Dusty Rhodes is one of the few legends from the ‘80s to see his relevance grow throughout the different eras in varying roles. The legacy of Dusty is not only remembered for his time in the ring, but he also thrived in backstage roles, helping the future of the business. Dusty wrestled for years with a few different versions of his character evolving.
Few wrestlers had the ability to connect with an audience in the way Rhodes could. Fans loved the emotion and passion the legend had for everything he did. That doesn’t mean each chapter of his career found the same level of success. Each version of Dusty in wrestling will be ranked from worst to best to figure out just which thrived most.
8 WCW Commentator
The WCW run of Dusty Rhodes during the Monday Night Wars saw him transitioning into a commentary role. WCW used a few different commentary teams throughout itsrun with Dusty becoming a fixture specifically on PPVs.
The commentary style of Rhodes was polarizing for both supporters and critics. Dusty didn't know the names of moves and struggled to keep up at times, but there were the positive moments of his genuine emotion, which certainly ended up adding a lot to big moments.
7 TNA Authority Figure
Dusty Rhodes joined TNA in the early years, when WCW went out of business and everyone outside of WWE looked for the next big opportunity. TNA utilized Dusty in both an on-screen and behind the scenes role in the transition from weekly PPVs to their Fox Sports television deal.
There was a fan poll that featured Dusty winning the vote over Vince Russo as the authority figure moving forward. Dusty played a relatively generic face trying to run the show, and he didn’t provide much of an impact on the product before leaving for a WWE gig.
6 Tag Run With Magnum T.A.
There were a few makeshift tag teams for Dusty Rhodes, but one of them lasted longer than the others. Dusty and Magnum T.A. formed the duo known as America’s Team. The duo had strong rivalries against members of the Four Horsemen and the Russian Team in Jim Crockett Promotions.
Magnum and Dusty did a great job executing both of their styles without sacrificing anything while working together. Both wrestlers benefited from the run together, until Magnum suffered a career-ending injury in a car accident.
5 New World Order
The rise of the New World Order helped WCW reach record-breaking success with everyone wanting to join the group. Dusty Rhodes had one of the more surprising heel turns to join the nWo, since he no longer wrestled and was primarily a broadcaster.
Scott Hall’s friendship with Dusty would inspire Rhodes to betray fellow WCW commentator Larry Zbyszko in their match against each other. Dusty had a humorous and fun stint in the faction as the full-time manager of Scott Hall, who was one of the stalwarts of the faction.
4 ECW Run
Dusty Rhodes leaving WCW in 2000 led to him looking to rebuild his name value in ECW. The feud booked for Dusty was a singles program against rising Steve Corino. Cody Rhodes revealed that Dusty viewed ECW as one of the biggest chapters of his career when wanting to prove he could still perform at a high level.
Corino received huge heat for running down Rhodes’ accomplishments and reputation in the industry. Dusty looked great in his few matches, using weapons to make up for his older age. The program was a huge hit and Rhodes added another few memorable moments for new fans that missed his glory days.
3 Polka Dots WWE Run
WWE signing Dusty Rhodes after his legendary run in other promotions had many people in wrestling wondering how exactly he would be used. Dusty instantly had a makeover with a black and yellow polka dots singlet making him look silly, compared to his usual trunks at the time.
The love interest and manager in the form of Sapphire added another strange dynamic to Rhodes. WWE’s booking didn’t give him a path to the main event scene, but he provided entertaining moments to get over. Dusty and Sapphire feuding with Randy Savage and his heel manager Sherri Martel got fans on his side to add a positive note to his legacy.
2 NXT Coach/Authority Figure
Triple H picked the names he trusted the most to take part in the early stages of building NXT and the Performance Center. Dusty Rhodes became one of the top coaches picked by Triple H to lead character developmental classes for the future stars of the industry.
Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were just some of the names to benefit immensely from Dusty. NXT even had Rhodes become an authority figure on the face side to add structure and stability to the show. Dusty became synonymous with NXT and still holds a special place in the brand’s legacy.
1 Working Class Hero
Dusty Rhodes stuck to one incredible character that was synonymous with him for most of his career. The “American Dream” moniker signified Rhodes’ story as a working-class hero to appeal to the everyday viewer of NWA, who watched the shows after a hard day of work.
This version of Dusty would create compelling programs with the likes of Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Tully Blanchard, Harley Race and many others. Rhodes had spectacular title reigns, with world championships from multiple promotions. The promos from Dusty put him over the top with this character, thanks to gems like the infamous “Hard Times” promo.