Dustin Runnels has said during shoot interviews that he didn't know what to make of the Goldust character when it was first presented to him. As a tough-talking Texan, Runnels likely thought he was being ribbed by Vince McMahon over the guise. On the contrary, McMahon was deadly serious, feeling the character would be controversial. An androgynous, deluded freak, Goldust existed in some sort of Hollywood-inspired world of his own creation. The gimmick was definitely unique, and Runnels had a love/hate relationship with it over the years. When he made his debut as 'Se7en' in WCW later, the man remarked that the idea almost killed his career. Incredibly, it also made him a bigger star than ever before. Embracing the idea from the get go in 1995, Runnels made Goldust wildly popular. There were questions over exactly what the character's motives were, using homophobia to get inside the head of his opponents. Known as 'The Bizarre One', Goldust remains one of the most mystifying gimmicks in history.
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.
