WWE HOFer Believes MJF Is Showing What Roddy Piper Could've Been

MJF's ascension to AEW World Champion hasn't diluted his unique brand of anti-social commentary, and WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts offered a comparison between MJF's persona and the distinctive character of Roddy Piper.

Speaking on his podcast "The Snake Pit," Roberts referred to Piper as a "phenomenal" presence whose superstar status was primarily based on a larger-than-life personality rather than a surplus number of championship titles (although Piper held the Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion title in 1992).

"He's another one of those guys who didn't need a belt," he said. "But had Vince seen the light and worked with Piper, I think it would have been just unbelievable because Viper was such a strong character."

Roberts praised Piper for bringing a strong degree of credibility to his wrestling.

"We never went out in the ring and had a match where people didn't believe it," he continued. "And that's what I loved about Roddy – we had that thing about us that just said, 'Man, these guys are playing there for real.'"

Roberts observed that MJF brings the same degree of believability to his work, pointing out the new champion's assault on William Regal during last week's "AEW Dynamite."

"Believe this: William Regal went down," Roberts said. "He had to give him a good shot because William Regal is a friggin' horse. The bad thing for MJF is if William comes back and wants him, there's not a damn thing MJF will do – William Regal will tie him in knots and spank his ass."