How Good Was Dusty Rhodes Actually?

When talking about influence and lasting legacy, Dusty Rhodes is a major player. When it comes to drawing dollars, The American Dream’s standing is a little more complicated.

There’s no doubting that Dusty Rhodes could draw a house wherever he went. As a regional draw for Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA, Rhodes and The Horsemen would be able to sell tickets by the truckload everywhere. However, Dusty existed in the time of a golden age of regional wrestling and doesn’t really feature as a man who drew money by the million.

So many of the stars that Dusty feuded with in the territories would go on to have success on a major level. The Road Warriors had major success under Vince McMahon as The Legion of Doom. Ric Flair was a top star for both WCW and WWF in the '90s and 2000s. Even someone like Lex Luger (who joined The Four Horsemen in the NWA while feuding with Dusty) had the WWF put the weight of their machine behind him in the aftermath of Hulk Hogan leaving the company. Luger didn’t really draw when given that spot, but he was still given a level of global exposure that Dusty Rhodes never got the chance to enjoy.

Vince McMahon had the opportunity to inject what had worked so well in the territories into his product, but instead decided to put Dusty in polka dots and keep him away from any major title shots. What would have happened if Dusty was given his original gimmick and the opportunity to take over from Hulk Hogan instead of Ultimate Warrior is merely speculation, because Vince McMahon decided that wasn’t the way to go.

For these reasons, Dream was only ever an American draw. It’s great that his legacy and influence are highlighted by WWE today, but they failed to put the weight of the machine behind him in 1989 when he could have been a major draw. As such, he’s not a major player when discussing the biggest draws in wrestling history.

5.5/10