10 Times Unlikely Wrestlers Stole The Show

1. Goldust - WWE Battleground 2013

Goldust Battleground
WWE.com

"Goldust - he's never looked better!" JBL was prone to bellow on commentary throughout the latter half of 2013. Defining irony, JBL achieved the opposite of the intended effect: meant to put Goldust's awesome and uplifting career renaissance over, the constant bluster only served to annoy, rather than persuade, the audience. Or at least it would have, had Goldust not drowned out the braying with his self-evident brilliance.

A performance entered well over a decade after Goldust had succumbed to personal demons - and been written off - this, despite the paint, was a Dustin Rhodes match, in that the family was framed as a united front fighting for themselves. Goldust also travelled back in time, back to the early '90s, as a slender, dynamic house afire babyface. The athleticism was a glorious and welcome surprise, the timing and the emotion driving it the work of an old pro. After a stellar performance in the Ricky Morton role, Cody tagged in Goldie, who removed the crowd from their seats with a rapid display of high-flying (!) before compelling them to place their hands over their mouths by hurling himself out of the ring with gusto to commence Roman Reigns' cutoff spot.

Goldust commanded a louder reaction on the night than Daniel Bryan. He - sigh - had never looked better.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!