[1992-05-30-WCW-Worldwide] Rick Rude vs Dustin Rhodes

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Really good match. This would make an interesting comp to the Rude/Pillman match earlier on the yearbook. This one gets a few extra minutes and is probably slightly better at getting over the big picture stuff -- Dustin had Rude's number, Dustin got screwed. The Pillman match is less formulaic than this. I wouldn't say that babyfaces doing camel clutches on Rude ending up in a low blow or Rude unable to do his hip swivel because of lower back pain were tired spots at this point, but they were definitely spots anyone who had seen a significant number of Rude matches could easily call in advance. But there are moments of brilliance here, particularly the way they build the heat to a fever pitch with the tombstone reversal spot and really great nearfall. Both are excellent matches, and both are at about the same level. I could see someone going either way on which they prefer between the two.

[Tim Evans]

Rude's selling of the bionic elbow was really good. I also liked that a tournament was sponsored by Super Nintendo. Oh the 90's.

[shoe]

I thought this was a really good match. It was kinda funny watching Rude working over Dustin's balls with 2 reverse atomic drops. Some kicks, and then went to the low blow to gain the advantage again. Both wrestlers put on a good show here.

[Kevin Ridge]

Ah, nice to have a one fall match finally . This was really good though. Wanted to read more about this Super Nintendo tournament online but hard to search for it.

[Zenjo]

A fun little match with the fans hot for it. Entertaining action, shame about the screwy finish. Typical US heel win. Jesse Venture reminded me on this set why he's my all time favourite commentator that I can understand.

[PeteF3]

I liked the Pillman match better, maybe only because there are scarce amounts of Pillman vs. Dangerous Alliance guys, but this built into something really good and heated. There should be a thread discussing spots that seemed to primarily exist in one promotion: early '90s WCW was the exclusive home of the tombstone reversal. Any babyface match in mid-'90s WCW had the "two guys cross body each other" spot. All-Japan loved the "get up in a backdrop suplex but kick off the top rope" counter.

[MikeCampbell]

I liked the Pillman match more, but this was a damn fine match. Everyone points out Hall and Nash when talking about WCW taking established WWF names and pushing them as top guys, but I think it really started with Rude. He debuted in late October '91 and by February he was the hottest heel in the company.

[Superstar Sleeze]

WCW US Champion Rick Rude vs Dustin Rhodes - WCW Worldwide 5/30/92

 

Really fun rookie underdog vs veteran champion match that made Dustin look like a million bucks, but kept Rude strong. These matches are invaluable because heels can get the wins they need and the babyfaces look strong just by contending. Dustin works a nice hammerlock on Rude who elbows out in the corner and Dustin explodes out of the corner with a clothesline and the crowd is rocking. Dustin hits Rude with a suplex and Rude is just the best at selling the back. Dustin goes to work on the back eventually settling into the chinlock. Dustin mocking Rude hip swivel was pretty funny as was Jesse's quip that Madusa should get up on the apron and show a little leg because a youngster like Dustin would lose it for a mature, sexy woman. Rude of course eventually is able to reverse and get the knees up. Rude works the balls with inverted atomic drop and then works his own chinlock. The crowd is really behind Dustin. Rude hits an ok clothesline, but Dustin does a great sell. Dustin is working hard, Rude is reeling and Rude hits a low blow that horribly times because the ref looks right at it. Rude comes crashing down off the top, but can only get two. Dustin goes flying over the top rope, but is right back up gets a sunset flip. Big clothesline for 2! Madusa is up and BULLDOG ON RUDE! No ref! The guy in the zubaz in the front row loses his shit! Dustin goes to confront the situation, but Rude blasts him with the belt and hits the Rude Awakening to win the match. They worked too fast at the end, but the crowd was super into it and felt like a dramatic, high stakes match. ***3/4

[garretta]

This might have been the syndicated match of the year so far in WCW. Dustin didn't need to be made a star, but this was his best singles performance to date, as he handled Rude for the majority of the bout and looked like a future superstar doing it. It took a blatant shot with the US belt off of a Medusa distraction to finally put him away (though Rude used the Rude Awakening to make it all look legit).

 

Before I go any further, what was the point of this tournament? To crown a number one contender for Sting? If that's the case, why is Sting wasting his time with Mick Foley at Beach Blast? Was there any sort of payoff? It should have been a World title match for Rude the following week on Worldwide, if you want to be logical about things. They've had World title matches on syndie shows before; remember Windham vs. Flair back in '87?

 

Rude's selling of his bad back was excellent as usual, and he had to develop legit back problems as a result of always doing back injury spots. Ir's his own fault for being a master of the bump and grind!

 

I loved Jesse's suggestion that Medusa show Dustin some leg; as he knows so well, it distracted veterans like Teddy and Andre when Liz did it at SummerSlam '88. Imagine how it would work on a relative greenhorn like Dustin.

 

Tony was quick to quash Jesse's assertion that there were multiple wrestlers (including Dustin) after Medusa, and I applaud him for that. Dusty should never have started down such a disgusting road with Steamboat in the first place.

 

The timely use of the low blow was a recurring theme that you don't see explored too often. With that said, Fonzie looked like an idiot not warning Rude at all after his first one and only warning him after his second when he clearly saw them both. He also looked terrible not DQ'ing Dustin after Dustin threw him across the ring for no apparent reason. I know that was the setup to the planned finish, but either they needed to set it up in such a way that Fonzie didn't look so bad or Dusty needed to tell Dustin not to be quite so blatant about tossing Fonzie around.

 

Tony works with Jesse a lot more smoothly than JR does, but there's still an occasional hint of Tony getting annoyed that Jesse would interrupt his match calls at all. This is one area where Vince is superior; he lets the heel commentators he hires do their thing, and though he and Gino definitely show annoyance with guys like Heenan and Curt, it's at the things they say, not the fact that they're saying something in the first place. WCW needs to either give Jesse a wide berth to be what they hired him to be or let him go and go back to solo announcers or JR and Tony in the booth together.

[dawho5]

I noticed Jesse and Tony have way better chemistry than Jesse and J.R. right away.  The tournament being sponsored by Super Nintendo made my day.  Dustin is super polished for a guy around a year in.  I know he grew up around the business, but he is really really good.  Rude helps a lot by being such a giving heel.  Great match and it is a shame WCW has been mismanaging storylines as we reach mid-1992.  The in-ring product at the top is incredible.