Roddy Piper

Roderick George "Roddy" Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, actor, and podcast host.

In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1984 and 2000. Although he was Canadian, because of his Scottish heritage he was billed as coming from Glasgow and was known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance music. He earned the nicknames "Rowdy" and "Hot Rod" by displaying his trademark "Scottish" rage, spontaneity, and quick wit. Industry veteran Ric Flair hailed Piper as "the most gifted entertainer in the history of professional wrestling".

One of the most recognizable pro wrestling stars worldwide, Piper headlined numerous pay-per-view cards, including the WWF and WCW's respective premier annual events, WrestleMania and Starrcade. He accumulated 34 championships in various promotions during an in-ring career spanning 42 years. Piper's most notable rivals included Greg Valentine, Adrian Adonis, and Hulk Hogan, with the feud against Hogan also involving "Captain" Lou Albano and singer Cyndi Lauper, considered the beginning of Rock 'n' Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and was named as the top villain in wrestling history by WWE.

Adrian Adonis

Keith A. Franke (September 12, 1954 to July 4, 1988) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Adrian Adonis. He was best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association and World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1980s.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1974-1979)

Franke trained under Fred Atkins and debuted in 1974, wrestling under his real name. In the late 1970s, he adopted the ring name Adrian Adonis and the character of a brawling, leather jacket-clad biker.

American Wrestling Association (1979-1981)

In the late 1970s, Adonis joined the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association. In 1979, he formed a tag team with Jesse Ventura. The team was called The East-West Connection because Adonis was from New York (in the East), while Ventura was from California (in the West). The East-West Connection was awarded the AWA World Tag Team Championship on July 20, 1980, when Verne Gagne (one half of the tag champions with Mad Dog Vachon) was unable to defend it because he was vacationing in Europe. They held the belts until June 14, 1981, when they were defeated by Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell.