Ultimate Warrior's Long Rivalry With Rick Rude In WWE, Explained
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The Ultimate Warrior is without a doubt one of the most colorful, boisterous and popular stars in WWE history, as he carried the banner as the number two babyface in the company behind Hulk Hogan during the late 1980s and early 90s. While having the reputation as stiff, and not the best in-ring worker, Warrior transcended those shortcomings with his jacked, chiseled, face-painted look, and his unique brand of wild charisma.
He famously toppled Hogan at WrestleMania 6 in a "Title for Title" match, winning his first WWE Championship, and retaining his Intercontinental Championship in the process. Hogan rarely took losses, and almost never lost clean as he did to the Warrior, so it was definitely a big deal and a crowning achievement for the lunatic. Warrior would go on to have arguably his greatest match ever the following year at WrestleMania VII, defeating "Macho King" Randy Savage in a retirement match. However, it was his feud with Ravishing Rick Rude, an upper midcarder who was an excellent technician in the ring, that helped launch Warrior to the main event in WWE.
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Ultimate Warrior Initially Feuded With Rick Rude in World Class Championship Wrestling
Before joining WWE in 1987, Warrior competed in the Continental Wrestling Association and Universal Wrestling Federation in a tag team with future legend Sting, initially known as The Freedom Fighters, before rebranding to The Blade Runners. Warrior's final stop before WWE was World Class Championship wrestling in Dallas, where he debuted in 1986 as the "Dingo Warrior."
Warrior competed as a heel and was managed by Gary Hart. He and Rude had a falling out as a heel tag team, and Warrior was cheered as the face in a feud with then World Class World Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude, in what was ultimately a prelude to their soon-to-come feud in WWE.
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Ultimate Warrior Ended Honky Tonk Man's Intercontinental Title Reign
Warrior made his debut on WWE television on the October 25, 1987 Wrestling Challenge, defeating jobber Terry Gibbs. Warrior actually suffered his first pinfall loss in WWE to Rick Rude (who had also recently come over from WCCW), further planting seeds for the future. Less than a year after debuting, Warrior served as a surprise replacement for the injured Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake to challenge the Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1988. Perhaps the real surprise was Warrior squashing Honky in 27 seconds, ending his legendary title reign at 454 days.
Warrior and Rude officially commenced their feud at Royal Rumble 1989, where the two competed against each other in a "Super Posedown," which was exactly what it sounds like -- both jacked guys doing various bodybuilding poses. Warrior was the clear winner in the eyes of the crowd, which prompted Rude to attack Warrior and choke him with a steel bar, leading to a championship match at WrestleMania 5.
In a move of clairvoyance, Rude had the Intercontinental Championship imprinted on his tights for the match. Warrior was on offense for the majority of the 10-minute match, and Rude expertly sold for him, making him look like a million bucks. In the end, Rude got the win with him from his manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, who held Warrior's foot down after delivering a vertical suplex to Rude.
That finish obviously called for a rematch, which would occur at SummerSlam 1989. It was evident their chemistry had grown from working together on house shows since their WrestleMania contest, as this match was much better, despite going 16+ minutes for a Warrior match. But again, Rude's top-notch selling and high ring IQ carried the match, and Warrior played his part admirably in winning back his Intercontinental Championship.
RELATED: 10 Best Rick Rude Matches, According To Dave Meltzer
Ultimate Warrior Defeated Rick Rude In A Steel Cage Match At SummerSlam
After winning the "Ultimate Challenge" against Hogan at WrestleMania 6, Rude was pegged as Warrior's first major feud for the WWE Championship. Warrior initially defended the title against Rude on the July 16, 1990, edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, although the match ended in a disqualification. Due to the DQ finish, a rematch was made for SummerSlam 1990 -- the first PPV since WrestleMania. After battling for the Intercontinental title in the middle of the card at SummerSlam the year prior, this time Warrior and Rude were in the main event, and inside of a steel cage.
The match only went 10 minutes, so it was far from an epic, but it was an entertaining contest, and a strong first PPV title defense for Warrior. This was the final match between the two, and a job well done by Rick Rude in helping to elevate Warrior into a true main event player. However, it was not all roses for Rude, who apparently hated working with Warrior, according to Bruce Prichard on his podcast Something to Wrestle. The two also once got in a legit fight, but always kept it professional in the ring. Rude will always go down as one of the most underrated wrestlers of that era.
