It's been said many times that Vince McMahon was poking fun at the success of the 'American Dream' character when Dusty Rhodes first entered the World Wrestling Federation. In fairness, it's not difficult to see why many people felt this way, because Rhodes hard-working common man gimmick was rather predictably taken in an altogether cartoon-like direction by the WWF. Vignettes were filmed showing Dusty working hard and - amongst other things - pretending to be a garbage man. His long time fans must have found this hard to stomach, but Rhodes himself would later assess that McMahon simply told him it was time to start having some fun. In this picture, Dusty looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. Surely, this marks one of the only occasions when a professional wrestling promo pic also featured a garbage truck. Unless Duke 'The Dumpster' Droese has some in his private collection, that must be a first. Free from the pressures of booking the NWA/WCW, Rhodes looks relaxed yet somehow utterly bonkers in this shot.
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.
