10 Moments You Can’t Believe WWE Left On The Network
8. Jerry Lawler Gets Homophobic
The initial presentation of the Goldust character is heralded as something more challenging and interesting than his ultra-gimmicked New Generation peers, and that isn't untrue.
But he was depicted as being awful for his predatory advances - and equally as awful for who those advances were directed towards: men. Ahmed Johnson half-killed him for kissing him while he was unconscious, an angle which hovered too closely over the line. Yes, Goldust was an unwelcome sexual predator - but if for example Sunny had stolen that kiss, there's little to no chance Ahmed would have cared.
As bad as that was, Jerry Lawler's reaction to him was far worse. Ahead of their King Of The Ring first round match on the May 26, 1997 RAW, Jerry Lawler was revolted at the prospect. "It seems our sissy friend is having a little identity crisis. First he was Dustin Runnels. Then he was Goldust. And now he wants to be the King Of The Ring. We all saw you out here, with tears running down your face, wonderin' why your old man - Oldust - don't love you any more. Well I know Dusty Rhodes, and he told me why. It's because you married the biggest gold digger in Georgia, then you put on a woman's wig, then you went around the ring kissing men like a flaming f*g."
It was awful stuff. An argument can be made that we shouldn't retrospectively censor art to align it with the ethics of the current climate - but this wasn't art. It was and is something beyond the pale.
But don't shed too many tears on Goldust's behalf...