What are your opinions of Rick Rude? Was he one of the best heels in the business?

[XterraRob]

Great technical wrestler? Fit? Easy to work with?

[JUSA]

A mega talent, to be sure. I don't think his overall career and legacy played out to what it's full potential could have been, due to injury and his premature passing. When he got hurt in WCW he was really coming into his own.

Hard for me to nitpick why things didn't work out as well as they probably should have, part of success is luck. Take Sting and John Cena. Talent-wise, both very comparable. Sting got a B+ to A level push, Cena got the S level push. Cena gets more attention and will have a bigger legacy (not to chit on Sting, but Cena will go down as a top-10 guy on most lists and a potential top-4 guy depending on who you're talking with. I rate Sting a notch below, at the Savage/HBK/Hart level).

Back to Rude. He was a great worker, he was a particularly great talker. Super look. He wanted them to turn him face in WCW and be more of an edgy anti-hero face type and if they'd done that he would have been huge. A tough, smart and ruthless face dealing with smarmy and despised heels, that's the same thing that rocketed Steve Austin to the top of the list.

And, as awesome as Austin is/was, talent-wise, Rude is in the same conversation. Rude just never got the backing from a massive company behind him and in that kind of direction he would have run wild with (and, even in WCW had they done it, it was still a #2 company so his legacy wasn't going to rival SCSA, but he would be way up the list).

[Deathstroke]

A mega talent, to be sure. I don't think his overall career and legacy played out to what it's full potential could have been, due to injury and his premature passing. When he got hurt in WCW he was really coming into his own.

Hard for me to nitpick why things didn't work out as well as they probably should have, part of success if luck. Take Sting and John Cena. Talent-wise, both very comparable. Sting got a B+ to A level push, Cena got the S level push. Cena gets more attention and will have a bigger legacy (not to chit on Sting, but Cena will go down as a top-10 guy on most lists and a potential top-4 guy depending on who you're talking with. I rate Sting a notch below, at the Savage/HBK/Hart level).

Back to Rude. He was a great worker, he was a particularly great talker. Super look. He wanted them to turn him face in WCW and be more of an edgy anti-hero face type and if they'd done that he would have been huge. A tough, smart and ruthless face dealing with smarmy and despised heels, that's the same thing that rocketed Steve Austin to the top of the list.

And, as awesome as Austin is/was, talent-wise, Rude is in the same conversation. Rude just never got the backing from a massive company behind him and in that kind of direction he would have run wild with (and, even in WCW had they done it, it was still a #2 company so his legacy wasn't going to rival SCSA, but he would be way up the list).

This. I was going to say that word for word.

[yieldtonothing]

he was perfect. his look was perfect. his mannerisms were perfect. his promos opened the door for so many guys who tried and tried and tried to get it that fuking good, but just could not(hi triple h and shane douglas...you fuking dorks). was beyond solid in the ring. besides injuries like my man jusa said, i just think wrong place, right time.

obviously his star shines bright af being one of the top 5 heels of an incredibly stacked era(we're posting about him today), but he could've been THE guy. no question.

he was the heel that gave warrior his best chit too. by far

[ajdahlheimer]

I met Rick Rude's sister at a bar a couple years ago. Apparently she dated Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake back in the day.

Anyway, Rude was an all-time great IMO. I think the fact he knew the business so well inside and out---led the dude to be a little more paranoid about getting f#cked by promoters/bookers/etc. though. A great mind like his could do wonders for today's product if he wasn't tragically gone so soon. RIP.

[jtaylor2010]

[Deathstroke]

I met Rick Rude's sister at a bar a couple years ago. Apparently she dated Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake back in the day.

Anyway, Rude was an all-time great IMO. I think the fact he knew the business so well inside and out---led the dude to be a little more paranoid about getting f#cked by promoters/bookers/etc. though. A great mind like his could do wonders for today's product if he wasn't tragically gone so soon. RIP.

I want to meet his daughter. Get it on with her.

[Deathstroke]

lol that’s how all the women react when I take my shirt off at the beach.

[StinnerOzz]

Awesome. Killer caterpillar 'stache.

[heyquikquestion]

All I know about Rude is that he wants all of you fat, out of shape, Pennsylvania pissants to shut your mouths and take a look at what a real man looks like.


Hit the music.

[kneeonbelly]

back in the day when he was wrestling I was little and I hated him. I thought the ultimate warrior should have killed him in the ring because all he liked doing was talking about women

but now reflecting on his matches, work rate and ability in ring / mic and overall presentation he was a complete package. backstage he was respected and despite his gimmick of being a womanizer kissing women at the beginning of the matches, he was allegedly fiercely focused on his wife and family in his personal life. he didnt fuk around with ring rats and didnt do anything that could hurt his family in the long run.

as mentioned before, he had it all going for him but he didnt have that moment to take off. he had great matches and his potential was limitless but his injuries prevented him from reaching 'house hold name' status.

Srs- I respect his craft so much I've been looking for a retro rick rude shirt modeled after the 80's shirt. it will draw in real wrestling fans and send off casuals

[Noliberals4]

I felt bad for him because once he saw how popular wrestling was getting in the late 90s, he got super super desperate to get back in the ring (which would cause his death). He retired in 1994 due to a back injury and had a Lloyd's of London insurance policy he used so he could never wrestle again. Well after the NWO, DX, and Stone Cold he saw wrestling about to explode in popularity so he pretty much begged on his knees to Eric Bischoff to buy out his policy. Eric refused to do so, and when Rick died, Eric was told to leave the funeral.

Oh yeah, he and Curt Hennig are the reason wrestlers can't get a LoL insurance policy anymore.

Do you guys think Eric should've bought out his policy?

[ajdahlheimer]

and when Rick died, Eric was told to leave the funeral.

I believe it was Nancy (the sister that I met) who told EB to leave.

Do you guys think Eric should've bought out his policy?

EB mentioned on his podcast that there was no way WCW could afford to buyout the policy AND pay Rude the salary he demanded. The buyout on the policy in itself was large enough to be several years of work for an upper card wrestler.

[marinevet63031]

Rick was the perfect A-hole. He had charisma, mic skills, in-ring skills, to boot. Honestly, he could work and put on a match like no other. He knew how to play the audience. Some of my favorite matches were he and Warrior or Macho Man. I would not put him above Sting though. Sting can change his look and pull it off. Rick Rude was always Rick Rude. Both are stratosphere mega stars sure. But no man, Rude is not higher than "The Stinger"

[StinnerOzz]

I'll agree that Sting wss higher profile, but I for one never cared for him at all and therefore much preferred Rude.

[marinevet63031]

I'll agree that Sting wss higher profile, but I for one never cared for him at all and therefore much preferred Rude.

I can respect that man. Rick was the perfect heel. I mean dude was a great anti-hero as well. I tell all the "Attitude Era - Present fanbase." Guys, this guy was Austin when Steve was "The Ring Master or a Hollywood Blonde." Rude was perfect for what he did.

[EidFnatic]

lol that’s how all the women react when I take my shirt off at the beach.

[SmillironS]

His last match against sting was an awesome match. That top rope knee drop was so sweet.