Backstage Update: Why 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper Hosted RAW

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

As seen this past Monday night, the one and only "Rowdy" Roddy Piper hosted Monday Night RAW at Madison Square Garden. WWE officials originally had their sights set on having players from the 2009 World Champion New York Yankees hosting RAW at "The World's Most Famous Arena," but were unable to come to terms. They had also been in talks with Jimmy Fallon but that never came to fruition either.

The WWE Hall of Famer was the fallback plan as there is a feeling that he, like other stars from wrestling's past, can be placed on just about any show when the company is unable to secure a mainstream celebrity. From Piper's view, he was telling people he needed to appear on television to prove that the online rumors from a few weeks ago concerning his health were not true.

Piper has a great reputation within the company for being easy to work with. "You can call him on a Sunday and he'll hop on a plane on Monday," one WWE source said.