Scott Bowden presents Kentucky Fried Rasslin

In Memphis, the fireworks usually started before the 4th of July. (Clipping courtesy of memphiswrestlinghistory.com.)

Although not in the same league as the annual Cow Palace tradition in San Francisco, Memphis had great success in the ’80s with the “Two-Ring, Triple-Chance” battle royal gimmick. On these nights, two rings were set up, with each man eliminated from the first ring going to the second ring. The last man standing in ring one would face the survivor of ring two for a one-on-one showdown to determine the winner.

On July 2, 1984, the promotion jazzed up the concept and dubbed it “Slamm-A-Bamma-Ramma,” featuring such contestants as Jerry Lawler, Randy Savage, Tommy Rich, Eddie Gilbert, Austin Idol, Lanny Poffo, Jim Neidhart and “Ravishing” Rick Rude (who was coming into his own as a headlining heel). A week after drawing a crowd of  approximately 10,000 for the June 25th card headlined by the Road Warriors vs. Lawler and Idol for the National tag titles, the unique two-ring gimmick drew a healthy crowd of nearly 7,000 fans to the Mid-South Coliseum.

The end came down to the King (shocking, I know) and the Ravishing One, culminating with a battle-royal finish unlike any other and turning up the heat quite literally on the Lawler vs. Rude feud.

It’s always a little sad when a promo dies prematurely, especially on live TV. Unlike his unprofessional actions in the Ken Patera promo posted earlier (I still can’t believe that taped interview actually aired on TV) Gene Okerlund is at the top of his game in this clip from SummerSlam 1989, capable of handling any situation that may arise on PPV. In his defense, I know there have been plenty of times when I’ve started discussing the Ultimate Warrior and instead I just said, “Fuck it.” (Like the stellar broadcast journalist that he was in his WWF days, Jesse Ventura was thankfully there to cover for his broadcast colleague.)

Watts had for years built his territory on bigger stars, usually ex-jocks, and supposedly had to be convinced by his new booker, longtime Memphis star Bill Dundee, to at least keep an open mind on pushing smaller athletes. Based on Dundee’s suggestion, Watts decided to build up the tag-team ranks with the Rock ’n’ Roll Express (Rick Morton and Robert Gibson), who were always a strut behind the Fabs in the eyes of Memphis fans, as they debuted months after Stan and Steve set the area on fire. Cast in the role of their heel rivals in Mid-South were Bobby Eaton (already one of the best workers in the biz by that point) and veteran star Dennis Condrey, the second incarnation of the Midnight Express, managed by Jim Cornette. Watts also eventually brought in Memphis stars Terry Taylor and Buddy Landell.

Jarrett received guys like Masao Ito, Hoss Higgins, Jim Neidhart and Rick Rood as part of the deal. Although Neidhart also went on to superstardom, only Rood really established himself in the Memphis territory. Ito flopped in a feud with Austin Idol, mostly because the bouts were horrible. Higgins left almost immediately, after floundering in prelims, and the Anvil departed shortly after raiding Hart’s stable, with the angle quickly forgotten.

In 1984, Rood had a good look but was green as grass. A member of the same Eddie Sharkey training school in Minnesota that spawned the Road Warriors, he had been recruited by Ole Anderson in 1983 to work the Georgia territory, which was struggling with the departures of several established big-name stars, hence the mega-push of Hawk and Animal as National tag champions. Growing up in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, Rood was a childhood friend of the late Curt Hennig, Barry Darsow, Nikita Koloff (Scott Simpson) and Tom Zenk. Rood’s lone Georgia highlight was working as a special referee in a bout between Mr. Wrestling II and Larry Zbyszko. He drifted to Mid-South, doing jobs for the likes of Butch Reed, before being shipped to Memphis.

Upon arrival, he became “Ravishing” Ric Rude (yes, Ric...just like ol’ what’s-his-face), a cocky, spandex-wearing heel, complete with manager Hart and blonde valet Angel. (Eventually, the “k” would be added back to his first name, i.e., Rick Rude.) The role suited him, and Rude quickly moved up the cards. After feuding with Idol in a natural matchup, Rude won the AWA Southern title from Lawler, with an assist from Neidhart and Angel. After being pinned, Lawler punched Angel with a tremendous-looking shot while young boys in the front row popped like crazy. Rude commanded the spot of the lead heel in Jimmy Hart’s First Family, despite the fact that he was only decent in the ring and still unpolished on the mic. However, Rude had a natural arrogance, a heel charisma that you just can’t teach. It was obvious…Rick Rude had “it.” Really, his was a classic case of Jarrett and Lawler taking an unproven talent and helping to mold him into a star. In particular, Lawler made Rude look like a million bucks in the ring; most important, they drew big bucks together, peaking with consecutive crowds of 9,019 and a near sellout of over 11,000 the weeks of Aug. 13 and Aug. 20, 1984, respectively. Along the way, Rude lost his valet to a Lawler piledriver, futher cementing the rep of the King as possibly the dirtiest babyface in the game.

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After the steel-cage blowoff with Lawler, Rude moved on to tag bouts with King Kong Bundy. Calling themselves “Thunder and Lightning,” Rude and Bundy feuded with Lawler and new babyface Randy Savage, before trading the Southern tag straps with the Fabulous Ones. The promotion tried turning him babyface in a feud with Bundy following the loss to the Fabs, Rude didn’t get over in his new role. There was a smugness, even his babyface promos, that you couldn’t get past. The fans in Memphis hated him that much. Just over a month after Bundy and Hart attacked him, Rude was abruptly turned back heel in another feud with Lawler. By the time he left the territory at year’s end, “Ravishing” Rick Rude was a polished heel destined for bigger things. He moved on to Florida, and then World Class, before getting the call from Dusty Rhodes and Jim Crockett promotions. Incredibly, instead of being pushed as a singles star and natural rival to Ric Flair on the SuperStation, Rude was stuck in a tag team with Manny Fernandez of all people. Despite making good money and having good matches with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, he left in April 1987 while still one half of the NWA World tag champs. Greener pastures lined with bigger money awaited: Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation, where Rude became a national sensation in the late ‘80s.

Richard Erwin Rood died of heart failure at the age of 40 on April 20, 1999. In honor of the 10-year anniversary of his death, what I’d like to have right now is for all you fat, out-of-shape, beer-swillin’ sweathogs to keep your mouths shut—a moment of silence, if you will—as we remember the man who used to take his robe off and show the ladies what a real sexy man was all about. Hit the music.