NEWS: Rick Rude Added to 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Class

March 06, 2017

NEWS: Rick Rude Added to 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Class

NEWS: WWE has announced that "Ravishing" Rick Rude will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Rude joins Kurt Angle, Beth Phoenix, and the Rock N' Roll Express as members of this year's 2017 WWE Hall of Fame class. Rude rose to legendary status in the mid to late 1980s in the WWE, while holding the Intercontinental Championship and feuding with the likes of the Ultimate Warrior and Jake "the Snake" Roberts. Rude eventually left the WWE and joined WCW where he became the World Heavyweight Champion and famously feuded with Sting. Rude ended his wrestling career prematurely, at the age of 35, after suffering a career ending back injury in a match against Sting. Rude eventually went on to become a non-wrestling member of both the NWO and DX. Sadly, Rude passed away in 1999 at the age of 40, of congestive heart failure. He left behind his wife and three children. Rude has long been considered a WWE Hall of Fame snub; but, that is no longer the case, as he is now a WWE Hall of Famer. Rude will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by fellow Hall of Famer Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat, who stated,

"If you looked at all the boxes you would check to make a main event guy that would go down in history as one of the best, Rude checked all the boxes. He was an all-around package. He looked good, he could play the part, he knew what to do. He could take great bumps, feed the babyface when it was time to feed, and he would never run out of gas."

This year's WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place in Orlando, FL on March 31st, just before WrestleMania 33. The ceremony will air in its entirety exclusively on the WWE Network.