Rick Rude facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rick Rude |
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Rude, c. 1988
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| Birth name | Richard Erwin Rood |
| Born | December 7, 1958 St. Peter, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 1999 (aged 40) Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Anoka-Ramsey Community College |
| Spouse(s) |
Cheryl Holler
(m. 1980; div. 1982)Michelle Rood
(m. 1988) |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rick Rude Ricky Rood The WCW Phantom |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 252 lb (114 kg) |
| Billed from | Robbinsdale, Minnesota, United States |
| Trained by | Eddie Sharkey |
| Debut | 1982 |
| Retired | 1994 |
Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).
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Early life
Rude was born in St. Peter, Minnesota to Richard Clyde Rood and Sally Jean Thompson. He attended Robbinsdale High School in Robbinsdale, Minnesota with Tom Zenk, Brady Boone, Nikita Koloff, Curt Hennig, John Nord, and Barry Darsow, all of whom later became professional wrestlers. He was especially close with his childhood friend Curt Hennig.
Professional wrestling career
After graduating from Anoka-Ramsey Community College with a degree in physical education, Rude worked as a bouncer for a short period of time and later did a small stint as an arm wrestler. He would first become known to the world of professional wrestling at that time. Rude trained as a wrestler under Eddie Sharkey, the same trainer responsible for training other wrestling stars like Bob Backlund, The Road Warriors, Sean Waltman, Austin Aries, and Erick Rowan.
Rude wrestled from 1982 until his 1994 retirement due to injury, with a final match following in 1997. Among other accolades, he was a four-time world champion, a three-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion. Rude also challenged for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on pay-per-view cards, competing for the former in the main event of SummerSlam in 1990. Following his retirement, Rude managed multiple wrestlers.
In late 1997, Rude founded the D-Generation X stable alongside Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna. On November 17 of that year, in the midst of the Monday Night War, he became the only person to appear on the WWF's Raw and WCW's Monday Nitro programs on the same night, as the former was pre-recorded and Rude had left for WCW in the interim.
Personal life
In 1976, Rood married his love interest, Cheryl Holler. The couple later divorced in 1982. Rood married his second wife Michelle in 1988, and the couple remained together until his death in 1999. They had three children together, Richard Jr., Merissa, and Colton. His younger son, Colton, died on September 3, 2016, in a motorcycle accident in Rome, Georgia, at the age of 19.
Bret Hart has stated that Rude was a devoted family man who never took his wedding ring off even during matches.
Death
Rude died on the morning of April 20, 1999, at the age of 40 when he suffered from heart failure.
Legacy
On March 6, 2017, it was announced that Rick Rude would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat inducted Rude. Michelle, Merissa, and Richard Jr. accepted on his behalf.
Championships and accomplishments
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
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- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (2 times)
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) – with Jesse Barr
- Continental Wrestling Association
- NWA/AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA/AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with King Kong Bundy
- Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling
- WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) – with Manny Fernandez
- Nintendo Top Ten Challenge Tournament (1992)
- Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2022
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1992)
- PWI ranked him No. 4 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992
- PWI ranked him No. 57 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- World Class Championship Wrestling / World Class Wrestling Association
- NWA American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WCWA Television Championship (1 time)
- WCWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Federation / WWE
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)
- 20 Man Royal Rumble (March 16, 1988)
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Jesse "The Body" Award (1987)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Heel (1992)
- Most Unimproved (1993)
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1992) vs. Masahiro Chono at Halloween Havoc
Gallery
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Rude being managed by Percy Pringle in 1985.
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Rude as WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, circa 1986.
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Rude at an Extreme Championship Wrestling television taping in October 1997.
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See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
