Dusty Rhodes exemplified what it meant to be a pro wrestler without having the body of an Adonis. Possessing a rotund figure that inhibited his athletic abilities, Dusty became a tremendous draw for WCW through sheer charisma and magnetism. His promos were so powerful and believable that you could not help but get behind him. Indeed, Dusty was the antithesis of the larger-than-life symbol of wealth and power that his archrival Ric Flair signified. Dusty was able to speak directly to the common fan (hence his gimmick of being a common man), and that allowed him to be viewed as hero to so many fans, who knew that they couldnt ever become someone like Flair, but felt a close personal connection to Dusty. Successful WCW shows that featured Dusty heavily included Clash of the Champions II, IV, XV, just to name a few. These were televised events, and even if Dusty wasn't always in the main event, he was one of the biggest reasons for so many thousands of people buying tickets and tuning in.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
