The magic of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is the stuff of lore. It is the story of a plumber’s son born from Austin, Texas, who rose to become one of the most famous wrestlers in history, a man who oozed personal magnetism, vanquishing foes with elbows and jiggles, his doughy arm raised in victory more often than not, blood clotting on his scarred forehead, blond, curly hair a sweaty mess. Virgil Runnels Jr. (October 12, 1945 - June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation, later known as WWE.
Besides being one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling - ever - he was father to pro wrestlers Goldust (Dustin Runnels) and Stardust (Cody Runnels). He also had two daughters, Kristin and Teil.
Rhodes leaves behind a different kind of legacy behind with the successes of his sons in pro wrestling. "I don’t serve anybody or do anybody good trying to be Dusty Rhodes Jr. There’s just a vast difference between the character that was the American Dream and Cody Rhodes, across the board,” Cody Rhodes told a New Brunswick newspaper in 2010. “I get asked if I’m adopted a lot.”
In a statement to E! News, the WWE said it is "deeply saddened" to lose the "WWE Hall of Famer, three-time NWA Champion and one of the most captivating and charismatic figures in sports entertainment history." The organization also noted that Virgil "became a hero to fans around the world thanks to his work ethic, his impassioned interviews and his indomitable spirit. Additionaly, Virgil worked as a backstage booker and producer in WWE's NXT developmental territory. The wrestler is survived by his second wife, Michelle Runnels, his two sons, Dustin and Cody, and his two daughters, Teil Runnels Gergel and Kristin Runnels Ditto. The cause of Virgil's death was not disclosed.
Not long before his passing, Virgil spoke about his legacy with The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast. "When I became 'The American Dream' they needed a hero down here," he recalled. "I had no money. I couldn't buy a car without being tied under, but I had to have a Cadillac with blue stars on the hood no matter what it cost, because just driving in it will set how they look at me and perceive this guy. They'll know. The first time a truck was ever driven into a building, it wasn't a beer truck.
Read also: Steve Keirn: Wrestling Icon
Rhodes was considered a star wrestler and presented the persona of an American everyman, the American Dream personified. Rhodes is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Rhodes was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and during his time in Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling, he was a United States Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time World Television, World Tag Team and World Six-Man Tag Team Champion. He also won many regional championships, and is one of seven men inducted into each of the WWE, WCW, Professional Wrestling, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Halls of Fame.
His sons, Dustin and Cody, both pursued careers in professional wrestling, currently performing for All Elite Wrestling and WWE, respectively. Following his retirement from wrestling, he made occasional on-air appearances on WWE television and pay-per-views and worked as a backstage booker and producer in WWE's NXT developmental territory.
Billed as "the son of a plumber", Rhodes did not have a typical wrestler's physique; his character was that of the "common man", known for the personality exhibited in his interviews.
After graduating from Albert Sidney Johnston High School in Austin, Rhodes played baseball and football at West Texas State (now known as West Texas A&M University). In 1967, Rhodes saw an advertisement in the newspaper for Tony Santos' professional wrestling promotion Big Time Wrestling based in Boston. Rhodes drove to Boston, and despite not having any wrestling experience, bluffed his way into working for the company by using his real life friendships with Bobby Duncum and the Funk brothers. Billed as Dusty Runnels, one of his first matches was for the BTW World Heavyweight title against champion Frank Scarpa in the Boston Arena.
Having little money, Rhodes slept in his car and spent Thanksgiving with Rufus R. Rhodes moved on to Fritz Von Erich's Texas territory World Class Championship Wrestling in 1968, at that time also called Big Time Wrestling. It was in Texas where Rhodes first adopted the ring name "Dusty Rhodes". Upon meeting Rhodes, Gary Hart suggested that he change his ring name to "Lonesome Rhodes", a character Andy Griffith portrayed in the film A Face in the Crowd. Rhodes reportedly replied: "Well ... I don't plan on being 'Lonesome'. I think I'll stick with Dusty."
Read also: "Pretty Boy" Larry Sharpe's impact on wrestling
Hart took an immediate liking to Rhodes and convinced Von Erich of the young wrestler's potential. Rhodes did not have a typical wrestler's physique, but he was well known for his personality, charisma and interviews. In 1974, Rhodes's character became a hero after he turned on tag team partner Pak Song and manager Gary Hart after Song accidentally hit Rhodes during a match in Florida against Eddie and Mike Graham.
On August 21, 1979, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes defeated Harley Race to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. His reign was brief - Race regained the title just days later. Following that, Rhodes continued to work in NWA territories (especially Florida and the Mid-Atlantic) as a top babyface. He eventually reacquired the NWA World title in later years (he became a three-time champion overall) as his status grew.
By the mid-1980s, Dusty had begun transitioning into a behind-the-scenes role in Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) as a booker / creative force. He is credited with conceiving or helping name key “supercard” events and gimmicks (e.g. WarGames, BattleBowl) and popularizing what came to be called the “Dusty finish” - matches ending in controversial referee situations.
In 1983, Dusty Rhodes was the driving force behind the first Starrcade event (titled Starrcade ’83: A Flare for the Gold) under the NWA/JCP banner. He helped originate the idea, named the show, and booked its matches. The headline was a rematch between Ric Flair and Harley Race, with the narrative of Race’s ruthless tactics and Flair’s underdog status establishing the drama. Starrcade ’83 was a success: it drew about 15,447 in attendance at the Greensboro Coliseum (plus closed-circuit audiences) and cemented the concept of an annual “supercard” event for JCP/NWA.
In 1977, Rhodes wrestled for Vince McMahon Sr.'s World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on and off for lengthy periods of time until 1983. During that time, Rhodes main-evented twice in Madison Square Garden, both times challenging for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship against reigning champion Superstar Billy Graham. He eventually began working as a booker and wrestler with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the Mid-Atlantic, which eventually purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW), formerly Georgia Championship Wrestling.
Read also: The Story of Chris Melendez
Rhodes also teamed with Magnum T. A. as "America's Team", who opposed the Four Horsemen and The Russian Team in 1985. They were one of the more dominant tag teams in the promotion until 1986, when Magnum's career was ended in a car accident. Subsequently, he teamed with Nikita Koloff as The Super Powers.
Rhodes had feuds with Abdullah the Butcher, Terry Funk, Kevin Sullivan, Blackjack Mulligan, Nikita Koloff, Harley Race, Superstar Billy Graham, "Crippler" Ray Stevens and, most notably, The Four Horsemen (especially Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard). Rhodes, Flair and Race fought each other many times over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Rhodes won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times; twice by defeating Race and once by defeating Flair. During a taping which took place at The Omni on September 29, 1985, Rhodes would save Flair from a beatdown at hands of Ivan and Nikitia Koloff and Krusher Krushchev, only for Flair to then turn on Rhodes and have Ole and Arn Anderson assist him in breaking Rhodes's ankle; this also forced Rhodes to vacate his NWA Television Championship.
First of all, I would like to thank the many, many fans throughout this country that wrote cards and letters to Dusty Rhodes, The American Dream, while I was down. Secondly, I want to thank Jim Crockett Promotions for waitin' and takin' the time 'cause I know how important it was, Starrcade '85 it is to the wrestling fans, it is to Jim Crockett promotions, and Dusty Rhodes The American Dream. With that wait, I got what I wanted, Ric Flair the World's Heavyweight Champion. I don't have to say a whole lot more about the way I feel about Ric Flair; no respect, no honor. 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 auto workers are out of work and they tell 'em to go home. And hard times are when a man has worked at a job for thirty years, thirty years, and they give him a watch, kick him in the butt and say "hey a computer took your place, daddy", that's hard times! That's hard times! And Ric Flair you put hard times on this country by takin' Dusty Rhodes out, that's hard times. And we all had hard times together, and I admit, I don't look like the athlete of the day supposed to look. My belly's just a lil' big, my heiny's a lil' big, but brother, I am bad. There were two bad people... One was John Wayne and he's dead brother, and the other's right here. Nature Boy Ric Flair, the World's Heavyweight title belongs to these people. I'mma reach out right now, I want you at home to know my hand is touchin' your hand for the gathering of the biggest body of people in this country, in this universe, all over the world now, reachin' out because the love that was given me and this time I will repay you now. Because I will be the next World's Heavyweight Champion of this hard time blues. And Ric Flair, Nature Boy... Let me leave you with this. One way to hurt Ric Flair, is to take what he cherishes more than anything in the world and that's the World's Heavyweight title. I'm gon' take it, I been there twice. This time when I take it daddy, I'm gon' take it for you. Let's gather for it. Don't let me down now, 'cause I came back for you, for that man up there that died 10-12 years ago and never got the opportunity to see a real World's Champion. And I'm proud of you, thank God I have you, and I love you.
The promo apparently resonated with wrestling fans so much that people came to him in arenas in tears to thank him for "honoring their plight". Rhodes is often considered to be one of the most innovative and creative bookers in the history of professional wrestling. As previously mentioned, his work in the development of "supercards" and gimmick matches did much to enhance the quality of entertainment and move the industry forward, as evident by other major promotions following with their own major cards and gimmicks.
At the same time, however, he and JCP had an "old school" philosophy that did not bode well with the changes that were brought with fast moving media such as cable TV, etc. Meanwhile, in late 1988 during the acquisition of Jim Crockett Promotions the duo of Mike Graham and Steve Keirn were attempting to revive the dormant CWF Championship Wrestling from Florida territory. Once Dusty departed from WCW they reached out to him, and ultimately partnered to launch the new Professional Wrestling Federation in February 1989.
Rhodes had larger visions for the fledgling regional territory, which included a name change from FCW to the non-regional PWF. Dusty Rhodes made his debut for the company on March 4, 1989, at an event in Titusville, Florida, when he teamed with Steve Keirn to defeat the duo of The Big Steel Man and Dick Slater. A week later at the PWF Homecoming event in Tampa, Florida, he pinned Big Steel Man to become the first PWF Heavyweight Champion.
Later that spring as the PWF began to grow Rhodes received a surprise backstage visit from Bobby Heenan, who inquired on the state of the company's business. Shortly thereafter Vince McMahon reached out to Rhodes and made an offer to acquire the PWF as a developmental territory and to bring Rhodes into the WWF. He refused, as his desire was to grow the territory into a national brand that could compete with WCW and the WWF. However the Professional Wrestling Federation's backers did not have a desire to fund the company at a level necessary to enhance the territory further.
Nine days after his final PWF match, Dusty Rhodes made his untelevised debut at a house show on May 29 in Montreal, Quebec. Substituting for Jake Roberts, he defeated Ted DiBiase. Promotional vignettes began airing, the first coming on the June 3rd edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling with Rhodes appearing as the yellow polka-dotted "Common Man" Dusty Rhodes, a gimmick some felt was intended to humiliate him due to his synonymy with the rival JCP/WCW. Rhodes was introduced to WWF audiences through a series of vignettes in which he would gregariously and enthusiastically perform working class roles (including that of a plumber, butcher's apprentice, gas station attendant, taco cook, trash collector and pizza delivery man), eventually being recognized by others at the end of the skit ("Hey!
Rhodes continued to wrestle DiBiase on house shows that month and was undefeated. He was pinned however on June 6 in a dark match against DiBiase at a WWF Superstars taping in Madison, Wisconsin. Many years later, this match was included as part of the WWE Unreleased: 1986-1995 DVD set. It was said that Rhodes was asked to lose in this match to test his willingness to put over other talent. Aside from this defeat, "The American Dream" remained undefeated against the upper-level heel. Rhodes made his televised appearance on the July 22 edition of WWF Superstars; following a match between Big Boss Man and Jim McPherson he intervened to prevent Boss Man from using his nightstick against the defeated opponent.
Rhodes made his in-ring debut on the August 13th edition of Wrestling Challenge when he pinned Greg Valentine after his opponent was distracted by Ronnie Garvin. That month he began his house show series against Big Boss Man and was dominant, defeating the rulebreaker in every encounter. Rhodes scored his first televised win against Boss Man on the August 21 edition of Prime Time Wrestling. In October a Rhodes fan, Sapphire, began to be featured at ringside during his televised matches. Rhodes would eventually invite the woman to come in the ring and dance with her after a victory. She would become his manager and was named "Sapphire".
Having finished the year with just one untelevised loss, Dusty entered 1990 as a dominant force within the World Wrestling Federation. He competed in the 1990 Royal Rumble and eliminated Bret Hart before in turn being thrown over the top rope by Earthquake. After dispatching the Boss Man, he next became embroiled in a heated storyline with "Macho King" Randy Savage and his manager/partner Sensational Queen Sherri, who in turn found a rival in Sapphire. Rhodes began facing the former WWF World Champion on the house show circuit. As with Boss Man he was victorious in every encounter, although each would come by countout. On the March 25, 1990 episode of WWF Superstars he finally faced Savage in a televised encounter; Rhodes won via disqualification after Queen Sherri interfered.
Rhodes suffered a foot injury a few weeks later, leading to his temporary removal from the house show circuit and replaced by Roddy Piper. He returned on May 12 and resumed his house show series against Savage. This time his dominance was more profound as he started to defeat The Macho Man by pinfall around the country. This continued until June 3, 1990, when Dusty's lengthy undefeated streak was finally ended by Savage in West Palm Beach, Florida. Rhodes began teaming with Sapphire to face Savage and Sherri on house shows, resuming his winning streak and remaining undefeated. Later that summer Sapphire began to receive gifts from an unnamed benefactor during Dusty's televised matches. At SummerSlam Sapphire no-showed her scheduled match with Queen Sherri.
Later that night Dusty was scheduled to face Randy Savage in a one-on-one encounter; prior to the match Ted DiBiase announced that Sapphire had left Rhodes for The Million Dollar Man's money. Dusty immediately transitioned to a feud with The Million ... “I don’t think that it’s more important, but I think that being in the business for so long, there’s versions of Dusty that over time are kind of caricatures or not really who he was as a man. And I think that’s important to me. All the stories and all the Dusty lore that grows, that’s great. But there was also a real complicated, imperfect, but great man that I want people to remember those kinds of things about him. As a father, as a grandfather.
“I also think for Cody and Dustin, being in the business, sometimes it’s hard to separate that sometimes when you’re always having to talk about dad, Dusty stuff all the time. I also am protective because he kept a lot of secrets. He did not reveal a lot about the business, and he had a reputation of someone that was professional and someone that really cared deeply about the industry.
“They definitely have. When Cody and Dustin were tagging together as Stardust and Goldust there at the end, it’s not a trade secret that they were not getting along. My dad did not want them tagging together anymore. Dustin moved in with us when we were so little, and Dustin, I think was sixteen when Cody was born. And while he did live with us, they weren’t really close until they were forced to work together.
“But since All In and Dustin really being behind the scenes in the women’s division and coaching in that, they have gotten really close. There’s more of a tenderness there that I think, and I think it was always there because everybody loves Dustin. He’s so kindhearted.
Dusty Rhodes
While Dusty Rhodes is celebrated for his contributions to wrestling and his impact on his sons' careers, his daughters, Kristin and Teil, also play a significant role in his legacy. They represent the personal side of a man who was larger than life in the wrestling world. Their perspective offers a deeper understanding of Dusty as a father and grandfather, beyond the persona of "The American Dream."
Dusty Rhodes' influence extends beyond the wrestling ring. His charisma and connection with the audience made him a pop culture icon. His impact is still felt today, not only through his sons' wrestling careers but also in the memories and stories shared by fans worldwide.
Dusty Rhodes Family Tree
Dusty Rhodes' passing was a significant loss to the wrestling community and his family. The outpouring of support and tributes from fans and fellow wrestlers demonstrates the profound impact he had on so many lives. His legacy lives on through his children, grandchildren, and the countless people he inspired with his "American Dream" persona.
The wrestling world mourned the loss of a true icon when Dusty Rhodes passed away. His contributions to the sport and his unforgettable character continue to inspire wrestlers and fans alike. The "American Dream" will forever be remembered for his charisma, passion, and ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
Here’s a summary of Dusty Rhodes' career highlights and family:
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. |
| Ring Name | Dusty Rhodes, The American Dream |
| Born | October 12, 1945, Austin, Texas |
| Died | June 11, 2015 |
| Titles | 3-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion |
| Sons | Dustin Runnels (Goldust), Cody Runnels (Stardust/Cody Rhodes) |
| Daughters | Kristin Runnels Ditto, Teil Runnels Gergel |
| Legacy | WWE Hall of Famer, influential booker and trainer |
In conclusion, Dusty Rhodes was more than just a wrestler; he was a cultural icon, a loving father, and a mentor to many. His daughters, Kristin and Teil, along with his sons, carry on his legacy, ensuring that "The American Dream" will never be forgotten.