Dustin Rhodes has to be one of the most underrated wrestlers ever. A veteran of the game, he has proved on more than one occasion that he's indeed a natural in the ring. The best thing about him has been that he only gets better with age.
During his time in WWE, Dustin Rhodes played the gimmick "Goldust." His character work was top-notch even then, but the gimmick held him back a bit from having good matches. As a result, most of his best work came outside WWE. Let's have a look at the 10 best matches of his career, according to Cagematch.net.
10 W/ QT Marshall Vs. The Blade & The Butcher - AEW Dynamite 11/11/2020 (Rating: 7.78)
This match between the two tag teams was a Bunkhouse tag team match. The match doesn't sound much interesting, but the No DQ and the tornado rules stipulations made the match worth watching.
The match turned out to be a very violent old school brawl. We saw blood in the match, and many weapons being used. The two teams only got 13 minutes, but they made full use of it. Goldust and QT Marshall won the match after a Diamond Cutter from QT.
9 W/ Cody Rhodes Vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins - WWE Monday Night Raw 10/14/2013 (Rating: 7.85)
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In 2013, Goldust formed a tag team with his brother, Cody Rhodes. The tag team faced the new faction, The Shield in many matches. On the October 14 edition of Raw in 2013, the teams faced each other for the tag team titles.
It was a No DQ match and while it wasn't as good as their Battleground classic, it was still a very good TV bout. In the end, we saw Big Show interfere, as he hit the KO Punch on Roman Reigns, whom Cody covered to win the tag team titles for his team.
8 W/ Cody Rhodes Vs. The Usos Vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins - WWE Hell In A Cell 2013 (Rating: 7.86)
In the opening match of Hell in a Cell 2013, we saw the three tag teams compete for the tag team titles. The Rhodes Brothers and The Shield had already developed a good chemistry, and throwing The Usos in the mix made things better.
It was a very fun match with great action. It was a very fast-paced bout and most of the 14 minutes of the match was enjoyable. The finish of the match saw Cody hit the Cross Rhodes on Seth Rollins to retain the belts. This match was easily the best match of the night.
7 Vs. Bryan Danielson - AEW Dynamite 10/23/2021 (Rating: 7.88)
This was a first round match in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. Putting Dustin in the ring against a great wrestler like Bryan Danielson is more often than not going to result in success, and it did here.
The result seemed very predictable, but Dustin got many near-falls during the match, and it felt like Dustin could win. After a 14-minute grueling contest, Bryan applied the Guillotine Choke submission on Dustin, and the referee awarded the match to Bryan.
6 W/ Cody Rhodes Vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins - WWE Battleground 2013 (Rating: 8.18)
The story heading into this match was amazing. If The Rhodes Brothers won, they would be reinstated by WWE. However, had they lost, their father Dusty Rhodes would have lost his job in NXT and the Rhodes family would be terminated from WWE.
The match also ended up delivering. The match is simple, but the storytelling was awesome and made it so much better. Everyone involved in this match did their job perfectly, and it was such a great moment to see The Rhodes Brothers win. One of the best tag team matches in a long time.
5 Royal Rumble Match - WWE Royal Rumble 2018 (Rating: 8.30)
By 2018, Goldust rarely appeared on WWE's PPVs. He was part of the 2018 Royal Rumble, though. The 2018 Royal Rumble was special for many reasons. We saw great performances from guys like Finn Balor and Rusev.
The return of Rey Mysterio, and the debuts of Adam Cole and Andrade also were some cool moments during the match. Shinsuke Nakamura, who was the fan favorite, won the match to make things better. Goldust, however, didn't have a good performance as he only lasted two minutes and 43 seconds, before being eliminated by Dolph Ziggler.
4 W/ Ricky Steamboat Vs. Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko - WCW Clash Of The Champions #17 (Rating: 8.38)
This match was for the WCW World Tag Team Championship, with Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko as the defending champions. Dustin Rhodes' tag team partner was a mystery, and it turned out to be a returning Ricky Steamboat.
The match turned out to be a great contest, and we saw all men do a good job in the ring. It had good story and good psychology. The crowd was also hot during the match, which always makes things better. Steamboat and Dustin won the match and the titles.
3 W/ Steve Austin, The Legion Of Doom & Ken Shamrock Vs. The Hart Foundation - WWE In Your House: Canadian Stampede (Rating: 8.95)
In Your House: Canadian Stampede is historic for many reasons, and the biggest was its main event. The event took place in Canada and thus, The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, British Bulldog, Brian Pillman) were treated as heroes.
The match had a crazy atmosphere, and is pure magic. This match has to be one of the most memorable matches ever. The ending was a bit anticlimactic, but it hardly mattered since The Hart Foundation won the match.
2 Sting's Squadron Vs. The Dangerous Alliance - WCW WrestleWar 1992 (Rating: 8.99)
At WrestleWar 1992, we saw arguably the best WarGames match ever. Sting led the team of Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Nikita Koloff and Dustin Rhodes to face the team of Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbyszko.
The match consisted of top stars, and the top feuds, which made it special. The match had many brilliant moments, which constantly made the match better. We also saw blood, which always elevates a match. In the end, Sting applied the armbar on Bobby Eaton and made him tap out to win the match for his team.
1 Vs. Cody Rhodes - AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 (Rating: 9.38)
At the inaugural show of AEW in 2019, the two brothers Cody and Dustin Rhodes faced each other. People were expecting a good contest from the two, but no one expected it to be as good as it ended up being. It was a beautiful pro wrestling masterpiece.
Everything about this match was great, especially the storytelling. The match was very emotional to watch, and most people teared up while watching. The post-match with the brothers hugging it out was also quite emotional, and it was great seeing them having a moment together.