“You don’t know what hard times are, daddy.”
So said “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes on the Oct. 29, 1985 edition of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling in a passionate address to his rival, then-NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. In that historic speech, Rhodes spoke of a changing economic climate, troubles facing the common man across the United States and the “hard times” Flair had put upon the Rhodes family.
Yet it was always in those “hard times” that the Rhodes family has thrived and persevered, largely thanks to the guidance of its indomitable patriarch. This Monday on Raw at 8/7 C, The American Dream will attempt to ease the recent tension between his sons, the face-painted duo now known as Gold & Stardust. As history has shown, Dusty might be the only man capable of restoring peace between the warring siblings.
Watch Rhodes family highlights | More on Dusty’s Raw intervention
Dusty’s incomparable career, including savage bouts against the likes of Abdullah the Butcher, Harley Race and longtime nemesis The Nature Boy, was fraught with obstacles, both personal and professional. Yet, The American Dream would never be denied, thrice becoming NWA World Heavyweight Champion and cementing himself as one of the most beloved in-ring competitors of the 1980s.
View photos from Dusty’s historic career | Dusty’s sons induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame
After a stint in WWE, Rhodes eventually transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role as one of the creative forces behind WCW as his son, Dustin Rhodes, set out to continue the family legacy. Sporting a fringed vest that looked like it had come right out of his pop’s wardrobe, Dustin introduced himself to the WWE Universe at large during the 1991 Royal Rumble event, in a tag team match against The Million Dollar Man and Virgil. The father-and-son tandem lost that bout, but Dustin would find greater success in WCW, capturing the United States Championship in 1993. However, he was ultimately fired from the Atlanta-based organization, and it was a phone call from Vince McMahon that would transform Rhodes’ life forever.
Slathered in gold paint, donning platinum blond wigs and wearing glittery, ostentatious robes, Goldust emerged in WWE in 1995, a controversial enigma whose suggestive mannerisms and mind games helped set the stage for WWE’s gritty Attitude Era in the late 1990s. The persona stood in stark contrast to that of his dad, a rebellious departure that put on full display the rift between father and son that was playing out off-camera. It was as The Bizarre One that Dustin reaped his greatest successes, with accolades including an impressive three Intercontinental Championship reigns.
Get a special look at Goldust | Watch Goldust battle Roddy Piper at WrestleMania XII
Although Goldust was certainly among the strangest Superstars in the WWE locker room during the Attitude Era, his younger brother Cody hasn’t exactly shied away from embracing the unusual in his own career, which kicked off in 2007. After successfully teaming with fellow multi-generation Superstars Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase as The Legacy, Cody, like his brother, found his footing when he broke out on his own, in his own way: Enter “Dashing” Cody Rhodes.
Imparting grooming tips and extolling the virtues of chest waxing, eyebrow tweezing and facials, Rhodes became WWE’s resident vanguard of vanity, making the WWE Universe both uncomfortable and irate as he flaunted his aesthetic superiority. Yet, during a match on SmackDown in early 2011, Rhodes would be dealt an emotionally crippling blow when Rey Mysterio hit Cody in the face with an exposed knee brace, breaking his nose. The accident forced Rhodes to undergo a metamorphosis, hiding his newly-imperfect visage behind a protective mask. This darker, unnerving attitude helped Rhodes become Intercontinental Champion, a title that he held for nearly eight months before losing it to Big Show at WrestleMania XXVIII. Even then, Cody occasionally found himself at odds with his family and especially his brother, attacking Dustin in a fit of anger on the Dec. 30, 2011 edition of SmackDown.
Relive WrestleMania XXVIII on WWE Network
Following a brief alliance with Damien Sandow as Team Rhodes Scholars, Cody become a vocal opponent of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and due to his opposition to The Authority, he was forced to put his job on the line in a match with former ally Randy Orton on the Sept. 2, 2013 edition of Raw. Rhodes lost the match and was promptly fired — just before his wedding — in a cruel power play by The Authority. Goldust re-emerged in WWE to win his brother’s job back and, where The Bizarre One failed, his WWE Hall of Famer father intervened. Following a tense confrontation with The Authority, Dusty was knocked out by Big Show, as demanded by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
In a last-ditch effort, Cody and Goldust joined forces against then-WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns at WWE Battleground, with reinstatement for both brothers on the line. The Rhodes were triumphant, and shared that night with their father in an emotional, public family celebration. With Dusty’s help, the Rhodes were finally united in WWE.
In the wake of their conflict with The Authority, the Rhodes brothers became WWE Tag Team Champions, holding the titles until Royal Rumble 2014. Following that defeat, an increasingly frustrated Cody reasoned that he was holding his brother back, and vowed to find Goldust a worthy tag team partner. The Superstar Cody “found” was revealed to be an entity known as Stardust who, like Goldust, covered his face in paint and spoke in riddles. At that point, Cody had vanished.
View photos from Stardust’s debut | More Stardust photos
Stardust led Goldust on a quest for “The Cosmic Key,” a mission that brought them to a WWE Tag Team Title victory at Night of Champions 2014. The brothers ruled WWE’s tag team division until Survivor Series last year, and a string of losses — stemming from miscommunication in the ring —brought both brothers to the brink. Goldust has made several attempts to speak to his brother behind the makeup, but any attempt to bring the younger Rhodes sibling to the surface has had disastrous results.
Relive Survivor Series 2014 on WWE Network
In a WWE.com exclusive interview last Monday night, Goldust claimed that he’s afraid to see his younger brother make the same mistakes that he did in his own career — namely, letting his alter ego get the better of him. With Goldust’s fears going unnoticed by the former Cody Rhodes, it’s time for The American Dream to step in and set things right. After all, he has gotten his family through “hard times” before.
Will Dusty Rhodes be able to set things right with his sons, or is the spaced-out Stardust beyond help at this point? Don’t miss Raw Monday night at 8/7 C on USA Network.
