What if Rick Rude never left WWF in 1990?

[Axl Low]

I've been thinking on it, and I can't help but wonder how far Ravishing Rick would've gone in WWF. He had a pretty good run, feuding with the likes of Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, and even ended The Ultimate Warrior's undefeated streak, taking the Intercontinental Title.

He got his first..and possibly only WWF Title Shot when he clashed with Warrior at Summerslam 1990, but came up short in his quest for gold. After his feud with Warrior ended, he turned his attention to The Big Boss Man who wasn't doing much either. The feud revolved around Rude and Bobby Heenan making disgusting and scathing remarks about The Boss Man's mother. But the feud never reached its completion as Rude left WWF, pissed off that Warrior's Summerslam PPV Bonus was slightly bigger than his. To explain his departure, Jack Tunney "suspended" Rude for the disparaging insults aimed at The Boss Man's Mother. He went to WCW to join the Dangerous Alliance and wouldn't return to WWF for another 7 years.

But what if he stayed in the WWF? Obviously Sting wouldn't have ended his career during a match in Japan. It was kinda obvious that they weren't going to push him as a main eventer by putting him with fellow mid carder The Boss Man, but what would have become of Rude? Would he have at least had one World Title run?

[BlackoutCreature]

If he stuck around and stayed healthy long enough, I could see him being a challenge to babyface World Champions Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. I couldn't see him ever getting a title reign though.

[Disaster Report]

I think he would've eventually wound up in a manager role similar to Ted Sr. Maybe he could've brought in Skip and Sunny as his fitness protegees or something.

[Deleted]

Outside of working with Hogan, there was no where for Rude to go after a near year long run with Warrior (with a Piper feud sandwiched in between). After that, all he was left with was the top mid card babyfaces, which happened to be Beefcake (pre-face injury), Bossman, Roberts, Duggan, Dusty, and Von Erich at the time.

They may have been able to turn him face if he and Heenan had a falling out (ala Orndorff), maybe have him feud with Perfect for the IC title, but I can't picture Rude as a face during that time period. He fit in much better during the late-90's but by then he couldn't wrestle anymore so it was pointless.

[CaptainFall]

I think if he hadn't have left in 1990 then he would have just left in 1991 because by that point they didn't really know what to do with him. If he'd stayed though through that time I think he would have gradually drifted through the midcard before falling away, don't think they ever would have had him at main event level. I was a fan of his but his gimmick was for the late 80s/early 90s.

[Lila]

Well Sexy Boy Shawn Michaels would of never happen that for sure.

[celticjobber]

I could see him having a great feud with Bret Hart, maybe he would've went in as IC champ instead of Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991? I think he would've had a great chance at becoming WWF Champion eventually if he had stuck around.

Big Boss Man wasn't exactly a slouch to feud with, most kids I knew thought of him as just under the level of guys like Hogan and Warrior. He was insanely over back then.

[dabossftw]

We might have had a better "transitional" WWF champion than Bob Backlund. Outside of some scenario like that, I don't believe Rude would have become THE top heel in the company.

In my eyes, he would have finished up his run with the Bossman around WrestleMania VII, as the shoehorning of Mr. Perfect into that match/feud would dictate, and probably left for WCW when Bischoff raided the WWF's talent pool in the mid 90's.

[Kash Flagg]

Didn't he leave because Hogan wouldn't work with him?

[chunkylover53]

Apr 19, 2011 12:59:56 GMT -5 @conebone69 said:

Outside of working with Hogan, there was no where for Rude to go after a near year long run with Warrior (with a Piper feud sandwiched in between). After that, all he was left with was the top mid card babyfaces, which happened to be Beefcake (pre-face injury), Bossman, Roberts, Duggan, Dusty, and Von Erich at the time.

They may have been able to turn him face if he and Heenan had a falling out (ala Orndorff), maybe have him feud with Perfect for the IC title, but I can't picture Rude as a face during that time period. He fit in much better during the late-90's but by then he couldn't wrestle anymore so it was pointless.

Turning him face was really the only option they had going for him at the time. How I would do it is have Heenan turn on Rude for not getting the job done by winning the WWF championship at Summerslam, and then he would feud with Heenan and the Heenan family members leading up to winning the IC title from Mr. Perfect at Wrestlemania VII. He would then lose the IC belt to Bret Hart in a face vs. face match(Rude being de-facto heel, kinda like Perfect was at King of The Ring 93) at Summerslam 91 with Rude shaking his hand after the match.

Shall he stay at that point and not go to WCW, I would've had him feud with Ric Flair and maybe win the WWF championship at some point in 92, but then again, with guys like Savage and Hogan already at the top, I don't think there would be room for Rude(at least as a face) there, and turning him back heel with top heels like Jake Roberts, Ric Flair, and The Undertaker wouldn't be an option either. So its best he went to WCW when he did.

[andrew8798]

Apr 19, 2011 21:26:05 GMT -5 Kash Flagg said:

Didn't he leave because Hogan wouldn't work with him?

Unhappy with his Summerslam payoff

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

It's too bad he left before his feud with Bossman could get off the ground as the buildup was real good and could have led to some good matches. I also thought Jack Tunney "suspending" him to explain his absence was pretty lame especially considering that guy's have done far worse without punishment. I'm suprised they didn't just say he left the company because he was scared of Bossman. That would have been better as it would put Bossman over while burying Rude for leaving.

I agree that a face turn was probaly the way to go as there wouldn't be too much to do with him after his feud with Bossman concluded as he had pretty much feuded with all the top faces.

[defdave]

Apr 19, 2011 19:47:31 GMT -5 celticjobber said:

I could see him having a great feud with Bret Hart, maybe he would've went in as IC champ instead of Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991? I think he would've had a great chance at becoming WWF Champion eventually if he had stuck around.

Big Boss Man wasn't exactly a slouch to feud with, most kids I knew thought of him as just under the level of guys like Hogan and Warrior. He was insanely over back then.

That's basically what I was about to say. He probably would've been back and forth with Texas Tornado, Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, etc and maybe even could have had a very short run with the World title, especially during the Bret Hart era.

And you're right. Bossman was very much over back then. I remember it clearly and fondly.

[johnnyk9]

He didn't like his feud with The Bossman in WWE, yet he works "The Boss" at Starrcade 1993, sure "The Boss" was a replacement but still

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Then the greatest United States Champion never would have held that belt.

While he did main event SummerSlam against Warrior, his career wouldn't have reached the heights it did in WCW. Honestly WCW used Rude, a lot better than WWF did.

[chunkylover53]

Apr 20, 2011 8:43:14 GMT -5 Jedi-El of Tomorrow said:

Then the greatest United States Champion never would have held that belt.

While he did main event SummerSlam against Warrior, his career wouldn't have reached the heights it did in WCW. Honestly WCW used Rude, a lot better than WWF did.

All the way down to his theme music...