Shattered Dreams: 25 Years Of Goldust

How do you feel about Goldust?

Steven Jackson: Goldust is a wonderful gimmick. Coming into wrestling at a time when characters were a lot more unoriginal, Goldust was the complete opposite. Dustin Rhodes really lived the character and the nods to Adrian Street and Gorgeous George added to the presentation. I really admire Dustin for taking it on and making it his own.

Chad Gelfand: Goldust is a character that, in the hands of almost anyone but Dustin Rhodes, would most likely fall flat on its face. However, Rhodes was able to dedicate and immerse himself so deeply into the Goldust character that he was no longer in the shadow of his legendary father Dusty Rhodes. He was able to be his own man in wrestling.

John Corrigan: The original Goldust character was brilliant with his love of old Hollywood and classic the movie quotes. His mannerisms made you think he swung one way, but then Marlena comes out to throw you for a curve. He was a master of mind games who instantly made you pay attention. Unfortunately, the character went through an identity crisis in the fall of ’97 until leaving for WCW. But when Goldust came back in 2002, he provided some much-needed comic relief during the Triple H reign of terror.

Jack Goodwillie: I like Goldust….the person, not the dust. You have to appreciate the fact he has been able to maintain one of the longest active careers in wrestling with no signs of slowing down just yet. He’s appealed to three different generations of fans. How many guys or gals can say that?

Do you wish Dustin Rhodes was able to bring the character to AEW?

Jackson: Not really. Sadly, Goldust is a WWE gimmick and works perfectly within the confines of WWE. Outside of that, Goldust (or nods to the gimmick) have never really worked, so I am pleased that Dustin has been able to carve a new character out in AEW.

Gelfand: The Goldust character has run its course beyond being anything but a nostalgia act at this point. Just being Dustin Rhodes in AEW is going to help prolong his career without his gimmick getting stale.

Corrigan: Yes. WWE was clearly bored with the Goldust character, as evidenced by rehashing the Booker T formula with R-Truth. Meanwhile, AEW has plenty of fresh blood on the roster and in management that could rejuvenate Goldust into must-see TV, pairing him with equally wacky characters like Orange Cassidy and Luchasaurus.

Goodwillie: Not really. It’s been the story of Dustin’s career. Goldust is a WWE character. It’d be like seeing Superman pop up in a Marvel movie. As a result, everywhere he’d go there’d be at least one attempt to create some sort of Goldust-adjace character. Remember Seven? How about Black Reign? What he lost sight of over the years was how being himself, the character-wrestling son of Dusty Rhodes, could also be an attraction. Thankfully, he got it right in AEW with his current character. As high a level he has performed at since debuting in AEW, it would have been nice to see that character at least a decade earlier.

What’s Goldust’s greatest match?

Jackson: Goldust and Cody Rhodes vs. The Shield at Battleground 2013. Seeing Goldust alongside his brother and late father, the wonderful Dusty Rhodes, was fantastic. The match itself with so much at stake made it even more exciting. Such a great dynasty moment.

Gelfand: Battleground 2013. The Shield vs. Rhodes Brothers with Dusty Rhodes in their corner was one of the most emotional matches in WWE history and was the perfect conclusion to a great storyline.

Corrigan: I liked everything about the Hollywood Backlot Brawl until they got in the ring. I also liked when BookDust won the Tag Team Titles at Armageddon 2002. But there’s no denying that the Rhodes boys vs. The Shield is Goldy’s best match.

Goodwillie: It might just be his match with Cody at AEW Double or Nothing 2019. Both guys did an excellent job of drumming up interest and building the match despite competing in an era where the top company in the industry wastes at least two and a half hours of television every Monday on hollow “storylines,” “angles” and throwaway matches. And the match itself delivered in spades. It had some old-school magic and a pinch of fairy dust that caused it to appeal to every kind of wrestling fan. If that’s just the recency bias talking, fine. The Hollywood Backlot Brawl with Roddy Piper made for great television, but to say it was a great match is debatable. Otherwise, I remember reading in some old PWI issues I got as a gift when I was 12 about how Barry Windham turned on Rhodes in 1992, seemingly triggering a grudge match. They did have one match together, and it was an outstanding six-minute brawl that unfortunately got a DQ finish and no follow-up. Such is WCW…

What’s your favorite Goldust moment/angle?

Jackson: The vignettes and segments with Booker T were always such fun to watch and a great laugh. His angle with “Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman, where Marlena was taken for Brian’s “services,” was awesome, too. If I have to pick one, the Brian Pillman segments probably win because of how risqué they were, and to a degree, still are now.

Gelfand: My favorite Goldust angle is the one that he did with Booker T. They were such an odd couple pairing, who played off each other so well. WWE tried to recreate it a few times with Team Hell No and R -Truth and Goldust.

Corrigan: King of the Ring 2002: Goldust, Booker T and The Rock have a hilarious segment. Goldust could hold his own comedically with The Great One and even had Booker T trying not to laugh.

Goodwillie: This one is much more interesting because Goldust was all about creating memorable on-screen moments, even if they didn’t necessarily all occur in the ring. Any time he got with Booker T was gold, pun intended. There was Darth Goldust and Obi-Book Kenobi, there was that time Goldust showed up at 7/11 and offered to exchange a sip of Booker T’s Slurpee for a bite of his “wiener,” or the time he interrupted Booker T’s hotel booty call with a Halle Berry lookalike by appearing in bed next to them because Booker T “returns no phone calls.” For one thing, their interaction was basic, yet effective comedy with Booker T acting as the straight man (pun unintended) and Goldust acting as the eccentric comedic foil. That dynamic also produced, whether it was intended to or not, an opportunity for Booker T to turn face for the first time in WWE. His interaction with Goldust caused him to lighten up and connect with the fans more, and their continued efficiency in the ring winning matches only reinforced the idea that Booker T was better off this way, having turned over a new leaf.

What’s Goldust’s legacy in pro wrestling?

Jackson: Goldust’s legacy is multi-layered. As a character, Goldust broke new ground by portraying a personality which would never have even been considered appropriate for wrestling in any era prior. As a performer, Dustin Rhodes showed everyone how (no matter where you are in your career) you can reinvent yourself by taking on a gimmick which can reignite your spot in the profession.

Gelfand: Goldust will be looked back on as one of the all-time great gimmicks, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the complete, utter dedication of Dustin Rhodes and his willingness to do anything for the gimmick, sometimes to his detriment.

Corrigan: One of the greatest characters of all time and one of the first androgynous characters on prime time television. WCW and TNA tried to duplicate it, but nothing came close to the original Bizarre One. He had all the ingredients for success: innovative introductory vignettes, a spellbinding entrance, cool attire, a great name and even a great name for his finisher. He also had versatility, going from serious to comedy, from heel to face, and his longevity is nothing to sneeze at.

Goodwillie: It’s probably two or three-fold. He is one of a couple wrestlers to show that you CAN have a Nick Bockwinkel-like longevity in wrestling, even in the modern landscape. He has also shown there’s more than one way to get over. Nowadays, the wrestling fans seem to be divided between a match-centric product and a character-driven product, but Goldust has gotten over in every way imaginable, which is something not everybody can say. As for the character itself, Goldust is the lone traceable contribution to wrestling Vince Russo has made. But in all seriousness, Goldust deserves a ton of credit for being a catalyst to the Attitude Era and for having the wherewithal to adapt and take the same character with the same conscious into the very different eras of wrestling that would follow. It takes a real talent and awareness to do that and Goldust is a talented guy.