• On This Day In Pro Wrestling History (June 11, 2015) – Old School Wrestling Legend Passed Away
On this day in 2015, we lost Old School Wrestling Legend “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes (Real name: Virgil Runnels) at the age of 69 due to kidney failure.
Dusty Rhodes wrestled for several territories & promotions during his long and illustrious pro wrestling career that lasted from the late 60s until his final match at the WWE Great American Bash 2007 PPV.
The American Dream worked for Championship Wrestling from Florida, Jim Crockett Promotions, American Wrestling Association, the World Wide Wrestling Federation & later also the World Wrestling Federation & the WWE, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action!.
Dusty was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, shortly before he finally retired as an active performer.
He was the father of Old School WWF Legend “Goldust” Dustin Rhodes & current AEW wrestler Cody Rhodes.
† REST IN PEACE DUSTY RHODES!
October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015
• Another WWE Hall Of Famer Gives His Views On Undertaker vs. Goldberg Match
As we noted before, WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham gave his views on The Undertaker vs. Goldberg match (which you can read by tapping here).
During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, two time WWE Hall of Famer “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair gave his views on The Undertaker vs. Goldberg match from WWE Super ShowDown 2019 PPV.
Below are the highlights:
On if he liked the match:
“They opened up hot, I loved it. I loved the match, up until the last minute and a half. Whatever you want to say about anybody in this business, he (The Undertaker) is going to be on Mt. Rushmore if there is one. You can say no wrong about The Undertaker, he is the talent of a lifetime. And, Bill Goldberg had arguably the greatest run of anyone for years and never had anybody spend more than a half-hour with him learning the fundamentals of the business and he pulled it off.”
On the problem they faced:
“It’s tough, it’s not factored around age. It’s hard to just come in and work two or three times a year, it’s hard. They are making a big deal about Kevin Durant coming in? Try and take 6 months off of wrestling and getting into the ring. Climbing on a Stairmaster or elliptical is not the answer to getting in the ring and going full speed. I told Hunter (Triple H) ‘I don’t know how you do it.'”
WATCH: Goldberg Collapses After WWE Super ShowDown:
On fans criticising the match:
“I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot have an opinion. I don’t have an agenda here. I cannot let a minute or two of fatigue define anybody. It’s funny, had they gone on one more minute perfect and hit it, everyone would have been like ‘Oh my god that was perfect.’ It was like they got me again when he hit the spear, I thought it was the Brock deal. And then he came out of it. The same people that are critiquing this, ‘we’re going crazy when he was walking on the top rope.’ What does their opinion mean?”
On Shawn Michaels carrying him in his WWE retirement match at WrestleMania 24:
“Shawn Michaels carried me for 30 (minutes). I get credit for being in that match at WrestleMania 24. The only credit I give myself is being in the Citrus Bowl. Swear to you, Shawn said to me ‘For once in your life, please keep your mouth shut, and let me do this,’ then I went out there and because I’m not used to doing that, messed up in the beginning, but he recovered and no one knew it happened.
I have never said truer words, he carried me and that’s just the way it’s going to be. I will take credit for being there, but I think it was the greatest retirement weekend of all time. I got nothing but the fondest memories of that.”
