• A DUSTY RHODES TRIBUTE // A part of the Cody Rhodes Network

DUSTY RHODES:

Real Name: Virgil Riley Runnels Jr.
Height: 6 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 302 lbs.
Born: October 12, 1945
Hometown: Austin, TX
Trained by: Joe Blanchard

Quick Bio: Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. (born on October 12, 1945), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Rhodes is a 3-time NWA World Champion and former NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship. He has also won many other championships during his wrestling career. He is a member of the WCW, WWE, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Halls of Fame.

Rhodes started his career as a rule-breaking heel, tagging with fellow Texan Dick Murdoch to form the tag team The Texas Outlaws in the American Wrestling Association. In 1974, Rhodes turned face after turning on tag team partner Pak Song and manager Gary Hart during a match in Florida against Eddie and Mike Graham. This led him to break out as a solo face superstar, primarily in Florida, referring to himself as "Stardust", the "White Soul King", and the "American Dream", a working class hero. Rhodes ascended to the top of several National Wrestling Alliance promotions in Florida (where he also wrestled wearing a mask as The Midnight Rider), in Georgia, and eventually with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the Mid-Atlantic, which was the forerunner of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Here, he formed teams with Manny Fernandez, Magnum T.A. as "America's Team", and Nikita Koloff as The Super Powers. Rhodes was a World Six-Man Tag Team Champion with the Road Warriors.

Rhodes had legendary feuds with stars such as Abdullah the Butcher, Pak Song, Terry Funk, Kevin Sullivan, Blackjack Mulligan, Nikita Koloff, Harley Race, "Superstar" Billy Graham, "Crippler" Ray Stevens and most notably, The Four Horsemen (especially Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard). Rhodes, Flair, and Race each fought each other many times over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Rhodes won the NWA World Title three times; twice by defeating Race (in 1979 and 1981) and once by defeating Flair (1986).

View a list of all the titles Dusty held throughout his career by clicking the following link: CHAMPIONSHIPS

DUSTY RHODES:	THE AMERICAN DREAM
Real Name: Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. Height: 6 ft. 2 in. Weight: 302 lbs. Born: October 12, 1945 Hometown: Austin, TX Trained by: Joe Blanchard Quick Bio: Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. (born on October 12, 1945), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Rhodes is a 3-time NWA World Champion and former NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship. He has also won many other championships during his wrestling career. He is a member of the WCW, WWE, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Halls of Fame.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Rhodes started his career as a rule-breaking heel, tagging with fellow Texan Dick Murdoch to form the tag team The Texas Outlaws in the American Wrestling Association. In 1974, Rhodes turned face after turning on tag team partner Pak Song and manager Gary Hart during a match in Florida against Eddie and Mike Graham. This led him to break out as a solo face superstar, primarily in Florida, referring to himself as "Stardust", the "White Soul King", and the "American Dream", a working class hero. Rhodes ascended to the top of several National Wrestling Alliance promotions in Florida (where he also wrestled wearing a mask as The Midnight Rider), in Georgia, and eventually with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the Mid-Atlantic, which was the forerunner of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Here, he formed teams with Manny Fernandez, Magnum T.A. as "America's Team", and Nikita Koloff as The Super Powers. Rhodes was a World Six-Man Tag Team Champion with the Road Warriors.
FEUDS
Rhodes had legendary feuds with stars such as Abdullah the Butcher, Pak Song, Terry Funk, Kevin Sullivan, Blackjack Mulligan, Nikita Koloff, Harley Race, "Superstar" Billy Graham, "Crippler" Ray Stevens and most notably, The Four Horsemen (especially Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard). Rhodes, Flair, and Race each fought each other many times over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Rhodes won the NWA World Title three times; twice by defeating Race (in 1979 and 1981) and once by defeating Flair (1986).
CHAMPIONSHIPS
View a list of all the titles Dusty held throughout his career by clicking the following link: CHAMPIONSHIPS