I wouldnt say after years of crap booking. Two things that have to be said of Booker is that firstly he did himself no favours, with constant talks of retiring (why would WWE push someone who could be out of the business within months?).
Secondly, after he stopped bitching about retiring, he got one of the biggest pushes of his career with the King Booker gimmick, that was probably more over with the fans than even his heyday in WCW.
Granted, between joining WWE and his King Booker gimmick, there were plenty of ups and downs, but I think it was defo a 50/50 split between it being WWEs poor booking and Booker constant saying he was gonna retire.
There are many wrestlers that I would say have been wasted by WWE, Booker isnt one of them, at least not completely.
I'd give it about half and half. I remember when he first came in with the Invasion and all and they were just booking him really badly for a while. (the feud with Edge for a shampoo endorsement. his feuds with Rock/Austin/Triple H all made him either look like crap or just silly, too.) then they put him with Goldust and the two of them made that work. but as soon as it was getting over, it seemed like they just split them up. "hey, this is working, let's give Goldust epilepsy and have Booker shipped off to Smackdown and have him bitch about it all the time."
I did try to watch again a little bit when they revived the best of seven angle with him and Benoit and that was some great stuff, at least until they had to stick Orton into the middle of it.
there was I remember a lot of his talk about retiring, and I don't know if he was serious about that or just attempting to use it as a threat to get a better deal or what. but for several years it did seem like he was getting wasted. I was really surprised when they gave him the KOTR win and added that to his gimmick. it seems like that did respark his career somewhat.
i took the king booker thing as they were trying to make a fool out of him, but he was able to make it work just like the booker/goldust thing worked...
I like how Austin needs his knee braces even when he's shopping.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
Fuck man, how quickly has Flair aged? That must be, what, 6 years ago and he looks about 15 years younger than he does now!
I do think though, Booker always worked well as a comical heel. Whether it was WWEs intention to make him look dumb or not, he always made the gimmicks work to his advantage (which is why he ended up finally winning the big one)!
I mean, even during the invasion, with the "Spineroonie" and the "Five time, five times, five times" gimmicks, he made them not look so stupid!
Hometown - Miami, Florida Debuted - June 1975 Titles Held - AJPW Unified World Tag Team (with Stan Hansen); NWA United National; PWF Tag Team (with Stan Hansen); NWA Central States Heavyweight (2x); NWA National Heavyweight (2x); NWA National Tag Team (2x, 1 with Stan Hansen, 1 with Steve Olsonski); Mid-South North American Heavyweight (5x); Mid-South Tag Team (5x, 1 with Matt Borne, 2 with Steve Williams, 1 with Jerry Stubbs, 1 with Hercules Hernandez); NWA North American Heavyweight (tri-state); NWA United States Tag Team (tri-state) (with Dick Murdoch); NWA Western States Tag Team (2x, 1 with Tito Santana, 1 with Irvin Smith); NWA Missouri Heavyweight (2x); TASW Heavyweight; WWF North American Heavyweight; WWF World Tag Team (3x, with Irwin R. Schyster); Million Dollar Championship (2x); WWF World (presented by Andre the Giant – unofficial); 1988 WWF King of the Ring Other Accomplishments - First WWF North American champion; Wrestling Observer Newsletter Best Technical Wrestler in 1981 ; Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Best Feud Award in 1982 (against Junkyard Dog); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Best Feud Award in 1984 (against Jim Duggan); Back-to-Back Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Best Heel Award in 1987 and 1988; Ranked #17 in PWI Top 500 in 1991; Ranked as #32 of the best singles wrestlers of the PWI years by Pro Wrestling Illustrated; Ranked #20 in best 100 tag teams of the PWI years by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (with Steve Williams; Ranked #24 of the best 100 tag teams of the PWI years by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (with Stan Hansen); Ranked #61 of the best 100 tag teams of the PWI years by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (with Irwin R. Schyster); Member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (class of 1996); Member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (class of 1997) Appeared in 1978 Sylvester Stallone film Paradise Alley
Wrestling was in Ted DiBiase’s blood. DiBiase’s mother, Helen Hild, was a professional wrestler. When Ted was young, she married Iron Mike DiBiase, who adopted Ted. When Ted was 15, Iron Mike suffered a heart attack during a match against Man Mountain Mike. Harley Race rushed to the ring and performed CPR, but Iron Mike was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Ted went to West Texas State University on a football scholarship, but wound up dropping out of school to pursue a wrestling career of his own.
DiBiase first came to notice in the Mid-South territory. He won his first title in April of 1976 when he teamed with Dick Murdoch to win the local version of the NWA United States Tag Team titles.
Singles gold soon followed. He defeated The Brute (who was defending the title for the Spoiler) in December of 1976 and captured the local NWA United States Heavyweight belt. He held if for a couple of months before losing it to the Great Zimm (better known as Waldo Von Erich).
In May of 1977, he captured the NWA Central States Heavyweight title from Bob (later Sgt.) Slaughter. Although he soon lost the title, he was never without gold for long. He teamed with Irvin Smith in July to gain the Western States Tag Team titles.
January of 1978 saw him recapturing the Central States title for a short time. DiBiase’s next title win was for the prestigious NWA Missouri title as he took it from Dick Slater in February. He held it for roughly two weeks before it switched hands again to former partner Dick Murdoch.
DiBiase arrived in the WWWF in 1979 and was billed upon his arrival as the North American champion. DiBiase lost the title to Pat Patterson in June, who unified it with his South American title to become the first Intercontinental champion. DiBiase didn’t stay long, but he did perform one other act that would impact his career nearly a decade later. On his way out, DiBiase put a young man named Hulk Hogan over in an act that would make an impact on Hogan.
After leaving the WWWF, DiBiase returned to the familiar arenas of Mid-South Wrestling. DiBiase immediately found success back in Mid-South as he won the Mid-South North American title on February 1, 1980. He held the belt until September, when he was defeated by the Grappler.
In November, he returned to St. Louis, where he defeated Ken Patera to begin his second reign as NWA Missouri champion. He held the belt for nearly a year, losing it to Jack Brisco the following October.
In January of 1981, DiBiase headed to Georgia and teamed with Stan Frazier. Here he defeated the infamous Freebirds team of Terry Gordy and Michael Hayes to win the NWA National Tag Team titles. The Freebirds vowed revenge and reclaimed the belts a week later. In June, DiBiase and Steve O regained the belts in the midst of the Freebirds feuding with each other and held the gold for nearly a month until Gordy and new tag team partner Jimmy Snuka captured it.
As 1981 started winding down, DiBiase returned to Mid-South and defeated Paul Orndorff to regain the North American belt. He held it until he was defeated by Bob Roop the following March.
Still, DiBiase wasn’t done with the belt. When his arch foe Junkyard Dog captured the belt on June 21, 1982, DiBiase took it away two days later. DiBiase lost the belt in November to Stagger Lee. Lee was the Junkyard Dog who was wrestling under a mask to get around a loser leaves town stipulation.
DiBiase further infuriated the Dog in October when he and Matt Borne defeated the Dog and Mr. Olympia in October of 1982 to capture the Mid-South Tag Team titles. However, a new foe was on the horizon. In March of 1983, the duo was dethroned by Mr. Wrestling II and Tiger Conway, Jr. DiBiase and new partner Mr. Olympia regained the belts in April, and lost them again in July to Magnum TA and Jim Duggan.
In October of 1983, DiBiase headed to Japan and won a tournament to crown a new NWA United National champion. He lost the belt to Michael Hayes on January 28, 1984.
In November of 1983, DiBiase returned to Georgia Championship Wrestling and captured their version of the NWA National Heavyweight title by defeating Brett Wayne. He held the belt until February when he was defeated by Brad Armstrong. He regained the belt from the Spoiler (who had defeated Armstrong) in July and lost it to Ron Garvin in October.
December of 1984 saw DiBiase back in Mid-South, and again with gold around his waist. He and Hercules Hernandez defeated the Rock N Roll Express to capture the tag team titles. Morton and Gibson reclaimed them less than three weeks later..
That wasn’t all of DiBiase’s gold. In January of 1985 he defeated Brad Armstrong to reclaim the North American title. That reign lasted until March, when he lost to Terry Taylor.
Even though DiBiase’s singles reign had ended, he wasn’t done with the Rock N Roll Express. In May of 1985 he teamed with Steve Williams to regain the belts. This time their reign would last until August, when Al Perez and Wendell Cooley defeated DiBiase and Bob Sweetan, who was a substitute for the injured Dr. Death.
DiBiase and Williams regained the titles in December and held the belts through the company’s name change to the UWF in early 1986. They lost the belts a final time to the Sheepherders on March 16.
After the UWF was purchased by Jim Crockett’s branch of the NWA in 1987, DiBiase got a call from the WWF. He was flown to Stamford for a meeting with Vince McMahon, but was informed that he wouldn’t be told his gimmick until he signed a contract. All he was told was that it would receive a major push, and this was the gimmick that McMahon himself would use if he was an active wrestler. DiBiase signed, and the Million Dollar Man was born.
The Million Dollar Man was introduced to the WWF audience through a series of videos in DiBiase (through the use of his money) got away with dastardly deeds, such as bribing the owner of a public swimming pool to kick everyone else out so he could relax in the water by himself.
In addition, DiBiase began offering WWF fans money to do degrading things to further prove that every man had a price. A young man who grew up to be Rob Van Dam earned $500 for kissing DiBiase’s feet. And then there was the young man DiBiase paid to dribble a basketball fifteen times…
The WWF wanted the gimmick to get over so badly that DiBiase was given hundred dollar bills whenever he needed them and was instructed by the WWF to pay for everything with hundreds to build the gimmick. The hundreds also served another purpose – after DiBiase won a match (usually with his finisher, the Million Dollar Dream), he would stuff money into his vanquished opponent’s mouth.
But what is a millionaire without a butler? DiBiase soon gained a servant by the name of Virgil, whose job was to serve as a bodyguard and also flaunt DiBiase’s cash for him.
DiBiase debuted at the top of the card. Late in 1987, he approached Hulk Hogan and offered to buy the WWF title from him. Hogan refused and told DiBiase the only way he would get the title was to win it. DiBiase tried, but failed every time.
In early 1988, DiBiase figured out another plan. He approached Andre the Giant for a plan that would culminate at the February 5 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
At the Royal Rumble, Hogan signed a contract for the above episode that granted a title shot to Andre. After the deal was signed, Andre announced that he would win and give the belt to DiBiase.
At Saturday Night’s Main Event, Hogan was defending the title against Andre when referee Dave Hebner made a fast three count to give the title to Andre, despite Hogan kicking out at 2. Andre handed the title over to DiBiase, who proclaimed himself the WWF champion.
Things got stranger as Dave Hebner came out from the back and announced that DiBiase had locked him in a closet and replaced him with a lookalike (actually Dave’s twin brother Earl). The two brothers began fighting. Hogan finally picked Earl up and threw him out of the ring.
WWF President Jack Tunney took quick action. Tunney ruled that the championship could not be bought or given away, and pronounced the title vacant. Further, a tournament was set for Wrestlemania IV, where the winner would become the new WWF champion.
A new champion was soon guaranteed, as Hogan and Andre eliminated each other from the tournament in their first match (which was against each other).
DiBiase took his time, defeating Jim Duggan in the opening round, and then Don Muraco in the quarterfinals. DiBiase had a bye in the semifinals, and then faced Randy Savage for the belt.
The odds were against Savage, as DiBiase brought Andre to ringside. Finally tired of Andre’s interference, Miss Elizabeth headed to the back and returned with Hogan, who was carrying a steel chair. Hogan cracked DiBiase with the chair, and Savage hit a flying elbow for the win.
DiBiase’s feud with Hogan and Savage continued through the summer and finally culminated in a tag team match at Summerslam. Billed as the Mega Powers against the Mega Bucks, Savage and Hogan teamed together against DiBiase and Andre. Despite installing Jesse Ventura as the special guest referee, DiBiase still came up short as he fell victim to both the elbow drop and a leg drop.
October saw the annual King of the Ring tournament. DiBiase defeated Brutus Beefcake in the opening round. The quarterfinals saw him pin Ken Patera, and he put away Ron Bass in the semifinals. The finals saw a Wrestlemania rematch as DiBiase squared off with Randy Savage. This time DiBiase won the match. It was by countout, but DiBiase still walked away as the King of the Ring.
During this time, DiBiase’s personal entourage grew as Bobby Heenan sold Hercules’s contract to DiBiase for use as his personal slave. Hercules soon chafed at DiBiase’s ownership and he broke away. At Survivor Series, Hogan, Hercules, Savage, Koko B. Ware, and Hillbilly Jim faced DiBiase, the Red Rooster, Big Boss Man, Akeem, and Haku. Although DiBiase’s team lost (the sole survivors were Savage and Hogan), DiBiase did gain a measure of revenge as he eliminated Hercules.
In February of 1989, DiBiase decided to try another tack to gain a championship for himself. During the Brother Love Show on the March 4 episode of Superstars, DiBiase unveiled the Million Dollar belt. The belt was stunning. It was shaped in gold dollar signs and covered in diamonds.
And of course, DiBiase was the champion.
DiBiase spent 1989 in the midst of feuds with Jimmy Snuka and Jake Roberts. Again at Survivor Series, even though DiBiase’s team lost, he eliminated his foe (this time, Roberts).
The Roberts feud fired up at the January, 1990 Royal Rumble. DiBiase was #1 and Roberts, returning from a neck injury he said that DiBiase had caused, was #4. Roberts immediately went after DiBiase. Although Roberts was eliminated first, he gained revenge by stealing the Million Dollar Belt.
That led to a title match at Wrestlemania, where DiBiase (with a bit of help from Virgil) defeated Roberts to regain his belt. Summerslam saw DiBiase buy Sapphire, Dusty Rhodes’s manager. At the October 13 Saturday Night’s Main Event, DiBiase bought the entire front row and evicted everyone else. However, one man (Dustin Rhodes) refused to sell his ticket or move. DiBiase and Virgil attacked and Dusty left his match with Savage to save his son.
That led to Survivor Series, where the Million Dollar Team (DiBiase, Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, and a mystery partner) faced the Dream Team (Dusty, Koko, Bret Hart, and Jim Neidhart). The match immediately made WWF history, as DiBiase’s mystery man was revealed by Brother Love to be a hulking giant known as the Undertaker.
The Million Dollar Team took a quick lead, as the Undertaker eliminated Koko, but Neidhart soon followed by pinning the Honky Tonk Man. DiBiase (with Virgil’s assistance) sent Neidhart to the back, and then Undertaker pinned Dusty. Undertaker was then counted out and eliminated while he brawled with Dusty on the outside. Bret then eliminated Valentine, and DiBiase reversed a bodypress to pin Bret and win the match.
The feud with Dusty wasn’t over yet, however. At the 1991 Royal Rumble DiBiase and Virgil defeated Dusty and Dustin in a tag team match. Afterward DiBiase, whose behavior toward Virgil had been getting more and more abusive, ordered Virgil to fasten the Million Dollar Belt around his waist. Virgil dropped the belt and refused. On DiBiase’s orders, Virgil picked the belt up and then cracked DiBiase across the head with it.
DiBiase immediately went to war with Virgil, who began training with Roddy Piper. Thanks to Piper, Virgil defeated DiBiase at Wrestlemania VII (by countout), but all was not lost for the Million Dollar Man. He gained a new manager – Sensational Sherri.
DiBiase’s feud with Virgil lasted through the summer, and only got worse at Summerslam. Virgil defeated DiBiase and claimed the Million Dollar Belt. DiBiase wanted his belt back, so he turned to a professional – the Repo Man. With Repo’s help, DiBiase defeated Virgil at November 11’s Sunday Night Slam to win his belt back.
The following February, DiBiase’s career took another turn as he entered the tag team ranks. Jimmy Hart had a contract signing coming up for a tag team title shot against the Legion of Doom. Instead of signing his team (the Natural Disasters – Earthquake and Typhoon), he instead signed DiBiase and IRS, now known as Money Inc. Money Inc. made the most of their opportunity and captured the WWF tag team titles.
Unfortunately, their methods to win the belts had left two very large men furious with them. The Natural Disasters began chasing Money Inc and defeated them at Wrestlemania by countout (which meant that the titles did not change hands). The pattern continued throughout the summer. The Disasters would win matches, but Money Inc always managed to hang onto their belts. That changed on July 20, as the Disasters finally managed to win the gold. They hung onto the belts until October, when DiBiase and Schyster regained their titles.
Up next were the Nasty Boys. At Survivor Series the Disasters and Nasty Boys faced off against Money Inc. and the Beverly Brothers. The match came down to Money Inc against the Nasty Boys, and the match ended when Sags pinned IRS. The Nasties never had another major win and the feud finally fizzled out.
On a Raw in February of 1993, Money Inc’s next major feud got started. Brutus Beefcake had made his return after a parasailing accident had shattered his face in 1990. After a match with DiBiase, DiBiase held Beefcake up so IRS could hit Brutus’s face with his briefcase (after shoving Jimmy Hart out of the way). Hart called for medical assistance and soon thereafter Beefcake gained a tag team partner in Hulk Hogan. The Mega-Maniacs were born.
Money, Inc. defeated Hogan and Beefcake at Wrestlemania by DQ and spent the rest of the year battling to keep the tag team titles. At Summerslam, DiBiase, who’d been mocking Razor Ramon for losing to the 123 Kid, lost to the Kid himself.
DiBiase then disappeared for a few months for one final tour of Japan. During this time he retired due to a neck injury and had a tryout with the WWF as a commentator at the 1994 Royal Rumble.
DiBiase returned in the spring of 1994 as a manager, now running a stable he called his Million Dollar Corporation. The first member was his old friend IRS. The second was Nikolai Volkoff, who kept showing up at WWF events looking for work.
DiBiase wasn’t through, however. He began promising Paul Bearer that he had found the missing Undertaker, and Undertaker now worked for him. This led to the Undertaker vs. Underfaker match at Summerslam which saw the Undertaker win and DiBiase’s Undertaker vanish.
Also that summer, Bam Bam Bigelow joined amidst swirling rumors that Lex Luger was as well. Luger feuded with Tatanka over the rumors, and the truth was revealed when Tatanka attacked Luger and allied himself with the Million Dollar Man.
In late 1994, DiBiase knew he needed backup in his war with the Undertaker. He rehired King Kong Bundy and brought him in to the Corporation as well. While Bundy battled the Undertaker at the 1995 Royal Rumble, IRS stole the Undertaker’s urn.
At Wrestlemania, DiBiase did not have a good night. Undertaker defeated Bundy, and Bigelow lost to Lawrence Taylor. In response, DiBiase fired Bigelow and hired Psycho Sid.
The Corporation grew through the summer as DiBiase hired Kama, who melted the urn into a necklace, and also Henry O Godwinn. Godwinn soon left the Corporation and they entered into a feud.
The next member arrived at in late 1995 as the 123 Kid turned on Ramon and joined the Corporation.
Going into spring of 1996, the Corporation was collapsing. DiBiase brought in a new signee – the Ringmaster, who soon became known as Steve Austin. In addition, DiBiase named Austin the new Million Dollar Champion.
This led up to May of 1996, when Austin faced Savio Vega in a Caribbean Strap match. If Vega lost, he would become DiBiase’s chauffeur. If Austin lost, DiBiase was fired. Austin lost and DiBiase left the WWF. (Later, Austin would claim in kayfabe interviews that he threw the match just to get rid of DiBiase.)
DiBiase headed to WCW soon thereafter and was, as Trillionaire Ted, revealed as the money man behind the New World Order. In less than a year, however, DiBiase left the group and began managing the Steiner Brothers and Ray Traylor. This arrangement continued until Scott Steiner joined the NWO. After that, DiBiase vanished from WCW programming.
DiBiase left the national wrestling scene completely and immersed himself in his ministry – traveling the country speaking to groups and also was involved with a wrestling promotion with a Christian slant.
This changed in 2005 as DiBiase was hired by the WWE as a road agent. DiBiase was released on October 26, 2006 due to cutbacks.
DiBiase returned for the Raw fifteenth anniversary show. After IRS won a battle royal, DiBiase came out from the back in full Million Dollar Man garb. DiBiase offered IRS a handful of money, IRS put it in his briefcase, the two shook hands, and IRS hopped over the top rope to give DiBiase his first in-ring victory in over a decade.
During his in-ring career, DiBiase had almost everything he needed. In Mid-South, he was consistently at the top of the cards. He was a superb technician and knew his way around the ring. In addition, he was excellent on the microphone.
DiBiase’s WWF jump in 1987 provided him the one thing he’d been missing – a can’t-lose gimmick. The Million Dollar Man firmly established DiBiase as a top contender for the rest of his career. After all, even when he and IRS were a tag team, they still had Hogan to contend with.
Today, DiBiase is best remembered for his Million Dollar Man years, but to dismiss his Mid-South tenure is to do him a great disservice. DiBiase’s in-ring career saw him steadily at the top of whatever company he was in, and even afterward, Vince McMahon trusted him to try and build up the members of his Million Dollar Corporation as well as hiring him to work as a backstage road agent. Overall, DiBiase’s career is one that will stand the test of time, thereby earning him his spot on this list of the top 100 wrestlers of the modern era.
Dibiase was always my dad's favorite wrestler, stretching back to his early days in the Mid-South. I never saw him until he was well into the Million $ Man gimmick, though, so I had a vastly different view of him. I saw more the gimmick, and the natural heel that it allowed him to be, whereas my dad was viewing him more from the athletic based run in his earlier existence.
Dibiase's lived in Clinton, MS, for some time and I got to meet him a couple of times in the late 90's. once, when he was promoting his autobiography which I picked up and got signed for my dad, and again later, when he was doing a speaking at a church. surprisingly, neither the church nor myself burst into flame. (insert gay joke here) My friend, Denman, went to school with Dibiase's sons, who are now E developmental talent. A direct quote from Denman from about ten years ago: "Uh, yeah, Mr. Dibiase, your son Mike's an asshole. . ."
you should re watch his Million Dollar Man matches, I think you'll find they were every bit as good as his pre WWF matches. he was just so good at the gimmick, that i think hos skill in the ring is overlooked....
you should re watch his Million Dollar Man matches, I think you'll find they were every bit as good as his pre WWF matches. he was just so good at the gimmick, that i think hos skill in the ring is overlooked....
yeah, I'm not saying that they weren't, although that would've definitely been my dad's view. I do remember excellent matches he had with Savage, Hart, Roberts, etc. I can't believe they haven't put out a dvd for him yet.
Aliases - Jim “Justice” Hellwig; Blade Runner Rock; Dingo Warrior Hometown - Crawfordsville, IN Debuted - 1985 Titles Held - WCWA Texas Heavyweight; WCWA World Tag Team (with Lance Von Erich); WWF World Heavyweight; WWF Intercontinental (2x)
We often talk about how a certain guy got into professional wrestling for the love of the business. They grew up watching it or emulating a certain athlete, and it was all they ever wanted to do with their life.
Ultimate Warrior was not one of those men. Warrior looked at the industry for what it really was – a business. He knew he could become a professional wrestler to be successful and make a lot of money. For all the strange ramblings and goofy tirades that Warrior has become known for, he really was a smart guy in the business aspect of wrestling.
His body, his look and his mannerisms made him a huge star and made him a lot of money, just as he had expected. The fact that he couldn’t put on a technical wrestling exhibition was irrelevant to him. He wasn’t there to be the most technically proficient at his job, he was there to be the most successful.
His career started in 1985 as part of a group of bodybuilders turned wrestlers named Powerteam USA. The gimmick was failure, but the then-Jim Hellwig and another young man named Steve Borden made a go of it as team called The Blade Runners, Rock and Sting. The pair worked for Jerry Jarrett in Tennessee and Bill Watts in Texas before the team split. Rock became Warrior and Sting, well, remained Sting.
After being a brief stop in World Class, Jim Hellwig, now dubbed the Dingo Warrior, made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation. His unique face paint, charisma and overall look made him an instant hit. Within a year of arriving in the WWF he was chosen to be the one to end Honkytonk Man’s record 15-month Intercontinental Championship reign.
From there he was on fire. He traded the Intercontinental Championship with Rick Rude. He made himself look like a star by beating the legendary Andre the Giant in a series of 30-second house show matches. At the dawn of the 1990s his star began to rival that of Hulk Hogan’s, and the dream match between the two powerhouse heroes was set. At WrestleMania VI, Warrior etched himself into the record books by beating Hogan clean as a whistle in the main event of the pay per view, and became the first and only man to hold both the WWF Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.
Unfortunately his reign didn’t set the world on fire and by early 1991 he dropped the Championship to Sgt. Slaughter at the height of the first Gulf War conflict. He went on to have a stellar match with Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII and spent the spring and summer trading victories with The Undertaker. And after a supposed contract dispute at SummerSlam ’91, Warrior was out of the WWF.
Even away from the spotlight his mystique continued to grow, as people rumored that he had died in his absence. He made his return to the WWF at WrestleMania VII, with shorter hair and a smaller physique, fueling the supposed death rumors. This run wouldn’t last long as he was out of the company before the end of 1992.
A third stint with WWF in 1996 didn’t last long either. He squashed Triple H in spectacular fashion at WrestleMania XII and had brief runs against Goldust and Jerry Lawler before he flaked out and was gone from the company again.
His last real run was in WCW in 1998. Billed only as “Warrior” he instantly rekindled his old feud with Hulk Hogan. This run lasted only 2-3 months and only featured three matches, including the WarGames main event in September, a dream partner tag with Warrior & Sting against Hogan & Bret Hart on Nitro, and his loss to Hogan at Halloween Havoc. He disappeared from the wrestling landscape shortly after this match.
This entry about Ultimate Warrior was to primarily focus on his wrestling accomplishments. We can leave out his legal troubles with WWF, his legal name change to “Warrior,” his constant no-shows, his insane website ramblings, his “destructive” DVD release, his right-wing conservative political tirades (“queering don’t make the world right”) and his overall enigmatic persona, and focus on what he did between the ropes. His look and mannerisms made him an instant hit with fans of the WWF. Despite his limited wrestling skills, his charisma and intangibles allowed him to be pushed to the moon. He got high-profile wins over virtually every big name in the WWF at the time. He holds one of very few clean wins over Hulk Hogan. He is the only guy to ever hold both the company’s main singles titles at the same time. He was made to look like a star at the expense of many other experienced professionals.
Forget what we know about Warrior now; think back to what we thought of him when we were kids watching him sprint down the aisle. Whether we like to admit or not, Ultimate Warrior was and is a big star in professional wrestling. To this day he still leaves a lasting impression on what we see today.
so I was right about him not making the top ten. we also have yet to see Andre. I'm sure that the Orange Goblin will probably sneak his way in there somewhere.
29. RICK RUDE Real Name - Richard Roode Aliases - Ricky Roode; Smooth Operator; the Halloween Phantom Hometown - St. Peter, Minnesota Debuted - 1983 Titles Held - NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight (2x); NWA Florida United States Tag Team (with Eddie Sharkey); AWA Southern Heavyweight; AWA Southern Tag Team (with King Kong Bundy); NWA World Tag Team (with Manny Fernandez); WCW International World Heavyweight (3x); WCW United States; NWA American Heavyweight; WCCW Television; WCWA World Heavyweight; WWF Intercontinental Other Accomplishments - First WCWA World Heavyweight champion; Winner of PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year Award in 1992; Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Best Heel Award in 1992; Ranked #57 of the Top 500 Wrestlers During the PWI Years
Rick Rude came into the wrestling business a lucky man, already possessing a great look, plenty of natural charisma and the genetics to build a tremendous physique. With all this, Rude could likely have thrived, particularly in the image-dominated World Wrestling Federation of the 1980’s, without learning a single wrestling hold. That he dedicated himself to constant improvement as an in-ring performer over the course of his career speaks volumes of him as a professional and as a man.
From the first note of his entrance music to the “Rude Awakening” he would lay on one lucky young lady after each of his matches, “Ravishing” Rick Rude was pure gold. With a few words on the microphone, a swivel of his hips, or a pucker of his lips, Rude could incite the male portion of the crowd to near riots while driving the women crazy and when it came time to back up his big words in the ring, well he could do that to. The true total package of his era, “The Ravishing One” is unquestionably one of the most talented stars of both the WWF and World Championship Wrestling to never hold a World title, but his undeniable talent and legacy make him one of the most memorable and noteworthy wrestlers of the modern era.
Growing up in Minnesota, Richard Rood could have been part of an impressive wrestling promotion featuring his high school classmates alone, who included future superstars “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, Nikita Koloff, Tom Zenk, Barry Darsow, “The Berzerker” John Nord and Brady Boone. Despite graduating college with a degree in Physical Education, young Rood quickly went into professional wrestling, debuting in 1983 and travelling to National Wrestling Alliance affiliates in Vancouver and Georgia as well as a stint in the Carolinas-based Jim Crockett Promotions where he feuded with the Road Warriors.
After a year breaking in as Ricky Rood, the young Minnesotan landed in Memphis Championship Wrestling where he first took on what would become his signature persona of the arrogant “Ravishing” Rick Rude and experienced moderate success managed by Jimmy Hart in feuds with Jerry Lawler and King Kong Bundy. Rude spent 1984 in another NWA territory with the famed Championship Wrestling from Florida promotion, teaming with Jesse Barr—the future Barry Horowitz—against Wahoo McDaniel and Billy Jack Haynes.
In 1985, Rude continued his wrestling education in top territories by moving on to Texas’ World Class Championship Wrestling where he won the promotion’s top singles championship, feuded with Kevin Von Erich and Chris Adams, and briefly formed a team with a future rival than named the Dingo Warrior. After only two years in the wrestling business, Rude had proven himself a dedicated student of the game and quickly became a top commodity across the United States. In the summer of 1986, Rude returned to JCP to form a team with Manny Fernandez to defeat the Rock & Roll Express for the NWA World Tag Team titles, but the team’s reign would be short as the “Ravishing One” garnered the attention of Vince McMahon and signed with the World Wrestling Federation less than four years after his first match.
Rick Rude made his way into the WWF officially late in the summer of 1987, the newest protégé of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. While still lacking total refinement in the ring, Rude shined with immediate confidence on the microphone. Rude developed a polished and unique ring entrance that would become legendary. Rude would take little flourishes like the slow removal of his ring robe or seductive swiveling of his hips and draw huge heat from crowds around the world. To cap off the performance, Rude would pull women from the crowd following his victories and give them a “Rude Awakening,” a passionate kiss.
Rude’s first WWF feud took place against “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, a former charge of Heenan’s he had dumped in favor of his new meal ticket. Rude joined Andre the Giant’s team for the 1987 Survivor Series with Orndorff on the opposing squad captained by Hulk Hogan in the main event—again, Rude had proven a quick study.
In 1988, Rude embarked upon one of the most memorable feuds of his career when one of the women he picked to give a “Rude Awakening” turned out to be Cheryl Roberts, the wife of Jake Roberts, locking “The Ravishing One” and “The Snake in a heated rivalry. Rude infuriated Roberts—and the fans—by wearing tights with Cheryl’s image airbrushed on the crotch, which led to “The Snake” storming the ring and tearing his hated foe’s gear off. At Wrestlemania IV, Rude and Roberts wrestled to a time limit draw, but the heat between the opponents, two of the most gifted masters of psychological warfare in the history of wrestling, kept the feud fresh and intense for nearly 12 months.
Rude kicked off 1989 by setting his sights on his first major single championship in the form of the Intercontinental title held by his old tag team partner the Dingo Warrior, now known as the Ultimate Warrior. Despite being limited as far as his in-ring skills—and by all reports unwilling to make any attempt at improving—Warrior’s huge physique and bizarre intensity made him a hit with the crowd. Working with the undisciplined Warrior in the biggest feud of his burgeoning career would be Rude’s greatest test to date, but he rose to the challenge and, in the process, cemented himself at the top of the business.
The Rude-Warrior rivalry ignited at the 1989 Royal Rumble with a posedown contest, as each man displayed their impressive musculatures. Rude’s psychology was on full display, as he utilized the simplest tools like pauses and facial expressions to stoke the ire of the crowd, turning what could have been—and in just about every instance has been—a snoozer of a segment into a hot opener for a big time feud. At Wrestlemania V, Rude practically held Warrior’s hand through the best match to date of the latter’s career and was rewarded with a win and the Intercontinental title thanks to the outside the ring chicanery of Heenan.
Over the next five months, Rude dragged Warrior through the hottest matches on the house show circuit, usually losing by disqualification or countout but retaining his title. Within the company, Rude was applauded for his work by fellow wrestlers and management alike, who recognized that his patience, dedication and unselfishness had taken his opponent to the next level, something the company badly needed but that Warrior did not have the skill or maturity to achieve on his own. While Rude dropped the Intercontinental championship back to Warrior at Summerslam 1989 due to interference from Roddy Piper, his title run had furthered his reputation as both a professional and a star.
Rude and Piper briefly feuded in late 1989 moving into 1990, but their rivalry never really seemed to take off the way it could have. As the build to Wrestlemania VI began, with a main event between World champion Hulk Hogan and IC champ Warrior as the featured attraction, Rude seemed left out in the cold with no titles to pursue or major rivalries to blow off. Instead, Wrestlemania was used as a platform to debut a new look and attitude for Rude, his long curly locks shaved into a short haircut and his focus narrowed on competition over theatrics. The “new” Rude handily defeated veteran Jimmy Snuka on the grandest stage of them all.
Again, Rude got the call to be the good company man in a familiar setting as Warrior’s first major challenge in his World title reign. The WWF hoped Rude could work the same magic and establish Warrior as a legitimate World champion and franchise player, but their steel cage encounter at Summerslam 1990 failed to live up to past expectations. At this point, after devoting two years of his career to build up an ungrateful Warrior and with no reward seemingly in sight, Rude began to have doubts about his place in the WWF and made the surprising—and risky—decision to opt out of his contract and leave the Federation in the fall of 1990.
After sitting out of wrestling for nearly a year, “Ravishing” Rick Rude made history in October of 1991 as the first major star to jump from the WWF to World Championship Wrestling while still in the prime of his career. Rude brought a credibility to WCW as a legitimate threat to their competitors up north and the company rewarded “The Ravishing One” accordingly, treating him as a main event level star out of the gate, as he squashed Tom Zenk in his debut at Halloween Havoc and immediately leapt into a feud with Sting, the most popular attraction in the organization.
Less than a month into his WCW tenure, Rude defeated Sting to win the United States title at Clash of the Champions XVII. Rude found himself at the heart of WCW’s hottest angle as he and manager Paul E. Dangerously founded the Dangerous Alliance, a heel stable that included the likes of Arn Anderson, “Stunning” Steve Austin, Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Eaton and valet Madusa, unquestionably the greatest assemblage of talent in one group since the heyday of the original Four Horsemen. Rude was recognized as the unofficial leader of the Alliance and their top star.
At Starrcade, the final WCW pay-per-view event of 1991, Rude and Austin teamed to make it into the Battlebowl battle royal, but neither man won. Two months later at Suprbrawl II, Rude defeated fellow former WWF star Ricky Steamboat to retain the U.S. title thanks to outside interference from Dangerously. With Rude in possession of the U.S. title, Austin holding the Television title and Anderson and Eaton capturing the World Tag Team titles, the only WCW championship that eluded the Alliance was the World title, which Sting won at Superbrawl to kick his feud with the dastardly group into the next gear.
While Rude was able to fend off the U.S. title advances of Nikita Koloff during the summer of 1992, no Dangerous Alliance member was able to unseat Sting for the World championship. At Wrestle War 1992, Sting’s “Squadron” of himself, Steamboat, Koloff, Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes defeated the Alliance in War Games to end the feud. Following the loss, the stable began to collapse, with Rude disassociating from Dangerously and the rest of the group, striking out on his own with Madusa.
Rude held onto the U.S. championship through the summer of 1992 even without the Dangerous Alliance, though he did lose a non-title Iron Man match to Steamboat at Beach Blast. As the leaves changed color and summer turned to fall, Rude set his aspirations higher, targeting newly crowned World champion Ron Simmons, and many felt it was only a matter of time before “The Ravishing One” got the run with the big belt most felt he had long deserved. Unfortunately for Rude, an injury knocked him out of a Starrcade showdown with Simmons and put him on the shelf for several months, forcing him to relinquish the U.S. title.
Making his return in April of 1993, for the first time in years Rude found himself on his own, with no manager or valet on his arm and his mind keenly focused on regaining his U.S. title from young Dustin Rhodes. The two had an inconclusive initial series of matches, with the title being held up after one draw and regaining vacant after another in an Iron Man match, but Rhodes defeated Rude in their third match to claim the belt and end the feud. Fortunately for Rude, he had bigger fish to fry.
After all he had accomplished, Rude still ached for that first World championship, and pursued the legendary Ric Flair, who held the WCW International World title—considered by the organization to be on par with the World title. At Fall Brawl 1993, Rude defeated Flair to claim the International belt. Though many considered the International title something of a joke, Rude considered winning it the crowning achievement of his career, and because fans had developed such respect for him over the years, he in large part legitimized the championship simply by holding it. Rude notched up several successful title defenses against Flair as 1993 closed out—another sign of the respect he had earned through his years of hard work—and then renewed his rivalry with Sting to kick off 1994. Sadly, this would be the final great in-ring feud of Rude’s career.
Rude dropped the International strap to Japanese star Hiroshi Hase during a tour of the far east in March, but regained the title only a week later. Rude would drop the belt again to Sting at Spring Stampede 1994, but then regained it on another swing of Japan a few weeks later. However, during the latter match, Rude suffered a severe back injury after landing awkwardly off a back drop. Scheduled to defend his title at Slamboree, Rude could not compete as a result of his injury and forfeit the belt. As it became clear Rude could not return from this obstacle, he quietly ended his decade-plus career as an active wrestler.
After three years out of the national spotlight, “Ravishing” Rick Rude returned to wrestling on the most unlikely of stages, making a surprise appearance at Barely Legal, the first pay-per-view from the upstart Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion run by his former manager Paul E. Dangerously—aka Paul Heyman—in April of 1997. While Rude could not compete in the ring, with the free reign provided by ECW’s more lax and risqué set of rules and adult-skewing audience he could cut loose verbally and fire all the weapons in his heat seeking arsenal without restraint. The fans embraced Rude wholeheartedly as he tormented top heel Shane Douglas by bringing in wrestlers to antagonize him and made lewd advances towards the lovely Francine. Rude also joined Joey Styles as ECW’s announce team, a role he proved unsurprisingly well suited for.
While Rude seemed to genuinely enjoy his time in ECW, by late summer he returned to his roots in the WWF as the bodyguard of Shawn Michaels. Unfortunately, with Michaels and his allies Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna beginning to form the nucleus of D-Generation X, Rude found himself with little to do other than stand in the background during group interviews in his suit and tie.
Rude made history one last time on November 17, 1997. Upset with the WWF and Vince McMahon over the “Montreal Screwjob” with Bret Hart, Rude, who had been working without a contract, jumped to WCW and showed up on their live Monday Nitro program the same night he appeared on WWF’s taped edition of Raw for that week, becoming the only wrestler to ever appear on both shows in one night. In his Nitro debut, Rude joined the New World Order and spoke out against the WWF for their treatment of Hart as well as vowing to help NWO leader Hulk Hogan gain revenge against the man he blamed for his retirement, Sting.
However, not long after his WCW return, Rude found himself with little to no time on television due to the organization’s vast roster, and settled into a minor role managing old friend Curt Hennig. Rude and Hennig remained an on-screen tandem through the summer of 1998 when they took time off to recuperate from injuries.
Sadly, that would be the last time the public saw Rude, as he passed away on April 20, 1999 at age 40 of heart failure that may have been connected to past steroid use. It has been long rumored that Rude had been negotiating to jump back to the WWF as an active wrestler.
While he never got the true World title reign most felt he deserved, “Ravishing” Rick Rude earned the respect and admiration of his peers and fans through a superlative career. As his legacy, Rude leaves behind countless great matches and interviews as well as stars he helped build both directly and through his influence as one of the greatest wrestlers of the modern era.
Rude was just hitting his prime when he had to retire.
I actually got to see Lawler and Rude wrestle at a house show when I was about five. He's always been one of my favorites.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
Real Name - Patricia Stratigias Hometown - Toronto, Ontario, Canada Debuted - 19th March 2000 Retired - 17th September 2006 Titles Held - WWE Women’s (7); WWE Hardcore Other Accomplishments - Pulse Wrestling’s 2005 and 2006 Best Female Wrestler; Pro-Wrestling Illustrated’s Woman of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006; WWE’s Babe of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2003; WWE Diva of the Decade; Recipient of Fighting Spirit Magazine’s Double X Award and Three Degrees Award in 2006
Trish Stratus never planned to be a wrestler. In 1997 a teacher’s strike forced her out of college and into a position as a receptionist at a local gym. While here, she was spotted by a photographer and she soon agreed to pose for a test shoot for MuscleMag International. Her first layout ran in the May, 1998 issue and she spent the next six months doing fashion work.
Her layouts soon caught the eye of the WWF. She was signed to a contract in November of 1999 and sent for training.
On March 19, she debuted on Sunday Night Heat while scouting talent. The next night on Raw, she debuted her finds – a new tag team consisting of Test and Albert that was known as T & A.
In June she competed in her first match as she and T & A took on the Hardy Boyz and Lita. T & A’s win led to a feud between Trish and Lita, which culminated in an Indian Strap Match on July 24. Trish won with help from Stephanie McMahon.
At the end of the year, T & A was history and Trish was entering a new role – that of Vince McMahon’s on-screen lover. With Linda institutionalized following a breakdown, Trish found herself feuding with Stephanie. Shortly after No Way Out, McMahon dumped Stratus after humiliating her in the ring. At Wrestlemania 17, Trish, Linda, and Stephanie all helped Shane defeat his father in a match that ended the storyline.
After that, Trish began wrestling but soon went down with an ankle injury that kept her out of action for the summer. She returned in the fall and capped off 2001 by winning the WWF Women’s title for the first time at Survivor Series.
Trish soon found herself feuding with Jazz over the title. After Jazz won the belt from her, Trish defeated Crash Holly to win the Hardcore title, and then lost it to Steven Richards.
Trish, assigned to Raw by the brand extension, finally regained the women’s title in May and lost it a month later to Molly Holly at the King of the Ring. This time period saw Trish feuding with Molly as well as the newly-debuted Victoria. Trish had regained the belt in September, only to lose it in November to Victoria at Survivor Series.
At Wrestlemania, Trish finally managed to defeat Victoria and reclaim her title. Although Trish lost the belt back to Jazz in April, her next onscreen pairing was with Jeff Hardy. However, the angle was scrapped when Hardy was released that summer.
Trish next allied with the newly-debuted Gail Kim. Kim wound up turning on Trish and the two feuded throughout the summer. Finally, after Kim had allied with Molly and Trish had allied with Lita, Trish managed to defeat Gail to end the feud.
In November, Trish began an onscreen romance with Chris Jericho. However, things soon turned rocky as Jericho was spotted with Christian (who was dating Lita at the time) making a bet as to who could sleep with their date first. Lita and Trish allied and began feuding with Christian and Jericho.
As 2004 opened, Jericho had a change of heart and began trying to win Trish back. This culminated in a match at Wrestlemania where Jericho faced Christian and lost after Trish turned on him and allied with Christian. At Backlash the two defeated Jericho in a handicap match and the next night picked up a problem solver – Tyson Tomko.
In June, Trish defeated old foe Victoria to win the women’s title for an unprecedented fifth time. In July, Trish was sidelined for a month with a broken hand but continued defending the belt upon her return. She lost the belt to Lita on December 6.
2005 quickly took an unexpected turn as Trish won the belt back from Lita at New Year’s Revolution after Lita suffered an injury. Trish then began feuding with Christy Hemme over Hemme’s Playboy centerfold. That culminated in a match at Wrestlemania which saw Trish retain her title.
In May, Trish was once again out of action with a herniated disk in her back. She returned in September still holding the belt. Now Trish allied with Ashley Massaro against Candice Michelle, Torrie Wilson, and Victoria. New diva Mickie James also soon figured in as a stalker of Trish.
Trish also began having problems with MNM after defeating Melina to retain her title on November 14. Melina challenged her at Survivor Series and Trish retained with help from Mickie. The year closed with Mickie catching Trish under mistletoe the day after Christmas and kissing her.
Trish soon tried to back away from Mickie and the two finally split in March when Trish told Mickie she needed space. Still, the two teamed at Saturday Night’s Main Event against Candice and Victoria. After they won the match, Mickie turned and attacked Trish.
At Wrestlemania, Trish lost the title to Mickie. The two faced off again at Backlash in a match that saw Trish dislocate her shoulder.
In June Trish returned to action and fell into a romance with Carlito. They feuded with Johnny Nitro and Melina and Edge and Lita.
Things soon changed as word leaked that Trish was planning to retire after her contract expired in August. At Unforgiven, Trish defeated Lita with a sharpshooter to win the women’s title for the seventh time. Trish retired as champion. The title was vacated following her retirement and a match the next night on Raw crowned a new champion.
Trish’s last WWE television appearance was on the fifteenth anniversary episode of Raw. She and Lita joined forces to attack Jillian Hall and celebrate afterwards.
So why is Trish on this list, and why is she ranked so highly? Simple. Trish Stratus showed something very rare in WWE women’s wrestling – she wanted to be more than eye candy. It was obvious that Trish wanted to improve herself in the ring, and she did. She had the raw talent that was melded to make her a true superstar.
While most WWE women’s matches are dull and go for cheap thrills, Trish waged athletic wars against Lita, Victoria, Gail, Molly, and Mickie. As a matter of fact, Trish once fought a match against Lita that served as the main event of Raw!
Throughout her career, Trish also stuck to her guns and didn’t allow herself to be changed by her fame. One example is the fact that she refused to do a layout for Playboy. She explained that she wanted her career to be remembered for her wrestling.
Is Trish Stratus the greatest women’s wrestler of all time? It’s not likely. But it could be argued that she laid the groundwork for women to be just as respected as men in the ring. While other WWE divas were busy smacking each other on the rear end during matches, Trish was out there actually wrestling. She showed that women wrestling athletic matches could draw on the national level. It could be argued that both SHIMMER and TNA’s women’s division have followed in Trish’s footsteps and have taken that athletic style of competition to the next level.
Because of her accomplishments and contributions to women’s wrestling, Trish Stratus has definitely earned her place on this list of the top 100 wrestlers of the modern era.
