Ranking Every Major Monday Night Wars Jump From WORST To BEST

10. Rick Rude

X Pac WWE Debut
WWE Network

Possibly the cutest jump of the Monday Night Wars—and leave it to Rick Rude, one of wrestling’s most f*ckable ever men, to pull that off—the moustachioed Ravishing one, in defiance of the Montreal Screwjob, left the WWF to debut on WCW on the November 17, 1997 Nitro—a night on which he also appeared on the taped RAW broadcast…

…with a full beard.

Firmly aware of the continuity that would expose RAW as literal old hat, Rude, bowing out of his pay-per-appearance deal, changed his look to depict Nitro as the more vital show—the show with the scoop. With Eric Bischoff in the background looking perfectly smug—for the last time—Rude raged against the WWF for screwing Bret Hart. Cuter still, Roode referred to his old employer as the “Titanic”.

It was a sensational story—or it would have been, were the WWF really the Titanic. In reality, as literally cheeky a transgression as this was, the real intrigue of controversy was unfolding in the WWF.

If anything, ironically, WCW was hurtling towards the iceberg that was Starrcade.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!