[1992-06-20-WCW-Beach Blast] Rick Rude vs Ricky Steamboat (30-Minute Ironman)

[Makai Club #1]

I thought this was a classic. Some of the falls were slightly over done but I get the purpose behind them - it gets over the gimmick and gives Steamboat a big obstacle to overcome. Some excellent displays of storytelling in the match, starting with Ricky dominating the first few minutes only to get caught and Rude get the advantage. Rude was an excellent heel too. Ricky an excellent face. Hot closing stretch puts this over the top too. ****3/4

[dawho5]

I think a lot of people miss the cheating by Rude on the roll-up.  I swear he had a handful of tights.  The selling by both is amazing, the way Rude uses the (wtf is your problem Bill Watts?) illegal top rope move as a gamble and it pays off is awesome.  Steamer's comebacks are incredible, easily one of the best WCW matches ever.

[Microstatistics]

This was a 30-minute Iron man match and the conclusion to a bitter rivalry. Right out of the gate, Steamboat damaged Rude’s ribs with a gut-buster and zeroed in on them in vicious fashion. But, completely against the run of play, Rude took a 2-0 lead with some devastating blows. He then sacrificed a fall to further incapacitate Steamboat, while maintaining the two-fall margin. But as the rib injury continued to impede Rude, he wasn’t able to inflict critical damage, allowing Steamboat to tie things up 3-3. Rude had broken Steamboat’s nose a few months earlier and frequently targeted it here. Cutting Steamboat’s momentum off with a jawbreaker to the face was tremendous psychology. Rude decided to run the clock out but Steamboat employed the Bret Hart counter to go up 4-3. This left Rude in no man’s land timewise as he desperately tried everything in the final seconds but to no avail. Similar to Piper vs. Valentine Dog Collar, it is disappointing that this was a non-title affair since Rude’s strategy backfiring would have been even more rewarding if he lost the US title in the process. Regardless, truly unique psychology and great action make for a WCW classic. ****5/8

[xlynwoodx]

There has been some talk about Steamboat using Richie to get the jump on Rude.  Why was Rude so close to them to begin with?  He was right in front of them, looking very intimidating.  Steamboat notices, get angry, get Richie out of there, and attacks.  I feel like some may have fallen for Ventura's commentary.

The match itself was excellent.  Rude and Steamboat are two of the best ever at selling, the offense was interesting and made sense.  Great storyline, which was helped a lot by J.R. and Ventura.  The superplex here is probably the most perfectly executed superplex I've seen.

I loved the final 45 seconds.  I felt like Rude would have gotten a three count if he had hit something more high impact, but he was in such a panic mode that all he could do was attack with a clothesline and shoulderblocks while Ventura was screaming for the Rude Awakening.

[cactus]

The last time I watched this I thought it was dull as dishwater. This is a match with a slow and deliberate pace and you are going to struggle with it if you aren't in the right headspace for it. There are plenty of lengthy holds here, but they all have a purpose and they aren't just here to soak up some time. It felt very old-school. As soon as the match begins, Steamboat goes to work on Rude's ribs. He was relentless and he looked like he was more set on hurting Rude than winning the match. It's the closest thing we can get to watching Steamboat work as a heel. Rude's selling here was fantastic. I know some didn't like how the first fall ended, but I quite like it. Rude had previously hurt Steamboat's nose leading up to this match, so all it takes for Rude to score the first fall was a well-placed boot to the face and a handful of tights. Getting DQ'd for jumping from the top rope will forever be a stupid rule, but Rude sacrificing one fall to do more damage to his opponent is tried and tested Ironman match psychology. The final minute of this match is downright exhilarating. Steamboat manages to steal the last pinfall by countering a sleeper hold into a pinning combination, so Rude uses the remaining seconds to cram in as many pin attempts as he can. ★★★★