82 Facts About Dusty Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and during his time in Jim Crockett Promotions, later known as WCW, he was a United States Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time World Television, World Tag Team and World Six-Man Tag Team Champion.

Dusty Rhodes won many regional championships, and is one of seven men inducted into each of the WWE, WCW, Professional Wrestling, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Halls of Fame.

Dusty Rhodes then played for the Hartford Charter Oaks in the Continental Football League until the team folded.

In 1967, Dusty Rhodes saw an advertisement in the newspaper for Tony Santos' professional wrestling promotion Big Time Wrestling, based in Boston.

Dusty Rhodes drove to Boston, and despite not having any wrestling experience, bluffed his way into working for the company by using his real life friendships with Bobby Duncum and the Funk brothers.

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Dusty Rhodes moved on to Fritz Von Erich's Texas territory World Class Championship Wrestling in 1968, at that time called Big Time Wrestling.

Dusty Rhodes became a rule-breaking heel with Hart as his manager, teaming with Don Jardine, better known as The Spoiler.

Dusty Rhodes's was quite the opposite, with his rotund belly and conspicuous red blotch on his right side.

Dusty Rhodes' figure was a huge key to his success at the box office as the ultimate sympathetic babyface.

Chubby and loveable, Dusty Rhodes was never afraid to endure an incredible scripted beating in order to draw the most heat for his heel opponents.

Dusty Rhodes did not have a typical wrestlers' physique, but he was well known for his personality, charisma and interviews.

In 1974, Dusty Rhodes's character became a hero after tag team partner Pak Song and manager Gary Hart turned on him during a match in Florida against Eddie and Mike Graham.

Dusty Rhodes eventually began working as a booker and wrestler with Jim Crockett Promotions in the Mid-Atlantic, which eventually purchased World Championship Wrestling, formerly Georgia Championship Wrestling.

Dusty Rhodes was a two time World Six-Man Tag Team Champion with The Road Warriors.

Dusty Rhodes had feuds with Abdullah the Butcher, Pak Song, Terry Funk, Kevin Sullivan, Blackjack Mulligan, Nikita Koloff, Harley Race, Superstar Billy Graham, "Crippler" Ray Stevens and, most notably, The Four Horsemen.

Dusty Rhodes won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times; twice by defeating Race and once by defeating Flair.

In October 1985, during his feud with Flair, Dusty Rhodes gave an interview that became known as his "Hard Times" promo, arguably his most popular promo:.

Also in the late 1980s, Rhodes became synonymous with what would become known as the "Dusty finish", a trick ending in which a wrestler would win a match while the referee was knocked out, and the decision would be overturned.

Dusty Rhodes is often considered to be one of the most innovative and creative bookers in the history of professional wrestling.

Furious with the interference, Dusty Rhodes booked a storyline in which Road Warrior Animal pulled a spike out of his shoulder pad and jammed it in Dusty Rhodes' eye, causing a severe laceration.

Once Dusty Rhodes departed from WCW they reached out to him, and ultimately partnered to launch the new Professional Wrestling Federation in February 1989.

Dusty Rhodes had larger visions for the fledgling regional territory, which included a name change from FCW to the non-regional PWF.

Later that spring as the PWF began to grow Dusty Rhodes received a surprise backstage visit from Bobby Heenan, who inquired on the state of the company's business.

Shortly thereafter Vince McMahon reached out to Dusty Rhodes and made an offer to acquire the PWF as a developmental territory and to bring Dusty Rhodes into the WWF.

Dusty Rhodes refused, as his desire was to grow the territory into a national brand that could compete with WCW and the WWF.

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Dusty Rhodes continued to wrestle Dibiase on house shows that month and was undefeated.

Dusty Rhodes competed in the 1990 Royal Rumble and eliminated Bret Hart before in turn being thrown over the top rope by Earthquake.

Dusty Rhodes began facing the former WWF World Champion on the house show circuit.

Dusty Rhodes suffered a foot injury a few weeks later, leading to his temporary removal from the house show circuit and replacement by Roddy Piper.

Dusty Rhodes began teaming with Sapphire to face Savage and Sherri on house shows, resuming his winning streak and remaining undefeated.

Later that night Dusty was scheduled to face Randy Savage in a one-on-one encounter; prior to the match Ted Dibiase announced that Sapphire had left Rhodes for The Million Dollar Man's money.

Dusty Rhodes immediately transitioned to a feud with The Million Dollar Man.

Dusty Rhodes lost numerous house show matches after Virgil interfered on the behalf of Dibiase.

The future Hall of Famer would dispatch Ware and later pin Dusty Rhodes, with Ted Dibiase ultimately remaining as the sole survivor.

Around this time in the fall Dusty Rhodes received an offer to return to World Championship Wrestling as its head booker.

Dusty Rhodes now began to lose regularly, falling again in defeat to Ted Dibiase in house shows during December 1990 but losing to Rick Martel, Virgil, and new top-heel Sgt.

The conclusion to the feud with Dibiase came at 1991 Royal Rumble, where Dusty Rhodes teamed with his son Dustin against Virgil and Dibiase.

The Dusty Rhodes Family was defeated in a match that saw Virgil turn face afterwards.

Dusty Rhodes returned to WCW in 1991 as a member of WCW's booking committee, making his first appearance only 11 days after his last WWF appearance at the Royal Rumble.

Dusty Rhodes served as the on-screen manager of Ron Simmons from 1991 to 1992, first forming a relationship with the former All-American during the summer of 1991.

Dusty Rhodes would go on to be Simmons cornerman that night, although Luger retained his championship.

Dusty Rhodes began making house show appearances early in the year, usually in tag-team matches involving Dustin that saw Paul E Dangerously tied to Dusty as part of the stipulation.

Later that summer Dusty Rhodes was again in the corner of Ron Simmons, this time on August 2,1992 when he defeated Big Van Vader to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

Dusty Rhodes later joined the broadcast team, usually working with Tony Schiavone on Saturday Night.

Dusty Rhodes was paired with Schiavone and Bobby Heenan on pay-per-views.

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Dustin successfully retained against Orndorff at Clash of the Champions XXV; Dusty Rhodes became involved after the match and attempted to unmask the Assassin.

Dusty Rhodes returned to the ring for three more house show matches that fall, teaming with Dustin to defeat the Stud Stable.

Dusty Rhodes's last in-ring match for World Championship Wrestling in this run came on November 24,1994 in Albany, GA, where Dusty and Dustin Rhodes defeated Arn Anderson and Bunkhouse Buck in a steel cage.

Dusty Rhodes was originally on the side of WCW when its battle with the New World Order began in 1996.

At Souled Out 1998, Larry Zbyszko asked Dusty Rhodes, who was working the PPV broadcast, to accompany him to the ring for his match against Scott Hall.

Dusty Rhodes entered the ring, delivering his trademark elbow smashes to Spicolli as Zbyszko stood and grabbed Hall.

Dusty Rhodes went to elbow Hall, but seemingly inadvertently hit Zbyszko instead turning heel in the process.

Dusty Rhodes left WCW in 2000 and went to Extreme Championship Wrestling, making an appearance at the Guilty As Charged PPV on January 8,2000 where he was attacked by former ECW World Champion, "King of Old School" Steve Corino.

On March 12,2000 Dusty Rhodes pinned Steve Corino in a singles match at the Living Dangerously PPV in Danbury, CT.

Dusty Rhodes continued to remain undefeated until he put over Corino at the Cyberslam 2000 event on April 22 at the ECW Arena.

Dusty Rhodes then returned to WCW for a where he reignited feud once more with long-time nemesis Ric Flair.

In 2002, Dusty Rhodes competed in Pro Pain Pro Wrestling based in Philadelphia feuding with Kevin Sullivan.

Dusty Rhodes began appearing with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2003, returning to the ring to feud against the villainous Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction.

The following week Dusty Rhodes got a shot at the NWA title against Styles but lost when he passed out during the figure-4.

In May 2005, TNA President Dixie Carter asked Dusty Rhodes to move onto a creative team, which included Jeremy Borash, Bill Banks, and Scott D'Amore.

Dusty Rhodes resigned as booker, waiting out the rest of his contract with TNA, which expired soon after.

Dusty Rhodes made his first indy circuit appearance on April 12,2003 for Ring of Honor, when he participated in the "I Quit Bunkhouse Riot" as a member of Homicide's team.

Dusty Rhodes returned to ROH on March 13,2004, where he competed alongside The Carnage Crew in a Scramble Cage match against Special K, which the Carnage Crew won.

Dusty Rhodes made three appearances for the Japanese promotion HUSTLE in 2004, the first being on January 4 in a six-man tag team match with Steve Corino and Tom Howard against Mil Mascaras, Dos Caras, and Sicodelico Jr.

Dusty Rhodes briefly resurrected his feud with Tully Blanchard in CCW, earning two consecutive victories over him, the second being in a Bunkhouse Brawl.

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On July 15,2005, Dusty Rhodes participated in Ballpark Brawl IV in a victory over Kid Kash.

Dusty Rhodes participated in the first WrestleReunion, competing in an eight-man tag team match with D'Lo Brown, The Blue Meanie, and Tom Prichard against Steve Corino, Andrew Martin, Evil Clown, and the Masked Superstar.

On December 3,2005, Dusty Rhodes returned to Carolina Championship Wrestling for one night only to face Terry Funk in an "I Quit" match, which Dusty Rhodes won.

Dusty Rhodes made his final major appearances on the independent circuit before returning full-time to WWE in mid-2006, defeating Jerry Lawler by disqualification at a Southern Championship Wrestling show and earning a victory over Steve Corino in a Texas Bullrope match for Big Time Wrestling.

In September 2005, Dusty Rhodes signed a WWE Legends deal and was brought onto the Creative Team as a creative consultant.

Dusty Rhodes made an appearance on the October 3,2005 WWE Raw Homecoming in which he, along with other legends, beat down Rob Conway, to whom Rhodes delivered a signature Bionic Elbow.

Dusty Rhodes was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31,2007 by his two sons, Dustin and Cody.

Dusty Rhodes was the head writer and creative director for the weekly NXT Wrestling television broadcast.

Dusty Rhodes made his return to Raw on September 16,2013 after accepting a "business proposition" from Stephanie McMahon in an attempt for WWE to rehire both his sons Cody and Dustin.

Dusty Rhodes appeared at Battleground in the corner of Cody and Goldust as they took on The Shield in a tag team match.

The stipulation of the match would be that if the Rhodes Family won, Cody and Goldust got their jobs with the company back, but if they lose Dusty would be fired as an NXT trainer and none of them could appear on WWE programming ever again.

Dusty Rhodes appeared on the February 16,2015 episode of Raw, in an effort to reunite Goldust and Stardust, who were engaged in a conflict.

Dusty Rhodes had four children: Dustin, Kristin, Teil and Cody Runnels.

Dusty Rhodes had six grandchildren; Dakota, the daughter of Dustin and his ex-wife, Terri Boatright, Dalton and Dylan, children of Kristin and her husband Don Ditto, Kellan and Maris, children of Teil and her husband Kevin Gergel, and Liberty, daughter of Cody and his wife Brandi.

Dusty Rhodes was cremated after his death, and his ashes were spread in November 2015 by his son Dustin on a ranch that Dusty Rhodes loved to visit.

Dusty Rhodes has been called one of the best wrestlers in history, praising his charisma and interview skills.

Since Dusty Rhodes worked as a backstage producer in WCW, he helped several wrestlers with their careers.