Roddy Piper vs. Bruno Sammartino (Steel Cage - Boston Garden - 1986)

[jdemo33]

This is back in the day where they'd show the entire Saturday Boston Garden house card the following Wednesday on NESN.

[jdemo33]

I was at this match. It was less than a week after the Pats lost to the Bears in the SB. Piper hung up Walter Payton and William Perry posters on the cage before the match. The match right before this Randy Savage beat Tito Santana to win the IC Championship. There was a return tag match the month after with Piper and Orton vs Bruno and Orndorff.

[MIZIKE69]

piper just slicing up his forehead it was obvious

[SeanMBryans]

I met Peper when he first began in the San Diego/LA market and his big fued was with Gory and Chavo Guerero - He was hanging with a masked Mexican duo - The Scorpions - and would don a mask after a loser leaves town match to Chavo. Everybody knew it was him. I had met him a few times and he was also very pleasant and would remember you by name (of course the market was smaller and The San Diego Sports Arena a very small building). He was always willing to sign (not sell) an autograph. Class.

[Srd1126]

Fake or no, Bruno just has more confidence and ability than Piper, and I always liked Piper. If it was real you get the feeling 30 seconds after Piper mouthed off to Bruno, Piper would be picking his own teeth up off the ground.

[gras1hoppa]

@Srd1126

Dont Sell Piper Short.. He has an amateur boxing background and was tough as hell.. not taking anything away from Bruno.. but I guarantee Piper was the quicker of the two...

[oldschool6804]

@Srd1126 it isn't fake thats a disrespectful term all of the wrestlers got beat up their bodies are a physical wreck planned is better.

[matthewhanhauser]

bruno has decided to leave the mike brady wig in the dressing room.

[tornmask]

CLASSIC!..CLASSIC!..CLASSIC! =oD

[RAV52]

I also remember Bruno teaming up with Hogan around this time to battle Piper and Ace Orton at the Baltimore Civic Center... My dad was happier han a pig in shit to see Bruno wrestle one last time!

[deluxedookie]

@ 0:19

piper cuts his forehead

[pats14fann01]

@deluxedookie Piper also did that 2x b4 that........ @ 0:11 and 0:16!!!

[JP5466]

@deluxedookie Good eye.

[swordkata]

Was searching for this match for a long time, thanks for uploading it. Great match.

[MrBlackFabio]

I never knew that Sammartino fought Piper in 1986. This had to be before Wrestlemania 2. I thought that Sammartino retired after beating George "The Animal" Steele in 1981.

[yardlet6]

@MrBlackFabio Yep. This was after the Piper's Pit where Piper called Sammartino a wop.

[TheLeroyMoon]

I never understood cage matches where the goal was to win by getting out of the cage. Was it a WWF thing? In the NWA of that time (at least here in the South), the purpose of a cage match was to prohibit anyone from entering or exiting the ring. The match was to be a brutal "someone must emerge victorious (due to his own merits)" scenario.

[cableguy266]

I was at this match with my brother and actually met Mr Piper in the back loading dock of the Garden as he was sitting there by himself waiting for his ride to the airport. He was sitting on a crate with a hoodie on and his head was sunk in his arms. I felt bad that McMahon had made him lose to that idiot Sammartino. I shook his hand and told him he was my favorite and then he gave us an autograph when you could tell he didn't want to be around anybody. The scars on his fordhead were fresh.

[TheLeroyMoon]

@cableguy266 Great story! Piper really is a sweet guy. When he wrestled for Crockett Promotions here in NC, he lived in the same condo complex as a friend of mine. Whenever Roddy was in town, you could almost set your watch by what time of day the "Rowdy One" would walk his dog for its potty break. It was a small dog - poodle, chihuahua, datsund, westie? - I just remember it was small and looked like a toy. Like you, I was disappointed that Piper had to job for Bruno.

[RPenta]

@cableguy266 Hey dumbbell, Bruno was the most important superstar in WWWF, etc. history. Bruno did not want to wrestle after retiring in 1981-UNLIKE Dick Flair who never wants to retire. Don Vinnie pressured him into doing matches because the Hollywood Blonde Jabroni was not drawing consistantly in all the big arenas.

[yardlet6]

@RPenta Flair has to wrestle because of his umpteen divorces.

[RSXemperor85]

@RPenta If the story is correct, Jim Crockett had made advances in the northeast in 84-87 and was starting to even outdraw the WWF in many of their old towns like Philly, Baltimore and Washington (the owners let Crockett have the Capitol Centre for a night during the 87 Bash tour and they sold it out) so Bruno was brought back to help with ticket sales and elevate guys like Piper and Savage.

[RPenta]

@RSXemperor85 So even when Hulkamania was running wild, Brotha, they had to bring the Living Legend back, Brotha, to stave off the competition.

I am sure that Bruno said his prayers and trained hard, but never took any of the Hulk Hogan "vitamins"-Brotha.

[oldschool6804]

@cableguy266 piper wasn't hanging out with orndorff or anyone? i always heard he was a bit of  a loner.

[Fartingbellybutton]

He Putted those posters up in the Ring to tease New England Patriots fans, because They lost to the Bears in the Super Bowl that year.

[Lionheart218]

Pull your fucking trunks up, idiot.

[MIZIKE69]

then he puts the blade in his trunks

[MIZIKE69]

piper cut himself three times in the beginning that was obvious

[LowellDevil]

@MIZIKE69 I counted 5 times that Piper bladed himself.

[MIZIKE69]

@LowellDevil oh yeah 5 times

[TheTzdope]

@LowellDevil they use to get paid more money if they were willing to bleed in a match!

in fact, some wrestlers have so much scar tissue on their foreheads from repeated cuts that it doesn't take much to open up old wounds!!

[LowellDevil]

@TheTzdope True. Very true.