Old School

Edge & Christian Talk About How Goldust Helped In Kicking Off The Attitude Era

Goldust Dustin Rhodes

During a recent edition of Edge & Christian’s “E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness” podcast, the former WWF Tag Team Champions discussed the start of the Attitude Era and who played an important role in kickstarting that era. Below are the highlights:

Edge: Here’s my first question about the Attitude Era brother. When did it end?

Christian: I don’t know. I don’t know when it started.

Edge: Gotta say probably like 97 …. 98?

Christian: I guess it kind of started with the whole Bret Hart-Austin switch, right? We were kind of into the Attitude Era at that point. I guess Steve Austin was kind of the the anchor of the whole thing you know.

Edge: Yeah yeah, But I mean it could be argued if you go back to Goldust and Goldust really kicking it off. And it could because think about that character. Not only is Dustin amazing in the ring and a complete…you know… idiot, in a good way outside of the ring but that character and to fully go for it like he did and just have no reservations. And think back to when he first started. This is pre Attitude Era. That to me might be the guy who really kind of gets that ball rolling.

Christian: And he was arguably, on any television show at that time, pushing the envelope like we’d never seen it before. Like his gestures and his motions and you know… just the the way that he was. And we talked about this in the past before to make a character like that work you have to commit – a 100%. Because if there’s any reservations, if there’s any doubt that it’s gonna work, guess what, it’s not going to work. And they said Dustin’s a pretty versatile guy, versatile performer and I think that he’s always willing to try to do whatever it takes to make whatever character he’s portraying work.


Goldust vs. Ahmed Johnson (KOTR 1996) by WWFOldSchool

Edge: Well and it evidently did because that character is still on the show. I mean think about that. I think about the guys that have been wrestling for a long time but also stayed with that company, sure out a couple of times here and there, but basically stayed the course and been there as one of the kind of linch-pins. And Kane and you know.. Taker and you know… Triple H and that’s kind of it, the rest of us have all retired.

Christian: Yeah, I mean even if you went away from that character always somehow came back to it at some point right so there is lasting power with that character. And yeah I mean there’s some equity that he built up with what he did. and how ahead of his time that character was. So in your opinion that kind of got the ball rolling?

Edge: In my estimation, I’m just spitballing here off the top of my head which is what I’m doing, I think maybe that was kind of the catalyst. And if it started off, then it definitely once Austin got a hold of it and you know DX then it became, you know The Avalanche that it became.


“Stone Cold” Steve Austin & Mr… by WWFOldSchool


        
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