You knew when news spread of Dusty Rhodes untimely passing that WWE would honor his memory in some fashion at the Money in the Bank PPV. Even when the booking is lacking, WWEs video packages have almost always been outstanding, and the video for the American Dream during the preshow did not disappoint. Clips of Rhodes more memorable promos, world title wins and battles with Ric Flair were juxtaposed with his post-in-ring career, including his work in NXT, his Hall of Fame induction and some other vignettes and interactions with todays generation. The video really captured everything great about Dusty, such that if you only knew him as the father of Goldust and Cody Rhodes, you gained a greater appreciation for him. But probably the most telling and heartwarming (or heart-wrenching, depending on your point of view) moments came after the video. Immediately afterward, they threw it back to Renee Young, who clearly was so shaken up she could barely get through her segment (they never showed her on camera). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npKZ-W5pUXE Then during the 10-bell salute to open MITB, you could see Seth Rollins and Paige front and center looking like they had been kicked in the gut. Both were the respective first singles champions in NXT, and Rhodes was a big influence down there, working with the young talent. Its likely that many of the younger wrestlers on the roster are just as shaken up as some of the veterans whove known Dusty for years.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
