WWE Announces “Ravishing” Rick Rude for 2017 Hall of Fame

It was announced on Monday that the late, great “Ravishing” Rick Rude will be inducted in the 2017 Hall of Fame on March 31 in Orlando, just two days before WrestleMania.

Rude was a top star in both WWE and WCW in the 1980s and into the 1990s as well. He passed away in 1999 at age 40 due to heart failure. He was married to a woman named Michelle and had three children. His real name was Richard Rood.

One of Rude’s biggest rivals, WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat, will do the induction for Rude. Steamboat talked to Bleacher Report about his friend and on screen rival:

“If you looked at all the boxes you would check to make a main event guy that would go down in history as one of the best, Rude checked all the boxes. He was an all-around package. He looked good, he could play the part, he knew what to do. He could take great bumps, feed the babyface when it was time to feed, and he would never run out of gas.”

Here’s a clip of a memorable Steamboat/Rude match from WCW Beach Blast 1992.

Rude joins Kurt Angle, Diamond Dallas Page, Rock N Roll Express and Beth Phoenix in this year’s Hall of Fame class. There could be another one or two names announced as well.

TJR Thoughts: It’s an honor that is well deserved. He was a true heel that bragged about how good looking and “ravishing” he was all the time. It was easy for the fans to hate him because of how cocky he was.

I’ll never forget his classic promos where he would start like this: “What I’d like to have right now is for all you fat, out of shape losers…” and go on a rant ripping the people. It always worked even though we always knew it was coming.

In the ring he was very good as well. He had a lot of great matches in both WWE and WCW. He didn’t win WWE’s World Title, but he is one of the better wrestlers to not reach that level.

I’m glad that his family and friends will be able to honor him at the WWE Hall of Fame this year.