Wrestling Rewind: This Week In History (July 17 - July 23)
5. July 19th, 1997: Rick Rude Wrestles His Last Match
When Rick Rude retired in May of 1994 following a debilitating back injury suffered during a bout with Sting in Japan, many believed that Rude’s in-ring days were over - Rude himself included.
Cashing in on the now-infamous Lloyd’s of London insurance policy that several other high-profile wrestlers had also invested in at the time (notably Curt Hennig and Road Warrior Animal), Rude hung up his boots and was seemingly done with the wrestling business for good. That is until 1997, when Paul Heyman came calling and managed to lure his former Dangerous Alliance stablemate back into the the belly of the wrestling beast.
After initially debuting under a hood (much like he did in WCW), Rude would quickly enter into a storyline with Shane Douglas and The Triple Threat, with some brief time spent in the announce booth beside Joey Styles for good measure in between. Soon enough, the allure of the canvas would summon the “Ravishing One” back for one-night only at Heat Wave ‘97.
Picking up where he left off, Rude would find himself in the main event, this time as part of a six-man tag team match inside a Steel Cage. Partnering up with ECW icons Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman, Rude and co. would wage war against Jerry Lawler and WWF sympathisers, RVD and Sabu.
Entering as a pro-ECW babyface, Rude would soon reveal his true colours, returning to his roots and turning full-blown heel on his partners. The dastardly Rude would even going as far as to attack Dreamer’s valet, Beulah, at ringside, throwing her into the cage after receiving a slap for his troubles.
Despite heavy rumours of a regular in-ring return in 1999, Rude would ultimately pass away before this could become a reality; making his appearance on this date in 1997 his final pro wrestling match.