Who do you think would win a battle on the microphone between MJF and Roddy Piper?
MJF cut one of the promos of his career amidst a host of controversies as he made this weeks AEW Dynamite episode all about him.
Although he was squashed by Wardlow at AEW Double or Nothing 2022, he came out looking better than ever on the week following. He stormed to the ring as passionate as ever, grabbing the microphone before running down Tony Khan like nobody ever had before.
He bemoaned his lack of comparative pay in AEW, claiming he was being paid less than the former WWE guys like Christian Cage, Mark Henry and Jeff Hardy who have recently signed for the company. His anger was clear and real as he claimed he was the second biggest ratings draw in the company (being CM Punk presumably) and how he should be paid more because of it.
He soon walked out of the arena after having his mic cut off, resembling CM Punk’s famous Pipe bomb promo. The segment ended and in the commercial break MJF was confronted by CM Punk, seemingly setting up CM Punk vs MJF some time in the future for the AEW Championship.
While comparisons to CM Punk’s Pipe Bomb running rife, some wrestling personalities and journalists have sought to draw comparisons between MJF and Roddy Piper, as he imitates one of the all time greats in his bid to reach the top of All Elite Wrestling.
MJF and Roddy Piper
MJF and Roddy Piper have always been a duo that have been drawn into comparisons. MJF has previously revealed that Roddy Piper is his favourite wrestler of all time and a man who he used to help form his character in AEW.
“And if I was able to have an opportunity to have promos back and forth with Roddy, and then a match that I know would be vicious as all hell. I think that would probably go down as the greatest match in the history of professional wrestling.”
With his obvious admiration for the Hot Rod, MJF will be pleased with his comparisons to the WWE Hall of Famer. Roddy Piper was one of the best heels in wrestling history and had a command on the mic that few wrestlers have ever been able to achieve.
MJF is one of the few that can match Roddy Piper in his prime on the microphone. MJF’s promos in AEW have been some of the greatest in wrestling history, with his tale of his journey in wrestling leading up to his match with CM Punk being arguably the greatest of all time.
Jim Cornette has compared MJF to Roddy Piper a number of times, based on his promo ability, his resolution to sticking to character no matter what and his general genius on the microphone, one of Piper’s greatest traits.
During and episode of his podcast The Jim Cornette Experience, Cornette compared MJF to Roddy Piper by saying;
“I think [Piper] would love [MJF] and he would love it. I think he would say here is a guy that can talk his ass off, knows how to push people’s buttons, likes to get heat… If he saw his matches, especially the one with Darby Allin I think he would be very impressed with that.
“So yeah, I’ve got to think that Roddy would be relieved that somebody has come along like that and still obviously takes the business fairly seriously and can go out and not do the same style that Roddy did, but go out in the same vein at riling people up on the microphone like Roddy did 40 years ago. I think he would approve wholeheartedly“
Sports Journalist Bill Simmons although thinks of MJF as on the level of Roddy Piper. In response to MJF’s promo running down Tony Khan on AEW Dynamite, Simmons proclaimed on Twitter that “MJF is unbelievable. This is mid-80’s Roddy Piper level.”
While MJF has a long way to go before he can be held in the same regard as Roddy Piper, if he carries on the way he has progressed at the age of just 26, he will have no issues being named alongside the all time greats like Hot Rod once his career is all said and done.
