WWE's Goldust: 10 Facts About The Dustin Rhodes Character You Probably Didn't Know

Sid Pullar III | Oct 12, 2024

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Goldust is considered one of the most entertaining and eccentric characters in WWE history. The alter ego of Dustin Rhodes left a mark on every opponent and fan who was able to witness him in all of his glory. From multiple runs with the Intercontinental Championship to his partnerships with Marlena, Booker T and Cody Rhodes, there were so many moments and segments that are fondly remembered from the golden performer. Despite everything fans have seen from Rhodes, there are still some things that you might not remember or recall from his run under the gold facepaint. Here are 10 facts about Goldust that you may not know.

1. Vince McMahon & Bruce Prichard Came Up With The Goldust Character

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In 1995, Dustin Rhodes got a phone call from Bruce Prichard who said that he and Vince McMahon wanted to pitch a character for him in WWF. This would be an "androgynous" gimmick that would become Goldust. The character would garner plenty of criticism and controversy in the New Generation Era, but would become one of the personalities that helped evolve the promotion into the more edgy Attitude Era.

2. He Debuted In WWE As Dustin Rhodes First

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For many wrestling fans, their first introduction to Dustin Rhodes as a performer was the Goldust character. However, Rhodes made his WWE/WWF debut alongside his father Dusty Rhodes in a tag team match against The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase and Virgil at the 1991 Royal Rumble. The duo came up short that night, but Dustin went on to find more success in WCW following this initial run in WWF.

3. He Did Not Know What "Androgynous" Meant

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When Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon pitched the "androgynous" persona that was Goldust, Dustin Rhodes immediately agreed. However, he would reveal that he had no clue what the word meant until after that phone call when he looked it up in the dictionary. Rhodes had no idea that he was agreeing to play an indetermined gender-type role. After learning this, he wanted to mold Goldust through his own creative means, which led to the character that became famous in WWF.

4. He Credits Savio Vega For Pushing The Boundary With His Character

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Many fans remember Savio Vega for his run in WWF/WWE in the 1990's. Vega is someone who is a seasoned veteran that helped many young stars during his time with the promotion. One such star is Goldust. Dustin Rhodes credits Savio for helping him push the boundaries of what Goldust could be. In an interview with AEW Unrestricted, Dustin recalled a match at Madison Square Garden the two had where Vega encouraged him to do a spot that played on the fans' opinions at the time. He said:

"Savio Vega is Puerto Rican so talks me into it. I'm nervous as s***. We go out there. We start wrestling and having our match. I was the Intercontinental Champion at the time. He locks up with me, and he says, 'OK, we're going to do it now.' So all it was was me locking up going behind him rubbing up and down his chest and kind of grazing over his privates down downstairs, and then he pushes away and chases me and I take a powder. That's it. That was it."

5. He Left The Building Early After Famous Ahmed Johnson Kissing Segment

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One of the most famous segments that further pushed the wild side of Goldust was when he kissed Ahmed Johnson on the May 27, 1996 episode of WWE Raw. Dustin Rhodes originally told Johnson that he would put his hand over his mouth, but planted his lips on Ahmed's as a joke. Johnson revealed that Goldust left the arena early after being afraid Ahmed would overreact. In an interview with the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, he said:

""After we got done, it was funny, he thought I was really mad, so he left the arena. He got in the car and left without even taking his makeup or nothing off. He was like, 'Hold on, you're not p****d are you?' I'm like, 'No, man, it's part of the gimmick. I understand.' Then we were cool with it."

6. Marlena Was Scheduled To Turn On Him In 1997

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One of the more significant elements of the Goldust character was his manager Marlena. Played by Dustin's real-life wife at the time, Terri Runnels, the two had instant chemistry on-screen and made the ambiguity of his character that much more compelling. In 1997, Goldust feuded with Brian Pillman in a heated rivalry. At In Your House: Ground Zero, Pillman beat Goldust to get Marlena as his personal slave for 30 days. In a 2018 interview with Sportskeeda, Terri revealed the culmination of the rivalry was supposed to see Marlena align with Pillman prior to Brian's untimely passing.

“So Dustin lost. I go with Pillman for a month. When I came back, we were going to renew our vows in the ring. When it was time for someone to object, Pillman was going to come out. They were going to get in a melee. It was going to end up with me basically covering Pillman and protecting him from Dustin saying, “After that thirty days, I love him.” I was going to leave Dustin for Pillman. It would have gone for a while, and it would have been great."

7. Lance Storm Convinced WWE Management To Have Goldust & Booker T Win Tag Team Titles

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One of the most popular angles of Goldust's entire WWE run was his pairing with Booker T. The two had an odd couple partnership that became one of the most endearing tandems of the 2000's. In 2020, former WWE star Lance Storm revealed that the duo's one and only WWE Tag Team Title win at Armaggedon 2002 wasn't originally meant to be until he had a finish changed. Storm took to Twitter and revealed:

"WIlliam Regal & I were originally booked to win this match. I suggested Booker & Goldust win instead because they had so many failed title shots. I thought failing again would hurt them too much. Others in the match agreed and we talked the office into changing the finish. "

The match was a four-way that saw Goldust and Booker T defeat Storm and William Regal, The Dudley Boys and Chris Jericho and Christian to win the gold.

8. He Was Sheamus' Mentor At The Start Of His WWE Career

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When Sheamus debuted on WWE main programming, it was on the ECW brand. His first rivalry on the brand was against Goldust. This was used to help "The Celtic Warrior" get his footing early in his career and Dustin Rhodes was tasked with taking care of him in the ring. Goldust revealed in an interview with In The Ring that this was a pet project for him. This is something that Rhodes took pride in after Sheamus went on to become WWE Champion and a stalwart for the company.

9. Pitched "Backlot Brawl" Against Cody Rhodes

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One of Goldust's most talked about bouts was his WrestleMania 12 "Hollywood Backlot Brawl" against Rowdy Roddy Piper. This infamous encounter has not aged well with because of its controversial subject matter, but it has been looked back on fondly by Dustin Rhodes as a match that set the groundwork for the memorable character. In 2013, Dustin pitched a redo of the "Backlot Brawl" against his brother Cody Rhodes. While Cody agreed with the idea, WWE and Vince McMahon did not and thus the match never happened.

10. WWE Prohibited Him From Attending First ALL IN Event

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In 2018, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks promoted the biggest independent wrestling show ever with the first All In event from Chicago. With 10,000-plus fans in attendance, the show was a history making night that shook the foundations of the wrestling business. Cody's brother Dustin Rhodes, who wrestled for WWE as Goldust at the time, wanted to be there, but was denied. In an interview with Sports Guys Talk Wrestling in 2018, Dustin revealed that WWE's office prohibited him from going.

“Man, what an awesome night that was. I mean, it was incredible and me and Cody had talked a couple weeks before that leading up to the deal and he wanted me to be there so so bad and I wanted to be there more than anything. I was told by my office I could not go. It sucks. I wanted to be there more than anything.”

The All In show would set the stage for the arrival of AEW in 2019, which Dustin Rhodes signed for just months after the inception and wrestled Cody in a high profile bout at their first event, Double Or Nothing 2019.

More on Goldust and Dustin Rhodes

Wrestling Legend Dustin Rhodes Announces His New Promotion

Dustin Rhodes On What Shocks Him & What He’s Realized After Five Decades in Wrestling

Cody Rhodes on Dustin Rhodes: ‘We Have Our Own Bloodline’