[1997-02-03-WCW-Nitro] Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Roddy Piper returns to Nitro and immediately dates himself with a rubik's cube reference. He has his son with him. He says he's been offered another shot, but he doesn't feel like he has anything to prove, and it's time to be a father. Cue Hogan and the NWO. Piper says "Terry, please don't do this, man."

 

Hogan tells him he wants him to drop to his knees and beg for mercy and he and Bischoff have fun taunting Piper for a few minutes. Hogan and Bischoff want Piper to say "Hollywood Hogan beat me like a drum". Piper says it just so he can get out of there. Then, he wants Piper to admit that Hogan is the icon. Piper cooperates because again, he just wants to leave the ring with his kid. Hogan gets in his face one more time and accuses him of hiding behind his kid, says he disgusts him and tells him to leave the ring. Hogan slaps him on the back of the head a few times as he's leaving and Piper tries his hardest to keep his cool but hands his kid to a friend at ringside then explodes on Hogan.

 

This segment was great for setting up a main event. Hogan and Bischoff were phenomenal in this.

[soup23]

Funny to see Colt at this age. Piper always has a problem of saying a couple of things that make you go huh. We had two here with the Rubiks Cube thing and the San Francisco with my fisto line at the end. However, you can sort of just throw that off as Piper being a wiry person and everything else he does in the segment is gold. He transforms himself from the old, battered father that wants to be a family man to the crazed maniac that can't give up the chance at the belt and a piece of Hogan.

 

Hogan and Bischoff were also amazing at goading him into this match. Vince as a heel both in 1997 and 1998 I'm sure will be amazing but Bischoff I think gets shortchanged as he has been incredible so far this year and the perfect Boss suck up that the group keeps around because of the power he weilds but he is not aware of it. This was a good way to build heat for the rematch and make it feel like there was an issue left to decide.

[Kevin Ridge]

Piper brings his kid out to the ring which isn't the smartest idea. I don't care for Piper talking about Patriots losing to Packers in Superbowl. Hogan and Bischoff find this as a perfect opportunity to show up. Piper is more worried about his kid and not ready to fight. Kid is a pro going along with this. Piper ends up beating up both Hogan and Bischoff. Title match is on at Superbrawl.

[stomperspc]

Hogan was fantastic in this segment. There was just nothing redeemable about him here at all. I've never been a big Piper fan and he wears out his welcome pretty quickly during his 1997 WCW run but Hogan was so great here that it is hard not to get behind Piper.

[BackToBionic]

Funny to see Colt at this age. Piper always has a problem of saying a couple of things that make you go huh. We had two here with the Rubiks Cube thing and the San Francisco with my fisto line at the end.

He actually says "In San Francisco, watch my fists go" which makes somewhat more sense.

[El-P]

Yeah, another tremendous angle and amazing Hogan promo. Bischoff is pretty great as a sidekick too. I find it argue not to agree with Hogan when he says Piper knew what he was doing by bringing the kid out there. But whatever, Piper finally cracking up and beating the shit out of both of them really made the segment pretty much perfect, although a redux of Starrcade already begins to point out the flaws of the booking on top, with too much reliance on old stars. I don't remember how was the Superbrawl match, but one big Hogan vs Piper match was enough for me, especially when it worked so well.

[PeteF3]

"My name is Roddy Piper, also known as Rubik's Cube!" Huh?? Piper announces yet another retirement so he can be a father--sort of what he said in '87. Hogan isn't going to stand for that. Piper calls Hogan "Terry" and it actually works here, especially since Hogan shits on the use of that term. Hogan even tries to hold the fans hostage, threatening "something real bad" if they don't shut up and sort of implying he'll take out Hot Rod's kid. Hogan is such a contemptible piece of shit--again. Piper, outside of some weird lines, is also really good here--first selling the embarrassment and just wanting to get the segment over with, to becoming the crazed fired-up Hot Rod. He doesn't even bother to whip Hogan with the belt, he just gouges the buckle into his head like a maniac. He holds off Bischoff and Vincent with the title belt and declares, "Let the games begin!" I don't really want to see these two wrestle again either, but they couldn't have booked a better segment to set up a rematch.

 

Hogan is so much more fun to watch when he's willing to show ass, which he's done a lot of since Starrcade. Once again Hollywood talks big, but like a classic bully he turns into a simpering coward once his enemy fights back.

[KB8]

Man, this might be the most detestable Hogan has been since the turn, and that covers a fair bit of ground. Bischoff as his obnoxious little sidekick really was perfect here as well, and Piper referring to Hogan as Terry is one of those goofy pro-wrestling things that can easily come off corny, yet by pro-wrestling's standards Piper is a good enough actor to pull it off. Gene as the straight man in the middle was also really good and Piper blowing a gasket felt like a nuclear moment. Heenan shouting "WHIP HIM WITH THE BELT!" was awesome. How much of a prick must you be to force Bobby Heenan to back Roddy Piper? By 1997 this match-up is pretty much washed, and I guess in hindsight you question how smart it is when the WWF are on the other channel setting up a pretty hot long-term group of main eventers, but in the moment this felt like the biggest match in wrestling. I love Piper anyway so I'm cool seeing him show up some more. Maybe a top 5 nWo segment so far.