09-29-2011, 10:47 AM
What Iâd like to have right now is for all you fat, out of shape wrestlezone rejects to keep the noise down while I tell a story of one of the greatest heels of all time.
Ravishing Rick Rude was a top mid card heel for the WWF from 1987-1990. He feuded with popular faces such as Paul Orndorff, Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper, and most famously The Ultimate Warrior. He held the Intercontinental title for five months in 1989 and main evented SummerSlam 90 unsuccessfully challenging Warrior for the world title in a steel cage. In the fall of 1990 Rude left the WWF suddenly. Supposedly Rude left because he was frustrated that he could never get a chance to be the top guy as long as Hulk Hogan was around.
After about a year of occasional independent appearances Rude showed up in WCW. Even though he never won the world title in WCW Rude was a more consistent main event talent. He held the US title for over a year and only lost it when he suffered an injury. He also held the WCW International championship, which was supposed to be about on par with the world title, three times. Rude was cruising along in WCW and was in his third International reign when this happened.
Rude would never wrestle again. So what do you think Rude would have done in the wrestling world if not for this injury? One thing you should keep in mind before answering is the timing of this injury. It took place in May 1994. Only a month later Hulk Hogan, the man whose stranglehold on the main event spot in WWF supposedly drove Rude from that company, signed with WCW. Would Rude have continued to main event WCW and possibly face off against Hogan eventually, or would he have been forced down the card as the 24 inch pythons eclipsed the spotlight?
I think Rude would have gotten lost in the shuffle like many of the home grown WCW talents did when Hogan came in. This would have opened the door for a WWF return in late 1994/early 1995. I think Rude would have looked at how Bret Hart was starting a trail for a different kind of champion in the WWF. A quick look at the main event heels at the time, Owen Hart, Mabel, and a forty something Bob Backlund, would tell you that a main event opportunity was likely for Rude. I can just picture great feuds with Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, and Shawn Michaels. Bret Hart in particular would have been a great feud for Rude in 1995. Bret was feuding with guys like Hakushi (who I liked), Jerry Lawler, Isaac Yankem, and Jean Pierre Lafitte. I think a lengthy feud with Rude would have been great for Bret after his brief Hakushi feud. I think it would have made the WWF much more enjoyable for a lot of people in 1995. Bret Hart vs. Rick Rude at SummerSlam sounds pretty damn good to me. I still donât know if a world title reign would have been in the cards, but I definitely see him as a more consistent world title challenger.
So what are your thoughts? With the addition of Hogan would Rude have had continued success in WCW? Would he have stuck around just to get lost in the shuffle? Would he have returned to WWF? Would he have gone somewhere else? Letâs hear it.
Ravishing Rick Rude was a top mid card heel for the WWF from 1987-1990. He feuded with popular faces such as Paul Orndorff, Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper, and most famously The Ultimate Warrior. He held the Intercontinental title for five months in 1989 and main evented SummerSlam 90 unsuccessfully challenging Warrior for the world title in a steel cage. In the fall of 1990 Rude left the WWF suddenly. Supposedly Rude left because he was frustrated that he could never get a chance to be the top guy as long as Hulk Hogan was around.
After about a year of occasional independent appearances Rude showed up in WCW. Even though he never won the world title in WCW Rude was a more consistent main event talent. He held the US title for over a year and only lost it when he suffered an injury. He also held the WCW International championship, which was supposed to be about on par with the world title, three times. Rude was cruising along in WCW and was in his third International reign when this happened.
Rude would never wrestle again. So what do you think Rude would have done in the wrestling world if not for this injury? One thing you should keep in mind before answering is the timing of this injury. It took place in May 1994. Only a month later Hulk Hogan, the man whose stranglehold on the main event spot in WWF supposedly drove Rude from that company, signed with WCW. Would Rude have continued to main event WCW and possibly face off against Hogan eventually, or would he have been forced down the card as the 24 inch pythons eclipsed the spotlight?
I think Rude would have gotten lost in the shuffle like many of the home grown WCW talents did when Hogan came in. This would have opened the door for a WWF return in late 1994/early 1995. I think Rude would have looked at how Bret Hart was starting a trail for a different kind of champion in the WWF. A quick look at the main event heels at the time, Owen Hart, Mabel, and a forty something Bob Backlund, would tell you that a main event opportunity was likely for Rude. I can just picture great feuds with Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, and Shawn Michaels. Bret Hart in particular would have been a great feud for Rude in 1995. Bret was feuding with guys like Hakushi (who I liked), Jerry Lawler, Isaac Yankem, and Jean Pierre Lafitte. I think a lengthy feud with Rude would have been great for Bret after his brief Hakushi feud. I think it would have made the WWF much more enjoyable for a lot of people in 1995. Bret Hart vs. Rick Rude at SummerSlam sounds pretty damn good to me. I still donât know if a world title reign would have been in the cards, but I definitely see him as a more consistent world title challenger.
So what are your thoughts? With the addition of Hogan would Rude have had continued success in WCW? Would he have stuck around just to get lost in the shuffle? Would he have returned to WWF? Would he have gone somewhere else? Letâs hear it.
