If the face paint, the obscenely tight bodysuit and the elaborate entrance were not enough to warrant the bizarre label, the fact that Goldust played on the homophobic tendencies of society at large in the mid 1990s and regularly fondled his opponents most certainly did. In fact, everything about the Goldust character was bizarre, which led to the use of that word regularly for the first time in WWE history. He was highly controversial and changed the entire tone of Vince McMahons product. Gone were the days of clear-cut good guys and bad guys and in their place were more ambiguous characters and personae that captivated the audience. One such character was Goldust, who was highly sexual. Was that sexuality and the handsy nature of the character legitimate or was it merely his way of forcing his opponent into a place of discomfort, thus creating an opening for him to take advantage of? There were plenty of questions surrounding Goldust and that was part of his appeal. Later in his career, the bizarre nature of the character was amplified tenfold. He played the character for laughs, resorting to jokes and displaying tremendous on-screen chemistry with Booker T, whom he would go on to achieve tag team glory in 2002 as champions on Raw. An electrical accident resulted in Goldust suffering from a Tourettes-like disease, only adding to the peculiar nature of WWEs most bizarre character.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
