The Bad Man is, to this day, one of the greatest gimmicks of all time
#1 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Ad
Roddy Piper
Now, this may be considered cheating. Roddy Piper did have some Scottish heritage, but it's a whole different ball game when he's actually billed from Glasgow, Scotland when he's actually from Saskatchewan, Canada.
Ad
Trending
Roddy Piper is considered to be, by many, the greatest heel in all of professional wrestling. From his iconic edition of Piper's Pit where he bashed Jimmy Snuka with a coconut, to his wars with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, there was nobody that was able to get under the skin of the fans as much as the Hot Rod.
Not long after, though, he'd turn face, and after returning from a two-year hiatus to pursue a film career, he'd capture the Intercontinental Championship from The Mountie at Royal Rumble '92.
Ad
Ad
Piper's name actually came from an error early in his career when he was making his way to the ring while serenaded by bagpipes. The ring announcer didn't know much about him other than his name was Roddy, so he was called "Roddy the Piper".
Those bagpipes, the kilt, and everything else followed him throughout his career until his death in 2015. Piper was a legend, through and through, and rightfully tops our list today.
Ad
×
Feedback
Why did you not like this content?
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
About the author
Greg Bush
Greg is a pro wrestling writer at Sportskeeda. He has been an avid wrestling fan since he was able to do elbow drops off bunkbeds at the age of three. He's gone through the highs and lows of the Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression, and PG eras and lived to tell the tale, with his favorite wrestler of all time being Diamond Dallas Page. His other favorite star is the late great Bray Wyatt.
Greg has contributed to sites like Bleacher Report before joining Sportskeeda in 2017 as a content writer and editor. If you've ever checked out the various wrestling shows through our live coverage, chances are you've read Greg's work. Apart from the world within the squared circle, he also keeps track of other sports such as American football, baseball, golf, boxing, and MMA.
His goal with his writing is to be able to mentally take readers right into the action through his words. Greg strives to ensure his readers get nothing but the best and most accurate information by always checking and using only the best and most reliable sources.