http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1hK-oxxiE8 Starting in late 1995, the WWE would be exposed to "the bizarre one" and they would never, ever forget his name. Much like Waylon Mercy, Goldust debuted in a time of some terrible gimmicks. At first glance, the Goldust character looked like he may be a flop as well. After all, it was Dusty Rhodes' son in a golden tux, with matching face paint and some black lipstick. Oh, and he also liked to whisper and caress his own body while making strange voices. Imagine trying to pitch that to him as a gimmick! But Dustin liked the idea, and went all in on the act. Despite how goofy it could have been, there was something in his dialogue and delivery that was strangely compelling. We were first introduced to Goldust sitting high above the hills of Hollywood looking down upon the city he idolized. He warned the top stars of the World Wrestling Federation that he was coming. The videos were done in one shot, but masterfully acted. His impending debut left a feeling of unease, and mystery to what he was going to do. Those original vignettes from 1995 helped create one of the longest lasting, and most brilliant characters that the company has ever created.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com