Every franchise fan loves a good crossover. There’s nothing quite like when two of your favorite fictional characters meet to save the day or duke it out to see which one of them is the best. Whether it’s Scooby Doo solving mysteries with John Cena, King Kong punching Godzilla, or The Avengers clashing with The Justice League, crossovers are a great time for fans of either or both IPs. While rights issues tend to stand in the way of some of our dream crossovers, we got one of the coolest and strangest ones in 2007.
2007 doesn’t sound like it was too long ago, especially since we usually write about vintage toys from the ‘70s and ‘80s. However, things get put into perspective when you realise it was almost 20 years ago. While G.I. Joe figures were at the height of their popularity in the late ‘80s and early ’90s, Hasbro decided to do something special for fans who grew up with its toys by crossing over with another cultural phenomenon of that era, WWE. Lo and behold, we got the Iron Grenadier Rowdy Roddy Piper action figure, and it’s currently available for a great price at Heritage Auctions.
This strange crossover figure was exclusive to the 2007 G.I. Joe International Convention, and while not exactly a Grail, is definitely one of the coolest figures you could get your hands on. As for his backstory, Rowdy Roddy Piper was supposed to be Cobra’s answer to Sgt. Slaughter. He used to be in the Royal Regiment of the Scottish Army, where he got the nickname “Rowdy” for butting heads with his superiors. Eventually, he learned of his links with the Destro clan and became an Iron Grenadier instructor for Cobra.
While there were probably many WWE wrestlers to choose from, Rowdy Roddy Piper worked perfectly due to his volatile in-ring persona. Sure, there were bigger heels like Sid Vicious or Big Boss Man, but Piper hit that perfect balance between heel and comic relief that Cobra was often known for. Unfortunately, we never got to see him being brought to life in the animated series.
This figure is special for G.I. Joe fans, as Hasbro used to be very protective of its precious IP. It’s only recently that the toy-line crossed over with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and talks of a movie crossover with Transformers have begun, but this figure is one of the first times that G.I. Joe has crossed over with another IP.
Which other WWE star do you think would make a good G.I. Joe? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
