The Man, the Myth, the Legend Vol. 3: Rowdy Roddy Piper

6. The Legendary Dog Collar Match series

The Rowdy One wound up in JC Productions territory after a falling out with GCW. Once there he continued to work as a babyface, feuding with all the top heels. However, it was his feud with Greg Valentine that probably made his career--though with a cost.

With pro wrestling growing more competitive, the various territories started trying out new match types, like the Bunkhouse Stampede (something akin to the modern Royal Rumble), cage matches, and Texas Death matches (last man standing.)

Piper and Valentine both claim to have come up with the idea for the dog collar match. As Piper put it, the two of them 'beat the holy hell' out of each other for months, performing the brutal match in front of different crowds as they traveled.

The fans loved the brutality, and the toughness both men displayed. Unfortunately, at one of their matches, Valentine wrapped the chain around his fist and pounded Piper in the head a little too hard. Piper's eardrum ruptured, and he would lose nearly half of his hearing in that ear.