10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Dusty Rhodes

9. He Was Legitimately Over Outside WWE's Bubble

If it's true that the tweaking of his persona was a rib at his expense, it's probably because Dusty Rhodes was one of the most over pro wrestlers in North America during the entire decade of the 1980's. Even today, watching the man's infamous 'Hard Times' promo on YouTube sends a shiver up the spine, because he had such a connection to the audience that it only highlights how dull promos can be by comparison in the modern era. An expert at hyping up a big match, Rhodes had a stellar feud with Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen in the 80's, and that's something which likely irked the McMahon family. Very few names can claim to have become legitimately massive superstars away from the WWE spotlight, but the likes of Sting, Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes can all claim that fact. It's somewhat startling to think that - certainly in the case of Flair and Rhodes - they performed better away from WWE's structure. True, pure emotion was what Dusty Rhodes brought to the table, and fans desperately wanted to see him vanquish the privileged Flair at every turn. Vince McMahon doesn't often enjoy giving other promotions praise, but the work Dusty did in the NWA/WCW was hard to ignore.