Dustin Rhodes Gives Insight Into His Bizarre Goldust Character and Still Wrestling at 54

Dustin Rhodes recently spoke about what his WWE Hall of Famer father, Dusty Rhodes, thought of Goldust and what keeps him going in wrestling at 54 years old.

Dustin Rhodes recently spoke about what his WWE Hall of Famer father, Dusty Rhodes, thought of Goldust and what keeps him going in wrestling at 54 years old. There has been a lot of talk about Dusty’s son, Cody Rhodes, as of late. However, his other son Dustin has also had a historic career, and he’s been wrestling for over 35 years.

Dustin Rhodes is an important part of AEW where he works as both a coach and an active wrestler. Rhodes is best known for his work in WWF/WWE as the infamous Goldust character. Dustin Rhodes was recently interviewed by Instinct Culture’s Denise Salcedo, and he talked about trying to “fill his dad’s shoes” and how becoming Goldust helped him find his own legacy. He stated the following:

“When I went to WWE and became Goldust and got that character over. That’s when I had a brand new pair of shoes that I fit in myself, so I kinda fit in my own shoes right? Made a name for myself being the son of Dusty Rhodes.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

Dustin Rhodes on Trying to Fill His Father’s Shoes

Dusty Rhodes is undoubtedly a legend in pro wrestling. He is regarded as one of the greatest babyface wrestlers of all time. Trying to fill those shoes is an incredible task. Dustin Rhodes spent much of his early career teaming with some big names in wrestling. In 1991 he joined WCW as “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes and would team with big names like Ricky Steamboat and Barry Windham.

In 1995 Rhodes returned to WWF/WWE and became the character he is most known for. In August 1995 Goldust entered the world of pro wrestling. Goldust is an androgynous wrestler who wears a gold jumpsuit and gold face paint. He used mind games to taunt his opponents and get them off their game. This includes kissing them, heavy breathing, and other bizarre in-ring behavior.

It didn’t take long for Goldust to gain popularity. He was very unique and his character was like no other at the time. Rhodes revealed that his father didn’t quite know what to think when he first saw Goldust on his TV. Dustin Rhodes continued:

“Yes it was very shocking to dad because he didn’t know [about the gimmick]. He sees it on TV and it’s like ‘what the f***’ right? The first time Goldust comes on. Cody’s little playing with action figures watching WWF and they both see it. Cody tells the story [that] he sees me on TV [and] didn’t know it’s me. But then he looks back at Dad and Dad’s got this look on his face like, ‘What is going on? That’s my son. What is he doing?’ I don’t know if he was embarrassed or what but that’s when we weren’t talking and I just had to do that, I guess. I wanted more.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

Rhodes admits that when he first started doing the Goldust character he had no idea what he was doing. He was worried about going too far into a non-politically correct direction with the character. Finding a good middle ground for the character took some work.

Rhodes revealed that once he was willing to step out of his comfort zone the character started to work better. As he adjusted the character, he continued to improve and Goldust evolved everything began to click and started to work. Eventually, Goldust became one of the most recognizable characters of the era and certainly the most unique.

Rhodes would continue to work with WWE as Goldust off-and-on until 2019. As his brother Cody was helping to build AEW he decided to move over to AEW. He is still there and is wrestling and having good matches at 54 years old. Rhodes was asked what keeps him going in wrestling after all this time. He answered:

“To be honest with you, I think it’s my sobriety that keeps me going. Since I’ve gotten clean and sober 15 years ago, it has put this kind of new shine on my life. I need to kick it into gear and continue growing and continue what I love to do. Which is this wonderful business we’re in, and have some fun. And it’s all about having fun. If you can’t have fun at your job, you don’t really need to be in it.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

Rhodes has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Once he finally retires, he will certainly be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as Goldust. Cody Rhodes would be the perfect candidate to induct his older brother.

When you hear the name Dustin Rhodes what is the first thought that comes to mind? What about when you hear the name Goldust? Do you think he would have gotten out of his father’s shadow without adopting the Goldust gimmick? Do you think he will be in the WWE Hall of Fame eventually? Let us know on social media what your favorite Goldust memory is.

SOURCE: Wrestling Inc., Denise Salcedo, Wrestling Inc.

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