Rick Rude and Raven Pick up Trannies
“Ravishing” Rick Rude and Raven were two wrestlers with a big cult following among female wrestling fans. So how was it that they both almost took home two transsexuals for a one night stand? Read on.
Date: March 1993
Location: England
Source: Raven Effect Podcast: How Raven Created the Dudleys
Background
Rick Rude and Raven were very different individuals in many ways, and alike in others. They were not friends, yet not enemies either. They never set out to travel together or hang out together, though sometimes they did just because they ended up in the same place together.
We’re not certain of the exact time frame of this incident. It happened in England, however, and the only record we found of both Raven and Rick Rude being there together would’ve been on a UK tour WCW did in March of 1993. Raven was working as Scotty Flamingo at the time, and while WCW also toured the UK that November, Flamingo was gone from WCW by then. Wikipedia states that Flamingo left WCW in February of 1993, yet that looks to be inaccurate since he was on the March shows in the UK.
WCW was at its absolute worst period of business in 1993, stemming from bad booking, poor direction, and one series of managerial mishaps after another. It didn’t help that the entire pro wrestling business in the America was in the doldrums that year, including the WWF, which was reeling from the steroid scandal and under investigation for what would be a federal indictment the following year.
Despite all that bad news, there was one lone bright spot for both companies: the United Kingdom.
For whatever reason, the WWF was flourishing in the UK, possibly because they had the British Bulldog (Davey Boy Smith) in a featured position for much of 1992. Bulldog parted ways with the WWF in the midst of the steroid scandal fallout, yet WCW happily hired him in 1993 despite his physique. Industry analysts at the time were appalled that even though the WWF was under investigation for steroid use, WCW had no problems flaunting and pushing people like Bulldog and Sid Vicious. WCW may have felt they were so under the radar that the Feds wouldn’t care, which was a huge risk. In the end, they were right; the Feds didn’t care.
Some reports stated that WCW actually had significantly more viewership in the UK than WWF did, by a sizable margin. Despite all those viewers, it took many months before they attempted to tour there, and meanwhile the WWF was making millions on tours there (SummerSlam ’92 was from Wembley Stadium and drew one of the biggest crowds in company history for what was a very memorable show). Even though WCW had more viewers, they were still seen as the distant #2 company by the UK fans.
Nevertheless, the WCW UK tour was a success. Their shows there in March were virtually all sold out, with hot crowds. British Bulldog was on the shows and of course this helped the live attendance.
The Incident
Not many details are known, other than Raven (as Scotty Flamingo) claimed he and Rick Rude were at a bar in England together. He claimed they spent the evening talking to and picking up these “Two really hot chicks.”
Before going any further, it’s worth pointing out that Rude was technically married at the time. We don’t know any details of Rude’s marriage at the time or what their relationship was, and obviously this story is just Raven’s side of the story. Rude isn’t here to defend himself and give his side of the story, and the family he left behind after his passing has gone through immense turmoil between the death of Rude and his son. This story is Raven’s, and we’re simply reporting what he said on his podcast.
Raven had just seen the movie “Crying Game,” which came out the year prior. We’ve not seen it, but apparently there’s a scene in there in which a man is sickened by the fact he went home with a transsexual. So in the back of Raven’s mind, he was worried that maybe these two women were transsexuals? He reasoned that it was impossible because they were “So gorgeous.”
They went to the bar to pay Rude’s tab and take the women home. At that point the bartender looked at them, looked at the women (who weren’t at the bar, but sitting further back), and then looked at Rude and Raven again. He said in a very British accent, “They had ‘em lopped off!”
“What??” Raven asked. He then figured, he was getting Crying Game’d after all.
At that point, Rude and Raven had to figure out how to get out of there. They had spent the evening courting two women who were really men who had their genitals surgically removed.
They basically blew them off and said Bye quickly. The transsexuals chased after them and yelled, “What are you doing??” Meanwhile, Raven and Rude sped off back to their hotel, blue balls in hand.
Given it was 1993 and that Rick Rude was one of the toughest guys in the business and a real man’s man, the “women” should’ve been thanking their lucky stars Rude didn’t beat the living piss out of them.
Raven may not have known it at the time, but it would make for a great story one day when podcasts and websites could share it. A movie and a bartender saved both men from an ordeal they would’ve been none too happy with had they gone through with it.
