10 Legendary Pro Wrestling Rivalries

#9 Ravishing Rick Rude vs. Jake the Snake Roberts

Jake the Snake and Ravishing Rick Rude's feud was a dramatic tour de force.

In WWE's classic era, there were two major stars that stood out among the star-studded roster; Jake the Snake Roberts and Ravishing Rick Rude. Rude cut his teeth in the NWA territories, usually teaming up with Raging Bull Manny Fernandez. He was legendary for his toughness both inside and outside of the ring--he once slugged Ultimate Warrior after a backstage disagreement.

Jake the Snake Roberts was a decent ring technician, but his main strength was his cerebral cunning and psychological mind games he played with his opponent. He is also credited with inventing the DDT move--which stands for Damn Dirty Trick.

Because Jake was a master of mind games, this feud really stands out because for once Roberts was the one being toyed with. Ravishing Rick Rude had a habit of choosing a woman out of the crowd to give the second version of the Rude Awakening--a passionate kiss--which often left the poor woman swooning on the mat. However, one lovely woman at ringside refused to participate, because she was at the show to support her husband--who happened to be Jake Roberts!

Of course, Rick Rude didn't deal well with being told no, and Jake Roberts would come out to defend his wife's honor. As they built up steam for their eventual match, Rude would play mind games with Roberts by wearing tights featuring his wife Cheryl's face on them.

The feud was extra personal because it involved Roberts's family, and is well remembered as one of the most exciting rivalries of all time.

Here's a video of how it all got started.