10 Things We Learned From WCW Magazine's Final Issue

7. Dustin Rhodes Had A Future In WCW

In 2001, Dustin Runnels (or Rhodes, as his character was called in WCW) had come through a hefty period of insecurity with his life, dealing with many personal problems which threatened to derail his entire career. Teaming up with his father, Dusty on TV, Dustin was portrayed as a proud working man, one who dearly loved the wrestling industry and wanted to fight his way to the top. In short, the Dustin Rhodes character was about as far removed from Goldust as you could get, and even further from the persona of Seven which Runnels had played briefly upon returning to WCW in 1999. It was an auspicious time for Runnels, but reading this issue of WCW Magazine reveals that the writing staff were looking to capitalise on his real-life troubles, making him a strong babyface character who could face up to his own flaws. Less than a year later, the Goldust concept was back in the WWF, surprisingly entering into the 2002 Royal Rumble match, but who knows where Runnels career may have went had WCW stayed afloat. According to this magazine, the sky was the limit.