Rick Rude facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rick Rude |
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Rude, c. 1988
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| Birth name | Richard Erwin Rood |
| Born | December 7, 1958 St. Peter, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 1999 (aged 40) Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Anoka-Ramsey Community College |
| Spouse(s) |
Cheryl Holler
(m. 1980; div. 1982)Michelle Rood
(m. 1988) |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rick Rude Ricky Rood The WCW Phantom |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 252 lb (114 kg) |
| Billed from | Robbinsdale, Minnesota, United States |
| Trained by | Eddie Sharkey |
| Debut | 1982 |
| Retired | 1994 |
Richard Erwin Rood (born December 7, 1958 – died April 20, 1999) was an American professional wrestler. He was famous by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude. He wrestled for many top wrestling companies, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
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Early Life and Friends
Rick Rude was born in St. Peter, Minnesota. He grew up in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. He went to Robbinsdale High School. Many of his classmates also became professional wrestlers. These friends included Curt Hennig, John Nord, and Barry Darsow. Rick was especially close with his friend Curt Hennig.
Becoming a Professional Wrestler
After college, Rick Rude worked as a bouncer. He also tried arm wrestling for a short time. He then decided to become a professional wrestler.
He trained with a famous coach named Eddie Sharkey. Eddie Sharkey also trained other wrestling stars. Some of these include Bob Backlund and The Road Warriors.
Rick Rude wrestled from 1982 until 1994. He had to stop wrestling because of an injury. He was a very successful wrestler. He won many important championships. He was a four-time world champion. He also won the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. He won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship too.
Rick Rude also competed for the top titles. He challenged for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. He was in the main event of SummerSlam in 1990. After he retired from wrestling, he became a manager for other wrestlers.
D-Generation X and TV History
In 1997, Rick Rude helped start a wrestling group called D-Generation X. Other members included Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
On November 17, 1997, something very unusual happened. Rick Rude appeared on two different wrestling shows on the same night. He was on WWF's Raw and WCW's Monday Nitro. This was possible because Raw was recorded earlier. Rick Rude had already left WWF to join WCW by then.
Family Life
Rick Rude was married twice. He married Cheryl Holler in 1976. They later divorced in 1982. He then married Michelle in 1988. They stayed together until he passed away in 1999.
Rick and Michelle had three children. Their names were Richard Jr., Merissa, and Colton. Sadly, his younger son Colton died in 2016. He was 19 years old.
Other wrestlers, like Bret Hart, said Rick Rude was a very dedicated family man. He even kept his wedding ring on during his wrestling matches.
Passing Away
Rick Rude passed away on April 20, 1999. He was 40 years old. He died because of heart failure.
His Legacy in Wrestling
On March 6, 2017, Rick Rude was honored. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This is a special place for wrestling legends. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat helped induct him. Rick's wife Michelle and his children accepted the award for him.
Major Achievements
Rick Rude won many championships and awards during his career. Here are some of his most important ones:
- Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling
- WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Class Championship Wrestling / World Class Wrestling Association
- WCWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Federation / WWE
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 4 of the top 500 wrestlers in 1992.
Images for kids
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Rude being managed by Percy Pringle in 1985.
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Rude as WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, around 1986.
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Rude at an Extreme Championship Wrestling television taping in October 1997.
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See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
