NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #25
Date: December 11, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

So last week saw things get really Russo-y in a hurry, with the debut of the Sports Entertainment Xtreme (SEX) stable and a woman being treated horribly. Then Paul Bearer debuted to end the show, because that’s the kind of huge signing this place needs. I have no idea what I’m getting myself into here but let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap, which is described as from “LAST WEEKY”, because this company can’t spell a four letter word with two letters being the same. Anyway we look at the beginnings of Sports Entertainment Xtreme, because this place was needing an NWO knockoff.

Opening sequence.

Jason Cross vs. Tony Mamaluke

Mamaluke takes him down by the arm to start but gets sent into the buckle. That means a crash to the floor, with Cross hitting a big flip dive. Cross ties him in the Tree Of Woe for a baseball slide, followed by a brainbuster for two. Back up and Mamaluke starts in on the leg but gets kicked in the face for his efforts.

Mamaluke’s charge misses in the corner though and Cross hits something like a sideways Blockbuster. Cross goes up for a flipping Unprettier (cool) into a shooting star legdrop. This bangs up the knee (which was fine enough to do two big flips in a row) and Mamaluke grabs a seated Brock Lock (the Sicilian Crab) for the tap at 6:31.

Rating: C+. Oh dang that ending screwed up a lot of the good they had going here. Cross hits two awesome finishers in a row and doesn’t even get a cover before giving up. Not only does it waste the finishers, but the leg was fine enough to go up a few times in a row but the landing hurts it that badly? That’s just overbooking, as Cross’ finishers look weak and he loses on top of it. Get this stuff straight.

Post match BG James comes out and puts a guitar on the announcers’ table. They are responsible for keeping track of the guitar, which Jeff Jarrett will need to retain the World Title. It’s an official order from Vince Russo, so you know it’s serious. Oh and the Harris Brothers come in and wreck Mamaluke and Cross, making it clear that they mean absolutely nothing.

James says that Russo isn’t here because he’s recruiting new talent for SEX (oh good grief). He promises that the army will grow and says D-Generation X was a cross between Russo’s ideas and the members’ talent so this is all for the good of the business. Cue Bob Armstrong who can’t believe that James is joining with Russo. James says his daddy (ah so it’s confirmed) never did anything for him, which has Armstrong bringing out Ron Killings with a chair and a chain.

Tonight, it’s a chair and chain match (a chain match with a chair in the middle of the chain) between James and Killings, with the Twins facing the Disciples Of The New Church. The villains tease a brawl but the Church and some other wrestlers come out for the big pull apart as the villains run off.

So in case it wasn’t clear, the match at the beginning of the show means absolutely nothing because this is all about the NWA vs. Russo’s IN YOUR FACE stable, making it WCW vs. the NWO. Again. Oh and remember that D-Generation X was a thing, because…well why else would James have a job?

Commentary runs down the show, with Mike Tenay talking about what Jeff Jarrett has been doing lately.

Jorge Estrada is crushed that Priscilla left him and maybe he needs a new direction. From now on, he’s playing things by ear.

Kid Kash vs. Jorge Estrada

They fight over arm control to start with neither of them really being able to get very far. An exchange in armdrags leads to Kash grabbing an armbar but getting sent outside. Estrada’s springboard corkscrew moonsault drops Kash again but he’s right back with something like a Whisper In The Wind. Estrada trips him down for a springboard legdrop to the back of the head but Kash is back up with a running DDT. A brainbuster gives Kash the fast win at 5:17.

Rating: C. The action was fine, but it felt like two people just doing moves to each other until Kash won. It didn’t really build towards anything and while Kash’s stuff was good, there is only so much you can get with the second short X-Division match in a row. Estrada’s downward spiral continues, and I can’t see it getting much better for him anytime soon.

Bob Armstrong is on the phone and can’t talk.

Divine Storm vs. America’s Most Wanted

Trinity is here with Divine Storm. Harris works on Quiet Storm’s arm to start and slaps a dropkick away without much trouble. Some shoulders don’t work well for Quiet either so it’s off to Divine. James Storm comes in to kick him in the head (a good job if you can get it) and Divine is sent outside. James hits a big dive onto both opponents, followed by Harris hitting a dive onto all three of them (which isn’t that bright but this show’s logic went out the window a long time ago).

Naturally Trinity wants in on this by moonsaulting onto Harris, who is right back in with something like a dropkick Hart Attack to Quiet. Divine comes in to take over on Harris though and cuts him off with a boot in the corner. The spear gets Harris out of trouble though and it’s back to James for the real comeback (after being in trouble for about thirty seconds). Quiet gets superkicked out of the air and everything breaks down, with Trinity breaking up the Death Sentence, allowing Divine to steal the pin on Harris at 6:56.

Rating: C+. Well, points for having a new team get somewhere. AMW is by far and away the best team in the company and it’s nice to see someone else getting a chance. I’m not sure if Divine Storm is going to be the next big thing but it’s better than having AMW run through one team after another.

Referee Scott Armstrong talks to BG James (his brother, who is smoking) and tries to get him back on the right side with their dad. James says he paved his own roads. Except for the ones with Russo right?

We look at AJ Styles taking out Amazing Red last week.

AJ Styles vs. Amazing Red

Mortimer Plumtree is here with Styles and Red runs in to start fast. Styles keeps shoving him away and gets hit in the face for his efforts. A 619 rocks Styles and sends him outside, but he catches Red’s dive for a powerbomb backbreaker. Back in and Red strikes away until a discus clothesline brings him right back down.

A middle rope sunset flip doesn’t work for Red, who backflips up and over Styles (that looked great) into a failed Styles Clash attempt. Red’s tornado DDT is countered into a northern lights suplex and he’s in trouble again. Plumtree even gets in a few shots, earning himself an anklescissors. Styles isn’t having that and drops him face first onto the steps but Red is able to snap off a hurricanrana.

A reverse DDT gives Styles two and he grabs a Muta Lock, even turning over onto his stomach while continuing the cranking. With that not working, Styles hits a hard sitout powerbomb and they go up top. The super Styles Clash is blocked though and a super hurricanrana gives Red the big upset at 12:09.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up, which isn’t a surprise given who was in there. It’s a similar story to the AMW match, as you have the established ace and need to bring up someone new, which is where a fall like this comes in. Red even won clean to make it better and it makes sense as he’s a good guy. Solid stuff here, which tends to be the case with anything Styles does.

Tag Team Titles: Disciples Of The New Church vs. Harris Twins

The Disciples, with Belladonna and James Mitchell, are defending and WHY? The whole point of the match was to punish the Twins….so they get a title shot??? Good grief the logic really is gone here. The Twins come in through the crowd and the brawl starts fast. AJ Styles even joins commentary, which isn’t something you would see around this time.

They fight in the ring for a bit until Slash hits a big dive to the floor, meaning it’s time to fight into the crowd. They head back into the ring with the Disciples fighting out of trouble until BG James comes in with a chair to Slash’s head. Ron gets the pin and the titles at 4:17…but here is Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) to tell the referee about the interference, which is enough for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, which shouldn’t be a big surprise. At the end of the day, there is pretty much nothing to the Harris Twins in the ring and having them in a title match here makes less than no sense. Throw in the fact that they wound up getting the pin until Percy Pringle of all people makes the save. Because the champs need to lose to the really awesome team you see.

Post match Mitchell says the teams don’t have problem with each other and suggests beating up Pringle. Cue AMW with chairs to go after the Disciples as we again have WAY too much going on at once. That’s ignoring AMW being put into a bigger story right after losing, because the wrestling just doesn’t matter.

Video on Sonny Siaki challenging Jerry Lynn for the X-Division Title.

Siaki wants the old guys gone and new guys, like him, getting a chance.

X-Division Title: Sonny Siaki vs. Jerry Lynn

Lynn is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Lynn drives him into the corner to start and grabs a headlock takeover. A crucifix gives Lynn two and it’s an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and a triangle dropkick sends Siaki outside but he’s able to send into the apron. Lynn sweeps the leg and hits a slingshot legdrop to the back of the head, only to get caught in a hot shot. The referee gets distracted and Lynn gets kicked low, allowing Siaki to send him outside again.

They trade rams into the barricade, with Siaki getting the better of things by swinging him into the steel. Siaki hammers away back inside but walks into a sitout powerbomb for two. The referee gets bumped in the corner though and naturally Lynn grabs his cradle piledriver immediately thereafter. The very delayed count gets two but cue a mystery woman to crotch Lynn on top. A hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Siaki the pin and the title at 12:59.

Rating: C+. I appreciate the idea of getting someone new in the title picture as you can only have Lynn and AJ Styles fight so many times. Siaki was treated as something important for a little bit before dropping back down the card. It’s nice to see him doing something else, as there are far worse options out there.

Ron Killings vs. BG James

Chairs and Chains match (ignore that there is only one of each), which is a chain match with a chair in the middle. Naturally it’s just dangling there, making it look like a scene from a screwball wrestling sitcom (which I would love to see). James wraps the chain around his fist and punches away to start, allowing him to grab the chair.

That takes long enough that Killings can go up for a dropkick to send the chair into his face. A moonsault only hits chair though and James chairs him in the ribs. The chair is wedged in the corner, with Killings pulling him into the chair for the big crash. Then the chain just falls off so Killings gives him a sitout gordbuster onto the chair for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: F. This is the definition of a hat on a hat, as just having a chain match is one thing, but then they needed to add in a chair because reasons. It also didn’t work due to the chair just kind of dangling there, because they had to go with the dumbest idea possible. Terrible match, which had Russo’s style all over it.

Post match Killings puts the chair on him and goes up but Bob Armstrong makes the save. James gets up and chairs both of them in the head, leaving the referee to check on Bob. For like five seconds.

We run down next week’s card.

We recap Curt Hennig challenging Jeff Jarrett for the World Title. Basically Hennig wants to win the title to prove his greatness and that’s about it.

Earlier today, Jarrett had a sitdown interview and talked about the importance of the NWA World Title. He doesn’t like Vince Russo but isn’t happy with some of the things Roddy Piper said either. As for his allegiance with Russo…he’ll address it to Russo’s face later.

NWA World Title: Curt Hennig vs. Jeff Jarrett

Jarrett is defending. They go with the wrestling to start and neither get very far. A headscissors doesn’t work for Hennig so he goes with the chops in the corner. They’re already on the floor with Jarrett hitting him in the back with a chair, earning a look from the referee. Back in and Hennig grabs a quick Robinsdale Crunch, allowing him to wrap the knee around the post. Hennig ties the leg up inside and Jarrett even has to raise his shoulder to avoid a pin. No it wasn’t going to happen, but points for doing something instead of just laying there.

Jarrett is back up with an enziguri and sends Hennig into the corner, where a turnbuckle pad is taken off. Hennig is sent into the exposed buckle and of course the referee gets bumped (again). Jarrett teases getting the guitar from earlier in the night but opts not to, instead loading up the Stroke. That earns him a low blow, but here is Vince Russo (of course) to guitar Hennig in the head (and it doesn’t break). Jarrett retains his title at 8:12.

Rating: C. Jarrett and Hennig could have a passable match in their sleep due to talent and experience alone, but they had too much going on here, including the Russo ending. They only had a few minutes to actually wrestle here until they got to the screwy stuff. It could have been good but instead they went with the sports entertainment nonsense, as is always the case with Russo.

Post match Russo hands Jarrett the title and they go head to head. Cue AJ Styles to run in to jump Jarrett to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. There were good parts in here, but the Russo dominance is destroying those positives. Everything important revolves around Russo vs. Bob Armstrong of all people, which makes for such a mess. The X-Division stuff at the beginning was nice, but it only gets you so far when, like the cruiserweights in WCW, it doesn’t feel important in the slightest. Watch the AJ Styles stuff as usual, and skip the rest.

 

 

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Rick Rude Collection
Commentators: Bill Mercer, Tony Schiavone, David Crockett, Gorilla Monsoon, Lord Alfred Hayes, Nick Bockwinkel, Ron Trongard, Billy Graham, Jesse Ventura

Rude is someone who has some distinct periods in his career, as he started off as mostly a comedy heel and then turned into a rather dangerous villain. Unfortunately he wasn’t on the main stage for very long but he has a lot of moments to remember. That is what we’re taking a look back at here so let’s get to it.

Quick opening video.

From the 1986 WCCW David Von Erich Memorial Parade Of Champions.

WCWA World Title: Rick Rude vs. Bruiser Brody

Rude, with Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer), is defending and can lose the title via DQ. Brody runs him over with a shoulder to start and we’re already in the front facelock. That’s broken up and Rude gets in a hiptoss, setting up a chinlock. Brody isn’t having that and powers back up for a trip to the floor.

Rude gets posted and sent back inside for a suplex, followed by a big leg for two. Rude’s suplex gets two more, with Pringle shoving the foot off the rope. The chase is on and Pringle is brought inside, which…isn’t enough for the DQ, but Brody throwing Rude over the top at 7:09 appears to be.

Rating: C. Rude was still pretty green here and it showed rather badly. At the same time though, he was a cross between his goofy self and the serious version that he would hit after losing WCW, which isn’t a combination you see very often. This wasn’t much of a match and the ending hurt, but Brody was always worth a look.

Post match Brody wrecks both of them and Rude runs off, only for Brody to give chase and keep up the beating.

From World Championship Wrestling TV, December 6, 1986.

NWA Tag Team Titles: Rick Rude/Manny Fernandez vs. Rock N Roll Express

The Express is defending and this would actually be the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles, which would evolve into the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Fernandez and Morton start things off with Morton grabbing a headlock, much to Crockett’s delight. Morton misses a charge in the corner but elbows him in the face, leading to a four way standoff. Rude comes in and gets his arm worked on, with a hiptoss not getting him very far.

Morton comes up favoring his own (already bandaged arm) so it’s off to Gibson. That doesn’t last long though as Morton is back in for an armdrag to Fernandez. Morton’s arm is banged up again though and it’s right back to Gibson for more arm cranking. Fans: “BREAK IT! BREAK IT!” Morton comes back in to stare at Fernandez and we take a break. We come back with Fernandez dropping a middle rope knee on Gibson’s knee and cranking on the legs.

Rude comes in without a tag and stays on the leg before Fernandez does the same (this referee doesn’t pay much attention). We actually get a tag as Rude comes in to stay on the leg but Gibson kicks him away. Morton comes back in but gets taken down by the arm as we take another break.

We come back again with Rude staying on the arm and Fernandez coming in to drops knees. Rude’s top rope fist drop hits the arm and it’s back to the armbar. Some knees to the arm set up another armbar as there is definitely a theme here. Fernandez comes in to crank on the arm even more before Rude’s armbar takes us to a THIRD break.

We come back again with Morton getting fired up to come out of a wristlock but Rude slaps on another armbar. They go outside with Rude sending the bad arm into the post and Morton is down again. Back in and Morton slugs away with the good arm, only to have his bad arm sent into Fernandez’s knee in the corner.

We hit the armbar again and take a fourth break (actual caption on the graphic: “How long can they keep this up?”) before coming back with even more armbarring. Morton FINALLY hits an atomic drop and brings in Gibson to clean house, including a dropkick to Fernandez. Everything breaks down and Gibson gets an O’Connor roll but Fernandez reverses into a rollup of his own and grabs the tights at 46:52 (with over 32 minutes shown).

Rating: B-. This was a huge upset and it’s awesome to see the titles change hands, even with so much of the match cut out on the breaks. That being said, while a huge portion of the match was spent in the armbar, Morton was constantly fighting to get out of it and make the tag. That’s the difference between working and sitting there and those are two very different things. I stayed with this and was stunned at how long it had gone as it’s never dull. Good stuff here, with Rude and Fernandez working well together. The Express would get the titles back in about six months in a phantom title change when Rude jumped to the WWF.

From New York City, New York, November 24, 1987.

Rick Rude vs. Paul Orndorff

Bobby Heenan is here with Rude and this is two days before the inaugural Survivor Series, which featured these two in the main event. Orndorff pulls him to the floor to start fast and then goes inside to chase Heenan around. The villains are rammed together so Orndorff can pose and my goodness the differences in the size of his arms is disturbing. Orndorff drops an elbow and hammers away in the corner but charges into a knee to the face.

Some big forearms have Orndorff in trouble as the pace slows way down. Heenan jumps in on commentary to praise Rude as he gets his knees up to cut Orndorff off again. Back up and Orndorff slugs away, setting up a nice backdrop. Heenan gets on the apron and fails miserably as Rude hits him by mistake. The distraction lets Rude grab a rollup with trunks for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C+. Orndorff is someone who gets better every time I see him. He has so much fire almost every time he’s out there and it makes things rather fun to watch. That was the case again here, as it looked like Orndorff wanted to beat the fire out of Rude, which he pretty much did for the beginning. Rude winning makes sense as Orndorff was on his way out anyway (to run a bowling alley) but he would be back in WCW eventually.

Post match Orndorff chases Rude off.

We look at Rude hitting on a woman at ringside, who isn’t interested. Rude asks if she finds him as the sexiest man in the WWF but that would be her husband. It turns out her husband is a wrestler too: JAKE ROBERTS! Rude insults Roberts and grabs his wife, which brings out Roberts as the war is on. A bunch of jobbers come out to try and split them up, which only works so well.

From New York City, New York, October 24, 1988.

Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts

This has special rules as you win just by hitting your finisher rather than having to get a pin. Rude’s music is overdubbed, to the point where you can’t even hear his introduction. Cheryl Roberts is here with Jake but there’s no Heenan for a change. Rude misses a charge into the corner to start and Roberts works on the arm as commentary talks about how important it is to build up your neck.

That can help you against the Rude Awakening, but not so much with the DDT. Rude bails out to the floor and comes back in, with Roberts snapping off the left hands. A clothesline takes Roberts down and Rude ties him in the ropes, meaning it’s time to stalk Cheryl. Roberts cuts that off and is quickly posted, allowing Rude to stomp on the fingers (how rude). The chinlock goes on (you knew that was coming in this match) for a bit until Roberts fights up, only to charge into a raised knee in the corner.

Rude’s own back is banged up though and they’re both down. A necksnap over the top rope has Roberts in more trouble but he manages to post Rude’s arm. Back in and a gutbuster has Rude in more trouble, followed by the knee lift. The short arm clothesline looks to set up the DDT but Rude drives him into the corner. Rude goes after Cheryl though and gets shoved away, allowing Roberts to snap off the DDT for the pin (maybe I got the rules confused) at 12:26.

Rating: C. This was kind of dull, but it’s light years ahead of their boring Wrestlemania IV match. Instead there was more of a point to the match and Cheryl added a lot here. It made things feel more personal and gave Roberts more of a reason to want to take Rude out. That’s what it needed to be and I liked this well enough.

Post match Roberts gives him the Damien treatment.

From Wrestlemania V.

Intercontinental Title: Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

Rude, with Bobby Heenan, is challenging and has the awesome tights with the title already painted on. Warrior even runs down the steps to the ring, which is rather impressive. Or stupid. Yeah probably stupid. Rude tries a knee to the ribs while Warrior still has the belt on and Warrior hammers away as a result. Some big shoves (and bigger jumps from Rude) send Rude hard into the corner and Warrior sends him flying into another corner.

The bearhug goes on and even Ventura is worried at this point. Rude gets smart by going to the eyes and he even busts out a MISSILE DROPKICK FOR…and Warrior kicks out before one. Warrior slams him down to stay on the back and the bearhug goes on again. Rude goes for the eyes again but this time the referee catches it, so Warrior bites Rude in the head instead. Monsoon: “Perhaps hunger.”

The Warrior Splash hits raised knees (and it wouldn’t have been close anyway) and Rude grabs a piledriver for a delayed two. We pause for some hip swiveling, but Rude’s ribs are banged up. A clothesline gives Rude two and we hit the double arm crank. Ventura: “Where are the big muscles now?” Uh, still there?

Muscular guys can get beaten up too. Warrior fights up and hits a running shoulder, followed by some faceplants. What looks like a backbreaker doesn’t work as Warrior almost falls down, so he hits a big shoulder into the corner. A charge misses but the Rude Awakening is broken up with raw power. Warrior clotheslines him out to the apron for a suplex, but Heenan sweeps the leg and holds it down to give Rude the title at 9:43.

Rating: B. This is one of the two matches are remembered from this show and possibly the better of the pair. These two just had awesome chemistry together and that’s the kind of thing you can’t plan for when setting up a feud. Rude winning the title instantly makes him a bigger deal, as the idea of Warrior losing was impossible to fathom, even with Heenan cheating to help. It’s still a memorable match, though I was a bit surprised by how show it was.

From Summerslam 1989.

Intercontinental Title: Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

Rude, with Bobby Heenan, is defending in a rematch from Wrestlemania. Rude is hesitant to start and slowly hammers away, only to get clotheslined to the apron. Warrior knocks him outside, sending Ventura into a rant about how Warrior is a lunatic. Ventura screams for the referee so Schiavone says it’s fine outside of the ring. Ventura: “YOU’RE EVEN DUMBER THAN MONSOON!”

Back in and Warrior hits a top rope ax handle for two before sending him hard into the corner. A suplex gives Warrior two and we get the big atomic drop, which lets Warrior do his own hip swivel. Warrior goes up and gets crotched, allowing Rude to hit some big forearms to the back. The reverse chinlock goes on for a bit but Warrior is fine enough to block the Rude Awakening.

Rude jumps on his back for a sleeper, which is broken up with a jawbreaker. Warrior runs Rude over and the referee is bumped, leaving everyone down. It’s time for Warrior to Hulk Up and hit some clotheslines into a powerslam but the referee is still down (likely needing a stretcher at this point). Warrior hits a piledriver for a rather delayed two, with Rude getting a foot on the rope.

A running powerslam sets up the Warrior Splash, which again hits raised knees. Rude grabs his own piledriver (but kneels down like a Tombstone for some reason) for two, followed by a top rope fist drop for the same. Cue Roddy Piper as Rude hits another piledriver for two more, leaving Piper to flash Rude. The distraction lets Warrior suplex him out of the corner, setting up the gorilla press. The Warrior Splash gives Warrior the title back at 16:04.

Rating: B. It’s not as memorable as the original, but the chemistry was absolutely still on display. Warrior getting the win/title back makes sense as he now looks all the more dominant. This gets rid of his one blemish as Rude moves on to Piper and he’s already looking that much better, which is due to the matches with Warrior. It’s a rare feud where both of them come out looking a lot better and it worked very well.

From Clash Of The Champions XVII as we jump ahead to WCW.

US Title: Rick Rude vs. Sting

Rude, with Paul E. Dangerously, is challenging in a match I’ve seen several times. Also, this lets me ask the same question I always have in this era: why was the big WCW logo at the entrance tilted to the side? It comes off as more a mistake than anything else and….yeah that’s what I would expect from WCW.

Anyway, Heyman insists that Sting isn’t here tonight but we see an ambulance coming up with Sting limping out, sporting a rather taped up knee. The bell rings and Sting, ever the moron, goes to the wrong door but has to get to the ring in time to beat the ten count. Sting makes it into the arena and brawls with Rude on the ramp, as I guess the ten count is forgotten. They get inside with Rude raking the eyes but getting punched out of the air, followed by a backdrop.

Sting clotheslines him over the top but Rude gets smart by going after the bad knee. Said knee is wrapped around the post a few times and Rude comes off the top with a forearm. The Rude Awakening is broken up again (must be a Blade Runners thing) but Rude falls down into a chop block. Dangerously gets in a cell phone shot for two in a nice false finish. Sting hits a DDT but goes after Dangerously, allowing Rude to chop block him for the pin and the title at 4:52.

Rating: C+. This was more of an angle than a match and that’s how it should have gone. Rude does the same thing he did by beating the Warrior as he takes out the seemingly invincible champion. The difference is here he looked serious coming in rather than stealing a win. You can see Rude’s development and evolution and it’s great to watch over time.

From Worldwide, May 30, 1992.

Rick Rude vs. Dustin Rhodes

Rude’s US Title isn’t on the line and he has Madusa with him. They start fighting….I guess, as we look at pictures from WCW Magazine as commentary is REALLY quiet for some reason. Rude works on the arm but Rhodes reverses into a hammerlock and drives some knees into the arm. A clothesline out of the corner drops Rude and a suplex does it again. Rhodes knocks him into the corner and starts hammering away, as Rude’s history of back issues continue.

The reverse chinlock goes on for a good while until Rhodes tries to drop down onto Rude’s back, landing on raised knees. In other words, Rhodes is an Arn Anderson fan. Rude slowly works on the back before grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up but Rude turns him inside out with a clothesline. A top rope shot to the head gives Rude two and he hits Rhodes fairly low to cut off a comeback attempt.

Rhodes wins a fight over a Tombstone and gets two, with Rude getting a foot on the rope. Rude is banged up but still manages to send him outside for a needed breather, plus a kick from Madusa. Back in and Rhodes makes a very quick comeback, including the bulldog, but Madusa has the referee. A clothesline puts Rude on the floor instead but the referee is distracted, allowing Rude to get in a belt shot. The Rude Awakening gives Rude the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. This feud went on for a LONG time and it only got so good, though they had a nice match here. Madusa getting involved fit well, which was the case with pretty much anything involving the Dangerous Alliance. It’s good to see Rude getting another win, as you could absolutely see his rise in WCW in short order.

From Fall Brawl 1993.

WCW International Title: Rick Rude vs. Ric Flair

Flair, with Fifi, is defending. Before the match, Rude holds up a Flair towel and promises to leave with Flair’s title, reputation and his woman, who is painted on his tights (Ventura loves it). They fight over a top wristlock to start as Ventura talks about how Fifi should be in the kitchen like most women. Rude grabs a headlock but Flair is already going after the leg with the Figure Four just a few minutes after the bell. That’s broken up so Flair goes after the wristlock, followed by an armbar and a hammerlock. Oh this is going to be one of those matches isn’t it?

Rude fights up, gets punched down, and wristlocked again. The arm is wrapped around the rope and it’s back to the arm cranking. A running crossbody sends both of them crashing out to the floor for the bad landing. Back in and Rude hammers on the back, setting up the reverse chinlock. Flair finally avoids a drop down and slugs away but gets dropped throat first across the top rope. The bearhug goes on to keep Flair’s ribs in trouble and they go to the mat, with Flair actually turning it over and getting on top of him for a cover in a unique twist.

Rude gets up and hits a top rope shot to the head but keeps yelling at Fifi. Another try is punched out of the air and Flair drops a knee in the vicinity of Rude’s head. Rude is right back with a DDT for two but the Rude Awakening is countered into a neckbreaker from Flair, with Rude getting a foot on the rope.

Flair goes after the leg and sends Rude outside for a top rope shot to the head. Back in and Rude drops him again, only to yell at Fifi. That earns him a slap so Rude kisses Fifi and pulls her inside. Flair makes the save and grabs the Figure Four as the referee gets rid of Fifi. That’s enough of a distraction for Rude to pull out some brass knuckles and knock Flair cold for the pin and the title at 30:55.

Rating: C. This took a long, long time to get going and the good parts did work, but dang that ending fell flat. The idea of Flair defending the honor of one of the women who comes to the ring with him doesn’t feel right and it was a pretty lame way to switch the title. At the same time, I do like the idea of Rude winning the title though, as he was worth trying out in the main event scene.

Overall Rating: C+. Rude is an interesting case as he only had so many good matches, but that’s partially because he didn’t have a long career. He showed up in the WWE in 1987, was gone in 1990, spent about a year in the indies, showed up in WCW in 1991 and was done by 1994. It makes it all the more impressive that he was so memorable, as he went from a goofy heel to a heavy hitting threat in WCW. What is best remembered is his talking though, and unfortunately we only got so much of it here. They left out a lot of what could have been included and it makes me want to see more, so call this an ok enough collection.

 

 

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