"Ravishing" Rick Rude Quiz

Answer: "Gentleman" Chris Adams

World Class Championship Wrestling, run by the legendary Fritz Von Erich, was a red hot territory during the mid 1980s. They had always been under the banner of the NWA which is why NWA Heavyweight Champions Harley Race and Ric Flair headlined super-cards for the promotion.

In January 1986 Von Erich separated from the NWA and decided that the reigning WCCW American Champion, Rick Rude, would be the very first WCCW Heavyweight Champion. Rude held the belt until July 4, 1986 when he lost to Chris Adams who had recently returned to being a fan favorite. WCCW had a very interesting stipulation in that unlike, The NWA or WWF, their champions could lose the belt on disqualifications and count out losses instead of only submissions and pin-falls.

Answer: Manny Fernandez

Immediately after dropping The WCCW Heavyweight Title, Rude left for the greener pastures of The NWA. In December 1986 in a televised segment "Number One" Paul Jones began to badger The Rock & Roll Express, then The NWA Tag Team Champions, that his "makeshift" duo of Rude and Manny Fernandez could defeat them if given the chance. Eventually he was able to goad The Express into an impromptu bout in which his interference gave his men the win and the belts.

Answer: Paul Orndorff

When Rude entered The WWF in June 1987, manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan immediately began boasting about his new proteges incredible physical appearance. This managed to draw the ire of another Heenan protege, Paul Orndorff. Orndorff was a very cocky wrestler who prided himself on his impressive "ripped" body and fired Heenan on national television for the second time. Orndorff's WWF contract was coming to an end so The WWF buried him in a subsequent feud against Rick Rude, having him barely win any of their matches.

Answer: Junkyard Dog

On August 29, 1988 at the inaugural "Summerslam" event "Ravishing" Rick Rude faced the Junkyard Dog and won via disqualification. At the time Rude was embroiled in a red hot war with Jake Roberts which started when Rude tried to "pick up" his then wife Cheryl on national television.

As the feud intensified Rude began to wear tights with the visage of Cheryl Roberts emblazoned on them. He did this at the "Summerslam'88" card which caused "The Snake" to hit the ring and attack him, thus causing JYD to lose the bout. To this day it behooves me why Jake did not face Rude on that card as their feud was at its height and The Dog's popularity was declining, he left just two months later.

Answer: The Ultimate Warrior

On August 28, 1989 at "Summerslam'89" Rude, then The WWF Intercontinental Champion, lost his belt to the man whom he had won it from: The Ultimate Warrior. The heat between the two cooled down for awhile, until The Warrior became The WWF Heavyweight Champion in the spring of 1990. Rude along with his manager Bobby Heenan, immediately began to stake his claim for the belt. Rude cut a series of promos in which he was shown training for his matches against The Warrior and claiming that he had up to that point been the only one able to pin him. Unfortunately for Rude The Warrior was a juggernaut in terms of popularity and he lost his "Steel Cage Match" against him at "Summerslam'90".

Answer: Big Boss Man

In the fall of 1990 an angle was started where Rude and manager Bobby Heenan would routinely insult the mother of The Big Boss Man on weekly telecasts. Rude and The Boss Man had already began a series of matches when "The Ravishing One" was terminated abruptly from his contract.

The rumor was that Rude was originally supposed to beat The Warrior for The WWF Title at "Summerslam 90" and have a heel run as champion very similar to that of "Superstar" Billy Graham in the late 1970s. This was shelved when Sgt. Slaughter was rehired and powers that be decided to go mirror The Middle East Crisis of that time. I think Rude would have made a incredible heel champion as he had the look, the ability and the manager.

Answer: The WCW Phantom

Terminated from the WWF, Rude had a one year no compete clause so it was not until the following year that he arrived in WCW. Wrestling under a mask and billed as "The WCW Phantom" Rude made short work of veteran Tom Zenk. The always obnoxious Paul E Dangerously had him unmask following the victory and made Rude the first member of his "Dangerous Alliance" stable. Just three weeks later Rude defeated Sting to become The WCW United States Champion.

Answer: Rick Steiner

Since its inception in the fall of 1991 "The Dangerous Alliance" under the guidance of Paul E Dangerously was WCW's top heel faction. On the night of May 17, 1992 Rude and his stablemates of Steve Austin, Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko and Arn Anderson battled Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Sting and Nikita Koloff. "The Alliance" lost the match when Eaton submitted, he had his arm injured when Zbyszko accidentally struck him with an iron turnbuckle supporter.

This immediately put Larry in the doghouse, he was ousted soon after and "The Alliance" dissolved in October 1992 when Paul Heyman was fired from WCW.

Answer: Konnan

In November 1997 after founding "De Generation X" with Shawn Michaels, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna Rude jumped to WCW. He did so in historic fashion. Angered by the infamous "Montreal Screw-job" of close friend Bret Hart Rude appeared on a live segment of "Nitro" burying Vince McMahon and The WWF. That same evening he also appeared on "Raw" which had been taped. So Rude appeared on both shows for both companies.

This rates right up there with Madusa Miceli throwing The WWF Ladies Title in the trash can, The arrival of The Radicalz and so many more memorable moments of "The Monday Night Wars".

Answer: 40

After disappearing from WCW in the fall of 1998, Rude began to train for one last serious superstar run as a wrestler. Rumor has it he had reconciled with Vince McMahon and was just months away from returning to The WWF. This was not meant to be as Rude suffered Cardiac Arrest and died on April 20, 1999 at the tender age of just 40.

Its a shame as had Rude made a return we could have seen him in action against Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley and so many other greats of "The Attitude Era".