Chicago Sun-Times: WWE severs its connection with Piper

Thursday night the WWE released a statement that Rowdy Roddy Piper has been let go by the company following unsuccessful contract talks.

In the statement, the WWE claimed:

On Tuesday, June 24, Piper appeared on an HBO program and revealed disturbing facts about his own personal drug use. Piper stated that he used drugs for many years while working in professional wrestling and that he does not like the person that he becomes when he actively performs as a professional wrestler.

In view of WWE's inability to reach agreement on a contract and to assist Piper from engaging in any self-destructive behavior, the WWE is ending any further discussion with Piper regarding a contract."

The WWE had hoped to keep Piper under contract through August, with the possibility of having Hot Rod return for a match in WrestleMania XX next year. After the announcement, obviously neither of those will happen.

The release concluded:

The WWE sincerely hopes for Piper and his family that Roddy can find happiness."

And with that, the Piper run in the WWE is over.

HEARD AROUND THE RING: The NWA/TNA is hoping to drum up interest in their show by holding off Mike Tenay's interview with Sting until next week. The exclusive interview is being called Sting: Behind the Paint," and will discuss any and all topics and should be most interesting. ... Consensus opinion is that Kane deserved better, and that his unmasking did not go well last week. First, MSG was begging for a title change and did not get one. Second, Kane has been hyped as a distorted freak. I guess a bad haircut and some smeared black face paint qualify as freaklike. For all the ways for the Big Red Machine to unmask, the one they went with did not go all that well.

HOTLINE: I have exclusive news on Bret Hart's plan to return to the WWE, as well as what Sting has in mind now that he is back on the wrestling scene. Those big stories and much more on the hotline (900) 990-SLAM ($2 per minute).