDP’s unique yoga plan, The Snake managed to shed quite a lot of skin and get on the right track.
Ric Flair
Ric Flair is one of those guys who can’t keep the problems in the ring. Instead, his life is much more chaotic than any on-screen drama he was ever a part of. Among his many problems were: a million dollar tax debt, abuse of his ex-wives, indecent exposure on a plane, fight with his son on his daughter’s weddin, etc. Furthermore, he had many real-life feuds with his co-workers like Bret Hart, Shane Douglas, Mick Foley, Hulk Hogan, and many more. Basically, he is living out all of his on-screen drama.
Randy “Macho Man” Savage
Randy’s career lasted 32 years. In that time, he managed to win 29 championships, which is quite an achievement. Besides wrestling, he appeared in many feature films and TV shows. He had a uniquely deep and hoarse voice, which is why he had numerous voice acting jobs. He died in 2011, after suffering a heart attack, during a drive with his wife. The crash injuries were minor, but his enlarged heart stopped working due to shock.
Hulk Hogan
One of the most memorable characters in professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan surely cashed in his wrestling fame through many movies, shows and various different appearances, including his own reality show Hogan Knows Best. From that point on it seems that things haven’t been that great for Hulk. His wife divorced him, his son seriously injured his friend in a car accident, and the reality show came to an end. Besides that, a video of him and radio host Bubba the Love Sponge’s wife emerged showing some explicit action. Furthermore, following the release of the tape, Hogan was fired from WWE for making racist comments in it. We hope things will get better for this true embodiment of professional wrestling.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
