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Wrestling great Dusty Rhodes will be missed

Wrestling great Dusty Rhodes will be missed

Posted: Jun 14th 2015 By: Cedric Golden

Many of us lost a piece of our childhood when Dusty Rhodes died Thursday.

Back in the 1980s, the Atlanta-based TBS Superstation was its most super from the hours of 5:05 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. on Saturdays due to the exploits of the man Ric Flair called ?Big Dust.?

Rhodes, the Austin-born American Dream, died in Orlando, Fla. at age 69, ending a nearly 50-year association with the profession that made him a household name. The father of four ? two daughters plus sons Dustin and Cody, who wrestle under the monikers of Stardust and Goldust in the WWE ? was an iconic figure in sports entertainment. He was a fat guy with electric moves in the ring ? the bionic elbow being his signature move ? and his Common Man persona made him a natural fan favorite.

?He was the Muhammad Ali of professional wrestling, and he was the best talker ever,? WWE star Mark Henry told me Friday. ?He was loved by everybody. He would walk up to you, give you a hug and and say, ?Sit down and talk to the American Dream so I can see where your head is at.??

Wrestling wasn?t always about what you could do in the squared circle, but what you could do on a promo. Their matches in the 1980s were the stuff of legend, but their ability to talk smack set them apart from the others. Rhodes famously quipped, ?I?ve wined and dined with kings and queens, and I?ve slept in alleys and dined on pork n? beans.?

?He mentored me and taught me how to be a star,? Flair posted on his Facebook page Thursday. ?Dusty used to say, ?If you are going to pass by ? why not in a Cadillac??

To the people who knew him before his Hall of Fame career, he was Virgil Runnels, Jr., a fun-loving youngster who grew up on the East Side with a gigantic love of sports, especially football where he played on the offensive and defensive lines at Johnston High (now Eastside Memorial).

Travis County bailiff Art Guerrero, who attended Johnston with Runnels, described him as ?a proud Johnstonite.?

?His dad was a Little League baseball coach who would always help out the neighborhood kids,? Guerrero said. ?My brother would bring him over to the house all the time and Dusty loved Mexican food, especially mom?s homemade flour tortillas.?

Runnels played football at West Texas State, then debuted in Vern Gagne?s American Wrestling Association as a heel in 1968 before finding his stroke as a fan favorite in the National Wrestling Alliance and other organizations. He became one of the most respected creative minds in the business, helping household names like Hulk Hogan, the Rock and Steve Austin achieve superstardom with his work behind the scenes as a writer and booker.

He was also a mentor to thousands. Henry credits Rhodes with saving his career in 2007. Henry was dealing with a knee injury and was in a dark place because Chris Benoit, one of his closest friends in the business, had killed his family and committed suicide the same summer.

?My knee was torn up and my dude was gone,? Henry said. ?I was ready to quit the game. Dusty was like, ?Mark, everybody has to live their own life. Hang in there.? Dusty was the wrestling whisperer, man. You have no idea how much I miss that guy already.?

So do we.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1969 Wahoo McDaniel & Thunderbolt Patterson became the WCCW American Tag Team Champions
  • 1971 Johnny Valentine def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 1976 Jose Lothario def. The Mongolian Stomper for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 2009 Randy Price def. Dustin Heritage for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 2009 Martin Justice became the OECW Southwestern Champion

Week of Sun 06-21 to Sat: 06-27

  • 06-21 1982 Junkyard Dog def. Bob Roop for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 1987 Al Perez def. The Dingo Warrior for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 2003 Kitty def. Manservant for the TPW Womens Title
  • 06-21 2008 Tim Rockwell def. El Super Colibri for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-21 2008 Li'l Joe def. Xavior for the GPCW Cruiserweight Title
  • 06-21 2014 Buster Cherry def. Havoc for the SWCW All-American Title
  • 06-21 2024 Big Sed def. Sam Adonis for the TexPro Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 2025 Dan Webber became the LCW Lionheart Champion
  • 06-22 2005 Phillip def. Se7en for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-22 2018 Joe Cuedo def. Brock Baker for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-22 2024 Pastor Brent def. Daniel Aaron Michalles for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-22 2024 Daniel Aaron Michalles def. Pastor Brent for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-22 2025 Billie the Kiid def. Dan Webber for the ASP Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1972 Billy Red Lyons def. The Spoiler for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1980 Mr. Hito & Mr. Sakurada def. Jose Lothario & Tiger Conway Jr. for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-23 1982 Ted DiBiase def. Junkyard Dog for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1984 Gino Hernandez became the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-23 1989 The Stud Stable (Robert Fuller & Brian Lee) def. Jeff Jarrett & Mil Mascaras for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles
  • 06-23 2001 Big Daddy Moore def. Adam Lacroix for the OPW Oklahoma Television Title
  • 06-23 2001 Grenade became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-23 2009 Joshua Michael & Epic became the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 06-23 2023 Dustin Tibbs def. Thrash for the WFC Prime Title
  • 06-24 1972 Stan Stasiak def. Red Bastien for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-24 1974 Bull Ramos def. Rip Tyler for the TSW North American Title
  • 06-24 1977 John Studd became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 06-24 1985 The Dynamic Duo (Gino Hernandez & Chris Adams) def. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2000 Great Bolo [2nd] def. Ichiban [2nd] for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 06-24 2000 Ichiban [2nd] became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-24 2005 Spoiler 2000 became the NWA-U Television Champion
  • 06-24 2006 Prophet SteVens became the AACW Television Champion
  • 06-24 2007 Matt Garza became the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 06-24 2016 Dynamic Shields (Justin Dynamic & Shawn Shields) def. Terry Montana & Mighty Mouse for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2016 Seth Angel def. Steven Cruze for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 06-24 2016 Adrian Dell def. Nathan Estrada for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-24 2017 Drake Gallows became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-24 2017 Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) def. Shawn Hendrix & Aaron Anders (substituting for Anthony Andrews) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2017 Dynamic Shields (Justin Dynamic & Shawn Shields) def. Big Smooth & Zakk Sinizter for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2018 Shawn Sanders def. Chaz Sharpe for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 06-24 2018 Canadian Red Devil def. Adam Patrick for the ASP Mid-American Title
  • 06-24 2020 Warren Powers def. Giganto for the BPW 365 Title
  • 06-24 2023 Stage Dive Mafia (Rook Tyler & Axel Savage) became the BCW Tag Team Champions
  • 06-24 2023 C. M. Burnham def. Lunchador for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-24 2023 Lunchador def. C. M. Burnham for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-25 2011 Sam Stackhouse def. Shane Morbid for the BYEW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-25 2011 The Sons of Ireland (Devan Scott & Shane Scott) def. The New Age Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) for the BYEW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-25 2011 Chris Chaos became the BYEW Caution Champion
  • 06-25 2011 The Future Hall of Famers (John O'Malley & Brad Michaels) def. Bernie D & Aaron Neil (subbing for Max McGuirk) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-25 2016 Brian Breaker def. Zakk Sinizter for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 06-25 2017 The Cub Scouts (Grizzly Gates & Brock Landers) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 06-25 2026 Bang Bang Bennett def. Jacob Edwards for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
  • 06-26 1961 The Bolos (The Great Bolo [1st] & The Mighty Bolo) became the TSW Champion
  • 06-26 1987 Frankie Lancaster & Eric Embry def. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles
  • 06-26 1999 Tarantula def. Original Renegade for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 06-26 2005 Li'l Joe def. Phillip for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-26 2009 Brandon Groom def. The Handsome Spoiler for the TOPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
  • 06-26 2009 Kevin James Sanchez def. Bobby Starr for the BYEW Entertainment Title
  • 06-26 2009 The Handsome Spoiler became the TOPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-26 2021 Most Wanted (Dan Webber & Reese) def. Los Loco Moscas (Elijah Sparks & El Greengo Loco) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 06-26 2025 Microman def. Mini Abismo Negro for the EDW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-27 1969 Wahoo McDaniel & Thunderbolt Patterson became the WCCW American Tag Team Champions
  • 06-27 1971 Johnny Valentine def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-27 1976 Jose Lothario def. The Mongolian Stomper for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-27 2009 Randy Price def. Dustin Heritage for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-27 2009 Martin Justice became the OECW Southwestern Champion
06-27
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  • Dalton Bragg Jul 6th
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  • Thunderbolt Patterson Jul 8th
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