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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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....
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".
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.)
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...
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. :)
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.
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.
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.
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?"
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
I kind of feel bad because I felt like I had more to say, but I really wanted to get the first post.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff. Really hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteI'mma let you finish, zana, but Scott had the greatest post of all time. OF ALL TIME!
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Scott
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you wrote about "tha pay winda" meme stuff in lieu of Florida. Acutely embarrassing writing.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to download Dusty's WWF theme now, as it's been stuck in my head all afternoon anyway.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
"I've wined and dined with kings and queens... And I've slept in alleys and ate pork and beans!" - Son of a plumber
ReplyDeleteRIP Dusty
So write your own piece and share with the class.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Scott.
ReplyDeleteWhat part of "rambling recollections" do you not comprehend?
ReplyDeleteScott has striking while the iron was hot to take it straight to the pay window!
Somebody needs to take a shot in the belly welly
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that was literally true.
ReplyDeleteI've been hijacking all of my phone meetings with people today by playing the theme song at pauses in the conversation
ReplyDeleteRIP Dusty. One of the most entertaining guys to ever do it.
ReplyDeleteLike everything good in wrestling, there was likely a tinge of truth in there.
ReplyDeleteHe had lunch with Jack King out in Queens once.
ReplyDeleteOr ate a pork sandwich at Burger King
ReplyDeleteIn Queens
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody have a link to the Dusty/Stephanie McMahon segment that Scott mentioned? Anything wrestling-related that pisses Steph off is ok by me.
ReplyDeleteRIP Big Dust. Nobody had any business writing a promo for you.
I sti think Dusty is the greatest promo man of all-time, no disrespect to Flair and Rock and Mick.
ReplyDeleteOr, he has different memories and different things he latched onto about Dusty? Could that possibly be it?
ReplyDeleteBut hey, being a dick is cool too.
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.
ReplyDeleteDusty 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..says the man trolling on a wrestling blog.
ReplyDeleteDusty is pretty damn good. I'd put him up there with Hogan in terms of being a brilliant babyface promo.
ReplyDeleteI think the single match about which I disagree the most with Scott is Dusty vs Luger.
ReplyDeleteWell 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.
ReplyDeleteMost 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.
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....
ReplyDeleteI can't believe this is your first comment. Acutely embarrassing trolling.
ReplyDeleteI 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".
ReplyDeleteYou're still doing this act today?
ReplyDeleteWow. Dude, calm down.
ReplyDeleteI 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?
ReplyDeleteIs that sort of like acting as if you didn't eviscerate Rhodes every chance you got because you were a Flair fanboy?
ReplyDeleteWhen did he actually say that. It's not in the famous "Hard Times" promo.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteDusty 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.
ReplyDeleteThey did with Austin/McMahon/Rock....
ReplyDeleteDid Big Dust ever have any heel run in the big 3?
ReplyDeleteHe had a brief stint in the nWo.
ReplyDeleteNot bad, Scott. Not bad at all. Nice tribute to one of the legends.
ReplyDeleteDid 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.
ReplyDeleteYou really are a nasty little shit.
ReplyDeleteOK, that's enough, you're done.
ReplyDeleteIt's on the 9/30/13 edition of Raw if you're a Network subscriber.
ReplyDeleteAs 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.
ReplyDeleteWould 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.
ReplyDeleteI'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!
ReplyDeleteNormally 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.
ReplyDelete(I guarantee you btw that after Vince dies, something gets named for him for sure.)
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...
ReplyDeleteTriple S, if you think you can continue posting here....
ReplyDeleteWELL I'M AFRAID I'VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS
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.
ReplyDeleteEven 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. :)
I believe a "Thank you, Scott" chant is in order.
ReplyDeleteBravo, 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.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should read Sami Zayn's tribute to Dusty on Twitter, really touching and funny stuff.
ReplyDeleteOh 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.
ReplyDeleteNot sure. I think it was a catchphrase for a while.
ReplyDeleteYou're calm. You're just an idiot with too much time on your hands. Keep that in mind
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff.
ReplyDeleteEVIL JOBBER'S GONE! YES!
ReplyDeleteYeah. 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.
ReplyDeleteBut of course, it made absolutely zero sense from a story perspective.
Finally. I was wondering when someone would finally shut him up.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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?"
ReplyDeleteThe Rick over at OnlineOnslaught.com has a FANTABULOUS article on Dusty and his run as well.
ReplyDeleteJust got through a long day at work and then I found out about this, that one of my all time favorites had passed away.
ReplyDeleteDusty 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
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.
ReplyDeleteHe'll have a lot more time on his hands now that he's banned.
ReplyDeleteGood riddance to him, I heard TNAMecca's looking for new trolls to replace their rapidly declining fanbase.
About fucking time.
ReplyDeleteDid 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.
ReplyDeletePut 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.
ReplyDeleteVariety and CNN had stuff on it.
ReplyDeleteESPN has a 3 minute piece on its website with Coachman being interviewed by phone about Dusty. He even does a Dusty impression....
ReplyDeleteDamn man, just damn. I mean we all know it's inevitable, but it doesn't make it hurt any less...
ReplyDeleteI 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.
Holy shit! In a previous comment, I pulled the name "Jack King" out of my ass.
ReplyDeleteTurns out he also died today!
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/11/jack-king-nasas-voice-apollo-dies/71080330/
TMZ?
ReplyDeleteThey cover everything wrestling related though.
ReplyDeleteCNN? No shit...
ReplyDeleteAre they mainstream? That was your question.
ReplyDeleteDusty's reply of "Bed, Bath And Beyond?" is great stuff.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteIt was on ESPN's site.
ReplyDelete*That* was what got you to pull the trigger? wTF??
ReplyDeleteAlthough 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.
ReplyDeleteConsidering 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.
ReplyDeleteCumulative effect. Also, being a prick when someone dies might cause Scott to have a hair trigger.
ReplyDeleteNoted:
ReplyDeleteNever call Scott a Ric Flair fanboy
Oh yeah man. All over the place. I was actually surprised.
ReplyDeleteThe promo he gave after was amazing though.
ReplyDeleteReally 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...
ReplyDeletehe was Louie Spicoli and Scott Halls manager in the NWO. Obv it was a short run, and even shorter run as Spicolli's mgr....
ReplyDeleteI think it was also to have Dusty get Spicolli over...
ReplyDelete"but who drew the money?"
ReplyDeleteI had never seen that "he got a bicycle" thing before. That was awesome. I can't stop watching it.
ReplyDeleteSo its him and Chin on the black list??? after 3 years I kinda miss Mr. Chin and his kids haha.
ReplyDeleteOne 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.
ReplyDeleteWas he kind enough to slice open an artery in response like JJ?
ReplyDeletedailymotion is your friend.
ReplyDeleteYou know you're a legend when the freakin' Guardian covers it.
ReplyDeleteAs 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"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."
ReplyDeleteFTFY
Yeah, I think he was only semi-civil around ME, and he was still saying stuff like "The joke's on you".
ReplyDeleteI don't think you can come up with something that makes "less" sense than Dusty Rhodes joining the nWo.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about this yesterday, that is was the nWo briefly because of Hall's start in Florida.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/13060411/dusty-rhodes-connected-fans-no-other-pro-wrestling-superstar
ReplyDeleteIt was covered on the cbc website and our local news station. Even the news updates in the subway had a brief mention.
ReplyDeleteWow, that site still exists?
ReplyDeleteyeah, you have to watch the actual match for the clip
ReplyDeleteEasy there ragey.
ReplyDelete