50 Best WCW Moments Ever

49. Rick Rude Plays Both Sides

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WWE

This was flat out warfare.

The WWF still taped some episodes of flagship show Raw in late-1997, and that'd come back to bite them after irking Rick Rude with the whole 'Montreal Screwjob' of one Bret Hart. Annoyed and looking for any excuse to bite back at Vince McMahon, Rude decided to hitch his wagon to WCW and sign a full time deal there whilst still a key part of WWF TV.

Wait, what? How could that happen if he was on telly with D-Generation X crew Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Chyna?! As it turned out, Rick wasn't under an ironclad contact with the fed, so he was only too happy to talk turkey with Eric Bischoff and thumb his nose at Vince. Incredibly, Rude appeared on Raw and Nitro the same night.

Raw's 17 November '97 edition was pre-taped, whereas WCW's Monday broadcast was 100% live. So, viewers flipping channels might've spotted Mr. 'Ravishing' himself cutting a promo on TNT and showing up with DX over on the USA Network during the same prime time window.

That must've been infuriating for McMahon and pals.

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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.