Ric Flair vs Rick Rude (WCW, 9-19-1993)

WCW Fall Brawl, Houston, TX

Requested review, this and the Halloween Havoc ’93 match between the two. This came about when Rude forced himself on Fifi on “A Flair for the Gold,” then hit Flair in the back of the head with Flair’s big gold belt, which was really the secondary world title in WCW at the time, but hey, whatever, who gives a F.

Rude has Fifi tights. Circle around, collar-and-elbow, Rude backs Flair to the corner and gives a clean break, or more accurately a clean break with his fists cocked, knowing Flair might take a shot on the way out. Collar-and-elbow, side headlock from Rude. Top wristlock from Flair. Jesse Ventura goes sexist on commentary. He was a real delight.

Rude with a side headlock, reversed to the top wristlock again. Back to the side headlock. Rude sent to the ropes, shoulderblock knocks Flair down. Driving elbowdrop from Rude, and another. Rude going to the top, kneedrop misses. Flair gets the figure four early, Rude gets the ropes, but Flair is fired up anyway.

Rude pops Flair in the nose. Clothesline sends Flair over the top to the floor. Rude swivels at Fifi. Flair on the top, WOO, flying elbow smash. Chop, left, right, chop, chop, and then to the wristlock. Chops from Flair. One finally drops Rude, Flair still holding the wrist. Ventura’s mic goes out and he blames it on the female sound engineer getting back at him for his sexism. To be fair, they set that up.

Flair holding the wristlock on the mat, then steps over, still with the arm in his clutches.  Flair transfers to a hammerlock and puts Rude back on the mat, driving a knee into the arm. Flair puts his foot in and falls back on a hammerlock. Rude rakes the eyes and drops Flair with a big right. Flair with chops and back to the wristlock.

Rude: “Shit!”
Schiavone: “Rude gives his reply to Nick Patrick.”
Ventura: “Ha!”

Flair staying with the wristlock. Flair backs Rude into the corner and snaps the arm over the top rope twice. Chop from Flair. Snap over the ropes again. Back to the wristlock. Rude back with a couple rights, goes for a slam but his arm is already so worn down he can’t complete it. Flair takes Rude back down with a hammerlock, then drives the knee into the arm. More armbar.

Rude up, but Flair twists the arm and stays on the wrist. Right hand from Rude, another, chop from Flair. Right from Rude, chop from Flair, right from Rude, two more, and a kneelift. Rude sends Flair in, tries a hiptoss, Flair blocks and counters with a backslide for two. Flair off the ropes and hits a crossbody on Rude, sending both to the floor. Both men down outside.

Left arm lariat (the weak arm) from Rude on the floor, and Rude breaks the count. Rude sends Flair into the apron, back-first. Rude has his first real opening of the match. Vertical suplex from the apron back into the ring. Rude covers, gets two.

Forearm to the lower back, and another, and a third from Rude. Scoop slam works this time, and Rude drives a fist down for two. Rude to a lazy camel clutch. He stays in that for a while, breaks for a moment, and goes right back to it. Flair taps out but this was before Ken Shamrock brought tapping out to American wrestling.

Flair trying to bridge out of this very bad camel clutch, Rude goes for a Mike Enos but misses and lands on his ass. Flair with a right, chop, chop, chop, off the ropes, shoulder tackle drops Rude. Flair off the ropes again, this time caught in a press slam and Rude drops him throat first over the top rope.

AHH

AHH GOD

Rude picks Flair up, Irish whip to the corner and Flair does the flip, tumbling to the floor. Rude showing off his ‘CEPS in the ring. Flair back in and he walks into right hands from Flair. Rude with a bearhug, the worst move in wrestling, I’ve heard.

Flair goes down in the bearhug and Rude gets a couple two counts. Rude openly discusses strategy, caught by a pretty unnecessary camera angle. I mean he wasn’t screaming like John Cena. Flair rolls over and mounts Rude, then gouges the eyes until Rude releases the hold. Flair pummeling Rude with mounted right hands, then rolls away to recover.

Flair off the ropes, caught in a stun gun, then does a Flair flop for the bump, drawing a few laughs. Rude up top, off with an elbow smash that connects. Rude up to the top on the other side after shouting at Fifi for a moment. Flair up, Rude hits a flying hammerfist, basically. A single axhandle, if you will.

Rude talking to Fifi again, now goes up in the corner she’s been stationed. Flair up, this time he catches Rude with a right hand to the breadbasket. Flair with a back suplex. Kneedrop from Flair. Flair pulls Rude up, double underhook, and he suplexes him over. Two count.

Chop in the corner, right hand to the jaw, chop, right to the body, series of punches to the body, another right hand to the jaw. Rude to the other side, gets a knee up on Flair coming in. Rude goes for the Rude Awakening, Flair bites his hand, and hits his own reverse neckbreaker. Rude gets his foot on the rope at two.

Sleephold now from Rude, but before you can die at another long hold, Flair counters and does the kneebuster twice. He’s got hold of Rude’s left leg, Flair on the middle rope, and he snaps it over. Flair goes for the figure four, Rude counters with an inside cradle for two. Flair dumps Rude to the floor.

Flair with an axhandle to the floor from the top, and he’s FIRED UP. We get an abbreviated strut back in the ring and plenty of playing to the crowd. Flair flips in the corner, catches himself this time, runs up to the top, jumps off, and is caught in mid-air by Rude. Rude goes up top and drops a flying knee for two.

Rude throws Flair back out to the floor. Kinda dumb, tbh. Can’t win the belt by countout. Fifi goes to check on Flair for the first time, and Rude harasses her. She hits him, so he forces himself on her. She fights it off, and he picks her up and brings her into the ring. “Who the hell do you think you are?!” OK, Rick.

Anyway, Flair’s back in with a chop and a back body drop. Flair flapjacks him, grabs the figure four. Referee talking to Fifi, Rude pulls some KNUX out his crotch, and cracks Flair. Rude pins — 1, 2, 3, Rick Rude is “the world heavyweight champion.” The Dirtiest Player in the Game gets out-dirtied.

Rating: 3/5. D’ya like wristlocks? The first half of this match is too slow for its own good, and it results in problems building heat for the match. The second half is better but hardly blowaway. Rude wasn’t always the best wrestler in a longer match, and his slower stuff wasn’t always the most compelling. And really, I think he and Flair just didn’t have the best chemistry, in the ring or in terms of their personalities meshing, plus Flair as a babyface wasn’t as good as heel Flair. But I don’t dislike the match, either. Flair was still too great in ’93 for it to be outright bad, and Rude was at his peak around this time, too. It’s a whole less than the sum of its parts, but the sum of its parts is still pretty decent.