You are here: Home>Tape Reviews>Shoot Interviews>Dusty Rhodes Shoot Interview
Where Wrestling's Regional History Lives! |
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- Scott Keith
-This was taped late in 1999, from what I can tell. -
Footage from ECW opens things up. -
We start in West Texas State, pre-wrestling era for Dusty, as he
went there with the likes of the Funks and Tully Blanchard.
He got a football scholarship under dubious circumstances, but
wrestling was his true calling. -Dusty
remembers himself booking shows as early as childhood in the backyard. I’m not sure about the rumors that he invited a young Ric
Flair over to his house and then put himself over.
-He
was trained in wrestling by a local named Bill Graham (no relation to
anyone else with that name) and got started from there.
Graham’s only question: “Can
you do a dropkick?” At
that point, he COULD, of course. Joe
Blanchard (Tully’s dad and AWA President in that promotion’s dying
days) taught him the essentials. -Early
on he went to Australia with Dick Murdoch and met Jim Barnett. Barnett switched things up a bit, making Dusty the talker on
the team and paying him more money.
-Back
to the states, as Dusty tells the story about his dad dying on the same
day as Dustin being born. Fritz
Von Erich paid for the funeral. Talks
a bit about the importance of Living the Gimmick.
-Over
to the AWA, and a feud with Crusher & Bruiser.
Dusty was still a heel at this point, keep in mind.
Went to Florida and did tons of hour-long draws with Jack Brisco,
until the fans had apparently turned him babyface by default, which led
to the angle with Pak Song where he turned for real.
-Talks
about Kevin Sullivan’s devil-worship stuff in the 70s and how much the
crowds were into it, to the point where there would be organized
devil-worshipping groupie sessions, who were opposed by redneck bikers.
And you thought Vince Russo’s fans were weird. -Eddie
Graham started grooming Dusty to book in 1974.
Dusty then stops to reflect on how much power he really did have
over the years and how some MIGHT see that as a knock on him.
-He then takes credit for a ton of stuff, including training Paul Heyman to book and making just about major star in the 80s. He then trashes Meltzer and thinks that if he started his own promotion, he’d just put himself on top. Hello, Kettle? This is the Pot. I just called to say that you’re black. More...
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