Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes

Height: 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight: 260 lb (117 kg)
Real name: Virgil Riley Runnels III
Hometown: Austin, Texas (billed from Hollywood, Cal.)
Pro debut: September 13, 1988
Finishing move: Curtain Call (Snap Sit Neckbreaker), Golden Globes (Kick to Crotch in corner), The Bulldog
Favorite quote: "You'll never forget the name… Goldust!"
Other aliases: "The Natural" (WCW), "The American Nightmare" (WCW), Goldust (WWE), Artist Formerly Known As Goldust (WWE), Seven (WCW), "Lonestar" Dustin Rhodes (TCW), Dusty Rhodes Jr. (PWW-1), Goldustin (1PW), Black Reign (TNA)
Career highlights: FCW/PWF Tag Team Champion (w/Mike Graham), Florida Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, WCW World Tag Team Champion (2), WCW United States Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion (3), TCW Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, WWE World Tag Team Champion (w/Booker T), ACW Heavyweight Champion
Trained by: Dusty Rhodes, Skandor Akbar

WWE profile:

With a literal love of gold and mind games that flummoxed his opponents and his fans, Goldust was one of the most bizarre Superstars in WWE history.

The “bizarre one” reminded our longtime fans of wrestling legends Gorgeous George and the Exotic Adrian Street with his blond wig (which he removed before his matches), a flowing golden robe and ring attire and black and gold face paint. He resembled an Oscar statue and had a penchant for theater, viewing his matches as mini movies for his Shattered Dreams Production. Goldust appeared to be effeminate and loved to get into the minds of his foes with sexually suggestive interviews and antics in the ring.

During the early years of his WWE career, he had his “director” Marlena (his then-wife Terri Runnels) at his side. The pair captured the imagination of our fans, and their risqué personas helped lay the foundation of the Attitude Era years.

Goldust was deceiving – he was as tough a Superstar as there’s ever been in WWE. He used his appearance to throw his opponents off their game so that he could devastate them with a reverse suplex and brain-buster combination he called the Curtain Call. He surprised his foes with his brawling ability and surprisingly vicious mean streak.

However, Goldust’s in-ring abilities shouldn’t have surprised anyone; after all, sports-entertainment was in his blood. He was the son of the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and grew up watching his dad endure countless ring wars. But Dustin Runnels did not want to live in his legendary father’s shadow. He wanted to forge his own legacy in the squared circle.

His championship résumé spoke for itself: He was a two-time United States Champion (as Dustin Rhodes in World Championship Wrestling), won the World Tag Team Championship once (with King Booker) and was a three-time Intercontinental Champion. Goldust took the machismo out of Razor Ramon en route to winning his first Intercontinental Championship, and our fans still talk about his Hollywood Backlot Brawl with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper at WrestleMania XII. His battles with a young Triple H also helped prepare the future Game for his multiple world championships.

Publicly and privately, Dustin Runnels lamented on his struggle to live up to his father’s legacy. But he should be very proud – as Goldust, he provided WWE with some of its most provocative, and sometimes humorous, moments. One thing is for sure, no one will ever forget the name of Goldust.