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The Gimmick gets funky like a monkey
Publisher: Shock
Fri, 23 June 2006
by: The Gimmick
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If I asked the common man here in Australia who Virgil Runnels is, they would more than likely have no idea what I was on about. And if I asked the common man in Australia who Dusty Rhodes is, they probably still wouldn't know what I was on about. But if I asked the common man in USA who Dusty Rhodes is they would immediately recognize and celebrate the name of the man who represented the common man in the world of professional wrestling. Throughout the 70's and 80's Dusty Rhodes was the embodiment of everything that was American and not high class America, he was the working class mans hero coming from nothing and becoming the American Dream. Now S WWE have put together a special 3 DVD set (distributed in Australia by the awesome Shock)to honor the man known all over as - The American Dream: The Dusty Rhodes Story.
 | | Nice tits |
Ok, we start on disc 1 with a 90 odd minute special on the life of Dusty Rhodes, from his humble beginnings as "The Son of a Plumber", right through to becoming the wrestling legend that he is. Rhodes, and others, tell stories about him and Dirty Dick Murdoch (they were partners in the tag team known as the "Texas Outlaws") and their run as one of the toughest and best tag teams in the world at that time (and, some say, of all time).
His incredible status in Florida Championship Wrestling was the place where the American Dream was born, as he went from being a monster heel to the most beloved wrasslin' star in the world. He talks in depth about his move to the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the classic battles he had with then champion "Superstar" Billy Graham.
But it's from his wars over the NWA heavyweight title that many people remember him. He took the title from the great Harley Race and later on Ric Flair. Dusty became one of the most loved and respected champs of all time. The special also discusses in detail his departure from the NWA and his surprising move to the World Wrestling Federation in late 1989. The most poignant section of this is the portion devoted to his on/off/on again relationship with his son Dustin aka: Goldust. Both Dusty and Dustin speak candidly about how their rapport broke down and the eventual coming together of a father and son. Dustin gets extremely emotional during this.
The documentary also talks about Dusty's unique interview style and charisma and how it influenced so many wrestlers that came afterward. It also answers the question as to whether the "polka dots" were a rib or not, and (in a hidden easter egg) we learn were Ted Dibiase's bodyguard Virgil got his name. The extras on this disc are matches spanning from 1973 with Dick Murdoch, and against names like Harley Race, Don Muraco and Terry Funk, through to 1977 with a classic from MSG against Superstar Billy Graham.
 | | Rhodes vs. Flair - blood, sweat & bleach |
Discs 2 & 3 are an old school fans dream with nothing but classic matches from the remainder of his career. Disc 2 has matches from 1977 through to 1988 including memorable encounters against legends such as Stan Stasiak, Tully Blanchard, Ivan Koloff and his title victories over Ric Flair and Harley Race. Plus a special bonus classic against Harley Race - but this one was held at MSG in 1979, rare for an NWA title bout. A true classic! Also on this disc are some of his most famous Tag Team matches. Teaming with the likes of Sting and The Road Warriors they face off against various legendary combinations such as Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard and a special 6 man Tag Team match against The Powers of Pain & Ivan Koloff. Along with the matches there are numerous classic promos and interviews from the man himself from his days in the NWA which need to be seen.
Disc 3 concentrates on his WWE career as we see Tag Team matches with manager Sapphire against "Macho King" Randy Savage and Queen Sherri, Dusty and Dustin squaring off against Ted Dibiase and Virgil and his WWE debut match against Honky Tonk Man. There is also the 1989 Survivor Series elimination match between Dusty Rhodes' team "The Dream Team" taking on The Big Boss Man' team "The Enforcers. Plus his match in ECW against Steve Corino, and a Tag Team match with son Dustin, this time in WCW taking on Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett from 2001. Again this disc is littered with great promos and interviews and it has all the now famous vignettes aired on WWE TV all about the "Common Man" and all his common jobs. If you haven't seen them, check them out, they are truly unforgettable! There is also the so called shoot interview Dustin did on RAW back in 1997 all about his struggles with the Goldust character and his then sour relationship with dad Dusty.
All in all this is a great DVD for anyone interested in not only Dusty Rhodes, but the industry back in the 70's and 80's. Especially with some of the early matches on the discs, as they have audio commentary done by Dusty himself. My only objection is that it had too many WWE matches on it considering he was only there for a year and a half, as opposed to his 20 something year career as an NWA legend.
Wrestling is real, everything else is fake!
by: The Gimmick
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Another great WWE DVD for fans of Dusty and old school wrestling | |
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