8 Reasons Rick Rude Deserves WWE Hall Of Fame 2017 Induction
He's simply ravishing!
At the beginning of every year, fans start to wonder which superstars will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame come WrestleMania weekend, and 2017 is no different. Already, rumors have started to leak about some of the men and women who will be honored, and if a particular one is to be believed, this year will play host to an induction that's long overdue - that of "Ravishing" Rick Rude.
Odds are that many younger fans don't have too many vivid memories of Rude, who retired from the ring in 1994 and died in 1999. For those who do, though, stars like Rude are the very reason why halls of fame exist in pro wrestling - he brought a level of credibility to an often-ridiculous form of entertainment, with a legitimate athleticism, a incredible performance style, and a persona that didn't insult the fans' intelligence, even though that seemed to be the order of the day in late '80s WWE.
It's been nearly 18 years since Rude's premature passing, and it's nice to see that his legacy will (hopefully) be honored by the wrestling body that owns the bulk of his work. And if the company is still wavering over whether or not to induct Rude, it's time for them to get with the program.
Here are eight reasons why Rick Rude deserves a WWE Hall of Fame induction:
8. He Was On Raw And Nitro On The Same Night
One of the most interesting achievements of Rude's career happened after he retired from the ring, and it's that one which opens up our list. During the height of the Monday Night Wars, the one-of-a-kind Rude managed to appear on both Raw and Nitro in the very same evening.
Rude had been working for WWE for a few months when the infamous Montreal Screwjob happened and he, like many of his coworkers, was disgusted. As he was working without a contract, he called up Eric Bischoff and was immediately able to negotiate a deal with WCW.
Back in those days, Raw wasn't live every week, so on November 17, 1997 - eight days after Montreal - Rude was on Raw despite having joined WCW. Sporting a full beard, Rude was there in his role as enforcer for D-Generation X. An hour earlier, though, Rude was live on Nitro, cutting a promo on WWE and only sporting a mustache, just to hammer home which show was live.
Oh, and if that wasn't enough, over the weekend, Rude was on the pre-taped episode of ECW Hardcore TV.