Speaking of the mid-90's, there are few more daring creative ideas than the one Vince Russo had in mind for Dustin Runnels. During his previous tenure with the WWF, and throughout his run in WCW, Dustin had been playing it relatively straight, his cowboy gimmick not being very far away from his real life. Set to make his reappearance back in the WWF in 1995 however, the man was tasked with playing the role of Goldust. Androgynous and drenched in Hollywood mystique, Goldust was one of the most polarising characters to ever come out of a WWF creative team meeting. For his part, Russo took it upon himself to really research the character, helping it stand out from the pack. It's a testament to how well Russo prepared the character, and how well Runnels performed under the guise, that people were genuinely freaked out by it. This was different, very different, but has been one of the most enduring characters in wrestling.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
