All language subtitles for 09 Biography WWE Legends (2021) TV series M4uHD

We are here in Dallas,
Texas, of course,

for WrestleMania weekend.

And some breaking news
whilst we're here--

Facing a mystery opponent
of Mr. McMahon's--

His opponent's getting
picked by Vince McMahon.

Better be somebody good.

[crowd chants]

Cody Rhodes right here.

Anything can happen.

But who knows?

He may show up tonight.

We have no idea.

I think this place would pop its
ass off if he came out tonight.

We can only hope, man,
that we get something

that good at WrestleMania.

To see him come back home would
be a whole other thing, man.

I got to see the
statue for his father

last night at the superstore.

It was fantastic.

I always loved
Dusty Rhodes, man.

So hopefully we see
his son here tonight.

[phone rings]

Uh oh.

Big Mama.

Hey.

Hey, D.

Up close and personal.

Where are you at?

I'm sitting outside where
the rehearsal dinner is.

But where are y'all staying at?

Right now, we're
staying on the bus.

I'm going to stay here
until they drag me out of it

because I have been sequestered
as a surprise for tomorrow.

I know you're going
to do great, Cody.

I know you're going to do great.

I'm so proud of you.

And I know daddy would
have been so proud of you.

And I know-- I know
he's watching you.

I just know it.

Thanks, mama.

Love you.

Tell everyone I said, hey.

All right, bye.

[vehicle beeps]

I do get asked about Dusty
in everything that I do.

And I have avoided the
specter of Dusty Rhodes

when he was living and since he
passed because it was so big.

How could I ever do
anything like he did?

But fate has it that I get
this opportunity to make

the walk at WrestleMania
in front of sports

entertainment's biggest crowd.

My dad would have loved that.

And the roar of the crowd now
is for the American dream.

And it's for Mr. Dusty Rhodes.

Dusty could make people feel.

He showed that the average son
of a plumber could rise up.

He could be your
next door neighbor.

He could be the guy you
work in a factory with.

But he could go out
there and kick ass.

I came from nowhere.

And it will take a hell
of a man to knock me off.

He was a dreamer
of epic proportions

and the architect of what we
now see as a global empire.

God, he was entertaining.

Dusty looked at pro
wrestling just like a movie.

You don't know what
hard times are, daddy.

I've been hooked
forever on Dusty Rhodes

because what you got
was real from him.

To get to the top, you have
to sacrifice in every aspect

you can imagine.

Definitely became hard times.

Dad was a mentor.

He was a hero and the best
damn father on the planet.

Woo, that's funky.

[music playing]

His real name was Virgil Riley
Runnels Jr. Never ever heard

anybody call him Virgil,
not even my mom or pop.

He got nicknamed dusty because
of the street that he lived on.

It was a dirt
road, a dusty road.

Dusty Rhodes is born
into an America that

is coming out of the
Great Depression,

is coming out of World War II.

A kid from Austin, Texas,
east side, Black community,

Mexican-American
community, lucky to be

part of that community.

I was running
around, just thinking

I was no different
than anybody else.

My dad was a hard working
plumber, disciplinarian, not

a lot of education,
just a hard working guy.

We were very poor financially.

But I was not aware
of financial problem.

It was just life for us.

It was the way things were.

We never really felt
sorry for ourself

or felt like we'd
gotten a bad shake

in life, a bad deal in life.

Growing up in East Austin,
coming from nothing,

my dad created things
out of nothing.

I've heard things about
him being teased as a child

because he was bigger.

But the adversity part of it was
just him overcoming obstacles

in his life to get him
to where he wanted to be.

My mom was the driving force
behind the American dream

pursuing, and
reaching, and trying

to obtain whatever you could
was such a big deal with her.

My dad more or less was that
if you're going to do it,

do it right.

If you're going to reach for
it, then be the best at it.

Friday nights, my dad
would cash his check,

we'd go to wrestling.

We would yell, and
scream, and go crazy.

I grew up really
loving this industry.

What an opportunity if you
could make a living at this.

We come home and we'd wrestle.

We made fake masks.

We could just get as rough
as we wanted with Dusty.

One thing I would
say about him, you

could not make things
tough enough for him.

My dad would tell
you how great he

was at baseball, at football.

And he truly was a
multi-sport athlete.

New York Mets, at that
time, had scouted me.

I played first base.

And I caught a little bit.

He also played for a
semi-professional football

team in Connecticut called
the Charter Oak Buffaloes.

There's the athlete
side of Dusty.

And then there's the
thespian side of Dusty.

Something else was calling him.

One of his greatest
characteristics

was his ability to have a
vision and know exactly what he

wanted to do in his life.

He was always charismatic,
even when he was young.

He had a stage presence.

He loved acting.

He would tell me, I love it.

And I'd say no, man, you're
an athlete, not an actor.

You know what I'm saying?

And luckily, he
found a profession

where he could combine
both of those passions.

He wanted to pro wrestle.

He wanted pro wrestling.

I remember him
coming in to Dallas.

And he didn't have
a place to stay.

And he wrestled Fritz
Von Erich that night.

Fritz just had his way with him.

I remember him kicking him
right in the teeth once,

looked like he actually
lost some teeth

and ended up putting the
claw on him and beating him.

But I remember him telling
me, I love this business.

Someday, I'm going to be
the heavyweight champion

of the world.

I think he saw
something in wrestling.

And there was a freedom
in wrestling that didn't

exist in other spaces.

You know, Muhammad
Ali, if you'd ask him

who his hero was
as an 18-year-old,

he would have said
Gorgeous George Wagner.

And what he loved
about Gorgeous George

was that Gorgeous George
brought the showmanship

of professional wrestling
to a whole other level.

I have to think that
for Dusty Rhodes,

it was a very attractive
thought for him

to be able to be a character
and develop stories.

When my mom and my dad
met, they hit it off.

They had a great time.

Sandy was gorgeous.

He loved her.

The war in Vietnam had began.

And they had a rule
that they were not

taking any married men.

So even though he
loves Sandy and I

think they would have
eventually gotten married,

it was probably
sooner than anyone

expected, including himself,
because all I could see

was how important it was for him
to make a name in the business

and become a champion.

He had that vision of
what he wanted to do

and where he wanted to be.

And he started his
life on the road.

One of the discoveries of any
wrestler, in terms of this job,

is it starts out real fun.

It starts out, oh my
gosh, I got paid $300?

I'm going to have fun.

I'm going to be partners with
Dick Murdoch and the Texas

Outlaws.

We're going to be the bad guys.

This is so much fun.

Dick Murdaugh was a character
from Waxahachie, Texas.

Together, they were kind
of the same mindset.

Rhodes and Murdoch first came
to Florida when I was a kid.

And they had crew cuts and
big fat bellies hanging out.

They were bad guys.

Were just a couple of old
country boys drinking beer,

wrestling, fighting.

Dusty would say we're
not going to be outraged,

we're going to be outrageous.

And they were.

We were traveling 340 days a
year from one town to the next.

You had 700 miles to go
to get to the next town.

Yeah, if there was
a bar, we'd stop.

And we had a good
following, territorial wise.

Did a movie called The Wrestler.

[music playing]

That was not far fetched by
any stretch of the imagination.

Murdoch would get in a
fight every Friday night.

It's fun.

And then you realize
the layer of work

that it takes to get
to the next block.

And that's where it goes from
being just this silly vocation

to your life's work.

A lot of people don't know
that my grandfather, dad's dad,

died the day before I was born.

I did not talk to
him a lot about that.

There's absolutely no way
that I can imagine that.

For him to lose his father
and then, oh my God, now I

have a baby boy, that would
send anybody into overload, man.

Dusty told me he was so excited
about having a grandchild.

And Dusty took some cigars
that said it's a boy.

And he put them in his
pocket in the coffin.

And you know, I
mean, that's hard.

My dad never saw him wrestle.

But when my dad passed
away, one of the belongings

he had in his wallet was an
old program from an event

that my brother had been in.

It's hard for me not
to get emotional.

But Dusty was always able to
put those things in perspective.

He could have all of those kinds
of things going on in his life

and seemed to know what
to do and how to do it.

I think Dusty had a knack
for knowing when it's time.

Probably one of the
hardest decisions

he made and, I think definitely,
the most important decision

he made was when it
was time to leave Dick.

His tag team partner from
Austin, Texas, weighing 280

pounds, dirty Dusty Rhodes.

He loved Texas outlaws.

And he loved doing
what they were doing.

But I think in Dusty's mind,
he was scratching the surface.

He felt like he had more tools.

He had more in the tank.

I don't think that the
promoters recognized the fact

that I was a great in-ring
worker or performer.

They recognized
that I had charisma.

I had to find a way to
grow it into becoming

the American dream.

And there's an elbow
drop by Dusty Rhodes.

And a count of one, two, three.

It's all over.

Dusty Rhodes does it his way.

If you stick your nose around
here, I'm gonna bust ya.

Sooner or later, I'm
going to bust ya, baby.

I'm going to get you
good in a spoiler.

I had that one element that you
cannot give anyone, charisma.

The greatest rap master,
the greatest wrestler,

the greatest super
heavyweight in the world.

It's about winning.

You either have it or you don't.

[inaudible] January the
1st, it's the new year.

It's new razzmatazz.

There's new titles and such.

You understand what I'm saying?

It's going to be dynamite.

[inaudible] the American dream.

I have studied all the tapes.

I think this was at
my Christmas party.

I figured out right away I
can sell more tickets talking

to them in the building
than actually what they

were seeing in the building.

Was it worth the damn pain?

Was it worth the pain?

When I look back
at characters that

were developed before
the American dream,

Thunderbolt Patterson
was one of my guys.

I like the finer
things in life, you

know, like diamond
rings and Cadillacs.

You follow me?

I dig, yeah.

Seemed to be like music.

There was a rhythm to it.

When I was growing
up, I sure didn't

think 265 pounds
of blue eyed soul

would captivate a
country like I am.

The people drive me.

He's somebody that gives
off complete comfort

around Black people.

I think it gets a bit
subversive in a way

that I think brings
comfort to certainly me

and I think a lot
of his Black fans.

Dusty made everything by
being Dusty Rhodes cool.

And if you was from
the neighborhood,

Dusty was like the
only Black wrestler

that we had to look up to.

[laughs]

Because of Dusty Rhodes
growing up in a part of Austin,

that was multiracial,
I see him as somebody

in a line with an Elvis Presley
or a Jerry Lee Lewis, people

who were white who were greatly
influenced by the Southern

Baptist Black Church.

And one thing I will
be is up to you.

He took a Black experience
and translated it

to a white audience.

You can look up in this building
in a matter of a few hours

when it's full.

And you can see a Black
man and a white man

need now the same popcorn box.

Woo, that's funky.

Dusty's appeal was the
fact that Dusty was just

like the audience.

I'm just one of you, baby.

I'm just like you.

So come help me
because I need you.

And you felt, when
Dusty was in the ring,

that you were right
there with him.

It's about winning
for my people, baby.

Until I heard him
talk, I couldn't

see what the attraction
was because, I mean,

I saw this m didn't
look like an athlete,

but judging a book
by the cover with him

would be a great mistake.

[MUSIC - BO DIDDLEY, "YOU CAN'T
JUDGE A BOOK BY THE COVER"]

You can't judge a book
by looking at the cover.

Oh, can't you see?

Oh, you misjudge me.

I look like a farmer,
but I'm a lover,

Can't judge a book by
looking at the cover.

The greatest athlete,
the greatest rapper,

the greatest singer, or
the greatest sleeper.

Yeah, I can sleep cool, brother.

Go and cheer in the new
year 1977, the razzmatazz.

287 pounds of sweet soul.

[MUSIC - BO DIDDLEY, "YOU CAN'T
JUDGE A BOOK BY THE COVER"]

Can't judge a book by
looking at the cover.

Dusty was kind of
like a Pied Piper.

Dusty would just
bring everybody.

And they would follow him.

Everything I am, I owe
the American way of life.

What is more of
an American dream

than being able to make
it on your own terms?

So you have a lisp.

You're overweight.

Your clothes are ill fitting.

You get to be you.

And you still get to make it.

There was a lot of patriotism
and rah rah USA at the time.

And he is wrestling
against, at that point,

the evil Korean, Pak Song.

Pak Song with one
single purpose in mind,

to rid the wrestling world
of the American Dream.

The Korean assassin versus the
American Dream, Dusty Rhodes.

And somehow, the son
of a plumber overcomes.

There is only one dream.

I am the man.

Go home with it, baby.

It's that rivalry
between himself

and Pak Song that really
branded him and created

the American Dream.

I've been hooked
forever on Dusty Rhodes.

Mimicked him all
through high school.

And then when I first had
a little bit of a break

up in Memphis, you
can hear in my promos.

I'm going, let me tell you
something, baby, Terry Boulder.

I was trying to be Dusty Rhodes.

I'm gonna put the Super
7 Squeeze on you, daddy.

And I'm going to turn you over
to these people in Memphis

and let them rip on you a little
bit after you're down and out.

It was just such a poor
imitation of Dusty Rhodes,

it's embarrassing now.

Dusty Rhodes must have thought,
oh my God, this guy is just

the [bleep].

[music playing]

This industry is very tough.

You have to sacrifice.

You have to sacrifice your body.

You have to sacrifice your mind.

You sacrifice those
that you love.

When I'm looking
back at everything,

people would be
like, oh my gosh,

I can't believe your father
is the American Dream,

Dusty Rhodes.

That's the coolest thing ever.

Yeah, it's pretty cool.

But at the same time,
he was just our dad.

We're having to share
him with the world.

Sometimes I thought about that.

And I just thought that
was just kind of weird.

But back in the day, when
he was first starting out,

I didn't see it that way.

I was so young.

We saw our dad a
couple of times a year.

And when we did, it was the
greatest time of our lives.

But Justin and I have
a completely different

perspective on when my father
was first starting out.

Honestly, man, it
just-- it hurt.

And I wanted him.

I wanted to be with him.

And I wanted it so bad,
desperate, desperate for it.

My dad just had that vision.

And he went after it.

And yes, he wasn't home a lot.

Yes, he was gone a lot.

But there was no
lack of love there.

My father was our father.

At the same time, my
mom lost her husband.

They divorced when
Kristin was two years old.

It was the way it was.

If you wanted to
make a living, you

had to go to the
different territories.

You had to work.

I was young.

And I didn't understand what
kind of a star he was becoming.

A boy needs his dad.

In 1977, he was in Florida.

The Imperial Lounge
was where you could

go to listen to country music.

That was his favorite
place to hang out.

And that's where I met him.

He was the American Dream at
that point, very popular there.

I had asked Dusty
for an autograph

for my little
brothers and sisters.

And he said, well, if
you come next week, I'll

have some photos.

I'll bring you those.

So I went next week.

And I started thinking, yeah,
you know, I like this guy.

So it wasn't love
at first sight.

But I fell in love
with him very quickly.

Just absolute madness comes
with the American Dream,

Dusty Rhodes.

And she was game.

A man who has figuratively
set the wrestling world

on fire, Mr. Soul, Mr.
Charisma, Mr. Dusty Rhodes.

287 pounds of sweet soul.

I have wined and dined
with kings and queens.

But I slept in an alley and
dined on pork and beans.

And everybody here's
dined on pork and beans

one time in their life.

I reach for a star,
reached for a dream.

Talk about the American
Dream, superstar Billy Graham,

the gold around your
waist will be mine.

In the late '70s, Dusty
had proven himself

as an attraction.

And all promoters wanted
to be able to bring

that draw to their town.

Dusty worked
primarily in Florida.

But he had started
doing different shows

around the country.

We have another capacity
crowd, some 22,000 people

jamming Madison Square Garden.

You want to headline
Madison Square Garden.

Madison Square
Garden is the Mecca.

Here comes superstar
Billy Graham,

the reigning Worldwide
Wrestling Federation

heavyweight champion.

And the roar of the crowd now
is for the American Dream,

and it's for Mr. Dusty Rhodes.

[music playing]

Superstar Billy Graham
and Dusty Rhodes,

two of the most
charismatic individuals,

clashing for the first time
in Madison Square Garden.

That was magic.

Graham has never seen
moves like that before.

[crowd cheering]

The American Dream Dusty
Rhodes, sort of a roly-poly type

statuesque compared
to Superstar Graham.

Whoa, baby.

Physically and aesthetically,
couldn't be more opposite.

However, they both
played an integral part

in just the evolution
of the business,

where it went to a little
more entertainment.

Dusty Rhodes was my
only reason at the time

to want to be a wrestler.

But then when
superstar Billy Graham

climbed on the second rope
and hit that double bicep,

I went, whoa, I want to
be just like that guy.

So now, I wondered
what the possibilities

would be to end up
looking like that,

but wrestling with
Dusty Rhodes's charisma.

I wonder if that
could be possible?

It is possible.

The three matches with
him there, so special.

The matches were amazing.

Graham with a rope
wrapped around the throat

of Dusty Rhodes.

Andy Warhol, Steinbrenner,
Halston, Cheryl Tiegs,

Peter Beard, all in
attendance in the audience,

Edgar Winter, Bette Midler,
all in the audience.

[bell dings]

Didn't want to leave the ring
because of the goosebumps

and what I was feeling
at that moment.

After the matches, we went
out to celebrate with all

of our new friends, lot of fun.

When you went to
Studio 54, there

was just this crazy cast of
characters, artists, singers.

And they loved Dusty.

Back then, it was the rare soul
who liked pro wrestling not

only for who would win or
lose, but also for the joy

of the spectacle of it.

And it says so much about Dusty
Rhodes's talent and his ability

to connect with an audience.

Dusty met Andy Warhol
a couple of times,

and you know,
birds of a feather.

I liked the lifestyle.

I wasn't a conventional
kind of girl.

So it appealed to me.

We dated for a while.

Then we moved in
together about a year.

What was important
to me wasn't the fact

that he'd been divorced.

I was more concerned about
what kind of father he was.

You can't love a man if
he's a crappy father.

We had gone out to Austin
to visit Dustin and Kristin.

And just out of the blue,
he asked me to marry him.

And I said yes because I
did want to get married.

But up until that point, I
really hadn't thought about it.

I was happy with things
the way they were.

So we got married.

My mom was suddenly a step mom.

I think that was natural for
her because in her family,

there's lots of people.

When we got married, Dustin
and Kristin were very young.

We would see them
whenever we could.

We would have them on
holidays and in the summer.

But it was a long distance
relationship, absolutely.

That's how it went.

Getting there to Tampa, seeing
the horses, seeing the pool,

swimming in the pool, seeing
dad occasionally, not a lot.

I didn't want to
go somewhere else

and me not be
around him anymore.

I wanted to go
where he was going.

No, he wasn't home a lot.

But in some strange way,
I had an understanding.

And I think, again, it
goes back to me just

admiring the vision that he had
and what a great person that he

was.

Dusty Rhodes has
achieved victory her

at Madison Square Garden.

The notoriety that came from
Superstar Billy Graham Dusty

Rhodes matches helped me
prepare myself for Harley Race.

The National Wrestling Alliance
World Heavyweight title

was the ultimate goal.

NWA World Heavyweight
champions held the championship

for several years.

And to defeat the
champion and actually

lay claim to being a
World Heavyweight Champion

was a huge deal.

Dusty, what was going through
your mind at that moment?

Well, it was serious
pulling out all his stuff.

He felt that at this point,
he was going to put me away.

And it fell into a bionic elbow.

Right here, I will reach back
and become World's Heavyweight

Wrestling Champion with
that blow right there.

That is history.

[crowd cheering]

In that moment, you're riveted.

And you do think that
winning is possible

when all the odds tell us
that winning is not possible.

That is activated
by Dusty Rhodes

being able to embody
the American Dream.

He considered the
world championship

to be the highest honor.

Can't get him to say
that wrestling was fake.

You can't.

And it's because it's not.

That moment wasn't.

And when you take
it that seriously,

the fans take you seriously.

And they support you.

They're crying with you.

They're cheering with you.

And that would parlay in the
next big step in his career.

This is an example
for every man, woman,

and child, believe in a dream.

Have a dream.

Have a way to get it.

Hold on to it.

And shoot for the sky.

Because I have been to
the mountaintop and it

will take a hell of a
man to knock me off.

To my left, the American
Dream, Dusty Rhodes.

And it's most unusual that
we're here in an empty arena

because Dusty
Rhodes fills arenas.

The man of the hour,
the man with the power.

I am the hitmaker,
the record breaker.

In the early '80s,
he'd become a big star.

Who are you hoping to win
the World Title tonight?

Oh, I want Dusty.

The little plumber's son
who come out of the ditch

and became so sweet.

Can you dig it?

Became so sweet,
yeah, it's on fire.

You better believe it's on fire.

When Vince was looking
at his expansion,

Vince looked at Dusty
Rhodes and saw Dusty

as the guy to make what
it has become today.

That is electrified funk.

One of Dusty's
biggest attributes,

and I don't know if this is
the proper term these days,

but just balls.

Because for him to
say no, walking away

from that top spot, he
just had a gut feeling.

Dusty always wanted
to produce wrestling.

So he went to the
Carolinas for Jim Crockett.

This is the most
down home situation

in the world of wrestling
today, the National Wrestling

Alliance.

He got to produce
TV shows, promote

matches, and got to wrestle.

There was just more opportunity
for what Dusty wanted to do,

even though when we moved to
Charlotte, it was a wasteland.

At the time, Crockett
Promotions was kind of

like a mouthful of
oatmeal with no sugar.

There were some good,
quality people there.

But they didn't have
something to spice it all up.

And Dusty, he was a
dreamer of epic proportion.

He saw things on a huge scale.

This is a night
everybody will remember,

wrestling history will be made.

He really was a genius.

All the [bleep] he invented over
the years, from The War Games,

to Starrcade.

Starrcade '83, this is the
wrestling event of all time.

Then of course, Great
American Bash, on tour, man.

And we hired everybody
from George Jones

to Waylon Jennings.

I'm looking forward to being
a part of the Great American

Bash.

Went on the road.

And it worked.

We sold out everywhere.

Rock and roll.

Oh, baby.

The business started taking off.

And then they got on TBS.

So their show was going
in more and more homes.

All of a sudden, you're
reaching a mass audience.

So a kid in New York
City like myself

could watch this very
regional carnival enterprise.

And I remember being 10,
11 years old watching

Dusty Rhodes versus Ric Flair.

And I'd never seen
anything like this before.

And this is the
moment that we've all

been waiting for right here.

It's the New York Yankees
and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

It's Muhammad Ali
and Joe Frazier.

It's one of the great rivalries
in the history of sports

entertainment.

He doesn't like
me getting ahead.

And that hurts me right
here for him to get ahead.

The ultimate bad guy and the
ultimate blue collar guy.

We just had that magic, man.

We loved to interview
against each other

and became a real competition.

I don't put values in the
same thing Ric Flair does.

The Rolex wearin'
diamond ring wearin'--

I'm the son of a plumber.

I was raised in Austin, Texas.

Kiss stealing, woo,
wheeling, dealing.

--had anything unless
I fought for it.

Limousine riding, jet
flying son of a gun.

Unless I got down on my
knees and went for it.

It is so hard to be humble when
you're looking like Ric Flair.

There goes Flair
over the top rope.

Both of them wanted to be
the number one entertainer.

The one upsmanship, definitely,
definitely, it's there.

Smashed into that
steel ring post.

He has got a bad cut.

He could depict knowledge
that was not common today.

It was very much a
part of the craft

of what we did for the
most theatrical effect

that we could get.

He has stopped the match.

He has stopped it because
of the cut on the eye.

Wait a second.

Ric Flair, if you
call this a victory,

you need to go home
and kiss your mama.

This ain't no victory.

This ain't over.

Dusty looked at pro
wrestling just like a movie.

It was cinema.

It was this long tale that
didn't just include the moment.

Look what Ric Flair is doing.

He is padlocking that cage.

So Dusty Rhodes is helpless.

Not only that, he cannot be
held by anyone from the outside.

Seeing the adult nature
of these conflicts,

this felt like adults were
fighting with their fists

over big issues.

I was at ringside, Bob.

I couldn't believe
what I was seeing.

Down he goes on Dusty Rhodes.

And right now,
everybody is in a panic

right now, because see,
Tony, too, a lot of concern

for this injury.

It was real.

And I believed in it.

They broke my dad's leg.

That's how they portrayed it.

And they weren't going to have
anybody saying this was phony.

This is why
wrestling in the '80s

was so awesome because
everything was real.

Dusty Rhodes brought
that sensibility

that you needed to not just
what was happening in the ring,

but what's happening in
the locker room, what's

happening in the parking lot.

It was like a reality series.

And you needed to see this week
because it explained last week.

And then you needed to
watch next week because it

would explain this week.

So really, it sounds like
Dusty, if you want to be ready,

you're going to have to do
exactly what he tells you

when he tells you.

There's no doubt, David, that
I have to do what he tells me.

One day, I saw the
cast in his closet.

And I'm like, what the--

and it's got a big
slit down the middle.

And that's how he
would get it on

and wore it around the house.

And he kayfabed his own kids.

Ladies and gentlemen, you
all know that Dusty Rhodes

has been injured.

Well, we want to welcome
back tonight Dusty

Rhodes for his first
interview since his injury.

Here is the American
Dream, Dusty Rhodes.

And Dusty, your fans
welcome you back, man.

Think about that period
in the '80s, what

was happening in US society.

The biggest shows were
Dynasty and Dallas.

But there was an underbelly
underneath that in US

society at the time.

And that was working class
people, Black and white,

particularly union, who
were seeing their lives

and living standards utterly
eviscerated, if not destroyed.

He put hard times on Dusty
Rhodes and his family.

You don't know what
hard times are, daddy.

Hard times are when the textile
workers around this country

are out of work.

They got four or five kids
and can't pay their wages,

can't buy their food.

Hard times are when the
autoworkers are out of work.

And they tell them go home.

And hard times are when a man
has worked at a job 30 years,

30 years, they give him the
watch, kick him in the butt,

and say, hey, a computer
took your place, daddy.

That's hard times.

That's hard times.

We're at this point
where companies

are thinking about how do
they replace unionized labor.

And the reality is the idea of
achieving the American dream is

starting to slip away.

And Ric Flair, you put
hard times on this country

by taking Dusty Rhodes out.

That's hard times.

Dusty was the son of a plumber.

I was the guy born
with the golden spoon.

And it's basically the truth.

My dad was a doctor.

His dad was a plumber.

Dusty was just
saying [bleep] to me.

Nature Boy Ric Flair, the
World Heavyweight Title

belongs to these people.

I will reach out right now.

I want you at home to know my
hand is touching your hand.

What makes that
promo so special,

it dips into the anger and the
disillusionment that we feel.

But it also asks us
to reach for something

greater, to reach out to
him, but also to reach out

to each other.

Let me leave you with this.

One way to hurt Ric
Flair is to take

what he cherishes more
than anything in the world.

That's the World's
Heavyweight Title.

I'm gonna take it.

I've been there twice.

This time, when I
take it, daddy, I'm

going to take it for you.

Let's gather for it.

Don't let me down now.

For an interview to
be amazing, the person

giving that interview
has to believe it.

And that is really the
secret to his success.

Is he really was
the American Dream.

I can't say that I'm going
to walk through my house

and show the camera all
the fine, great things

that I've earned
in this profession.

But there's one thing when
I walk through my house

that I see every day of my life.

She's about that high.

She's two years old.

And I got two other ones, too.

Dusty had missed out on so much
and Dustin and Kristin's life.

He never talked about it.

But I know it's something
that just weighed heavy

on his heart.

When Teil was born, her birth
was like a second chance

at fatherhood.

And when Cody was born,
we never went anywhere

that we didn't take our kids.

Dustin came to live
with us the summer

before his junior
year of high school.

He just wanted to be
around his dad, period.

But he wasn't doing
well in school.

I think Dusty saw Dustin as
being like this great football

player.

He had been offered some
football scholarships.

But you've got to have
the grades as well.

And that bothered Dusty.

Dusty wanted his kids
to go to college.

He was worried about what
Dustin was going to do

and did not want Dustin to
get in the wrestling business.

He was trying to
keep me away from it

because it's a tough life.

You're looking at the greatest
wrestlers alive today, three--

oh, what do we got here, huh?

Ric Flair versus Dusty Rhodes,
this was years of struggle

by Dusty Rhodes.

Look at this, the World
Heavyweight Championship.

1986, Great American
Bash, Ric Flair

is legitimately
the man, the man.

And Dusty, throughout their
rivalry, it's loss, after loss,

after loss.

But from a wrestling
perspective,

those weren't losses.

That is the definition
of the chase.

Dusty was like an open nerve.

Dusty was your pain.

Dusty was vulnerability.

Here he goes, Ramsay,
right into the fist.

Down goes Ric Flair.

People needed to see
him come out on top.

They needed to feel like
they were coming out

on top, finally.

Small package, hands
Ric Flair-- he did it.

Dusty did it.

Dusty Rhodes has
just won the match.

Ladies and gentlemen, the
winner and new World Heavyweight

Champion, the American
Dream Dusty Rhodes.

People are losing
their mind because they

were in on the chase with him.

They loved Dusty so much.

To have him finally beat
Ric Flair, to have him do it

in a steel cage, I mean,
it did amazing things

for Dusty Rhodes's legend.

You see them working these
huge arenas and huge stadiums

and selling them out.

They're on top of the world.

Very important that the
NWA stayed in lockstep

with what the WWE was doing.

Depending upon which side you're
on is how you view things.

In the South, looking at
it from that point of view,

it's like, man,
we're doing great.

We've got a hell of
an opportunity here.

Then when you get up
to New York and looking

at the scope of
that, you realize,

oh my God, they
don't have a chance.

There's a whole
other world out there

that had never heard of
Jim Crockett Promotions.

And what Jim Crockett
Promotions failed to recognize

was that other audience.

It was a family-owned business.

And we're running
around like rock stars

and should have had a much
greater accounting principle.

Crockett sold the
business to TBS.

And Dusty got the call from
Vince to come work for him.

Dusty Rhodes coming in.

Now what right does this guy
have to step in the ring?

Dusty Rhodes starting to
come out and prevent what was

going to be an interrogation.

It was a little
difficult at first

because Dusty saw
himself as Hulk Hogan.

Dusty looked in the
mirror and saw Hulk.

We didn't have that
eyesight Dusty had.

We looked at him and
went be the common man.

One man's trash is
another man's treasure.

At that juncture
in his career, he

was no longer a spring chicken.

He wasn't on the
top of his game.

So I wanted to go with more fun.

We did some vignettes of
Dusty, so entertaining.

Have no fear, the son
of plumber's here.

What's going on, baby?

Thank God you're here.

Woo.

Hey, aren't you?

This man is America.

Dusty Rhodes.

[music - "common man boogie"]

He's just a common man
working hard with his hands.

He's got the polka dots.

Oh, I love it.

Vince said polka dots.

What?

Dusty, we need-- he needs
polka dots, yellow polka

dots everywhere.

We think he's nuts.

What can I say?

I'm into polka dots,
the Dream getting down.

It was the difference
between seeing

somebody I looked up to and
respected and seeing a cartoon.

We lost an authentic
working class voice.

That ended the day the
yellow polka dots came on.

I'm just a common man.

I was mixed about seeing Dusty
Rhodes in the polka dots.

I was kind of heartbroken.

Because I wanted the
American Dream Dusty Rhodes

with band-aids all over his
head, bleeding like a pig

every night, doing
the hard times promos.

He didn't care.

He was so glad to get the
call to come to the WWE.

He would have worn a diaper.

As long as he was getting a big
check, polka dots are great.

There are fans to
this day who will

try to convince
me that they made

a mockery of the American Dream.

And maybe it was even
punishment for having

been in the opposition
or not coming

the multiple times that he had
been presented the opportunity

to go.

I don't see that at all.

Whether it started out as a
rib, I was from that school of I

want to make this work.

I want to put this back
in somebody's face.

It was a time the WWE was really
breaking through major pop

culture.

And Dusty was absolutely
a part of that.

He was always that
guy, you give it to me,

and I'll make it something.

And Dusty's role was to
make the people jump,

to make the fans get
up out of their seats.

When he was playing
the polka dot role,

everybody still gravitated
to Dusty Rhodes.

It was just 18
months of his career.

And it was likely the
most money he'd ever made.

And I don't think it was
a practical joke at all.

And if it was, he threw
it back in their face.

And they were smart enough
to let him throw it back

in their face and run with it.

He's got more than
sapphire in his corner.

He's got his son Dustin.

And right there, I love that.

I was there for all
these moments, man.

And yes, of course I want
to be a pro wrestler.

And I really want to do this.

And I'm going to do this,
whether you like it or not dad.

And he did not want that for me.

He wanted me to go to college.

But you know what I wanted more?

I wanted to be like my dad.

And he said, Dustin,
you want this business,

I'm going to let you do it.

This is my son.

And the legacy of
the American Dream

lives in this kid's heart.

And what he don't know,
we're going to teach him.

And because Dustin
Rhodes right here

it's getting ready to get
funky like a monkey in Florida.

He breaks me into the business.

This is the first time that I
am hearing what pro wrestling is

from the inside.

Dustin had been in
Florida and felt

that Dustin had the
chops at that point

in his career, young,
still had a lot to learn.

But why not?

Let's give him a shot and
bring him in as Dusty's son.

It was real.

Wait a minute, what is this?

We've got Ted
DiBiase on one side.

We've got Virgil on the other
side flanking Dustin Rhodes.

Wait a minute.

Whoa, did you see that?

Oh no, oh no.

Mark, look what they're doing
to Dusty Rhodes' son, Dustin.

My first thought was like, this
could get very interesting very

quickly, will Dusty Rhodes
be granted the freedom

to tell the story of his odyssey
with his son, Dustin Rhodes.

He swings at me like this,
straight onto my head.

And the two corners hit me in
the head and busted me open,

I mean, wide open.

But I felt so alive.

Oh no, Dusty Rhodes is covering
his son, trying to protect him.

I'm just underneath
him, oh, my boy.

And he's acting it out.

And he's crying.

And people are feeling
it in the arena.

And he's right there
with me, you know?

He missed a lot of
Dustin's young life.

And there was things
he needed from his dad

that he didn't get.

For the first time,
I think, in my life,

I felt connected to him.

It was probably some of
the most fun I ever had

because I went outside the box.

But as time went on in that year
and a half, I got tired of it

at the end because it wasn't me.

Boy, it's great to
be back with WCW.

I'm talking about the--

'91, '92, '93, Dusty's
the head of creative.

He wrote the stories.

He hired the talent.

He set the direction
of the company

from a creative perspective.

He had just stepped
out of actively

being a full-time wrestler.

And he was more of an
executive producer.

And it meant he was with me
a great deal of my childhood.

He was our football coach
when I was in middle school.

He supported me in everything.

He made me feel like
the most special girl.

It was an easy relationship.

But there's no balance to having
the world and having a family.

We didn't suffer for it.

But I think on that climb,
my sister Kristin and Dustin,

I think that they did.

My father loved us all.

And he loved his kids
first and foremost.

It's the time and space between
all of us that's the enemy.

Come here, Dustin.

I want everybody to bear
with me just for a minute.

I want to talk to my son.

Dustin and Kristin could have
not spoken to me again as long

as they live.

And I would not
have blamed them.

I did nothing whatsoever to
be a part of their lives.

I made no attempt to
be that at a young age.

When you were born, I went off
to seek my fame and fortune.

I neglected you.

My favorite Dusty Rhodes
interview I cannot watch

without being too deeply
affected is the interview he

had with my brother.

He lays it on me
with this promo that

is just hair standing
on your arms type stuff

to make you feel
something was real.

I'm terrified.

I mean, you know, you're thrown
into national television.

You're young.

You're greener than goose
[bleep],, yeah, terrified.

My dad's been doing this
for 20 something, 30 years.

It's easy for him.

But all these people
are staring at me now.

And my dad's talking to me.

And I'm listening.

How do I act?

I don't know what to
do except just listen.

When you walk behind
and you're not a leader,

then the view never
changes, baby.

The view never changes, baby.

The view never changes.

You have the ability to be the
World's Heavyweight Wrestling

Champion.

There is not a great athlete
at your age in this sport.

To bring that to life within
the context of a story

and the real emotion that
manifests because of it, wow.

I'm asking you if you can
carry this old out of shape,

old bent out, old
spindly-legged man--

I want to be your partner.

To offer to be his partner--

that's like every
kid wants that.

And Dustin deserved that.

He did.

I can't watch it.

But it's very special.

The Rhodes are blood.

I don't need a handshake.

What I need now from you
is just a hug and a kiss

to seal the deal, baby.

[crowd cheers]

I had a ton of people
over at the house.

And I felt like he
was going to cry.

And I could hear
it in his voice.

And I thought, oh, this is bad.

I don't think I want to watch--

I don't think I can watch this.

And I had to leave the room.

And I remember them being
like, it's not real.

It's not real.

It's fake.

I'm like, OK, buddy.

I got it.

I mean, it's really
just beautiful.

There were plenty
of people in that

crowd who had problems
with their dad or their dad

had problems with the son.

And I don't think
there was anything

my dad was ever that proud of.

Here he comes.

Here we go.

Dustin will tell you, I always
wanted to be like my dad.

Those are hard shoes to fill.

And I think he always felt
a tremendous amount of pain

and pressure that just built,
and built, and just stayed

with him.

Dustin got married to Terry.

Dusty thought it was
a very bad decision

and was very vocal
about it, which

I think is where they went their
separate ways at that point.

I think that Dustin
had a lot of resentment

from when he was growing up.

And his wife just
played into all of that.

I was made to choose a
woman over my father.

And I chose the woman.

I was mad.

And I was angry.

I didn't want anything
to do with my father.

I didn't talk to my
dad for five years.

It was heartbreaking because he
suffered greatly because of it.

During those five years,
I wanted nothing else

than to do something different.

I was tired of
being Dustin Rhodes.

[breathes in]

Goldust.

We're sitting there
watching Dustin.

And Dusty is just floored
because he didn't have a clue.

All he knew was that Dustin was
going to go to work at the WWE.

And we all just
looked at each other.

Dustin was Goldust.

What does American
Dream think of Goldust?

Well, I really
don't have any idea.

It's been about 2
years, 2 and 1/2 years

since I've talked to him.

Because of some mistakes
he'd made with Dustin,

Dustin was right in
being upset with Dad.

He was.

Where he wasn't right was
letting the entire world know.

I know you guys haven't talked.

Maybe it's not a bad
opportunity to say

what you got on your
mind, say what, at least,

you want to say.

About what?

I can-- what's to say?

My initial impression
of that character

was that it was a
slap in the face.

It was an insult to
Dusty and to Dustin.

It's the dream.

It's a nightmare.

[inaudible]

He's been-- I guess
he's Dust Dust tonight.

Look at that.

The danger going into
a real life back story

is they go into a
story and everybody's

willing to pull back
the curtain this much.

Everybody is cool with that.

But after a certain
amount of time,

you want the audience
to lean into with you,

you go from that
much of the story

to that much of the story.

And now, you're exposing
things and talking about things

that you never really thought
you would or intended to.

And you don't realize how
much it's going to affect you

or the other people involved
until after you do it.

And by then, it's too late.

Oh, here we go.

Woo!

Those things were way too far.

It was not easy because
deep down I wanted him.

And I know he did too.

But we're both hardheaded.

And we both didn't
pick up the phone.

My dad was depressed.

He was-- he seemed really low.

I'd find him sitting out on
our porch, just like so down.

And he'd say, you know, I was
never a good father to Dustin.

I should have done this.

I should have done that.

It was really painful time,
very painful time in our life.

During that time, my mom
just kind of instinctively

knew that she wasn't going to
get to see Dustin's daughter

Dakota.

I remember the last
time we saw her.

I remember she cried
on the way home.

This falling out meant he
also cut me and Teil out.

And that creates
the same resentment

that you were fighting against.

This young fellow, when
he was eight years old,

was digging ditches for his dad
who was a plumber out in Texas.

And he told our next
inductee there is

and can be an American Dream.

The American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

[crowd cheers]

I remember as a
kid, we would have

conversations where he treated
me like one of the boys

in wrestling.

And when you're the biggest
fan of your dad, I mean,

that's like the ultimate
gift on Earth to have that.

Cody was dressed in the
boots, and the jeans,

and the Western shirt.

And it was important to
Dusty to hand that to him.

That was his boy.

I'm just standing there holding
this Hall of Fame trophy.

And I thought it was the
greatest thing ever in my life.

Part of the reason I
went on this vision quest

with Amateur Wrestling
and had such success,

I loved that we were
together with wrestling.

Eventually, I fell in
love with pro wrestling.

There was nothing else that
I would ever want to do.

I want to thank my children,
Teil, and Cody, Kristin,

and Dustin Rhodes.

You want me to elaborate?

It wasn't on my radar, honestly.

I just-- I wasn't there.

And then grow up,
you see what truly is

important to you in your life.

After not speaking to
my dad for five years,

we go with Barry
Windham to Jacksonville.

And I pull up in
the parking lot.

And Barry says your dad is
here, you know that right?

I'm like, OK, whatever.

He walks up to me.

And I don't know what to expect.

And he walks up.

And then at the last like six
feet, he walks a little faster.

And he puts his--

he basically tackles me.

And he hugs me.

And I hugged him.

And we hugged and
didn't say a word.

Immediately, everything that
was on his shoulders and mine-

dropped.

I was little.

So I know that there were
issues of pops and dad.

But there was never
anything bad that I knew of.

I didn't learn about that
until I was much older.

But he was so happy
that he was back.

And I don't think
that either of them

wanted to think too much
about what happened.

They just want it
to be over that.

He loved us all the same.

He really did.

And that was a hard
lesson for a young--

going into his teenage
years me to learn.

But my dad wanted his son back.

That was it.

This is where the big boys
play, let me tell you something.

There is no better anywhere
in the world than WCW.

As head of creativomething br

than most people saw when
he looked at the wrestling

product.

He got him in a Power Slam.

We got it!

Simmons got it!

Simmons has won the match.

Simmons is the champion.

He worked for Ron Simmons to
be the first Black champion.

He was pretty true
to this vision that

made it possible
for us to expand

this idea of the American dream.

And that right
there just tells you

a whole lot about Dusty Rhodes.

Dusty was the guy
to step up front

and say, no, this is the guy
who should be our champion.

Opportunity knocks
for WCW, the showcase

of professional wrestling.

But Dusty had a
hard time adjusting

to a corporate environment.

Dusty just really
didn't do the best

with not being his own boss.

And he had his
hands in cuffs a lot

because of the corporate
structure of Turner and World

Championship Wrestling.

But Dusty was a part
of the team that

was finally beating WWE from
'96 until about the end of '98.

That was a fun ride.

And then Vince McMahon started
to turn it around again.

That was less fun.

And ultimately, led
to the end of WCW.

I think at that point,
Dusty was kind of just done.

One of the things about growing
up in a culture of poverty,

it instills within you a
value of being really present

oriented.

He never had that ability
to look to the future,

to plan for the future,
to prepare for the future.

My dad's motto was always if I
have one dollar in my pocket,

I'm spending two.

Spend your money,
you'll make more later.

You don't need to do that.

Don't do that.

My dad always said, you
come through life one time,

you might as well
pass by on a Cadillac.

And buddy, I passed
by a Cadillac.

Overspending, got
behind the IRS.

I'm talking about a
dollar in my pocket.

We were very broke.

And he did everything
in his power

to make it so that
we didn't know.

I do know it was incredibly
difficult on him and my mother.

I know that they
almost didn't make it.

My mom had gone back to
school to be a nurse,

and to get a job, and
to work in a hospital.

And I thought at the time,
she just wanted a career.

Her kids were older.

I didn't realize
how dire it was.

This is ECW!

Paul Heyman gave me a
job when I was broke.

And he knew I was on my ass.

The one, the only, the
American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

The worst part is where a
wrestler loses the business

completely.

He's used to being out
in front of a crowd.

Used to making a
consistent living.

It's not an easy ride when
you're down in wrestling.

It's really hard to pull
the nose back up on it.

He did some work for
Paul's promotion.

He did independent promotions.

And things were just
getting worse, and worse,

and worse financially.

Ladies and gentlemen,
it is now time

to induct the American
Dream Dusty Rhodes.

Please welcome his two sons,
Dustin Runnels and Cody Rhodes.

He didn't need a pit.

He didn't need a parlor.

He didn't need a shop.

All Dusty Rhodes
needed was a mic.

And one thing that he passed
in myself, my brother,

and my family is that
nothing or nobody

is bigger than this business.

I do remember Cody
at the Hall of Fame

and realizing right
then and there

that we had a future superstar.

Stay away from my dad.

You got a feisty one here.

What's the matter, Dream?

You can't stick up for yourself?

Even back then, you could see
that he had the Rhodes family

magic.

There is this respect
factor for this lineage.

At that point, I was
not ready for the mantle

of responsibility
that comes with being

a member of this family.

But he knew I was going
to make it on the level

that he had made it on.

Too often than not, some
of our old timers, some

of our Hall of Famers,
they get a bad rap

for not necessarily being
the best family men.

And I am here to tell you that
is a grave misunderstanding.

And if there was a Hall
of Fame for fathers,

you could bet he would
be in that one as well.

Our father, the American
Dream Dusty Rhodes.

[cheers]

When you go back and you
look at our industry,

you look at driving
down the road, night

after night, trying to
make a town, getting $25.

That's hard times.

But if I do that to make
it good times for the fans

that pay their money to see us
perform each and every night.

[cheers]

Wrestling industry is about
people brought really high

and then brought really low.

In that regard, Dusty Rhodes's
story is not exceptional.

But that he was able to
have another act after that,

that was incredible.

At the time, we
were trying to find

the next generation of talent.

And we knew that Dusty could
be very helpful with that.

It was so surreal.

Here's Dusty Rhodes interviewing
with me, like, of course, you

should have a job here, Dusty.

He was really excited to
develop and train our talent,

not only to be able to
perform in the ring,

but to be able to
cut a good promo,

to be able to tell a good story.

Dusty was really
the first person

to ever talk to me about promos.

There is an escape.

And I'm going to find it.

No matter what it takes.

We've cultivated a different
side of my personality

that I didn't know that I had.

Dusty was always
about being himself.

And he made me understand from
the get go that you're fine.

You're perfect the way you are.

I didn't feel like I belonged.

But Dusty loved his broken
toys, as he called them.

And he really took the
time to really nourish me.

When you think of the
great women's wrestlers

who have changed
the times, you have

to talk about the American Dream
Dusty Rhodes and his ability

to mold this
generation of talent.

A lot of people deserve credit
for it, without question.

But Dusty Rhodes is one of the
people who made that happen.

But don't do it all four times.

You know what I'm saying?

Just a little bit.

Just enough.

He loved that job.

He loved working
with those kids.

When he was coaching
at NXT, him and my mom

both seemed so much happier,
so much more settled.

Later in life, when I look
at their relationship,

she brought him to
a place that I never

thought he would ever be.

Just a deep appreciation
for family, and I

think he saw an opportunity
to right some wrongs.

What was important to
me was the relationship

that I had with
him at that moment.

He would call me
every single day.

He didn't like being an old man.

But he really did
like being a grandpa.

Being grandparents you
just do all the fun

stuff, which was kind
of his lane, anyway,

whatever you want all the
time, Christmas every day.

That was kind of his brand.

He was a great man who
circumnavigated through life

and found his path, and found
his way, and figured it out.

But no matter what, he still
wanted to go out and conquer

the world.

[crowd chants]

Having two sons
you are proud of,

two sons that you love
with all your heart

is what's best for business.

We recognized that we had
this amazing opportunity

to have Dusty, and Cody,
and Dustin all in the ring

at the same time and
have a storyline that

really did pit two families
against one another.

I mean, it doesn't get
much more real than that.

You can give this job to
your glorious baby boy,

the one who's always done
everything absolutely right.

Or you can give
this job to the son

that you neglected all those
years, traveling on the road.

Stephanie, you can
go straight to hell.

[cheers]

I was worried about him.

He was starting to
look really frail.

Stay down.

But he was excited to be in
the ring with both his sons.

It was a dream come true.

There is no length I will not
go to protect this family's

future.

And yeah, we're not
the perfect family.

Tonight, we fight for our lives.

Tonight, we fight
for our family.

My dad didn't like
being seen on camera

when he got older because he
didn't want to be remembered

as a fat, old man.

He wanted to be young.

The Dream is going
to stand in there.

And he got the belt loose.

It was the first
wrestling moment

I'd had in years where I
was like, this is great.

This is so good.

It was magic.

[inaudible]

Goldust.

It was crazy, crazy loud.

The people were all about it.

And the match was fire, man.

Here comes Cody.

Cody Rhodes.

Me and Dustin are
in there, trying

to have this five star classic.

And it is.

You can feel the tension.

You knew it was special.

But the crowd literally
comes up off their feet

when he threw his
hat at Dean Ambrose.

It's the American Dream.

Come get you some right here.

Yo!

The American Dream.

Funky like a monkey.

Dusty Rhodes has got
this place standing.

Do you believe in miracles?

He did what he does best.

He drew people in
and made them feel.

And he's the best at that.

Goldust.

It's up to you, Cody.

Cody's got him!

Crossroads!

Crossroads!

This is for your family.

The Rhodes have done it.

The Rhodes have done it.

Cody Rhodes and Goldust.

The Rhodes family is home again.

The biggest victory
in the history

of this legendary family.

I play it back in my head, and
I wasn't feeling really well.

I was dealing with some
issues, fighting them off.

But my God, it was just amazing.

It's something that
I will never forget.

It was a very huge moment.

It was like watching
this great performer

have one last stand,
one last moment.

That was the one and only
time the Rhodes were a whole.

And I didn't know
that that was it.

He loved this place.

He definitely did.

Yeah.

Look, we have some
friends today.

Always the longhorns.

I never told you this story.

But he got me a cattle chart.

And I studied it.

It was probably this big.

And it had every Charolais.

It had--

Oh my gosh, I think
I remember that.

I had to learn every
breed of cattle.

Oh my God.

And he tested me
on it constantly.

I think, secretly,
he wanted me to be--

He wants you--

Some bull rider or some [bleep].

Yes.

I miss him, honey.

I know, sweetie.

I know.

I go to this event in New
York and everyone's there.

And when I seen Dusty,
I couldn't believe.

He'd probably lost 60,
70 pounds at that time

from what I knew him as.

Something was going on.

But he never told
me what it was.

He was having these
mysterious signs of illness.

But he hated doctors.

And he felt like if he
didn't go to the doctor,

he wouldn't get sick.

It's like he hadn't
aged in forever.

And then it was like
all those years just

beating his body just
did catch up with him.

Tonight, I wined and dined
with kings and queens

and slept in alleys and
dined on pork and beans.

Dusty, thank you so much.

To see him kind of fall apart
in front of us was hard.

I didn't know yet just how
bad it was about to get.

One day, he woke up really
early in the morning.

He said, something's wrong.

And he collapsed.

He just collapsed.

I was frantic.

Doctor comes in and says
that he has an infection.

And it was just
eating his liver up.

I remember talking to the--

I said, y'all need to come.

You know, I got there.

And it just all went
downhill so fast.

He called Dustin
and I into the room.

And he asked if he could sit up.

And I couldn't pull
him up by myself.

And my brother stood on the
other side and pulled him up.

And as much as I'm
hard on Dustin,

there's not a better son.

I knew what that moment was.

He was awake.

So I said, are you OK?

Yeah, I love you.

And you know, I
said all my things

that I needed to say to him.

And he said them back.

And I go get Kristin
in the airport.

And I drive back and he had
already closed his eyes.

When I got to the hospital, he
was already in that state of--

he had already--

I mean, I didn't
get to speak to him.

So no, I didn't get to make it
there to have words with him.

He died.

It was 30 hours from
the time I called

the ambulance until he died.

It was awful.

It was just awful.

[music playing]

This week, this industry lost
a legend, the American Dream

Dusty Rhodes.

He gave everything he had.

It was his passion.

To everybody on this
stage, we lost family.

[bell rings]

It's over.

Dusty Rhodes has
achieved victory here

in Madison Square Garden.

The winner and new World
Heavyweight Champion,

the American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

[bell rings]

He hated funerals.

But I do think he would have
been touched by all the people

that came.

These giants that
you grew up with.

And you haven't seen
them in so long.

And they're all there.

I've always been impressed
with how revered he was from--

even from the old days.

I would go to events
and I would just

watch wrestlers ask
him for his advice,

I mean, internalize every word.

I miss him terribly.

But I know he is
not in pain now.

And now, I guarantee
it, he's getting funky

like a monkey with
the angels in heaven.

His professional
identity, it claims

so much of who we think he is.

But no, it's a minuscule part.

This is a cowboy of
the Old Republic.

He's a master orator
who spit fire.

But if you posed the question
to him, fame or family,

it was always family.

I was there at the end.

And the last thing he said on
this Earth was my mom's name.

And I'm glad they got that.

The important parts
of our lives were not

the wrestling or any of that.

We had a family.

We had a life.

And Dusty gave us a good life.

[cow moos]

Come on, baby.

God, you just sounded like
dad when you said that.

He loved this.

There's a special place
out there where he visited.

It's just a field with
a lot of longhorns.

And we thought it would be the
perfect place to lay his ashes.

What happened to the
little cross that was here?

It was right there.

We had to hang it up high.

So yeah.

I'm good.

Good.

I, of all the siblings, spent
the least amount of time

with my dad.

And when you don't
get that closure,

and when you don't get
that time, it's not easy.

But there was no question in
my mind that I loved my father.

And that my father loved me.

He knew.

He knew.

He knew.

We had differences.

But I always loved him.

It is very important to
me that we, as a family,

come together and uphold our
father's legacy because it

means something to this world.

It does.

Just one mystery remains.

Who will stand across
the WrestleMania ring

from Seth "Freakin" Rolins?

We know it's an opponent--

My dad, it's more difficult
because he won't see it.

But his thumbprints is all over.

Who's it gonna be?

[music playing]

My dad taught me so much.

And at this stage in my
life, at 53 years old,

it is all about giving back.

What's up kids?

And I'm proud to teach
the future superstars.

Cody Rhodes.

This is surreal.

High above the clouds,
a son of a plumber

is grinning from ear to ear.

I had the best
education in wrestling.

I can confidently say it's
because I was Dusty's son.

When I see a change in them and
they get it for the first time,

and you see it on their
face, that's the payoff.

It's the payoff for me.

[inaudible]

He would love this.

He would be so proud.

I know he is.

Bionic elbow, like
the American Dream.

I, in this moment, feel
really connected to my dad.

That, I know he's there.

[crowd cheering]

This is a great one, too.

What's that face?

That's about it right there.

Look at those stirrups.

He was trying to
prove to his dad.

No wait, what's the story?

Big Virgil cut him--

The story is that his dad
cut him from his own team.

I don't believe that.

The reality is, I think--

Maybe benched him.

Maybe benched him, yeah.

Yeah, I mean you got to
put your best hitters in.

Always a little bit of drama.

I've seen this one.

That was your coach.

Yeah, this is my coach.

So how was that
with dad coaching?

Great motivator.

Motivator, sure.

However, his defensive scheme
was genuinely very good.

So he had a second defense with
all the really overweight kids,

the Jumbo World Order.

And he made them
their own shirts.

That one is definitely
one of my favorites.

I know we need to pick one.

For the foundation.

We just have to pick one?

As we do the website--

The Little League field.

I mean, I like that one.

The Dusty Rhodes
Foundation is something

that my mom has started.

And it's perfect because
one of the things

that encapsulated
dusty was youth sports.

We've already given some money
away to a baseball program

in North Carolina, which is
an underserved community.

And we want to continue
to partner with them.

But we want to do all
the places that dad lived

and hopefully grow.

I mean, and it all
stems back to here,

in here is what he didn't
have, what he wanted.

The rules are everyone
needs to be involved.

We'll all do it together.

And that's maybe his
last wish, in a way,

that everyone get along and
everyone carry this legacy

forward.

When I was a kid, we
one day said, you're

going to be the American Dream.

You're going to fill a building.

There's going to
be millions come

to see the American
Dream, the greatest sports

attraction in the world today.

And that's true.

And you know it's true.

I am number one at what I do.

And it's going to be a good
while, a long time, that I'm

going to stay number one.

From Austin, Texas weighing
280 pounds, Dirty Dusty Rhodes.

The fact that Dusty Rhodes
is still influential

says something about
his cultural resonance.

As long as people
are struggling,

they will look to the
American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

Ask yourself was it
worth the damn pain?

Was it worth the pain?

Dusty Rhodes did it better
than all of us before us.

Oh, the bear hug.

When I went down,
reaching up, the finger

went up, that's Dusty Rhodes
all day long, brother.

I mean, when I was nine
years old, I saw him do it.

I stole it then.

I used it for 30
years in the ring.

We gonna get funky like a
monkey tonight, Teddy Long.

I learned a lot about having
fun from Dusty Rhodes.

You know what you can kiss if
you don't like what I'm saying.

Dusty had a way with people.

Dusty had a way with creating.

Dusty had a way
of talking to you

that would catch you off guard,
but also teach you a lesson.

Textile workers around this
country are out of work.

They've got four or five kid.

Can't buy them food.

That's hard times.

That's hard times.

Greatest of all time.

We sold out everywhere.

He had a lot of respect from
a lot of people and deserved.

The greatest sports
attraction in the world today,

the little plumber's son
who come out of the ditch

and became so sweet.

When you measure
the whole work, I

don't think there'll ever
be anybody to even come

close to what he accomplished.

Do I think I have lived the
American dream is the question.

I would say I have.

How do you, the man,
want to be remembered?

In the end, a good father.

That's the most important
thing to me is a good husband

and a good father.

And that's the way I feel.

Peace out.