Richard Erwin Rood, later known as Ravishing Rick Rude, was born on December 7th, 1958, in Robinsdale, Minnesota. He spent his childhood alongside future pro wrestler Curt Hennig, with whom he shared a strong friendship.
Rood's early life was marked by a stint as a bouncer, working alongside notable figures like Barry Darsow, 'Joe Laurinatis', and Mike Hegstrand. He also had a brief period as an arm wrestler before being trained by Eddie Sharkey in the art of professional wrestling.
Rood's professional wrestling career saw him working in various promotions, including Memphis for Jerry Jarrett, who bestowed upon him the nickname "Ravishing". He then worked for Dory Funk Jr. in Florida and World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas.
After a stint in the upper mid-card of the NWA in the mid-80's, Rood made his way to the World Wrestling Federation under Vince McMahon in late 1987. Although he got off to a slow start, he eventually won the WWF Intercontinental title from The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania V (1989) and headlined against the Warrior at Summerslam (1990) (V).
Following his departure from the WWF, Rood worked in All Japan and WCW, where he engaged in arguably his most notable feuds against Ricky Steamboat (Richard Blood) and Sting (Steve Borden). He even won the NWA world title in 1993, although a dispute between WCW and NWA rendered this achievement unrecognised.
A back injury forced Rood to retire from wrestling in 1993, after which he transitioned to a career as a manager and commentator. However, his final major stint with a company was marked by controversy when he appeared on Raw Is War (1997) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995) on the same night.
Rood's life came to a tragic end on April 20th, 1999, when he passed away at the age of 40 due to cardiac arrest in a hospital in Alpharetta, Georgia.
