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Dustin Rhodes: ‘My Sobriety, That’s My Legacy’

Dustin Rhodes challenges Christian Cage for the TNT title tonight on Dynamite

Justin Barrasso

Dustin Rhodes: ‘My Sobriety, That’s My Legacy’
Dustin Rhodes: ‘My Sobriety, That’s My Legacy’ /

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Dustin Rhodes: “I’m always looking out for Cody. So I’m always watching.”

Dustin Rhodes challenges Christian Cage for the TNT title tonight on Dynamite, a battle between two wrestling icons both defying Father Time.

This marks their first singles match in AEW–and the first televised singles match between the two since Monday Night Raw from May of 2003.

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

Cage, 50, is in the midst of a career renaissance in AEW, becoming one of the industry’s most sinister villains. Rhodes, nicknamed “The Natural” more than three decades ago, is still at the top of his game in the ring at the age of 54.

Entering his 35th year in pro wrestling, Rhodes is more active than ever. He helps train talent in AEW, oversees and coaches at the Rhodes Wrestling Academy, and remains an engaged part of the roster. He was featured on the most recent pay-per-view, making the request to AEW CEO Tony Khan to wrestle in place of the injured Keith Lee at Worlds End. Rhodes lost that match to Swerve Strickland, but it was a joy to see how he played a role in further amplifying Swerve’s push to the top of the company.

“It takes me about a week to recover from a match,” said Rhodes. “I’m still recovering from that one.

“It’s taxing on my older body, but I love what I’m doing. I love working for Tony. It’s fun. I look forward to going to work every week.”

Contents

  1. The (Online) Week in Wrestling
  2. Dolph Ziggler–now known as Nic Nemeth–ready for another breakout moment
  3. Tweet of the Week

Rhodes is a dying breed in professional wrestling. There are very few active who wrestled against the likes of Steve Austin, Terry Funk, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Larry Zbyszko, Scott Hall, Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, Ted DiBiase, and Arn Anderson–or teamed with Dusty Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat and Barry Windham and The Rock. Yet Rhodes has nearly done it all in a legendary career that has spanned five different decades.

Even now, only months away from turning 55, Rhodes can tell a story psychologically in a manner few others can. His timing is precise, and his will and desire are a sight to behold in the ring–and should be studied by his younger colleagues.

“I want to be like Randy Orton, one of the smoothest wrestlers in the business,” said Rhodes. “And sometimes less is more. It’s all about my job, which is to elicit emotion. To make them feel something. Do something to make it feel real. If it feels real, people will come back. And they’ll bring people with them. That’s always my goal, to get people to respond.”

Rhodes defeated Willie Mack this past Saturday on Collision. Following the match, in a backstage interview with Renee Paquette, Rhodes’ brief victory celebration was interrupted by Christian, Killswitch, and the Waynes.

“Christian is a hell of a talent,” said Rhodes. “Opportunity knocks. He stepped up in my face, and I’m going to answer. Win, lose, or draw, I’m going to give it 100 percent.”

This will be a masterclass of a match between two experts of the craft. That also has to do with the perpetually underrated Christian–who, not unlike Rhodes–has often had his brilliance overshadowed by a partner possessing otherworldly talent.

Rhodes is the consummate professional once the camera light turns red. But even he expressed irritation that Christian, a wonderfully vexing antagonist, got the better of him on live television.

Christian made a reference to the late, great Dusty Rhodes, which immediately put Rhodes on the defensive.

“He’s one of the best at getting under somebody’s skin,” said Rhodes. “I’m a wise man now, so I was pissed afterward, thinking to myself, ‘He got me.’ Christian sparked a nerve. But we’ll see how big and bad he is, and we’ll see if Dusty’s son wipes the floor with him.”

For longtime Rhodes fans, that moment may have kindled an old memory of an unforgettable promo. In the build to the Clash of Champions card in the summer of ‘94, a young Rhodes was on his own. Taken advantage of by Arn Anderson, who promised to have his back before turning on him at Bash at the Beach that July, Rhodes was without a partner at the Clash in August–until his father returned, apologized for his misdeeds, and reunited with his son. It is an all-time great moment, yet one that is too painful for Rhodes to rewatch.

“That’s a very hard promo for me to watch,” said Rhodes. “It does touch on truth. It’s tough. I was raised by my mom. We saw my dad from time to time. He got wiser and was around a lot more for Cody and Teil. But we’re all very protective of our old man’s name.”

As Rhodes was outnumbered by Christian and his crew this past Saturday on Collision, the scene looked familiar: he was in desperate need of a tag team partner. There is connective tissue in WWE, where Cody Rhodes is on his own pursuing Roman Reigns, the WWE championship, and the coveted main event spot at WrestleMania.

Dustin and Cody Rhodes wrestled an all-time classic at Double or Nothing in 2019
Dustin and Cody Rhodes wrestled an all-time classic at Double or Nothing in 2019 / Courtesy AEW

Even if they do make the walk to the ring alone, the two Rhodes brothers are similar in the manner in which they connect so intimately with the fans in the stands.

“My dad, myself, and my brother, we’re three different men,” said Rhodes. “But we all love the fans, we love the business, and we take a lot of pride in protecting the Rhodes name. Cody is on fire. This is his time. I’m very happy for him. We’re carrying on the legacy, which is very special to us.”

Even though they work for different companies, Rhodes is still up-to-date on everything Cody Rhodes is accomplishing in WWE.

“I’m always looking out for Cody,” said Rhodes. “So I’m always watching.”

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

And yes, Rhodes wants his brother to headline WrestleMania 40 and attain a world title that has eluded his family.

“I hope Cody’s in the main event spot against Roman,” said Rhodes. “Or it’s going to be The Rock. If it is The Rock, I’m pissed–this is Cody’s time. He is becoming the face of the company, and it’s paying off. But I get it. If it is The Rock, it’s still good business. I understand that there are a lot of people who love seeing The Rock. But I still think it’s Cody’s moment.”

Rhodes has goals of his own. His immediate goal is to capture his first piece of AEW gold later tonight on Dynamite. But it runs deeper than that. He works tediously to look sharp and keep getting better in the ring. Coaching younger talent helps him, like Terry Funk before him, stay fresh.

Most of all, Rhodes is putting his heart and soul into staying clean.

“My sobriety, that’s my legacy,” said Rhodes. “And I understand it’s OK to have bad days. There will be better ones. Life has been an incredible teacher. I’ve learned a lot, and I plan on being clean and sober for the rest of my life.

“I wasn’t seeing clearly back in the day, and I paid for it heavily. Sometimes, I’m still trying to prove myself, even when I don’t need to. I came out the other side. The devil is still sitting here, right on my shoulder. All’s I need to do is walk with him. But each new day, I tell him, ‘No, I’m going to be good today.’ So I’m not going to drink. I’m not going to do drugs. I have my sh-- together, and I’m fixin’ to get on with my life.

“It’s been a long road, but I’ve got back so much of what I lost. It’s the reason I have my career, too. Being clean, it’s the reason I’m still here. And it’s the reason I can still entertain.”

Courtesy AEW
Courtesy AEW

Perhaps being the son of a legend is a heavy burden. But it is also a blessing. Rhodes has embraced that, and he continues to make the most of every moment he is given. In wrestling, that next opportunity takes place tonight in an old school battle of good-versus-evil on Dynamite.

“I love to teach, I love to wrestle,” said Rhodes. “I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, and I’m doing what fills my heart. And on Dynamite, I’m going out there with a winning attitude. I want to become the next TNT champion. If I win, this place will erupt. If I can pull this off, what a notch it will be for ‘The Natural’.”

Proudly carrying an innate understanding of the business, and a heart that beats for pro wrestling, Rhodes will step through the ropes tonight seeking to make Christian pay for his sins. The two have always had fantastic chemistry–hopefully time allows for a backstage interview before the match to illustrate just how high tempers are flaring–and now comes the chance to create a masterpiece in the ring.

After all these years, there is no place Rhodes would rather be.

“I’m still nervous in the tunnel,” said Rhodes. “I love that feeling. In the ring, I feel like I’m home.”

The (Online) Week in Wrestling

  • Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes had a tremendously tense promo to open Raw. McIntyre has been a revelation over the past few months on Raw, and Rhodes, who is the backbone of the show, will now go face-to-face next week with CM Punk.
  • Rhea Ripley has to beat Becky Lynch at WrestleMania.
  • Seth Rollins defeated Jinder Mahal in the main event of Raw. Damian Priest sat ringside with his Money in the Brief briefcase, but by the time he was going to cash-in, you guessed it–Drew McIntyre stopped him. While it is taking time, the story of Rollins getting tired out by a long reign with endless challengers is playing out.
  • Am I crazy, or does this New Day-Imperium storyline end with the return of Big E?
  • On a night that ended with Kazuchika Okada defeating Will Ospreay, a key moment took place after Jon Moxley defeated Shingo Takagi. Once the gory match was through this past Saturday at Battle in the Valley, Moxley challenged IWGP world heavyweight champion Tetsuya Naito for a bout this April in Chicago.
  • After disappearing from AEW following his altercation with CM Punk in August at All In, Jack Perry made his return, attacking Shota Umino and ripping up his AEW contract (though I don’t think that actually negates the contract, the message was strong). It would have been better to distance himself from Punk, but with a new look and new nickname (“The Scapegoat”, which doesn’t exactly elicit fear), it will be interesting to see how Perry does moving forward.
  • Hulk Hogan was in the news for helping out a young woman in distress.
  • Jordynne Grace and Moose are the new faces of TNA Wrestling. And TNA had some surprises at Hard To Kill, mainly Dana Brooke–who is now known as Ash By Elegance–and Dolph Ziggler.

Dolph Ziggler–now known as Nic Nemeth–ready for another breakout moment

Dolph Ziggler was the star of the Survivor Series in 2014, finishing as the sole survivor in the main event and overcoming The Authority.

Sadly, it did not elevate him to the top of the company. But it wasn’t for a lack of skill or effort.

Ziggler, who is Nic Nemeth outside the walls of WWE, is now part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling and TNA. He debuted for NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, challenging IWGP Global Heavyweight champion David Finlay. And then he appeared this Saturday in the waning moments of TNA’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view, laying out newly crowned champion Moose.

There is no denying that Nemeth can go. He is on the cusp of becoming the next great star away from WWE. And why not? He can cut promos and wrestle at a high rate. There is every reason to believe Nemeth will make a significant impact for both New Japan and TNA.

My only gripe was that Moose did not blatantly cheat to defeat Alex Shelley. Instead, he was presented, believably, as an unstoppable force that Shelley could not beat. That makes sense, but he still had plenty of help in his corner in Eddie Edwards or Brian Myers to use nefarious means to win. To me, that would have further amplified Nemeth’s arrival. Nevertheless, his arrival was extremely well executed.

Reaching that elusive next tier in wrestling is extraordinarily difficult. Yet there is every reason to believe Nemeth can achieve it, and even more impressively away from WWE.

Tweet of the Week

How about pro wrestling getting mentioned during the Emmys?

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Justin Barrasso
JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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