Okay, so today I’m gonna chat about something I was messing around with – diving into the story behind Cody Rhodes’ dad, Dusty Rhodes. I’m not a wrestling expert or anything, just a dude who got curious and went down a rabbit hole.
It all started when I saw a clip of Cody talking about his old man. Made me think, “Who was this Dusty guy?” I mean, I knew he was a wrestler, but that was about it. So, first thing I did was hit up good ol’ Google. Typed in “Dusty Rhodes” and just started clicking.
I landed on his Wikipedia page, which gave me the basic rundown: real name Virgil Runnels Jr., born in Texas, career started in the ’70s, that kind of stuff. But that wasn’t cutting it. I wanted the juicy details, the stories, the feel of the guy.
Next up, YouTube. I searched “Dusty Rhodes matches” and WHOA. This dude was a character. All charisma, all heart. The “American Dream” gimmick? Totally got it. He wasn’t ripped like Hogan or anything, but he connected with the crowd in a way that was just… different. I watched a bunch of his old matches against guys like Ric Flair and Terry Funk. Man, those were brutal!
Then I started looking for documentaries. Found one called “Dusty Rhodes: The American Dream.” It was pretty good, showed a lot of his personal life, his struggles, his rise to fame. Learned about his family, his influences, the whole deal. It definitely painted a fuller picture of the man.
I wanted to understand his impact on wrestling, so I started digging into interviews with other wrestlers and promoters. Guys like Jim Ross, Bret Hart, even Vince McMahon, talked about Dusty’s creativity, his ability to tell stories in the ring, and how he helped shape the business. That was cool to hear from the guys who were actually there.
After that, I looked around for anything written by Dusty himself. Found his autobiography, “Dusty: Reflections of an American Dream.” Gotta say, reading it in his own words really brought him to life. He was a great storyteller, even on the page. You could really hear his voice, his Texas drawl, coming through.
Finally, I checked out some wrestling forums and fan sites. You know, just to see what the die-hard fans thought. And they loved him. Talked about how he was a hero to the working class, a guy who proved that you didn’t have to be a bodybuilder to be a star. It was cool to see how much he meant to people.
So, yeah, that was my deep dive into Dusty Rhodes. Did I become an expert? Nah. But I definitely walked away with a better appreciation for who he was, what he accomplished, and why his son Cody is so proud of his legacy. It’s amazing what you can find out when you just start digging!
