[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5wvzwmdckmv31.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:''[[https://youtu.be/UOBBFIhUj48 Simply Ravishing]].'']]

->''What I'd like to have right now, is for all you fat, ugly, out-of-shape, internet geek, TV Troper sweathogs..... keep the noise down, while I take my robe off, and give the ladies a good look at the [[MrFanservice sexiest man alive.]]''

He was born Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), but he's far better known to fans of [[TheEighties 1980s]] ProfessionalWrestling as '''"Ravishing" Rick Rude''', the Sexiest Man Alive. Rude had a nearly two-decade career that spanned many different companies including the WWF (now Wrestling/{{WWE}}), Wrestling/{{ECW}} and Wrestling/{{WCW}}. Best known for his chiseled physique, his narcissistic {{Heel}} persona and his microphone skills. Also for his notorious feuds with [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]] before the storyline was aborted, but Rude's most remembered and a high-profiled one was against [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior The Ultimate Warrior]] in 1989, they even were the ''Wrestling/{{SummerSlam}} '90'' main event. He's also remembered by fans of TheNineties wrestling for his post-Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob TakeThat at the WWF, where he managed the rare feat of appearing on ''Monday Night Raw'' and ''Monday Nitro'' on the same night (''Nitro'' with his trademark mustache; ''Raw'' an hour later with a full beard since it had been taped days earlier).

Among other accolades, he was the inaugural and former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tx/wccw/wcwa-h.html WCWA World Heavyweight Champion]], a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html WWF/E Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion]], a former [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-h.html WCW United States Heavyweight Champion]] and a former x2 [[https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-in-h.html WCW International World Heavyweight Champion]].

Rude passed away in 1999 from a prescription drugs related heart failure, but left a very influential legacy on later generations of wrestlers. He was posthumously inducted into the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame in 2017.
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!! "What real sexy tropes are supposed to look like":
* AbortedArc: Rick was scheduled to partake in an angle leading to a big feud against Wrestling/BigBossMan on ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries '90'' as part of the "Natural Disasters" team, but he was replaced by [[Wrestling/{{Meng}} Haku]] and left the promotion later that fall.
* TheAce: Had legit boxing and arm-wrestling credentials, even tried his hand in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} at the ending of his life. And legend has it that he was [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower very strong]] [[RealLife for real]].
* AlliterativeName: Triples up if you include "Ravishin'" to it.
* ArchEnemy:
** In NWA Mid-Atlantic and as part of "The Awesome Twosome": Wrestling/TheRockNRollExpress.
** In WWF, Jake Roberts, Wrestling/JunkyardDog, The Ultimate Warrior and [[Wrestling/RoddyPiper "Rowdy" Roddy Piper]].
** In IWCCW: [[Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan The Honky Tonk Man]].
** In WCW: Wrestling/{{Sting}} and [[Wrestling/{{Goldust}} Dustin Rhodes]].
* BadassFamily: His dad was a legit Golden Gloves champ.
* BadassInANiceSuit: In 1997.
* BadassLongrobe: Rude was second only to Wrestling/RicFlair in terms of fancy-looking robes.
* CampStraight: His in-ring character was a little effeminate to say the least, but he only had eyes for the ladies. He was also legitimately one of the toughest guys in wrestling and could knock a person cold with just a tap.
* CareerEndingInjury: While wrestling Wrestling/{{Sting}} at a Japan match in 1994, Sting took a giant leap off the ropes at Rick. Rude came down on a raised corner of floor, fracturing a vertebra and bringing his wrestling career to an abrupt end.
* TheCasanova: Part of his character, of the TestosteronePoisoning variant.
* CasanovaWannabe: He gets shot down just as much he got lucky.
* CatchPhrase: "Cut the music.[[note]]After making his entrance, once he got in the ring.[[/note]] What I'd like to have right now is for all you fat out-of-shape sweathogs, keep the noise down while I take my robe off and show the ladies what a real man looks like. Hit the music."
** [[CheapHeat Insults referencing the particular town he was in that night]] were sometimes included.
* CensorBox: In a famous incident on ''Superstars,'' Rude wore tights with the face of Wrestling/JakeRoberts' (now ex) wife, Cheryl, on them. Jake responded by running out and ''ripping them off of Rude right in the middle of the ring.'' Rude was wearing a g-string underneath, but his entire groin area got the CensorBox treatment making it seem even more risque on TV.
* CharacterDevelopment: Started as a Lothario who could kick your ass. Ended as a tough guy who just so happened to be a Lothario.
* ClusterBleepBomb: He did commentary for the Wrestling/TommyDreamer-Wrestling/{{Raven}} Loser Leaves ECW Match at ''[=WrestlePalooza=] 97''. During the obligatory Wrestling/{{Beulah McGillicutty}}-Chastity {{Catfight}} sequence, he said, "Maybe they'll [LONG BLEEP!]"
* ContrivedCoincidence: Too many to not scratch your head about between Rick and an old childhood friend of his, Wrestling/CurtHennig. Both of them were physically gifted men who excelled in every sport they tried their hand in (baseball, billards, bowling, football, darts, and golf in Hennig's case), both of them got their most famous gimmick in WWF (a vain individual who loves to brag about it), both of them suffered severe back injuries that cut their careers short and both of them died by overdose in their forties.
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: He attended Robbinsdale High School at the same time as Wrestling/NikitaKoloff, Wrestling/BarryDarsow, Wrestling/TomZenk, Wrestling/JohnNord, Brady Boone and his childhood friend Hennig.
** He, Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors and Darsow all trained at Eddie Sharkey's school at the same time.
* FamilyMan: Despite his in-ring narcissistic, Casanova wannabe persona, Rude was known as a good family man and devoted to his wife and children. Bret Hart – who wrestled him in the 1980s (and was on opposing sides with him during his feud with Shawn Michaels in 1997) – noted that Rude never took his wedding ring off during wrestling matches, instead covering it with tape.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: To Wrestling/ShaneDouglas in ECW in 1997, making this a rare case of a heel pulling this on another heel.
* TheFightingNarcissist: Set a standard for this trope in wrestling.
* FinishingMove: A ''Hangman's neckbreaker'' with pelvic gyrations dubbed "Rude Awakening".
* GameBreakingInjury: Suffered a neck injury right before ''WCW [=Starrcade=] 92'', where he was scheduled to challenge, and, most likely, defeat Wrestling/RonSimmons for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Title]].
** Suffered a back injury against Sting in Japan in 1994 which ended his in-ring career.
* {{Heel}}: One of the greatest bad guys in professional wrestling. Rude's simple but effective character of a vain narcissist thinking he was God's gift to women combined with his excellent wrestling ability garnered A TON of heat from the male fans and A LOT of swooning from the women in the crowd. It didn't matter if Rude lost, he looked great, he sounded great and everyone else was just trying to catch up.
* ImportantHaircut: Rude cut his mullet off in mid-1990, and it also shifted his character from a hapless Lothario to legit tough guy. While he left the company later in the year, he kept this look (and persona) for the rest of his career.
* ImprobableWeaponUser (as a member of DX): His briefcase, and once threw hot coffee in [[Wrestling/DelWilkes The Patriot]]'s face as he was making his way out to the ring.
* InsultBackfire:
** At the ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries '89'' promo, in which every Superstar gave thanks for all of that year's accomplishments and fulfillments, Rude was thankful [[TakeThatAudience in his trademark manner]] "...for having the most Ravishing body in the WWF", only to be roasted in less than five seconds by Roddy Piper, who in the next cut was thankful "...for NOT being '''[[MistakenForGay Vicky]]''' Rude!" [[CrossTheLineTwice Blowing a kissie to the camera]] and all.
** Before his match with [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]] at a WCW house show in New York City on April 14, 1993, Rude said, "What I'd like to have right now is for all you fat, out-of-shape, inner-city SCUMBAGS to keep the noise down so the ladies can see what a real sexy man looks like." Then Cactus came out and got on the mic and said, "What I'd like for now is for Rick Rude to keep the noise down so I can show everyone what a fat, out-of-shape, inner-city SCUMBAG is supposed to look like!" Jack even did some poses to the cheers of the crowd.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Wrestling/BobbyHeenan claims that he and Rude didn't get along because Rude was afraid that Heenan would steal Rude's heat.
* {{Jerkass}}: Was a {{Heel}} for the majority of his career. Rude was almost always booed in every building he was in for his ego, and narcissism, and loved every second of it.
* LargeHam: Not to the extent of, say, Wrestling/RoddyPiper or Wrestling/RandySavage, but in his own way, Rude relished the spotlight.
* MrFanservice: Even during his self-absorbed heel promos, cameras would cut to women in the crowd who were just ''drooling'' over the guy.
* {{Pornstache}}: It's ''so'' 80s. He briefly shaved it off and had no facial hair in late 1992 but it looked so out of place that he quickly grew it back. He had a beard in his brief WWE stint in 1997 and had his trademark moustache when he showed up on Nitro.
* PowerStable:
** (In Memphis): [[Wrestling/JimmyHart The First Family]] and [[Wrestling/JimNeidhart The Neidhart's Raiders]]
** (In Florida): [[Wrestling/PaulBearer The Pringle Dynasty]]
** (In NWA Mid-Atlantic): [[Wrestling/PaulJones Paul Jones' Army]]
** (In WWF/E):
*** [[Wrestling/BobbyHeenan The Heenan Family]] (1987-1990)
*** ''[[Wrestling/SurvivorSeries Survivor Series '87]]'': with Wrestling/AndreTheGiant, Wrestling/KingKongBundy, Wrestling/OneManGang and "The Natural" Butch Reed. Managed by The Brain and Wrestling/{{Slick}}.
*** 'Survivor Series '88'': with Andre, Hennig, Wrestling/HarleyRace and Dino Bravo. Managed by again by Heenan.
*** 'Survivor Series '89'': "The Rude Brood" with Hennig and [[Wrestling/JacquesRougeau The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers]]. Managed by [[Wrestling/LannyPoffo The Genius]] and Wrestling/JimmyHart.
*** Wrestling/DGenerationX (1997)
** (In WCW):
*** Wrestling/TheDangerousAlliance (1991-1992)
*** [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder The [=nWo=]]] (1997-1998)
** (In ECW): The Triple Threat
* RealMenWearPink: His most consistent palette scheme back in the day.
* SignatureMove: ''Swinging neckbreaker'', ''Forearm drop'' and the ''Backbreaker.''
** He also fashioned to take it to the highs using a top-rope ''Forearm smash'' or ''Knee drop''.
* SmallNameBigEgo: {{Averted|Trope}} on the first half. Not that his gimmick went to oblivion, for he was one of the most notorious vain heels in pro wrestling.
* SmoochOfVictory: After winning a match, he would pick up a fine, good-looking lady from the audience who; if she accepted, received a tight embrace with a big, long kiss in the middle of the ring.
* TagTeam: "The Awesome Twosome", with "The Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez.
* TakeThat: His aforementioned ''Nitro/Raw'' stunt is one of wrestling's most notorious of these. And that's not even taking into account [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech the promo he cut]] on ''Nitro.''
* TheatricsOfPain: In his day he could take any opponent of any skill level and make them look like a million bucks with his ability to sell.
* TookALevelInBadass: Rude's 1991 debut in WCW made an immediate impact and he became a top heel almost instantly, in contrast to his comparatively lighter role in the WWE.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: He had tights for almost every occasion, normal ones sometimes, and ones he wore to mock his opponents, whether it be his enemy airbushed on them or it being the [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts wife of his enemy]].
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-->''NOW... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0KoDrx3mqQ Hit the music!]]''