What If: Dusty Rhodes

[TheOneBigWill]

This could become a weekly/monthly type of thread asking hypothetical questions. This beginning one would focus on Dusty Rhodes and "what if" he became W.W.F. Champion.

Lately, I've had a lot of time to lay in bed and watch more or less anything and everything. In the downside of why I was put in bed, the upside is it came at a decent time, as I also had the Summerslam anthology to watch. In doing so, this idea popped into my head.. and that followed with this question.. Why wasn't Dusty Rhodes ever the W.W.F. Champion?

If you've seen him from the late 80's early 90's you'll see that he got huge ovations, even Hulk Hogan like crowd pop and in my opinion, Dusty Rhodes could've easily been "The Rock" of that era. He was very quick on the mic, very witty and honestly a lot better on the mic than Hogan, Savage, or Warrior.. his in-ring skills weren't the best, but neither were half the Main Event talent.. so why'd Dusty never get a chance?

I think he could've really had a great shot between Wrestlemania IV & V (4 & 5) when Savage turned heel. Dusty could've feuded with the likes of Ted DiBiase, Rick Rude, Andre the Giant, and the Macho 'King' Randy Savage. I mean, he had most of those feuds anyways, so why couldn't he of just had them mean a little something more?

You can't honestly tell me Randy Savage did a better job than Rhodes would've as World Champion. Savage was barely receiving the type of crowd pop Rhodes got, so was it merely because McMahon wasn't happy with Rhodes' size?

What is everyone's opinion on this situation? Dusty Rhodes, W.W.F. Champion - missed opportunity, or correct decision to pass up on the chance. Explain why you feel what you do, add plenty of detail and depth.

 

[klunderbunker]

This to me is a very interesting possibility. Rhodes was always great on the mic as you said, save for that annoying Texas accent. His timing was great to say the least and he could outwit just about anybody. He and Macho had a great feud in I think 1990 that was second only to the main event feud so he was definitely a major player in the company at the time. However, I'm not sure he could have been more than a one or two month champion. In the NWA Dusty is almost divine, but in reality his longest title reign was less than 3 months. Whether that's attributable to Flair and politics or not is hard to say, but for soem reason he never got the big run that he seems like he should have. Rhodes being champion would have been a great suprise back then as Hogan had been the only face champion in almost ten years. Like you said his in ring ability was limited but Hogan was hardly the first coming of Dean Malenko. He could have been a good short term champion with his common man gimmick. It was less over the top than anything else at the time, so overall it could have been very interesting to say the least.

 

[jmt225]

I don't know man; for some reason, picturing that Pokka Dot version of Dusty Rhodes with the belt just doesn't look right to me.

Now, if we want to play "What if?" and I can say, "What if Vince brought in Dusty Rhodes and let him be the Dusty he was in the NWA?" then I'd say that version of him would've definitely made a fun WWE Champion, BUT I don't think I can't really see him getting the run The Ultimate Warrior did. You're comparing Savage and Dusty for some reason, but Dusty didn't join the WWF until the middle of Savage's reign. So if Rhodes was ever going to get a push to the title, he would've gotten it over The Ultimate Warrior, not Randy Savage.

You know though, this is a great question because picturing Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan headlining Wrestlemania 6 seems extremely intriguing for me, especially picturing the NWA version of Rhodes, but I'm not sure how well it would've worked out in the end. Rhodes vs. Rude following Wrestlemania 6 would've been fantastic, but if it were up to me then, I would take the strap off Rhodes and put it on Rude.

So bottom line, in my opinion, if Rhodes would've won the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania 6, I don't see it making a huge difference in WWE history, if any at all. The only thing interesting that would've came out of it is a bout between Rhodes and Hogan and maybe a long drawn out feud between Rhodes and Rude (which should've happened regardless, thinking about it), but other than that, I don’t think anything significant would've occurred had Rhodes become champion.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well Dusty's character in the WWF was a shame. His NWA run was one of the must successful ever, yet like so many others he was squashed in the WWF. Was it because Vince hated the rival wrestler, or he knew that someone like Dusty's character would never fit into the WWF. Dusty is before my time, so I am not going to say he wouldn't be a good WWF Champion. But the NWA was lifelike, the WWF was not. WWF had nothing for him better than what they gave him. He didnt have the Grand physique, He didnt have the flaboyance, He was a chunky well mouthed texan.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Honestly. It was the correct decision. Dusty was a superstar in the NWA. He just never seemed to fit in over in the WWF/E. Maybe it was the way they booked him, maybe it was because he didnt look the part in the first place. I'm not saying Dusty Rhodes isn't good, he was. It's just that he would have been really out of place fighting guys like Hogan, Savage, Warrior. In the NWA it was believable for him to be the World Champ, because those guys simply looked like him too. In the WWF/E however, everyone is presented as larger than life. I don't know it would have been awkward for sure. I think in the long run they made the right decision though.

 

[Big Fella]

Let me preface this by saying that I am a big Dusty fan, but I think Dusty's WWF/E run was about as successful as it could have been.

First of all, Dusty's in-ring days were about done upon arriving. His chances of going over a still popular Hogan and Savage in 1989 was highly unlikely. He would have had to be a heel if he was going to crack the main event picture.

Secondly, Dusty had been a fan-favorite for 15 years. A heel turn with his career winding down was unlikely.

Third, McMahon knew what he was getting. He didn't acquire Dusty Rhodes the main eventer, he acquired Dusty Rhodes the cartoon character. It wasn't Rhodes' in ring ability that prevented his assent into the main even picture. It was his build, his persona, his style. Rhodes was a bad-ass that bled if he had to, and could go 30-40 minutes in doing so. That just wasn't what the WWF main event picture was about.

He could have been that character opposite Hogan or Savage, but it was just easier to throw the dots on him and turn him into a mid-card face. The fact that Dusty got the dots over and had some appearances just under the main event on the card is a testament to his abilities.

 

[AnthonyM4]

If booked right, I think Dusty Rhodes could have been wwf champion, but they decided to make him a joke. Vince didn't like Dusty so with the way he booked him, there's no way he would have been a believable champion. I think the fact that he got any push at all because he made his gimmick work, makes his run successful enough, but it doesn't surprise me that he wasn't wwf champion and I don't think it was a mistake that he wasn't.

 

[Davi323]

Would you want a heavyweight champion that had a lisp? Seriously, and I am not trying to denigrate Dusty Rhode's wrestling ability at all, but, while his promo segments are entertaining, Rhodes does have a bit of a lisp, which doesn't come across right on TV. Cody Rhodes has a huge lisp as well. I don't know if its a physical defect or what, but, when you are the champion, you need to be vocal, and maybe something about the way Dusty talked just irritated Vince. I wouldn't want to hear Dusty talk about how he has wined and dined with kingths and queenths either, or that he ate pork and beanths.

He was a great brawler in the ring, if not a perfect physical specimen, but, honestly, I would have hated to listen to Dusty Rhodes promos as champion. The WWF would have been the World Wrethling Federation under Dusty. If any Rhodes could have successfully held the WWF Title, it would have been Dustin, not daddy.

 

[waylonmercy]

I think during the era Dusty Rhodes was viewed by Vince McMahon as a charismatic obese wrestler.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

It also doesn't help that he didn't book the matches in the WWE. In the NWA, he was booking most of the matches and angles back then. It's a wonder he was 3 time Worlds Champion, US Champion, and Television Champion. Dusty could draw. He had great charisma, but he wasn't a WWE 'Superstar' like Vince wanted. Hence, why he was polka dotted and put with a black woman as a valet. So random.

I honestly think he would have been great to get an IC title shot back in his WWE heydays. Feuding with Macho, Jake the Snake, and Rick Rude would have led to some great matches. However, Hogan would never let Rhodes go over. Two politicians wrestling in the main event at Wrestlemania? Really? It's a great thought, but I could never see that happening.