Very few professional wrestlers are more iconic than “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. The son of a plumber gained the love and admiration of wrestling fans for over four decades.
Primarily, Rhodes’ legendary career took place in the National Wrestling Alliance and Jim Crockett Promotions in the 70s and 80s. However, Rhodes made the transition to the World Wrestling Federation in the late 80s. Despite only having a short tenure in the world’s largest professional wrestling organization, he managed to have quite an impact. While his time as an active wrestler in the WWE was short, it was filled with memorable moments that all fans should know about.
10 Working Man Gimmick
Dusty Rhodes first made the jump to the WWE in 1989. Prior to his television debut, Rhodes’ was seen in various vignettes that featured him as a common-working man.
In the weeks leading up to his television debut, Rhodes could be seen working different jobs such as garbage man, pizza delivery driver, gas station attendant, butcher’s apprentice, and even a plumber. These vignettes were very tongue-in-cheek with each one ending with a person recognizing Rhodes due to his popularity in other wrestling promotions despite the WWE acting like he was a new wrestler.
9 First Feud
When Rhodes finally made his television debut, he started feuding with WWE Hall-of-Famer The Big Boss Man.
On an episode of Superstars in July 1989, Rhodes prevented Boss Man from using his patented nightstick against his already defeated opponent. The following month, Rhodes would defeat Boss Man on an episode of Primetime Wrestling. This feud also led to a series of house show matches that saw Rhodes win every encounter. At the start of his WWE run, Rhodes rarely lost a match.
8 First Pay-Per-View Match
Rhodes made his first WWE pay-per-view appearance at the 1989 SummerSlam. On that night, Rhodes earned a victory against former Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man.
Rhodes was immediately put in a prominent position in the promotion with wins over some of their top heels. The Honky Tonk Man was coming off one of the longest intercontinental title reigns in WWE history. At house shows, Rhodes continued to defeat The Big Boss Man, who was coming off a televised title match against Hulk Hogan.
7 WrestleMania Appearance
In late 1989, a fan of Rhodes, Sapphire, was seen dancing at ringside during his matches. This eventually led to Rhodes inviting the woman into the ring and her becoming his valet.
Rhodes’ association with Sapphire led to the first mixed tag team match in WWE history at WrestleMania 6. Rhodes continued his streak of facing the top bad guys in the WWE when the duo of Rhodes and Sapphire fought “The Macho King” Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri. With Miss Elizabeth by their side, the duo of Rhodes and Sapphire won the match. This would be Rhodes’ only WrestleMania match.
6 Sapphire Abandoned Him
Later in 1990, Rhodes began to feud with “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. This led to Sapphire abandoning Rhodes because she could not deny the luxurious lifestyle that came along with DiBiase’s money.
Rhodes’ started to find himself on the losing side of matches during this feud. At house shows, Rhodes regularly lost to DiBiase due to outside interference from Virgil. DiBiase would also distract Rhodes against other opponents on television, which would end with DiBiase costing Rhodes the win.
5 Dustin Rhodes Involvement
Rhodes’ feud with DiBiase led to the WWE debut of Rhodes’ son. Dustin Rhodes, who would later be known as Goldust, got involved in the feud with his father and The Million Dollar Man.
During a match featuring Dusty and Randy Savage, DiBiase attacked Dustin, who was at ringside. The distraction led to Dusty being counted out. The attack on his son led to Dusty changing his demeanor. He abandoned his polka dot attire and went back to the attire he wore in previous promotions.
4 Undertaker Debut
The feud between Rhodes and DiBiase led to one of the most iconic wrestling debuts in WWE history when Rhodes and DiBiase led their own teams at the 1990 Survivor Series.
Rhodes’ team would be called “The Dream Team” and would feature wrestling legends such as Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Koko B.Ware. DiBiase’s “Million Dollar Team” featured The Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, and a mystery partner. DiBiase’s mystery partner would end up being the debuting Undertaker. Both Rhodes and Koko B. Ware were eliminated by the Undertaker. DiBiase would eliminate both members of the Hart Foundation to win the match.
3 Teamed With His Son In 1991
The last match of Dusty Rhodes’ first run in the WWE took place at the 1991 Royal Rumble. Despite losing to DiBiase’s team at Survivor Series, Rhodes continued his feud with “The Million Dollar Man” and the two met in a tag match at the Royal Rumble.
Rhodes teamed with his son Dustin to face DiBiase and Virgil. In the end, DiBiase and Virgil won the match and Rhodes left the promotion. This match marked the end of Rhodes’ run as a full-time wrestler. He left the WWE and returned to WCW where he would work as a booker.
2 Last Pay-Per-View Match
For the next 15 years, Rhodes would spend time working in promotions such as WCW, ECW, and TNA, before returning to the WWE in 2005.
Rhodes would wrestle his last pay-per-view match at the 2007 Great American Bash. On that night, he wrestled “The Legend Killer” Randy Orton in a Texas Bullrope match. Orton won the match and attempted to throw a punt kick at Rhodes’ head after the match. However, Rhodes’ son, Cody, came out and prevented his father from taking any more damage.
1 Last Match
The last match of Dusty Rhodes’ legendary career took place under the WWE banner, but it did not happen on regular WWE programming. Rhodes’ last match took place at an FCW event, which was WWE’s developmental territory at the time.
In his final match, Rhodes teamed with his sons, Goldust and Cody Rhodes, to face the trio of Curt Hawkins, Caylen Croft, and Trent Baretta. While Rhodes teamed with both of his sons on separate occasions, this was the only time they would team up as a trio. After getting the win, Dusty Rhodes retired from in-ring competition for good.