RedRooster Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 From the Observer: Quote Dustin Rhodes announced Saturday evening that 2023 will be his last year wrestling. Rhodes made the announcement at Saturday’s Blizzard Brawl event for Great Lakes Championship Wrestling. Rhodes is currently signed to AEW. I was mulling over posting this in the AEW Dynamite thread, but given how remarkable Dustin's career has been, I think it merits its own thread. I've absolutely loved his run in AEW, and I'd go as far as to say he's been underutilised. It's a shame that we'll likely never see him team with his brother again, but I really hope Tony Khan gives him the final run he deserves. What a story they could tell by making his final year all about his quest to win his first World title (and not the fucking ROH title, have him face off against MJF at some point.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 Sadly my first thought was that I've been quite disappointed with his AEW run and they could've done a lot more with him. It's a tough one as obviously their roster is massive and they're trying to build future stars but knowing how capable he is, it would've been nice to see a little more from him. But what a great and varied career he has had. Always one of my favourites. Well I say always. Maybe not during Black Reign but still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 He's had some of the best matches of his career in AEW, one of the greatest comeback stories in wrestling but I have to agree that they could have done more with him, if he actually wanted to do more onscreen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gmoney Posted December 5, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted December 5, 2022 (edited) Dustin vs Cody is still probably the best match in company history. Exceptionally talented wrestler. Other than Russo era WWF or WCW, you're pretty much guarenteed a very decent match from him though his career. Edited December 5, 2022 by gmoney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinity Land Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 (edited) Without completely rewriting history. At the very least Natural Nightmares never should have happened. Dustin in a mentor role to one of AEW younger talents would have been a good dynamic. It was wasted on a partnership with QT. Edited December 5, 2022 by Infinity Land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted December 5, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted December 5, 2022 He's apparently got absolutely knackered knees and a few other things needing surgery, so I assume it's been a conscious choice to be less of a featured talent in AEW, and I assume that when Cody was around and the EVPs were still all in this weird position of consistently booking themselves to lose or to wrestle in the midcard so as not to look like they were abusing their position, Dustin purposefully wasn't booked as a major star so as to avoid allegations of nepotism. It's a shame, because given how much Brandi and the notion of the "Nightmare Family" were a part of Cody's act, Dustin should have had a fairly regular gig as Cody's second, someone to put over his opponents and get heat on them. I know they did that a couple of times, but it could have been a better and more involved role. Beyond that, I honestly think - if he was healthy enough - that he'd have warranted a brief World Title run off the strength of his match with Cody, as something of a "lifetime achievement award" run, but that time has been and gone and it would be difficult to heat him back up to that point. There were always potential spots on the show for him that never really panned out as they should have, which is the story of a lot of his career. He was someone who, when healthy and sober, was easily good enough to be World Champion, but the timing was never right - whether his own health, injuries and "personal demons" got in the way, or bad creative, or just consistently working places where, as good as he was, there was a main event scene that was even stronger above him. It's not difficult to picture a world where a version of Goldust held the WWF Title in the late '90s, or where Dustin Rhodes got a cup of coffee with the WCW Title in '93, or got something like Jarrett's WCW run in 2000, it just consistently never panned out that way. Hopefully this most recent run has allowed people who maybe didn't always rate him to recognise how great he really is, and I hope he gets an actual Last Run and a proper send-off rather than quietly disappearing from AEW without a mention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinity Land Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 People thought it at the time. Dustin should have won the Interim TNT title. Just imagine the title v. title ladder match between him and Cody as Cody's AEW swansong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted December 5, 2022 Awards Moderator Share Posted December 5, 2022 Give him the Dynamite Diamond this week and make sure that means he gets a shot at MJF. Build it up over a long time across the following months. Valiant losing effort, big farewell. Lovely. He’s been a bit up and down across the decades, but he’s had some great runs and matches. 2002 Goldust was a highlight of the whole company, his matches teaming with Cody against the Shield were a high point for everyone involved, and he’s done some great stuff in AEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted December 5, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted December 5, 2022 There's definitely a case for Dustin as the poster child for comebacks - he's managed to get written off as fat, jaded and past it more than once - MANY times, in fact. He's had a fair few reinventions, some good, some forgettable. But he's got a special place in my heart for being a guy off my favourite tape - Royal Rumble 91 - who's still at it. And what might be lost on those that haven't had the pleasure, he's a really sound guy in real life, as well as having a million stories to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted December 5, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted December 5, 2022 He was really fucking good right from pretty much the start of his career as well. Unlike someone like Erik Watts whose push was purely nepotism, Dustin clearly had it and warranted being a featured player in early 90s WCW. Watching stuff from 91-93 for example, he was already fantastic and he was only in his early 20s at the time. Yet he never looked out of place in there next to the likes of Barry Windham, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Ricky Steamboat, Larry Zbyszko and so on. The ‘Natural’ nickname he had at the time was very appropriate. I’ve seen nothing of his AEW stuff other than that Cody match, which was brilliant. But it’s great to read that he’s still been delivering the goods in there. What a career when you look back on it. I’m not sure who else could’ve carried the Goldust character the way he did, and looking at his career before 95, there wasn’t really any reason to think he could make it work as well as he did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBacon Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 Give Black Reign one final run. Myah myah myah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted December 5, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted December 5, 2022 There's that weird channel on Samsung TV that endlessly shows old TNA pay per views and I swear every time I put it on Black Reign is stinking up the joint, stumbling around, bursting out of the bin bag he's wearing. It's nothing short of incredible the comeback he made. If nothing else, there is a huge Dynamite main event to be had giving him one final shot at the World Title. Three or four weeks of promos? Jesus Christ. He and MJF could create magic together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gmoney Posted December 5, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted December 5, 2022 5 minutes ago, Supremo said: There's that weird channel on Samsung TV that endlessly shows old TNA pay per views What's this now?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted December 5, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted December 5, 2022 11 minutes ago, gmoney said: What's this now?! I’ve just double checked and it’s actually something called, “Rakuten TV,” that comes packaged with Samsung. Seems you can watch it via any device. Twenty-four-seven TNA, if that’s your bag. Great for background TV. https://rakuten.tv/uk/live_channels/impact-wrestling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBacon Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 Yeah, it's on the "TV" section of a Samsung smart TV (think the channel is just called Pluto Sport) and is an amazing mixture of shit. And TNA and Gordon Ramsay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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