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Other Names: Dusty Rhodes, Jr (WCW), "The Natural" (WCW), Goldust (WWF), "Vaderdust" (WWF), "Hunterdust" (WWF), "Chynadust" (WWF), "Flashdust" (WWF), "The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust" (WWF), "Sabledust" (WWF), "Dust Lovedust" (WWF), "Marilyn Mansondust" (WWF), "Dustydust" (WWF), Seven (WCW), "The Lone Star" (TCW) Wrestler

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Since: 1988 Finishing Maneuvers: Curtain Call, Bulldog, Shattered Dreams

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Dustin Runnels is yet another example of the "Like Father, Like Son" wrestling theory. His father is "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, a true icon of wrestling from the '70s & early '80s. Dustin was trained by his father, growing up learning the tricks of the trade.

In September 1988, Dustin made his first appearance, wrestling under his father's moniker, Rhodes. He wrestled out of Florida for a time, then headed into the NWA, joining with Kendall Windham as the Texas Broncos. The team didn't last long, however, and Dustin quickly went back to Florida for more seasoning, joining his father for a short time before finding a new partner in Mike Graham.

In May '89, the two defeated Southern Force (Bobby Jaggers & Black Bart) for the Florida Tag-Team Titles. Only a few weeks later, though, Black Bart came back with Tony Anthony to take back the belts. Later that month, Rhodes defeated Al Perez for the Florida Heavyweight Championship. He defended it for a month before losing to his former partner, Kendall Windham, then moved on, wrestling some in the CWA. He then found himself in the USWA in Memphis. In October '89, he competed in the USWA Southern Title Tournament, where he beat Kevin Dillinger, Chris Champion, and Mike Davis to get to the finals. However, he fell to the Dirty White Boy, keeping him from getting the belt. Rhodes continued to wrestle in the USWA for some time, but never managed to get any gold.

In September '90, Dustin appeared in the WWF, watching his father, Dusty, wrestle a match. But during the fight, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and his paid bodyguard, Virgil, attacked Dustin, trying to take him out. Dusty came to his son's aid, starting a bitter feud between the two teams. They battled on and off for the next few months, leading up to a match at Royal Rumble '91. Unfortunately, Dustin & Dusty couldn't come up with it, as DiBiase managed to pin Dusty and win out. Soon after, both Rhodes left the WWF behind, with Dustin soon after appearing in his father's former stomping grounds, World Championship Wrestling. Rhodes first started off teaming with Ricky Morton. Once again, the duo did not stay unified, as Morton betrayed Rhodes to join up with the York Foundation, causing a short feud between them. Rhodes continued to build himself into a credible athlete in WCW over the next few months, feuding on and off with Morton. In the WCW United States Heavyweight Title Tournament in August '91, he and Morton fought to a Double Disqualification in the first round, taking them both out. However, in the same month, Rhodes teamed with Big Josh & the Z-Man, winning the WCW World 6-Man Tag-Team Titles from the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Jimmy Garvin, & Badstreet). They held them for 2 months before dropping them to Rhodes' foes in the York Foundation, Morton, Terrance Taylor, & Thomas Rich. Rhodes then begam teaming up with Barry Windham, forming a strong duo. They began a major feud with the Dangerous Alliance stable, focusing on the Enforcers (Arn Anderson & Larry Zbysko), the WCW Tag-Team Champions. At Halloween Havoc '91, while Rhodes was fighting to a Draw with the TV Champ, Steve Austin, Anderson & Zbysko attacked, slamming Windham's hand in a car door, badly injuring it. Rhodes soon sought revenge, aligning himself with another Dangerous Alliance foe, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.

At Clash of the Champions XVII, Rhodes & Steamboat did it, defeating the Enforcers for the Tag-Team belts. The duo, with Windham, would continue to feud with the Dangerous Alliance, and lost the belts back to Anderson & Bobby Eaton in January '92. Rhodes, Windham, & Steamboat joined Nikita Koloff & Sting to defeat the Dangerous Alliance squad (Anderson, Eaton, Zbysko, Austin, & "Ravishing" Rick Rude) in a Wargames match at Wrestlewar in May '92. Rhodes then rejoined Windham in the tag-team division, while Steamboat went back to his singles endeavors. In the July '92 Restored NWA World Tag-Team Title Tournament, the duo took out their old adversaries Anderson & Eaton in the first round, then took out another Dangerous Alliance duo in Austin & Rude. They then beat Hiro Hase & Shinya Hashimoto to make it to the finals, but then finally fell to Terry Gordy & Steve Williams, having the belts slip away from them. However, Rhodes & Windham continued to pursue the gold, and finally go the unified NWA & WCW World Tag-Team Titles from Gordy & Williams in September '92. Rhodes & Windham kept the belts for another two months, but friction began to eat away at them. At Clash of the Champions XXI, the champs faced Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat & Shane Douglas. During the match, Rhodes accidentally injured Steamboat, then refused to take the cheap win on his friend. Windham, though, decided that he would, tagging himself in and trying to make the pin, before getting dragged off by Rhodes. The two came to blows, which allowed Steamboat to recover. Steamboat & Douglas won soon after, getting the pin on Windham. Rhodes & Windham broke apart after that, feuding against each other instead for many months afterwards. Also in November '92, Rhodes competed in the King of Cable tournament, defeating the Barbarian before falling to Big Van Vader.

In December '93, the WCW United States Heavyweight Title was vacated, and another tournament was held for it. Rhodes went on to defeat Vinnie Vegas (Kevin Nash), Tony Atlas, and Rhodes' friend Steamboat in the finals to gain the gold, his first WCW singles championship. He would hold the belt for the next four months, feuding with Windham most of the way, before battling a recovered "Ravishing" Rick Rude, who had held the title before Rhodes. In a match in May '93, the belts were held up, leading to numerous matches with Rude. Finally, in August '93, they met for a conclusive battle, with Rhodes coming out on top, regaining the US Title. Rhodes' second reign would last until the end of '93, when he was beaten by Steve Austin at Starrcade. In 1994, Dustin began feuding with Col. Robert Parker's Studs, which included Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk. Dustin had many bloody brawls with Buck, including a Bunkhouse Brawl at Spring Stampede '94 that Rhodes los, and a vicious Bullrope match at Slamboree '94 which he won.

Dustin soon joined up with an old adversary in "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson to face Buck & Funk, but during their tag match at Bash at the Beach '94, Arn betrayed him, DDT'ing Rhodes after a tag, then letting Buck & Funk destroy him for the victory. With the odds stacked against him, Dustin called home, bringing his father, Dusty, out of retirement to be his partner. This led to many battles between the Rhodes and the Studs, leading up to a War Games match at Fall Brawl '94, with the Rhodes & the Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) battling against Anderson, Funk, Buck, & Col. Parker himself. Dustin's team won out when Dusty made Parker submit. Dustin's feud with Arn Anderson climaxed at Halloween Havoc, where Dustin got the victory over the older wrestler. Rhodes then moved into a bloody feud with the Blacktop Bully (Barry Darsow) leading into 1995. At Superbrawl V, the Bully came out on top, beating Rhodes. They signed for a rematch at Uncensored, setting it up as a "King of the Road" match, fighting it out in the back of an 18-Wheeler. During the battle (which was pre-taped for the PPV), both men bled heavily, leading to the 'match' being heavily edited by WCW. The Bully got the win, but due to the excessive violence, both wrestlers soon were dropped by WCW. Rhodes appeared in the World Wrestling Federation in September '95, wearing gold face-paint and a wild ensemble, calling himself "Goldust". He called his matches "Shattered Dreams" productions, coming out with a flair before every match, while also apparently having homosexual tendencies. He quickly began climbing the ladder in the WWF, wrestling and defeating guys like "The Rocker" Marty Jannetty and Bam-Bam Bigelow.

He then entered a feud with Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), who at the time was the Intercontinental Champion. Goldust seemed infatuated with Ramon, which threw Ramon's "machizmo" off. At the Royal Rumble '96, Goldust & Ramon battled for the IC Title. Goldust was also joined by his valet, "The Director" Marlena (who in actuality was his wife, Terri Runnels). Thanks to interference from the 1-2-3 Kid (X-Pac), Goldust got the victory, winning his first WWF gold. Goldust went on to feud with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper for a while, leading up to a non-title "Backlot Brawl" at Wrestlemania XII, which Piper won. Goldust then went on to battle Savio Vega. In a match between the two on April Fool's Day, 1996, the Intercontinental Title was held up. Later that night, they had a rematch, with Goldust winning out to reclaim his gold. Goldust, with the IC belt for the second time, went on to King of the Ring '96. But in a brutal brawl, both himself and the Ultimate Warrior were counted out in the first round. In May '96, he entered into a short feud with the Undertaker, battling in numerous Casket matches and, surprisingly, coming out on top.

Later on, in June '96, Goldust was finally defeated by Ahmed Johnson at the King of the Ring pay-per-view, losing the IC Title. In the next few months, Goldust feuded with "Marvelous" Marc Mero, defeating him at Summerslam '96. But after the victory, things began to go south for Dustin, as a losing streak began to form. In August, he lost a Ladder match to the WWF World Champion, "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. Goldust was then soundly defeated in a "Final Curtain" match by the Undertaker at Mind Games in September, then couldn't take down Mero, who had gotten the IC Title. Mero beat Goldust at Buried Alive in October with his Shooting Star Press. This set up the Survivor Series match-up, which saw Goldust teaming with Crush, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley against Mero, Rocky "The Rock" Maivia, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, & Barry Windham. Lawler was the first to go, being taken out by Roberts' DDT after mocking him. Goldust quickly evened things for his team, smashing down Windham with the Curtain Call. The match continued to go back and forth, with Mero taking out Helmsley with his Merosault. Mero was then knocked from the ring and counted out. Crush eliminated Roberts, making it two-on-one. But Maivia proved to be too strong, taking care of Crush after some miscommunication between Crush & Goldust. Maivia then hit Goldust with a Shoulderbreaker to win the match. Goldust next focused on his former ally, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who had gotten the Intercontinental Title off of Mero. Goldust was slowly becoming a face in the WWF, making the fans cheer for him over the hated Triple-H. They faced off at the Royal Rumble '97, with Helmsley's bodyguard, Mr. Hughes, playing a major factor during the fight, saving Helmsley at one point by pulling him out of a pin and to the outside. Helmsley later hit Goldust from behind and hit the Pedigree, getting the victory and retaining his title. Later on that night, during the Rumble, Goldust got a measure of revenge, eliminating HHH from the battle royal. Later on, though, Goldust himself was tossed out by Owen Hart, ending his night. Throughout the first two months of '97, Goldust had a short feud with Crush, in which Crush's stable usually won out. Goldust then returned to Hunter Hearst Helmsley, meeting up with him at Wrestlemania XIII. Goldust was gaining respect from the fans at the time, with various interviews taking place where he talked about himself without all the glitter of "Goldust". It didn't help Goldust at the PPV, though, as, after he tried to save Marlena from Helmsley's woman, Chyna, Goldust was pedigree'd and defeated. Goldust next competed in the King of the Ring tournament, but was quickly ousted by Jerry "The King" Lawler. He then renewed his feud with Crush, finally defeating him at the KOTR Pay-Per-View.

Goldust next joined up with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, "The Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock, & the Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) to battle against the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Flyin' Brian Pillman, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, & "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. The two teams (US & Canada) fought it out at Canadian Stampede in July '97, which was held in Canada, leading to the US team being booed for most of the match. During the brutal fight, both Owen Hart & Animal were injured and taken to the back. After Austin fought with some of the other Harts at ringside, a returning Owen rolled him up for the victory, giving Goldust another loss. Goldust continued to feud with Pillman in the next few months, fighting at Summerslam '97. Goldust came out on top, forcing Pillman to have to wear a Marlena dress at the next Raw. The feud built up even greater when Pillman beat Goldust at Ground Zero, winning the rights to Marlena for 30 days. Goldust also fell quickly in the IC Title Tournament in September '97, losing to Owen in the first round. He then joined with Vader, Steve Blackman, & "Marvelous" Marc Mero against Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith, Phil Lafon, & Doug Furnas at the Survivor Series '97 in another battle between the US & Canada. Goldust was wearing black face-paint instead of his normal gold, and had a very different attitude, especially with an apparent 'broken arm'. Blackman was eliminated via countout, but Vader managed to heat things up for his team, taking care of Neidhart & Lafon. Furnas worked his team back into it, though, getting rid of Mero. Vader then took on both Furnas & Smith for a time, before trying to tag Goldust. Goldust refused, however, due to his injury, and walked away instead, being counted out. Vader was later able to take care of Furnas, but was beaten by Smith, who 'survived'. Goldust later brought Luna Vachon in as his manager, and feuded with Vader, leading up to the 1998 Royal Rumble.

Goldust soon began calling himself "The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust", changing around his persona in strange ways. At the Rumble, Goldust & Vader fought it out, with Goldust getting a kiss on Vader at one point. Vader dominated, however, and even with Vachon hanging on his back, managed to Vaderbomb Goldust and take the win. Later that night, during the Rumble, Goldust came in and eliminated Mankind, then hangs around long enough to toss out Vader, before getting thrown over the ropes by Chainz, as the 21st eliminated. Going into 1998, Goldust briefly teamed up with his former enemy, "Marvelous" Marc Mero. They worked as a tough team, but were beaten by the Headbangers at No Way Out. Squabbling between Vachon & Mero's lady, Sable, led to a break-up of the teams, and they fought at Wrestlemania XIV. Although Mero & Sable had been having problems, they quickly reunited during the fight, and Goldust & Vachon were soundly defeated. Goldust then had a short angle with Cactus Jack (Mick Foley), losing, via DQ, at Mayhem in Manchester, an England PPV in April '98. After the defeat, Goldust vanished from the scene for a time, on injury leave. Over the summer, Dustin Runnels returned, no longer wearing the facepaint. He preached the good life, eventually getting involved with his wife, Terri, who was at that time allied with Val Venis. They feuded for a few months, building up steam for Runnels, who began to show his earlier traits once again.

In September '98, Goldust reappeared on the scene, becoming a much stronger force in wrestling once again. At Judgement Day '98, he defeated Venis, basically ending the feud. Goldust next entered the WWF World Title Tournament at the Survivor Series, but found himself soundly beaten by "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock in the first round. Goldust then entered a feud with Jeff Jarrett & Owen Hart, briefly teaming up with Steve Blackman on occasion to fight them. Goldust showed interest in Jarrett's valet, Debra McMichael, confusing his homosexual image. At Rock Bottom at the end of '98, Goldust & Jarrett fought in a "Striptease" match. If Goldust won, Debra would be forced to strip. If Jarrett won, Goldust himself would strip. Of course, few were pulling for Jarrett in this one. During the match, Goldust took control, landing his Shattered Dreams kick. Before he could get the pin, though, Goldust was hit by Debra with Jarrett's guitar, stunning him long enough for Jarrett to recover and get his Stroke finisher. Jarrett pinned Goldust, apparently getting the win and forcing Goldust to have to strip. However, Commissioner Shawn Michaels came out and sent Jarrett to the back, then reversed the decision, saying that Debra's assault with the guitar caused a DQ win for Goldust. Goldust continued his strange ways at the beginning of '99, stealing Al Snow's 'friend' Head (a mannequin head). This started a feud between the two that didn't lead to a PPV.

Meanwhile, Goldust also competed in the Royal Rumble, but was launched out of the ring by Kane. After a few more skirmishes with Snow, Goldust then moved over to the Blue Meanie, Snow's friend, who returned Head to Snow. The two wrestlers fought at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, with the Meanie calling himself "Bluedust". Goldust got the victory. At Wrestlemania XV, Goldust, Shamrock, Venis, & "Roaddogg" Jesse James met in a Fatal Fourway for the Intercontinental Title, which was around James' waist. During the battle, both Shamrock & Venis fought to the outside, with their personal feelings for each other getting them both counted out. Ryan Shamrock then turned on Goldust, helping James to roll him up for the victory, retaining the IC Title. The next night on Raw, Goldust got revenge, taking out James to become the Intercontinental Champion for the third time. A few weeks later, he was beaten by the Godfather, again losing the strap, and was unable to reclaim it at Backlash '99 in their rematch. This was Goldust's last major push in the WWF. He would team with the Blue Meanie for a time afterwards, fighting in a dark match at the May PPV, but nagging back problems and other issues finally led to Goldust leaving the WWF over the summer.

In September '99, weird promos began filling the WCW television screens, of a dark wrestler coming to the federation. It continued for a few months, building up the action, until November '99, when "Seven" floated to the ring, wearing black with white facepaint on. But after landing, "Seven" tore apart the character, bashing the WWF for their creation of the "Goldust" gimmick, and once again became known as Dustin Rhodes. He then started a feud with Jeff Jarrett, attacking him sometimes from the crowd. They finally signed to face in a "Bunkhouse Brawl" at Starrcade '99. During the match, Rhodes, for some reason, duct-taped the referee to the ropes. This brought out Curt Hennig, who joined Jarrett in double-teaming Rhodes. Rhodes later fought back, though, and got the Shattered Dreams kick on Jarrett, before the pin was broken up by Hennig. They fought back to the stage, where Jarrett knocked out Rhodes with a guitar shot off of a ladder to get the victory. Dustin then began challenging Vince Russo, who was one of the WCW Powers That Be at the time. He began allying himself with Terry Funk into 2000 against the Powers, still battling with Jeff Jarrett and Ric Flair, among others. But a few weeks later, Dustin suddenly turned on Funk, attacking him. This set up a Bullrope Match at Uncensored, one of Dustin's former favorite bouts. During the battle, a man in a chicken-suit surprisingly attacked Dustin, giving Funk the advantage. Who the chicken-suit was is still unknown. Dustin eventually fought his way back, and got a piledriver on the cowbell for the victory. However, with the win, Dustin then disappeared from WCW television, due to both injuries and the fact that he needed to lose some weight from his "Goldust" days.

After various 'one-day reappearances' over the next six months, Rhodes finally made his big return in the year 2001, when Ric Flair brought him out as a potential member of the Magnificent Seven. However, Rhodes quickly turned him down, attacking Flair instead. Flair was saved by Road Warrior Animal, his bodyguard at the time, which led to a double-team beatdown. Rhodes then began feuding with Rick Steiner, another member of the M.S. who also held the US Title, Rhodes' old prize. At Superbrawl: Revenge, Rhodes got his shot, facing Steiner in a title match. They battled back and forth, with Rhodes getting tied up with the referee at one point, giving Steiner enough time to remove a turnbuckle pad. Steiner then dropped Rhodes on the steel, knocking him out long enough for the pinfall victory, retaining his title. Rhodes continued his battles against Flair, which soon became a double-team on the wrestler once again, this time by Flair & Jeff Jarrett. However, Dustin was given aid in a surprising source: his father, Dusty. The two Rhodes cleaned house, joining up once again, with Dusty coming back to active status in WCW. The duo dueled with Flair & Jarrett for the next few weeks, including a biting satire by Jarrett, who dressed up as "The American Dweem". In response, Dusty told Dustin that he was going to make Flair kiss his ass.

At Spring Stampede '01, the two teams met up, with the Rhodes coming out on top in the end. After the match, Dusty sat on Jarrett, making him "kiss his ass" instead of Flair, who escaped. At the next Nitro, Dustin & Dusty were shown talking again, with Dusty saying that he was going to make sure Flair kissed his ass that night. Later on, with Flair & Jarrett in the ring, Dustin & Dusty brought out the Rhodes' 'ass' - a donkey named Silver Bullet. Eventually, after a short brawl, both Flair & Jarrett were made to kiss the mule. Keeps your eyes out for Dustin Rhodes, his future is bright, and we'll bring you updates as they happen.

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