10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1991 Facts

5. The Rhodes' Left WWE Right After The Rumble

Royal Rumble 1991 Poster
WWE.com

By the fall of 1990, Dusty Rhodes was joined in WWE by 22-year-old son Dustin. Dusty's time as a full-time in-ring wrestler was nearing its end, while Dustin was looking to make his own mark on the business. In short order, he would have to do so elsewhere.

Both Rhodes' left WWE after the 1991 Royal Rumble, after losing to Ted Dibiase and Virgil in a tag team match. Though the bout is better remembered for Virgil's well-executed babyface turn in the post-match angle, it had far greater implications, as far as WCW was concerned.

The father and son would surface in Atlanta in short order, with Dusty making his grand return less than two weeks after the Rumble. Even before leaving WWE, Dusty knew he was getting lofty creative power in WCW, as Ole Anderson's Black Scorpion disaster limped to its end.

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Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.