Triple Threat Theatre - Dustin Rhodes
When All Elite Wrestling was first announced back in January of 2019, fans were understandably excited at the prospect of a new alternative to the seemingly homogenized world of WWE. As the roster began to come together, no one could assuredly guess that one of the breakout stars would be “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes, coming in off a seemingly never-ending run as Goldust. Of course, those who have been watching the man’s entire career, which now has spanned more than four decades. Whether it was as “The Natural” or his golden alter ego, Dustin has always been one of the best under the radar workers in the history of the business, and today we look at some of his greatest matches.
3) WCW Clash Of The Champions 17 – Dustin Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat vs. Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko
In a time when tag team wrestling mattered, these four men put on an absolute clinic in under 10 minutes, bringing life to a show that needed it (they were sandwiched between matches from Van Hammer and Johnny B. Badd) and probably the finest standard tag match that Dustin ever participated in during his WCW run, winning the tag titles with The Dragon. Was there anyone better at helping put over talent than good ol’ Double A?
2) WCW WrestleWar 1992 – War Games Match: Sting’s Squadron (Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, Nikita Koloff & Barry Windham) Vs. The Dangerous Alliance (Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko)
Much like its previous inclusion on our Triple Threat Theatre spotlight for Steve Austin, this match is widely regarded as the greatest War Games match of all-time, and what a match it is. First off, look at the talent stacking both teams, and the booking was rock-solid as well. Giving every man in the match a spotlight, with tons of blood spilled (a Rhodes family tradition it seems) and great work by all involved, WrestleWar 1992 may be one of the greatest WCW shows ever.
1) AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 – Dustin Rhodes Vs. Cody Rhodes
Was there ever any doubt that this would be in the number one spot? As close to perfection as a wrestling match can get in terms of storytelling and pathos, this battle between the hardened veteran and his younger cocky brother fighting on the first night of a new company run by the younger brother is nearly flawless. Many will remember this solely for the buckets of blood that Dustin poured from his forehead, but the true spotlight was the post-match promo from Cody calling his brother to action in a callback to one of their legendary father’s greatest promos and breathing new life into not only Dustin, but his career as a whole. If you love wrestling, it’s impossible not to tear up.
