18. Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude - WWE Intercontinental Championship (1989)
One of the most underrated matches in Summerslam history was the rematch from Mania V between the Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude and the Ultimate Warrior. The Mania match had been sloppy, while also being thoroughly entertaining thanks to Rudes selling and charisma. The Summerslam match was one of the best performances of Warriors career and one of the greatest carry jobs of Rudes. It went off without a hitch. Everything that they did in the 16-minute match clicked. They traded momentum back and forth, keeping you guessing as to which one of them would walk away with the IC title. You assumed that Warrior would regain the gold, but Rude did a great job of making you think that perhaps he would find a way to win again. While the drama was greater in other Warrior matches, specifically citing the Mania matches with Hogan and Savage, the quality of the counters in this match with Rude might have been the most impressive that Warrior ever produced. Ravishing Rick really did an incredible job. You have to think that he must have been exhausted, both physically and mentally, by the time Roddy Piper showed up, signaling that they go to the finish of Warrior winning back the belt. There is a look on Rudes face after the match - satisfaction subtly creeping onto his face in the midst of him selling the anguish of losing the title.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
