Skip to main content

Sporting News: Dusty Rhodes 1945 - 2015


I kind of feel bad because I felt like I had more to say and a longer piece to cover his career and such, but I really wanted to get something done today while it was fresh in my mind.  

Comments

  1. I kind of feel bad because I felt like I had more to say, but I really wanted to get the first post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great stuff. Really hit the nail on the head.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 11, 2015 at 4:41 PM

    I'mma let you finish, zana, but Scott had the greatest post of all time. OF ALL TIME!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't believe you wrote about "tha pay winda" meme stuff in lieu of Florida. Acutely embarrassing writing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 11, 2015 at 4:46 PM

    I'm going to have to download Dusty's WWF theme now, as it's been stuck in my head all afternoon anyway.


    I had a bunch of people send me messages, asking me if I'd heard the news, mostly people who weren't really into wrestling, so Dusty obviously made an impact in the real world. The thing that stuck out to me was the Dusty always looked like he was having fun, being out there in the ring or on the stick wasn't a chose, he seemed to legit love it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "I've wined and dined with kings and queens... And I've slept in alleys and ate pork and beans!" - Son of a plumber
    RIP Dusty

    ReplyDelete
  7. So write your own piece and share with the class.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good stuff Scott.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What part of "rambling recollections" do you not comprehend?


    Scott has striking while the iron was hot to take it straight to the pay window!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 11, 2015 at 4:56 PM

    Somebody needs to take a shot in the belly welly

    ReplyDelete
  11. I wonder if that was literally true.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've been hijacking all of my phone meetings with people today by playing the theme song at pauses in the conversation

    ReplyDelete
  13. RIP Dusty. One of the most entertaining guys to ever do it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Like everything good in wrestling, there was likely a tinge of truth in there.

    ReplyDelete
  15. He had lunch with Jack King out in Queens once.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Or ate a pork sandwich at Burger King

    ReplyDelete
  17. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 11, 2015 at 5:04 PM

    In Queens

    ReplyDelete
  18. Does anybody have a link to the Dusty/Stephanie McMahon segment that Scott mentioned? Anything wrestling-related that pisses Steph off is ok by me.

    RIP Big Dust. Nobody had any business writing a promo for you.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I sti think Dusty is the greatest promo man of all-time, no disrespect to Flair and Rock and Mick.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Or, he has different memories and different things he latched onto about Dusty? Could that possibly be it?

    But hey, being a dick is cool too.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Nice tribute. I never quite "got" Dusty as a performer either, but I gained an appreciation for his promos later on. Just how much DID he innovate and inspire in others? I'm not much of a historian on the guy.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dusty connected with crowds because of the "Common man" thing and his struggles against the Horseman who were the complete antithesis of Dusty's ethos. Perfect storyline and one that wwe should rip off shamelessly.

    ReplyDelete
  23. ..says the man trolling on a wrestling blog.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dusty is pretty damn good. I'd put him up there with Hogan in terms of being a brilliant babyface promo.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think the single match about which I disagree the most with Scott is Dusty vs Luger.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Well written. I would like to see WWE rename at least an area of the Performance Center after Dusty. It seems the entire NXT roster LOVED the guy and he helped them all so much.

    Most of my Dusty fan experience comes in his commentary phase, and he was really fun. It's always nice to hear someone having fun doing commentary, and not in a JBL "We're havin' fun, Mackle!" kind of way, but a true fun way. He always came off as one of the guys who would be the most fun to talk to, and I think a lot of that ties into why the developmental gang love him so much.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Just remember the same gossip mag that tells you it pissed Steph off is the same one that ragged on the guy we're remembering and a lot of people are using as excuses for their less than favorable views on the guy....

    ReplyDelete
  28. I can't believe this is your first comment. Acutely embarrassing trolling.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I wouldn't really call it great stuff when he's like "I know that I've demeaned and mocked this guy about being a star in this business and called him a liar on things that were proven true but hey read my piece on him so I can get to da pay windah".

    ReplyDelete
  30. You're still doing this act today?

    ReplyDelete
  31. AnInternetToughGuyJune 11, 2015 at 6:07 PM

    Wow. Dude, calm down.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I wouldn't be opposed to them naming the whole thing after him, but they're probably saving that for someone else. Maybe the area where they work on promos?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Is that sort of like acting as if you didn't eviscerate Rhodes every chance you got because you were a Flair fanboy?

    ReplyDelete
  34. When did he actually say that. It's not in the famous "Hard Times" promo.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I didn't realize I wasn't calm I just think its sick that Scott called this guy a liar and an ego maniac in a shoot review he reposted the day the guy died and then he went on to put up a sporting news remembrance of him backtracking and softening up everything he ever said about the guy when he's clearly doing it to cash in on Dusty's death.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Dusty was awesome but there are probably 25 guys that when they die they would have to name something after. What about when Hogan dies or McMahon or Hart, etc. Dusty was awesome but when you start naming shit after somebody you run out of stuff to name with deserving candidates still out there so its best to cool it on that.

    ReplyDelete
  37. They did with Austin/McMahon/Rock....

    ReplyDelete
  38. Did Big Dust ever have any heel run in the big 3?

    ReplyDelete
  39. He had a brief stint in the nWo.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Not bad, Scott. Not bad at all. Nice tribute to one of the legends.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Did Hogan or Hart work in the Performance Center? The contrarian gimmick you do is whatever it is, but constantly attacking other people's points of view without acknowledging the viability of anyone's opinion of yours is a shining hallmark of a raging asshole.

    ReplyDelete
  42. You really are a nasty little shit.

    ReplyDelete
  43. It's on the 9/30/13 edition of Raw if you're a Network subscriber.

    ReplyDelete
  44. As a kid in the late 80s / early 90s watching WWF PPVs on Coliseum and didn't know or give two fucks about "workrate", I liked watching Dusty. His stuff with Sapphire especially. He had great energy and looked like he was having fun, which made me have fun.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Would you rather he pretend he didn't say those things? I think it's classy of Scott to basically say Dusty did some things wrong and he wasn't his biggest fan, but that he still respected his place in history.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'll remember Dusty most as a commentator because that's the era that I became a big fan. I still laugh now when I listen to his commentary and you could just tell he was having fun, and that's pretty infectious. And, I agree, a lady in the men's bathroom is a big thing!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Normally I'd agree, although Dusty is pretty much directly tied to the Performance Center in a way that most people are not. I think it would be cool for sure.


    (I guarantee you btw that after Vince dies, something gets named for him for sure.)

    ReplyDelete
  48. Good read, but not enough mention of Dust's polka-dot run in the WWF...the run was goofy, but damn entertaining...Dusty could turn a turd into a diamond...

    ReplyDelete
  49. Triple S, if you think you can continue posting here....


    WELL I'M AFRAID I'VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS

    ReplyDelete
  50. A true legend that had such a great mind for the business (the Dusty finishes notwithstanding). Its weird that all of us that didn't watch NWA saw in 1989, the WWF introduce this "common man" dressed in polka dots who was a plumber and a pizza delivery guy. I had no idea he was a former world champion. Not as bad as the 50 year old "rookies" Carlos Colon and Harley Race when they went to the WWF.


    Even though it was just two weeks ago, I won't ever forget the "where is the money" advice that Dusty gave to a young Paul Heyman as well as Heyman's perfect Dusty impression.


    And on top of all of that, he had one of the best theme songs of all time. :)

    ReplyDelete
  51. Stranger In The AlpsJune 11, 2015 at 6:56 PM

    I believe a "Thank you, Scott" chant is in order.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Stranger In The AlpsJune 11, 2015 at 6:58 PM

    Bravo, Mr. Keith. Really, after all was said and done and in light of the current status of the worked sport we admire so much, Dusty Rhodes will be missed both on screen and off.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Everyone should read Sami Zayn's tribute to Dusty on Twitter, really touching and funny stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Oh god I keep forgetting that happened. Just a mean-spirited turn that didn't even really have much of an impact. Just part of the never-ending push where the group always won.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Not sure. I think it was a catchphrase for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  56. You're calm. You're just an idiot with too much time on your hands. Keep that in mind

    ReplyDelete
  57. EVIL JOBBER'S GONE! YES!

    ReplyDelete
  58. Yeah. I think it was Hall's idea - Rhodes helped him break into wrestling and I think he saw it as a way to give Dusty a bit of a 'cool' factor.

    But of course, it made absolutely zero sense from a story perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!June 11, 2015 at 8:59 PM

    Finally. I was wondering when someone would finally shut him up.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Virgil's Gimmick TableJune 11, 2015 at 9:25 PM

    I choose Dusty over Hogan. Hogan was very consistent in his face promos, but he couldn't hold your emotions like Dusty did. Dusty has more landmark face promos than Hogan. Hogan's greatest promo was the night he turned heel.

    ReplyDelete
  61. I know folks mock his ring stuff a lot but Flair was always the first to put over how good Dusty really was. "You think I carried 300 60-minute matches all by myself?"

    ReplyDelete
  62. The Rick over at OnlineOnslaught.com has a FANTABULOUS article on Dusty and his run as well.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Just got through a long day at work and then I found out about this, that one of my all time favorites had passed away.

    Dusty was the complete package in terms of having many great ideas and a vision that few others had as a booker, being able to sell tickets and draw money for decades as a performer and entertaining the masses in a way that few others had before or since.

    Much like another dearly departed legend Randy Savage, the impact of Dusty Rhodes' death will be felt for many years to come and also much like Randy Savage, there will never be another performer, in wrestling or in any other profession for that matter, but there will never be another person like him.

    R.I.P. Virgil Runnels aka "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes 1945-2015

    ReplyDelete
  64. It was shortly after Starrcade '85 when his World Title win got overturned due to appropriately enough, the Dusty Finish. Both that promo and Ric Flair's equally great promo after he got the World Title returned to him are on Ric Flair's first DVD set, The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection.

    ReplyDelete
  65. He'll have a lot more time on his hands now that he's banned.
    Good riddance to him, I heard TNAMecca's looking for new trolls to replace their rapidly declining fanbase.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 11, 2015 at 10:04 PM

    About fucking time.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 11, 2015 at 10:10 PM

    Did any legit mainstream news cover this (no, Fox News doesn't count)? I first found out when I got an alert on my phone from my Yahoo Sports app, Deadspin of course did an article, and now obviously Sporting News. Did ESPN mention it? I figured he would have at least got a mention on LeBartard's show or "Happy Trails" at the end of PTI.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Put it this way -- Ric Flair and The Rock, two of the five best mic workers ever, have gone on record saying Dusty was their inspiration in terms of character and mic work. He influenced every great talker of the '90s, in fact.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Variety and CNN had stuff on it.

    ReplyDelete
  70. ESPN has a 3 minute piece on its website with Coachman being interviewed by phone about Dusty. He even does a Dusty impression....

    ReplyDelete
  71. Oprah NoodlemantraJune 11, 2015 at 10:22 PM

    Damn man, just damn. I mean we all know it's inevitable, but it doesn't make it hurt any less...

    I started watching in '89, when he was in a feud with Boss Man. He was a wrestler who wore polka dots, and later had "Thweet Thweet Thapphire" as a manager. I had zero clue of wrestling politics and all the backstage crap going on... the full on mark days where everything was exciting.

    That first Superstars was just a promo by Dusty on the Brother Love show, and damn if he didn't make me take notice. He looked nothing like what a 7 year old me thought a wrestler looked like.

    When I really got online in '98 I started reading the history of the NWA. That, combined with WCW's shows opened me up to Dusty (and many others), and then I saw that "Hard Times" promo. I sought out many an NWA tape on trade after that.

    I feel like I'm just blabbering though... love 'em or hate 'em, there is never going to be another Dusty Rhodes, daddeh.

    RIP Dream.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Holy shit! In a previous comment, I pulled the name "Jack King" out of my ass.

    Turns out he also died today!

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/11/jack-king-nasas-voice-apollo-dies/71080330/

    ReplyDelete
  73. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 11, 2015 at 10:47 PM

    They cover everything wrestling related though.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 11, 2015 at 10:48 PM

    CNN? No shit...

    ReplyDelete
  75. Are they mainstream? That was your question.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Dusty's reply of "Bed, Bath And Beyond?" is great stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Adam "Colorado" CurryJune 11, 2015 at 10:56 PM

    I suppose they are, but I was excluding them because they always cover wrestling stuff, and by the same token I shouldn't have mentioned Deadspin, and I'm sure Grantland mentioned it too. But shortly after I posted the original comment my local news mentioned it during the sports recap, so yes, it's being covered.

    ReplyDelete
  78. It was on ESPN's site.

    ReplyDelete
  79. *That* was what got you to pull the trigger? wTF??

    ReplyDelete
  80. Although I don't love or hate TripleS, it's worth noting that the people who were most celebratory about his removal are in the top 5 perpetually angriest posters here. Wonder what that says.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Considering they'll have a lot of time to burn on Sunday's pre-show or even during the show itself, I'm hopeful for a lengthy tribute piece for Money in the Bank. They did some beautiful ones for Savage and Warrior after they passed.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Cumulative effect. Also, being a prick when someone dies might cause Scott to have a hair trigger.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Noted:
    Never call Scott a Ric Flair fanboy

    ReplyDelete
  84. Oh yeah man. All over the place. I was actually surprised.

    ReplyDelete
  85. The promo he gave after was amazing though.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Really nice article Scott. And I love that you gave a double shout out to my all time favourite Dusty moment. "There's a woman in the men's room! There's a woman in the men's room!" Just wish I could find a clip of it online here somewhere...

    ReplyDelete
  87. he was Louie Spicoli and Scott Halls manager in the NWO. Obv it was a short run, and even shorter run as Spicolli's mgr....

    ReplyDelete
  88. I think it was also to have Dusty get Spicolli over...

    ReplyDelete
  89. "but who drew the money?"

    ReplyDelete
  90. I had never seen that "he got a bicycle" thing before. That was awesome. I can't stop watching it.

    ReplyDelete
  91. So its him and Chin on the black list??? after 3 years I kinda miss Mr. Chin and his kids haha.

    ReplyDelete
  92. One of my earliest memories is of me at four or five years old, blasting my uncle with Dusty's atomic elbow, right in the forehead. RIP, Dream.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Was he kind enough to slice open an artery in response like JJ?

    ReplyDelete
  94. dailymotion is your friend.

    ReplyDelete
  95. You know you're a legend when the freakin' Guardian covers it.

    ReplyDelete
  96. As well as the piece on the website, ESPN also had it scrolling on the bottomline in the "News" panel for most of the day. I didn't see Sportscenter tonight, but if Robert Flores was anchoring, I'm sure he would have mentioned something about it, too.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!June 12, 2015 at 4:40 AM

    "Never call Scott a Ric Flair fanboy on the day that Dusty dies and don't be a douchebag to everyone, all the time, every day, for the last month."

    FTFY

    ReplyDelete
  98. Yeah, I think he was only semi-civil around ME, and he was still saying stuff like "The joke's on you".

    ReplyDelete
  99. I don't think you can come up with something that makes "less" sense than Dusty Rhodes joining the nWo.

    ReplyDelete
  100. I was thinking about this yesterday, that is was the nWo briefly because of Hall's start in Florida.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Here is the link: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/13060411/dusty-rhodes-connected-fans-no-other-pro-wrestling-superstar

    ReplyDelete
  102. It was covered on the cbc website and our local news station. Even the news updates in the subway had a brief mention.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Wow, that site still exists?

    ReplyDelete
  104. Down Under Aussie (in Japan)June 12, 2015 at 8:03 AM

    yeah, you have to watch the actual match for the clip

    ReplyDelete
  105. Easy there ragey.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment