Cut the music.
The WWE Hall of Fame has a new inductee, and he's simply Ravishing.
As first reported in Bleacher Report, and confirmed on WWE's website, the late Rick Rude will be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame on March 31st.
It was also reported that one of Rude's greatest rivals will induct him--Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
Here is an excerpt from the WWEs write-up:
At 6-foot-3, 252 pounds and possessing the chiseled physique of a Greek god, that assumption wasn’t wrong. Calling himself “Ravishing” Rick Rude, he embraced his gifts and reveled in the spotlight, flexing his bulging biceps and suggestively swiveling his hips at every opportunity, to the delight of women across the country.
Rude journeyed from Memphis to Canada, Georgia to Texas and anywhere in between, racking up championships along the way. He emerged on the national scene in the mid-1980s in World Class Championship Wrestling, where he became the promotion’s first World Champion. ...
The Ravishing One truly broke out after arriving in WWE in late 1987. Rude would immediately grab the microphone, then berate the WWE Universe for not being in as good shape as him while offering women the chance to take a few snapshots of his incredible physique. But once the bell rang, Rude backed up his braggadocio with a ruthless in-ring style ... all capped off with a devastating neckbreaker he dubbed the “Rude Awakening.”
With Bobby “The Brain” Heenan in his corner, Rude was a success from the start, though his womanizing ways got him in trouble with Jake “The Snake” Roberts. After making a move on “The Snake’s” wife, Rude showed off his penchant for mind games, wearing tights with Mrs. Roberts’ face airbrushed on them.
The Ravishing One went on to dethrone The Ultimate Warrior to become Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania V in 1989, and he waged war inside the ring with the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and The Big Boss Man before exiting WWE in 1990.
Rude made his way to WCW in 1991, quickly becoming the centerpiece of Paul Heyman’s Dangerous Alliance. The Ravishing One slightly toned down the womanizing, instead opting to show off just how dangerous he could be in the ring. He’d injure Sting and capture the United States Championship within his first month in WCW, then went on to take part in rivalries with the likes of Steamboat, Ric Flair, Ron Simmons and Vader before a back injury forced him into retirement. ...
Because of his reputation as one of the ring’s most memorable villains, “Ravishing” Rick Rude has more than earned his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Rick Rude passed away on April 20, 1999. He was just 40 years old.
