5 Wrestlers That Rick Rude Loved (& 5 He Didn't)
Rick Rude is regarded as one of the greatest heels of all time in both WWE and WCW. His on-screen persona was that of a womanizing heel, and he often found himself at odds with his fellow wrestlers - especially inside the squared circle. However, despite their onscreen differences, Rick Rude maintained a cool relationship with most of his peers backstage. He was always willing to help out his colleagues, even those that didn’t get along with him.
The respect for Rude was reflected big time in the way wrestlers spoke about Rude after his untimely death in 1999. Many spoke fondly of him, and it was clear that he was deeply loved and respected by the business he helped revolutionize during the eighties. Rude also had people he loved and admired. Of course, there were others who rubbed him the wrong way.
10 Loved - "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig was one of the few wrestlers who Rick Rude got along with really well. The two met in eighth grade in Robbinsdale. Perfect even referred to Rude as his best friend in a letter he wrote in the wake of Rude’s death.
The two had each other’s back in and outside the ring. Perfect was a bonafide heel in his own right and showed much admiration for Rude’s portrayal of the character on multiple occasions. Their bond was often imitated but never duplicated.
9 Didn't Like - Shawn Michaels
Wrestling fans are no stranger to the Heartbreak Kid who ruined friendships because of his political maneuvers during the nineties. Shawn’s controversial antics brought him many enemies and one of them was Rick Rude.
Though DX brought him in as their “insurance policy,” Rude never got along with HBK or Triple H in real life. As a matter of fact, the Ravishing One had a very strong opinion about DX and the Kliq because of their backstage antics.
8 Loved - Bret Hart
Bret Hart and Rick Rude were two of the most popular wrestlers in WWE during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The two men often found themselves on opposite sides of the ring, but they maintained a close friendship backstage. Rude was on Bret's side throughout the Montreal saga and even left WWE in protest of the ways they treated one of his closest friends in the business.
Bret Hart, on the other hand, had a deep admiration for Rude and put him over huge after his death in 1999. In an interview, Hart said that Rude was “one of the most genuine and caring people” he had ever met. It’s clear that Bret Hart and Rick Rude had a deep respect for each other, and their friendship was one of the few relationships Rude truly valued.
7 Didn't Like - The Ultimate Warrior
Rick Rude was one of the most hated wrestlers in the business. He was known for his trash-talking and often belittled his opponents. This led to The Ultimate Warrior becoming one of his biggest rivals. The two men had many confrontations, both in and out of the ring. Their rivalry came to a head at WrestleMania V, where Rude handed Warrior his first televised loss, albeit due to outside interference from Bobby Heenan.
This led to a rematch between the two men at SummerSlam later that year. Warrior was able to get his revenge, defeating Rude and becoming the new Intercontinental Champion. Despite carrying Warrior on two of the biggest shows of the year, Rick never got the respect he deserved from Warrior. Rude also called out Warrior for working too stiff during their matches and later handed him a receipt for that.
6 Loved - Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton was one of Rick Rude's closest friends in the business. The two men often teamed together and had a great deal of success. They were part of Paul Heyman’s The Dangerous Alliance in WCW which also included a young Steve Austin.
Eaton was also one of the few people that Rude truly trusted. He was often seen as the voice of reason, which Rude appreciated. Eaton was one of the most beloved performers of his generation, something which Rude continued to admire till the very end of his life.
5 Didn't Like - Sting
Though Rude had massive respect for Sting as a fellow competitor, he wasn’t able to overcome the fact that his career-ending back injury came at the hands of the Surfer. The two men squared off against each other for the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW’s Wrestling Dontaku in Fukuoka.
At one point during the match, the Stinger attempted a suicide dive which caused Rude to land on the corner of the raised platform, resulting in a gruesome injury. Rude won the match, but not before getting stripped of the title due to his injury. He retired from active in-ring competition shortly thereafter.
4 Loved - Steve Austin
Rick Rude had major feuds during his career, but there was one wrestler with whom Rude had a particularly special relationship, "Stunning" Steve Austin. Rude mentored a young Steve during his earlier days in WCW as a member of The Dangerous Alliance.
Austin was one of the many people who were gutted after hearing the news of Rude’s passing. To this day, the Rattlesnake has tremendous respect for Rude for being a trailblazer and a respected mentor inside and outside the ring.
3 Didn't Like - Kevin Nash
Rick Rude was one of the most hated men in wrestling during his time. He was known for being an egotistical, narcissistic jerk who loved to make enemies. But Rude was the complete opposite of his gimmick in real life.
As discussed earlier, Rude was an ardent follower of a no-nonsense approach in real life and, as such, despised the bullying attitude of D-Generation X and the Kliq. According to rumors, he once called out Kevin Nash for a fight. Of course, Nash wanted none of it.
2 Loved - Ricky Steamboat
The Dragon is one of the most respected and beloved babyfaces in pro wrestling. In fact, Steamboat was so over as a babyface that even the mere suggestion of him turning heel was shot down by Pat Patterson. Steamboat earned the respect of his peers and Rude was one of them.
It was Steamboat who inducted one of his greatest rivals on screen and a great friend offscreen to WWE’s Hall of Fame Class of 2017. The two men had classics against each other during their illustrious careers and never failed to amaze the fans.
1 Didn't Like - Hulk Hogan
Rick Rude and Hulk Hogan were two of the biggest names in professional wrestling in the 1980s. Hogan was the biggest babyface at the time and Rude was a spectacular heel with the ability to make anyone good inside the ring.
According to rumors, Hulk didn’t want to work with Rude because of his reputation as a legit tough guy. The Hulkster cared about his brand and allegedly feared Rude would make him look bad in front of all the Hulkamaniacs.
This is likely because Rick Rude was often able to get under Hulk Hogan's skin and manhandled him during their only televised bout in WWE.
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