Mar 19th 2024 01:20am

Sign Up / Sign In|Help

 

Brooksville Prepares For Dusty Rhodes Tour

Brooksville Prepares For Dusty Rhodes Tour

Posted: Aug 8th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Florida wrestling legend the American Dream Dusty Rhodes announced plans to extend his month long series of shows dubbed The American Dream Tour.

By popular demand, the tour will make a special stop in Brooksville, Fla. at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21 at The Brooksville Armory, 16836 Springhill Dr.

The Dream will meet and greet fans during an autograph session in conjunction with Florida Championship Wrestling, the feeder group to WWE.

Rhodes became a household name during the 1970s and 80s competing for the original Florida Championship Wrestling. Rhodes then moved onto the NWA/WCW where he would capture multiple world titles before joining Vince McMahon's WWE, formerly WWF.

? Rhodes started as a bad guy with Dirty Dick Murdoch as the Texas Outlaws in the Midwest for the AWA. Upon venturing to Florida, Rhodes made the `turn heard round the world,' leading to his meteoric rise to superstardom and ultimate fan favorite.

Pak Song Nam means what to Dusty Rhodes?

Rhodes: ``The American Dream.''

``Pak Song Nam, God rest his soul, along with [manager] Gary Hart, God rest his soul, they were the two guys who elevated this character, this guy, me. Here was this dreaded Korean assassin that could actually go out onto the street -- and I've seen him do this; we have tape of it -- take a rock, not a brick that's pre-fabricated or something, but a real rock and bust it. He can take his hand or foot and put a perfect whole through a full watermelon without cracking the rest of it.

``Here he was, and he was facing The American Dream -- this chubby plumber's son from Austin, Texas. The common man and this Korean assassin. It don't get no better than that. That's what movies are made of. You can't write stuff like that.

``So when I think of Pak Song, I think of two things: The American Dream, and when he went back to Korea, all the money he made he had in cash in a suitcase because he didn't know what to do with it here in America. He didn't know to put it in a bank.

``I remember looking at Gary Hart and him, and he was leaving the area to go back home, and he had this huge suitcase -- like you see in the underworld -- with all this cash in it. I'm thinking, `This is some cool stuff.' You can't write stuff like that.

``Pak Song Nam helped start it all for me.''

? Rhodes was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.

``If it wasn't for the fans all throughout the state of Florida, there would be no American Dream,'' Rhodes said. ``Initially, we said the tour would only take place during the month of July but having the chance to come to Brooksville and personally say thank you to those fine folks was too good to pass up.''

? Good vs. evil, Rhodes had a big run in Florida against the demonic Kevin Sullivan.

``People believed [Sullivan] was the devil,'' Rhodes said. ``They really did, and I would be able to reel them back in and suspend their belief a little bit because I was fighting this bad, evil guy.

``I remember in Orlando at the Eddie Graham Sports Complex, the parking was fenced in, closer to the building, and there was a group of guys who sat in the second row who were fans of Kevin Sullivan. They were dressed in cult looking stuff. I'd see them every week, and the cowboys and the rednecks and the black community.

``I don't know who was to blame here, but as I was leaving the building after a heated battle one night with the devil. I call him the devil all the time. I'd call Kevin up now and say, `Hey devil, what are you doing?' Kevin was so creative and so unbelievable.

``I was leaving, and they had it blocked off and said, `Mr. Rhodes, you can't get out right now. The fire department is here,' in the middle of this parking lot. These guys drove a van, and the people, somebody, set it on fire and burned it to the ground. That's how serious they were about this.

``I looked at them all standing around it, away from it, of course, and I said [chuckling] to the devil, `I think this thing is really heating up.' Call them off. Somebody call these guys off. That's a true story.

``But the worst night that I can remember was at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg on Christmas night. Always the biggest time for us was Christmas night, and this was a huge show with me and Sullivan in a cage, and if I lost, I'd be suspended from Florida for 90 days.

``I remembered there were a bunch of Santa Clauses out there giving out presents. Then in the middle of the match in this cage, Santa Claus comes up and hands this rag to the devil, and the devil puts this rag over my face. I pass out. He beats me 1-2-3.

``Santa Claus nearly got beat up before they could get him to the back, and then when I left that night, behind the Bayfront Center -- without any exaggeration -- there were about 2,000 people there, and they were going to hang Santa Claus.

``Santa Claus ended up being Jake The Snake Roberts, a disciple of the devil. I was like, `Man, these people,' it was just amazing. It was an amazing time and a great time.

``Because of our brotherhood with each other, you had to watch and protect. In Nigeria, 65,000 people, me against Bobby Jaggers, and they overthrew the government in the middle of our match.

``Tear gas started, and riots started, and you were scared for your life. I had to go to the airport and spend the night there to get back out to Kennedy and then find out the money I had been paid was counterfeit. There were some dangerous times.

``I got a scare on my chest, from someone while walking to the ring, before the rails were out there with plenty of security. In Hampton, Virginia at the Coliseum, I guy had a can opener with the jagged part of the can opener and ripped me, and I was a good guy. I was loved by everybody, but you never know. The Funks can tell you.

``The devil, the Funks and Race, they were my big nemesis at the time, but it all started with Pak Song.''

Ernie Ladd, Freight Train Joe Leduc and King Curtis.

``King Curtis's interviews were unbelievable. Ernie Ladd and big Joe Leduc. So I had some great runs in Florida with some great bad guys. They were the best, but the Dream is always going to win in the end, hopefully.''

? Rhodes will be available prior to the show in Brooksville to meet and sign autographs for fans in attendance. Free Dusty Rhodes bobble heads will also be available to Gold Circle Ticket Holders.

Tickets are $12 kids and $15 adults. Gold Circle reserved are $25 and are available at Buddy's Home Furnishings locations in Brooksville and Inverness. Tickets are also available at FCWWrestling.com.

? For nearly half a century, Florida Championship Wrestling has been the Sunshine State's primary wrestling promotion providing a home for such wrestling legends and WWE Hall of Famers as The Brisco Brothers, Gordon Solie and of course Dusty Rhodes.

Officially sanctioned and reorganized by WWE during the summer of 2007, FCW has become the training ground for future WWE superstars. FCW seeks to give fans a preview of the potential superstars of tomorrow while providing exciting ring action that leaves the entire family with smiles on their faces.

More than 50 men and women have progressed to WWE's Raw, SmackDown or NXT television brands.

``The current WWE champion Sheamus came from FCW, SmackDown Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston, the list goes on and on,'' said FCW promoter Steve Keirn, a former standout wrestler in Florida, WWF and abroad.

Other current WWE superstars who come from FCW include Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Ted DiBiase, The Usos, Primo Colon, Ezekiel Jackson, The Bella Twins, Evan Bourne, Tiffany, Divas champ Alicia Fox, Trent Berretta, Caylen Croft, Savannah, Yoshi-Tatsu and more.

? FCW holds weekly TV tapings each Thursday night at its home location, dubbed the FCW Arena, in South Tampa. Former and current WWE stars make appearances, and the shows include WWE NXT talent. On weekends, FCW travels to various cities for live events.

FCW airs 6-7 p.m. EST Sundays on Bright House Ch. 47 across Central Florida.

 

Tags: Dusty Rhodes, WWE, NWA, WCW, WWF, Dick Murdoch, AWA, Gary Hart, Jake Roberts, Bobby Jaggers, Ernie Ladd

Printable version Email to a friend

Supplemental Information

Latest News

1
Stan Hansen and the AWA Championship Belt Scandal

Stan Hansen and the AWA Championship Belt Scandal

Although Stan Hansen earned countless championships over the span of his 28-year career, he was always a man who knew whe... Read More

All News

The Scoop

The Scoop

NEWS Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted about Thunderbolt Patterson being part of the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class saying “He was a champion in the ri... Read More

All Columns

Upcoming Events

Complete Calendar

1

Spotlight in History

  • 1956 Don Evans def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 1974 The Texan def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 2004 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the TPW Hardcore Champion
  • 2006 Seth Allen def. Cody Jones for the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 2016 The K. C. Wolves/The Diamond Dogs (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 2016 Double D def. Damon Windsor for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2022 Anarchy [2nd] became the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 2022 Ronnie Morton became the RDW Brass Knucks Champion
  • 2022 Murder, Inc. (Mr. Nasty & Killbane) def. The OMGs (John Omari & Mike Anthony) for the WCR Tag Team Champions
  • 2022 Moonshine Mantell became the WCR Heavyweight Champion

Week of Sun 03-17 to Sat: 03-23

  • 03-17 1982 Bob Roop def. Ted DiBiase for the MSW North American Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2006 Beau Dalton & Bobby Dalton def. Tommy Smash for the SRPW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-17 2007 Kareem Sadat became the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-17 2007 Dexter Hardaway became the SWCW Sooner Xtreme Champion
  • 03-17 2007 John O'Malley def. Ryan Davidson for the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 03-17 2007 Canadian Red Devil def. Rocco Valentino for the FCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2007 AWOL def. Rocco Valentino for the ComPro Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2007 Texas, Inc. (Tim Rockwell & Bernard Funk) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-17 2012 John E. Stone def. Drake Gallows for the SWCW All-American Champion
  • 03-17 2012 Aaron Neil def. Jermaine Johnson for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2012 The Old School Suckas (Gary Tool & Randy Price) def. Nemesis (Rage Logan & Damien Morte) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-17 2021 El Torito def. Flyin’ Ryan for the MWF Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2023 Edge Stone def. Shane Taylor for the TexPro Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-17 2024 Micro Tiger def. Disco Don for the MWF Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-18 1963 Louie Tillet def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-18 1976 The Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts) def. Greg Valentine & Gorgeous George, Jr. for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 03-18 2006 Aaron Neil def. Big Van Vader for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-18 2006 John O'Malley def. Kenny Campbell for the IZW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-18 2006 The Old School Assassins (Brad Michaels & Seth Allen) def. Impact Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-18 2012 Drake Gallows def. The Canadian Red Devil for the BYEW Caution Champion
  • 03-18 2012 Prophet def. Sam Stackhouse for the BYEW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-18 2017 Arrow Club (Ky-Ote & Kyle Hawk) became the IWR Tag Team Champions
  • 03-18 2022 Doz Camachos (Onyx Camacho & Zarek Camacho) def. The Unit (Charlie Haas & Dane Griffin) for the TexPro Tag Team Champions
  • 03-18 2023 Nashoba def. Skidz for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Champion
  • 03-18 2023 Skidz def. Nashoba for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Champion
  • 03-19 1956 Don Evans def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-19 1974 The Texan def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-19 2004 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the TPW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-19 2006 Seth Allen def. Cody Jones for the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 03-19 2016 The K. C. Wolves/The Diamond Dogs (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-19 2016 Double D def. Damon Windsor for the IZW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-19 2022 Anarchy [2nd] became the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-19 2022 Ronnie Morton became the RDW Brass Knucks Champion
  • 03-19 2022 Murder, Inc. (Mr. Nasty & Killbane) def. The OMGs (John Omari & Mike Anthony) for the WCR Tag Team Champions
  • 03-19 2022 Moonshine Mantell became the WCR Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-20 1962 Bull Curry def. Jack Dalton 1st for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-20 1970 The Spoiler def. Tarzan Baxter for the TSW North American Champion
  • 03-20 1988 The Simpson Brothers (Steve Simpson & Shaun Simpson) def. John Tatum & Jack Victory for the WCCW Texas Tag Team Champion
  • 03-20 2009 Brandon Groom became the TAP Pure Xtreme Champion
  • 03-20 2021 Dimitri Alexandrov def. Tim Rockwell for the WFC Hometown Heroes Champion
  • 03-20 2022 Little Foot def. Li’l Show for the MWF Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 1972 The Continental Warriors (Bobby Hart & Lorenzo Parente) def. Tom Jones & Billy Red Lyons for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 03-21 1998 Rocco Valentino def. Jimmy Kane for the OPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 1998 Generation X (Zane Morris & Ian St. James) def. Body Count (Krull Danzig & Brett Knight) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
  • 03-21 1998 Bernard Funk def. Rocco Valentino for the OPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 2009 The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-21 2009 3rd Rail def. Kevin James Sanchez for the SWCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-21 2015 Paul Puertorico def. Matt Majestic for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
  • 03-22 1980 The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy) def. Ted DiBiase & Paul Orndorff for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 03-22 2008 Canadian Red Devil became the TAP Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-22 2008 The Innovators (Anarchy 2nd & Fuel) became the TAP Tag Team Champions
  • 03-22 2008 Tim Rockwell became the TAP Oklahoma Heritage Champion
  • 03-22 2008 Dominique Lereaux became the SWCW Womens Champion
  • 03-22 2008 Sage became the SWCW Cruiserweight Champion
  • 03-22 2008 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & Shane Sanchez) def. Death Row [1st] (Blade [1st] & Shank) for the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-22 2008 Nemesis (Damien Morte & Rage) def. X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & Shane Sanchez) for the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-22 2014 MHM, Inc. (Ray Martinez, Alabastair Hunt & K. P. Moore) became the SRPW United States Champion
  • 03-22 2015 A. C. Slaughter (Aaron Anders & Clint Cassidy) def. The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) for the WFC Tag Team Champions
  • 03-23 2007 AWOL def. Mustafa Sharmoot for the AACW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Hurricane Ross became the NAW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Pretty In Pink (Michael Duplanti & Mike Rose) became the NAW Tag Team Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Damien Morte became the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 03-23 2013 Johnny Z became the IZW Heavyweight Champion
03-19
  • C. G. Mullins Mar 19th Today!
  • Kelsey King Mar 19th Today!
  • Scott Casey Mar 19th Today!
  • Matt Sydal Mar 19th Today!
  • Lisa Gennero Mar 19th Today!
  • Matt Majestic Mar 19th Today!
  • Rick McGraw Mar 19th Today!
  • Sting Mar 20th
  • J. D. Richardson Mar 20th
  • Sol Azteka Mar 20th
  • Sexy Diamante Mar 20th
  • Scott Summers Mar 20th
  • D Money Mar 20th
  • Al Madril Mar 20th
  • Terrance M. Garvin Mar 20th
  • Frank Dalton Mar 21st
  • Mike York Mar 21st
  • Shawn Sanders Mar 21st
  • Scott Sanders Mar 21st
  • Niles Plonk Mar 22nd
  • Luc Lapointe Mar 22nd
  • Seth Shai Mar 23rd
  • Sophia Mar 23rd
  • Karl Karlson Mar 23rd
  • Mr. Chale Mar 23rd
  • Ryuma Go Mar 23rd
  • Tank Patton Mar 23rd
  • Devion Black Mar 23rd
  • Cruze Mar 24th
  • Ricky Wingrave Mar 24th
  • Merc Mar 24th
  • Cruze Mar 24th
  • Fran Gravette Mar 24th
  • Buddy Fuller Mar 24th
  • Gorgeous George Mar 24th
  • Jake Hager Mar 24th
  • Clinton Starks Mar 24th
  • Rey Leon Mar 25th
  • Jake McCoy Mar 25th
  • Seigfried Stanke Mar 25th
  • Elephant Boy Mar 26th
  • Mike Mondo Mar 26th
  • John Swenski Mar 26th
  • Tom Hanley Mar 26th
  • Ron McFarlane Mar 26th
  • Gordon Nelson Mar 27th
  • Charlie Haas Mar 27th
  • Sheeva Mar 28th
  • Maddox Jones Mar 28th
  • Caine Carter Mar 28th
  • Keith Knight Mar 29th
  • Michael Hayes Mar 29th
  • Ron Garvin Mar 30th
  • Riley Grinn Mar 30th
  • Spur the Clown Mar 30th
  • Mace [1st] Mar 31st
  • Glenn Wade Apr 1st
  • K-Rob Apr 1st
  • Mighty Atlas Apr 1st
  • Oni Wiki Wiki Apr 1st
  • Richard Sharpe Apr 1st

More Look Back In History