Rick Rude
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).
| Rick Rude | |
|---|---|
Rick Rude, c. 1988 | |
| Birth name | Richard Erwin Rood |
| Born | December 7, 1958 St. Peter, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 1999 (aged 40) Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Accidental overdose |
| 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 |
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 Wars, 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. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.