How Good Was Dusty Rhodes Actually?

Dusty Rhodes' promo work is the stuff of legend. Speaking with the passion and charisma of a preacher, he turned fans into his congregation as the Dream always related to the working class. We believed Dusty’s words because he spoke our language.

All roads lead to Dusty’s legendary “Hard Times” promo. The words of this iconic promo are inspiring, but his delivery is transcendent. Dusty Rhodes made you believe that he shared your struggles, but on this one night on the road to his match with Ric Flair at Starrcade ‘85, he was going to put us on his shoulders and carry us to the promised land.

Forget wrestling, this is one of the most magnificent motivational speeches in history. Rhodes achieves what every world leader fails at on a daily basis, and that’s making people believe that they can overcome the hardships of their lives, that they are not alone, and that they can rise up to achieve the impossible. Even the line about employers giving their workers a watch and kicking them out the door because they've been replaced with a computer translates to the modern era, given the current state of employment and the rise of AI.

Also, do you know how hard it is to say that you’re about to “get funky like a monkey” and make it sound heroic? There are very few talkers in wrestling history who can hold a candle to Dusty Rhodes. There is simply no doubt that Dusty is on wrestling's Mount Rushmore when it comes to promos.

10/10