WWE Legend JJ Dillon Talks Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, 4 Horsemen and More

When most fans hear the name J.J. Dillon, they think of him as the manager of the WWE Hall of Fame stable the Four Horsemen. Dillon may be best known for that role, but he also had a long career as an in-ring competitor, referee and backstage executive.

As a 2012 inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame and a 2013 inductee into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, Dillon is recognized as one of the most decorated managers in the history of the sport.

Dillon recently spoke with Ring Rust Radio (quotes courtesy of the News of Delaware County's Joe Arcidiacono) about the recent deaths of his friends Rowdy Roddy Piper and Dusty Rhodes, the Four Horsemen stable and much more.

The wrestling world was rocked by the deaths of Rhodes on June 11 and Piper on July 31, and many fans were hit hard by the news. One of the people in the industry who was lucky enough to know both men was Dillon, and he considered each of the legends his friends.

When asked about the impact of both Rhodes and Piper on the wrestling business and in his life, Dillon offered his perspective on the recent untimely deaths of two of the sport’s biggest stars:

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The words 'icon' and 'legend' get thrown around a lot in our business and over used, but we lost two people in less than two months that for me, who spent half a century in and around the wrestling business, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and Rowdy Roddy Piper exemplify what is really an iconic legend.

Both of them are going to be missed very much. I care deeply for both of them—they were friends as well as people I worked with, and I don’t think there will ever be another American Dream or Roddy Piper. There will never be someone who comes along with that type of iconic talent, achieves what they did in the ring and have the impact they had on the business. ...

So when I say that I look at the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and Rowdy Roddy Piper as being iconic legends, that’s a definition that I reserve for very few. We lost two of the greatest in such a short time, and it’s sad that they are gone forever.

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Losing a legend such as Rhodes or Piper would have been a huge burden to carry, but losing both in back-to-back months was devastating to the industry. Few were hurt more than the people who knew and loved these men, though.

While it has been tough for Dillon recently because of the losses, his career, spanning over 50 years, is something that brings a smile to any wrestling fan’s face. It is clear Dillon has loved the industry his whole life, and he has seen it all.

Dillon is best known for his time as the manager of the legendary Four Horsemen stable. As part of NWA and WCW, the group consisted of legends such as Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard and ran the show wherever they wrestled.

As the manager for the group, Dillon handled all of the business while the four men wrestled their matches and partied afterward. When asked about which incarnation of the Four Horsemen stable he liked the most, Dillon said:

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I really believe that in terms of bell-to-bell action, the group with Barry [Windham] was probably the greatest in terms of what we could accomplish any given night in the ring. When Tully [Blanchard] and Arn [Anderson] left to go to New York to join Bobby the Brain Heenan to form the Brain Busters, as far as I was concerned, the glory years of the Four Horsemen were over.

They were never going to be as big as they were during that extended run. Ole [Anderson] was always special, Barry was the group that was technically the best, and beyond that I really don’t think that much about it.

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In a business where longevity and long-term success are hard to find, Dillon has maintained his place for over a half a century. From refereeing matches at Madison Square Garden to stepping into the ring to wrestle at the famed MSG, there isn’t much the grizzled veteran hasn’t seen in his time.

For the younger fans, Dillon will always be the brains behind one of the greatest stables in wrestling history, but he has meant so much more to the business. As a backstage executive, he played a role for both WCW and WWE during the Monday Night War and was a key part of Vince McMahon’s organisation's success for several years.

Now, after a long career, the retired Dillon can look back on his accomplishments and understand just how big of an impact he left on a business he has loved so dearly for so long.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).