Original subtitles

I admit I don't look like the athlete

of the day supposed to look.

My belly is just a little big, my heart is just a little big,

but brother, I am bad and they know I'm bad.

He's just a common man,

working hard with his hands.

He is "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

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

and became so sweet.

But this son of a plumber was anything but common,

as he'd go on to inspire audiences for generations

with his gold hair, silver tongue, and polka dot outfits.

Don't talk about "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

I am the best, daddy.

There is no other.

Today, we get funky like a monkey, as we look back

at the legendary career of WWE Hall of Famer, Dusty Rhodes.

There is no greater star, there is no greater being,

ever, than Dusty Rhodes "The American Dream".

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

If you smell-

Oh, my God.

What the hell are you doing?

Absolutely unbelievable.

Hulkamania is here.

Welcome, everyone, to WWE's Greatest Moments.

I'm Michael Cole.

And on this edition, we are taking a look back at the

illustrious career of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

I don't do hard times.

I am the good time rock and roll man.

The self-described common man was not only a sight

to be seen in the ring, but he was also one of the most

captivating superstars to ever hold a microphone.

I'm gonna put this boot right up your booty.

A master wordsmith, Rhodes could win over any crowd

with his charm and relatability.

Who's your favorite wrestler?

Dusty Rhodes.

In 1977, Dusty's star would truly shine brightly,

as he implored audiences to simply dream.

It's a good time of year 'cause it's a new year.

The American Dream is spreading joy and cheer

in the new year, 1977.

I figured out right away I could sell more tickets talking them

in the building than actually what they were seeing

in the building.

It's about winning the Georgia Heavyweight Wrestling

Championship for my people, baby.

He's the only one with real meaning, 100%.

He was the-the white Muhammad Ali.

This is "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes,

the greatest rap master, the greatest wrestler,

the greatest super heavyweight.

The job of that interview, especially during

that day, was to talk people into the building,

was to sell tickets.

One of the greatest sights in the world

is the Atlanta arm man.

When I look at that interview,

he could do it better than anybody.

The thing is he's gonna feel The Dream when I'm there.

Dusty was a master at hyping up audiences everywhere

and made them feel any emotion he wanted to.

When you come out here and you mention Dusty Rhodes

"The American Dream" and you call him the legend, you say it,

brother, in reverence.

And when it came to getting physical, The Dream

could also back up those words.

Dusty Rhodes could fight, fight he did.

And one of Dusty's greatest adversaries was none other than

the NWA Television Champion, Tully Blanchard.

This right here says it all, doesn't it,

Dusty?

I'm the man.

It was at the Great American Bash, 1985,

where these two would lock horns in perhaps

their most brutal battle yet, inside a dreaded steel cage.

This is a Lights Out match, not sanctioned by the

National Wrestling Alliance.

Tully Blanchard, Great American Bash, he was fabulous.

I drew, actually, the most money with Tully.

He was the ultimate heel.

Blanchard with an elbow.

Dusty was so fun to beat up.

There was just a very good chemistry there.

When you can take all that personality that-that

Dusty had, and then when it gets down to dukes, and you can still

pay it off, that's when you know that you are a superstar.

Oh, Dusty caught him.

And that's what separates a lot of people,

and Dusty had that.

He had that ability to entertain you, but he also could get down

and dirty, fight, and do what he had to do.

Our new World TV Title holder, Dusty Rhodes.

There's only a couple of belts back then,

and that television title, it meant everything.

If one thing is true about the professional

wrestling business, it's that change is inevitable.

Oh, yeah.

Well, you know, I'm just- a common man.

Amongst these success stories was Dusty Rhodes.

In 1989, Rhodes would join WWE and show off a side of himself

that truly defined the term common man.

Welcome to Americana Butcher Shop.

We don't sell no soda pop,

but if you're looking for good beef,

this is the place to stop.

Men saw him as the common man.

So, we did vignettes.

I can do anything, 'cause I'm the ever-loving

Americana pizza man.

Make him that everyday man.

He was the pizza man.

He was the plumber man.

He was the gas man.

He was the taco man.

Dusty became every man.

I'm gonna show you my patented, trash man,

Americana hook shot.

All right, there it is, baby boy.

Yeah.

The scripts were pretty funny, I enjoyed 'em.

I really enjoyed 'em, because they were really off the wall

and kind of funny.

I did the first-ever Triple Potty Bypass.

With Dusty Rhodes, he basically spoke

from a working man's perspective.

Right here.

The baloney.

This is baloney, and we are full of it today.

People could relate to those vignettes.

Just got Dusty over that much more.

We got tacos, we got enchiladas.

What can I do for ya?

Yes, man.

Dusty was a person that could literally take

something and go, "All right, baby let's go."

Yeah.

Yeah.

Woo.

Dusty Rhodes was beloved by all,

and for good reason.

The 1970s were filled with flash and color.

This man, unquestionably,

a colorful individual.

And just like what the great Muhammad Ali

did for boxing-

Then this might shock and amaze you,

but I will destroy Joe Frazier.

Dusty Rhodes would sell out arenas nationwide

with just the words coming from his mouth.

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

I am the hitmaker, the record breaker.

With a microphone in his hand,

The Common Man spoke to the common man.

Mr. Soul, Mr. Charisma, Mr. Dusty Rhodes.

287 pounds of sweet soul.

I wanna get right down to what's going on.

Dusty Rhodes "The American Dream",

he was absolutely the top promo of all time.

The time has changed.

Now then, it's gonna be electrified funk and madness.

Can you dig it?

Electrified funk is putting a modernized spin

as times change.

It's not Muhammad Ali.

It's not a baseball team.

It's not a horse.

It is not anybody but me.

The one thing our father had was charisma.

That was unmatched.

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

at eight years old and became so sweet.

Charisma.

That's why Dusty resonated.

Can you dig it?

Incredible charisma.

That's a gift.

"I've wined and dined with kings and queens."

I've wined and dined with kings and queens,

but I slept in alleys and dined on pork and beans.

People are sitting at home going,

"I gotta go see Dusty Rhodes.

He's making me feel something."

You know where you can kiss if you don't like

what I'm saying.

I had that one element that you cannot give anyone.

Charisma.

You either have it or you don't.

And I had it.

That is Dusty Rhodes, 270 pounds of sweet, sweet soul, baby.

That is really the secret to his success-

is he really was The American Dream.

Dusty Rhodes had done it all in his Hall of Fame

career, but the one accomplishment that eluded

The American Dream was that of winning the WWE Championship.

The current champion, "Superstar" Billy Graham,

was a performer like no other.

Superstar and Dusty had explosive charisma.

When it came time to talk the talk, mouths shut,

and ears opened.

I am the greatest.

I am the strongest.

This is my belt.

I got the proof, baby.

1977, Rhodes looked to finish his own story

as he took on the Superstar for the greatest prize

in professional wrestling.

Here comes the biggie, the Worldwide Wrestling

Heavyweight Championship match.

The two hottest items in the country at the time was, uh,

"Superstar" Billy Graham and myself.

Wow.

He has had enough.

And the roar of the crowd now is for The Dream.

Here's Dusty Rhodes, "Superstar" Graham,

packing that place, standing room only.

Rhodes whipped to the corner, and the elbow of Graham.

Oh, but into the bear hug.

The deafening roar and the sound was amazing.

Rhodes catching him.

Graham now off the rope again.

Up.

Over.

Billy Graham has been counted out.

And they're all losing their minds,

and he's got the world title belt, and then no.

You don't get to keep that belt,

'cause you can't win by a countout.

The only time that the championship can change hands

is either by a pin or a submission.

The crowd was happy that Dusty won, but they were not

happy because the title didn't change hands.

The winner but not the new world champion,

Dusty Rhodes.

The match was over, and I would stand there and

didn't want to leave the ring.

Superstar, I've come a long way to whip your ass.

Now get out here, baby.

It's no secret that Dusty Rhodes is one of the

greatest superstars of all time and deserving of all the praise

he has gotten over the years, but his mark on this industry is

more than just his work on the microphone and in the ring.

It's his work behind the scenes as well.

Dusty Rhodes was a creative force like no other.

It was his brain that came up with the innovation known as

WarGames and The Great American Bash.

And even the cornerstone of WCW Starrcade.

A tremendous crowd is on hand for tonight's Starrcade.

It was at the 1987 edition of Starrcade where Dusty

would face a tough opponent in Lex Luger.

This, baby, is for real.

Dusty Rhodes would step onto the stage he created

as he took on Lex Luger for the United States title

inside of an unforgiving steel cage.

Lex Luger, it will be the total end

to The Total Package.

Lex Luger poses for everybody.

And take a look at The Dream.

You wonder why my ego is so big?

Yeah.

Because I'm Dusty Rhodes "The American Dream".

The name of the game for Dusty Rhodes

has always been resiliency.

He has always been able to bounce back, and even though

Luger's a great athlete, I think it favors Dusty Rhodes.

Dusty was a good guy, a babyface.

That really established me as a heel by cheating.

JJ, I need you to send the chair in.

Chair over the top.

The referee was there by Luger.

Got me a lot of heat.

Luger getting the chair.

Dream's got him.

Dream's got him.

Yes.

What an electrifying moment.

If your nickname is The American Dream,

winning the United States title, pretty important,

I would assume, to your legacy as the American Dream,

you know.

The American Dream is the new United States

Heavyweight Champion.

In the late 1970s, professional wrestling was

firmly in the grasp of one Harley Race.

The self-proclaimed greatest wrestler on God's green earth

had the credentials to back it up with an incredible 926-day

world heavyweight title reign.

You know damn well you can't beat me.

But all roads would lead to, well, Rhodes, as the

champ would defend his title against The American Dream.

Harley Race, I've just been to a lot of hell, jack.

And I'm not going to lose that world title.

You can bet all your world heavyweight championship

money on that, jack.

The largest crowd ever jammed,

Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, in Tampa, as Dusty Rhodes,

the challenger, is getting set to take on

the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, Harley Race.

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 could sell out the building with almost

anybody, and he'll have as good a match

as anyone on the card.

Dusty Rhodes, uh, continues to dominate

the situation.

Ladies and gentlemen, a new world heavyweight

wrestling champion.

He considered the world championship

to be the highest honor.

You can't get him to say that wrestling was fake,

and it's because it's not.

That moment wasn't.

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.

That moment, I was the champion of the world.

And I think that's what made that so great,

so great a moment for me.

This is an example for every man, woman, and child.

Get a dream, hold on to it, and shoot for the sky.

I have been to the mountaintop, and it will take a hell of a man

to knock me off.

Over the years, Dusty Rhodes proved

that he was more than just a common man.

He was also a trailblazer.

In the early 2010s, WWE introduced its brand-new

developmental system, NXT.

This would become the launchpad

for young up-and-coming talent to skyrocket to super stardom.

Behind the production training, booking, and mentorship of this

young roster was none other than WWE Hall of Famer, Dusty Rhodes.

Dusty's passion for the future of this industry

was palpable.

And when it came to NXT,

he always wore his heart on his sleeve.

All right, welcome to NXT right here

in Full Sail University.

I was with NXT at the time,

and I was there the night Dusty came out and spoke to the fans,

and he still had that charisma.

This is your house.

This is our house.

This is NXT.

Yeah, baby.

It was so powerful for all of us to have Dusty as our

commissioner, but what Dusty did behind the camera

was immeasurable.

Can you take it down-

Dusty was the heart and soul of NXT.

The way he spoke to you, the way he spoke about you,

the way he spoke about wrestling,

it just stayed with you.

And the success of NXT,

you talk a lot about it being done.

None of it could have taken place without Dusty.

Thank you, sir.

You're welcome, kid.

You won't regret it.

All right.

He definitely taught me a lot.

He was like a father figure to me when I was down in Florida.

He was the first person to just tell me to be myself,

and that that was gonna be good enough.

Dusty Rhodes was just somebody to push you and push

you and push you as a person and

just be the best performer that you can.

Let's get this party started.

If there's one quality Dusty Rhodes had,

it was how to reach audiences on an emotional level.

Dusty was a master at reaching into your soul

and getting you fired up.

He spoke to every race, color, and creed.

I'm the son of a plumber.

I was raised in Austin, Texas, and I never had anything

unless I fought for it, unless I scratched for it,

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

He wanted to let you know that we were all in this

together through the easy times and the hard times.

I don't have to say a lot more about the way

I feel about Ric Flair.

No respect, no honor.

He put hard times on Dusty Rhodes and his family.

The hard times promo, I lived it.

That's what made it so great.

Everyone's been through it.

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.

And one word led to another, to another, to another,

and it built, and it built, and it built, and it built.

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

30 years.

They give him a watch, kick him in the butt, and say,

"Hey, a computer took your place, daddy."

That's hard times.

Art becoming life, life becoming art.

His delivery of it is what makes it a masterpiece,

and it's because he believes in it.

And Ric Flair, you put hard times on this country

by taking Dusty Rhodes out.

And Dusty was able to bring it home in that one promo

to let you know that he felt what you felt.

And you wanted him to win for that.

Let me leave you with this.

I will be the next world's heavyweight champion

on this hard time blues.

It is now time for our number one moment,

and it's one that remains in the minds of long-time

professional wrestling fans for the last four decades.

There were no more polar opposites in literally every

category than "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and longtime

NWA World's Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair.

Flair was pompous, boisterous, and arrogant.

It's a fact that I live a lifestyle never,

ever equalled by any other man.

Rhodes was humble, kind, and a man of the people.

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

It didn't take long for these two to find each other

on opposite sides of the squared circle and have one of the most

riveting rivalries of all time.

But it was at the Great American Bash, 1986, where the only way

to settle the score was inside the confines of a steel cage.

When Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes wrestle,

the two greatest wrestlers in the world are colliding.

With me and Flair, you never knew

what you were gonna get.

You kept watching it.

They've wrestled so many times against each other before,

but it's always a new ballgame.

What a grueling match.

Both men have to be at the brink of exhaustion right now.

Oh, you know it.

We were the ultimate bad guy

and the ultimate blue-collar guy.

Dusty was the son of a plumber, I was the guy born

with a golden spoon, right?

Oh, he says he's got him.

Nope, count of two.

Dusty got right out of it.

Dusty and Flair had been going around

for several years, and the fans were really anxious to see Dusty

finally claim that big prize.

The fans are behind Dusty.

A small package has Ric.

Dusty Rhodes has just won the match.

Talk about the chase.

If you look in the furthest sections of that building

and people are losing their mind,

it's because they were in on the chase with him.

And new World's Heavyweight Champion,

"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

Let's breathe now as an audience

and a fan of Dusty Rhodes.

He became World's Champion again for the second time to give them

hope it can happen.

Dusty Rhodes has left an indelible mark

in professional wrestling as well as fans worldwide.

Who would have thought that a common man,

the son of a plumber, could have made such

an incredible impact and plant the seeds

for this industry for generations to come?

Well, that'll do it for this edition

of WWE's Greatest Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at

"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.