'Ravishing' Rick Rude was an interesting man. Many of his former peers, including the likes of Bobby Heenan and Paul Bearer, told stories about his wild antics in various shoot interviews. Partial to confrontation, Rude didn't shy away from the idea of becoming violent with someone. Even so, there was confusion when he decided to walk away from WCW in 1994. A serious back injury was the main reason, Rick simply couldn't wrestle any longer. Forced into retirement, it's startling to learn from Eric Bischoff that there was another reason for the man departing the company. According to Bischoff, Rick Rude couldn't stand Ric Flair, and the heat between the pair was sufficient enough that the former wanted out of the promotion. There's no reported incident between the pair, most wrestling fans probably weren't even aware that the duo had heat. It seems they really did, and Rude didn't like being around Flair at all. Was there some professional jealousy there? Maybe this was simply a case of both men having a clash of personalities?
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
