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Terrific Dusty Rhodes ‘Biography’ on A&E is a family-first affair

Posted by Dave Hillhouse | Apr 10, 2023

Through testimony by family, friends, and archival interview footage of The American Dream himself, this week’s episode of WWE/A&E’s Biography makes it clear that while Dusty Rhodes loved the business of wrestling and adored his fans, it was his family that brought him, at different parts of his life, the most pride, the most anguish, the most regret, and the most joy. His ups and downs, both personal and professional, are addressed head-on and it creates a lovely portrait of his life over the two-hour runtime.

Maybe it’s a good thing that this episode wasn’t featured in the week before WrestleMania, as it opens with Cody Rhodes and surely would have added even more fuel to the “Cody’s going to win” fire. Cody admits that he gets asked about or compared to Dusty in some manner with everything he does. He doesn’t say this in a way that makes it seem like a burden, more like something he’s simply tasked with carrying.

Dave Zirin, author and Sports Editor for The Nation , receives a good deal of screentime, acting both as a fan and a voice documenting Rhodes’ career. He sets the scene for Dusty’s economically troubled youth, which Dusty expands upon in interview footage from 2014. His brother Larry, who also appears throughout the episode, felt that their upbringing bred a certain appreciation for the present, enjoying moments as they appeared without eyeing the future too much.

Dusty’s eldest daughter Kristin, who along with her younger brother Dustin experienced the life of so many wrestlers’ children with their mother or father gone from home on the road for most of the year, does remember her father’s vision and steadfastness for what he wanted to achieve. She was happy for whatever time she could have with Dusty when he was home, while Dustin admits he just wanted Dusty to be there with him when he was growing up.

Dusty’s wrestling career began in a partnership with Dick Murdoch, with the two of them acting as heelish roughnecks while Dusty started learning the art of the promo and of the sell. He speaks in archival footage of learning how to draw people to the arena with what he said rather than just with what he did in the ring, something that he would excel at once he broke off from Murdoch to pursue his own career. Once on his own, he won over the fans and became, according to author Brandi Collins-Dexter, a notable favourite for the black demographic. Zirin suggests a comparison to Jerry Lee Lewis or Elvis Presley for how Rhodes absorbed influences from multiple ethnic cultures to then incorporate their elements into his own unique style.

Rhodes finds success in Championship Wrestling from Florida in the 70s, where he further crafted the American Dream persona. As he found personal success, however, his home life suffered, divorcing his first wife Sandra in 1975. A few years later, he met and married Michelle, and they tried to involved Kristin and Dustin in their lives as much as they could. Later in the show, however, Dusty is shown plainly acknowledging the lack of effort he put into his family life in those years, something he struggled with for the rest of his life.

We see Dusty going after Superstar Billy Graham in the WWWF, but there’s much more focus on his promo time than his in-ring work. Hulk Hogan comments that he loved both Dusty’s mic work and Graham’s physique, and had his own aim to combine the two elements in some way for himself. When Vince McMahon came calling to bring Dusty in to his expanding WWF, Rhodes declined because, as Michelle explains, he wanted to produce and took his talents to Jim Crockett Promotions.

As Dusty was moving away from in-ring work and more into production, he had more time to spend with his two children with Michelle: Teil and Cody. As Cody describes having his father around to coach his football team, Dustin is still reeling from a lack of connection to his dad and how it eventually led to him entering the business, in some ways to get closer to Dusty.

Back to contemporary times and Cody for a moment, it’s interesting to hear Cody talk about his father’s quest to defeat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and how Dusty suffering loss after loss after loss was all a part of the journey to make his win matter. Given that perspective, what’s one WrestleMania loss for Cody in his pursuit of the WWE Championship?

When Jim Crockett sells his territory to TBS, Dusty finally joins McMahon’s WWF and dons, to the horror of nearly everyone in this episode, the polka dots. Zirin says the polka dots killed the American Dream, but Michelle says that Dusty didn’t care. Cody surmises that if it was meant to demean Dusty, then his dad ended up owning it and throwing it back in the face of those who meant it that way. Dusty, in a past interview, says that the time in the WWF was probably the most fun he’s ever had.

Going to WCW allowed Rhodes to offer creative input at a time when the company was surging through their war with the WWF. Working with Dustin in WCW was wonderful for both of them, but when Dustin’s relationship with Terri Boatwright didn’t land approval with Dusty, father and son stopped talking for a five-year period. Dustin, wanting nothing to do with his father’s legacy at the time, became someone else entirely and debuted in the WWF as Goldust. Cody and Teil talk about how this rift between them also cut off one side of the family from the other, even for Dustin’s young daughter Dakota.

When WCW folded, Rhodes was left out of a job until Paul Heyman brought him into ECW to help him out, as things were financially grim once again for Dusty. Not long afterwards, the WWE came calling and Dusty was brought back into the company’s fold for a final run as mentor for the emerging stars at NXT.

Michelle walks us through Dusty’s final days, fighting an infection and dying soon after finally checking into a hospital. There is some very personal footage of his service, with Dustin and Kristin describing their last moments with him. Dustin managed to say what he needed to say, while Kristin, though robbed of the same opportunity, has no doubts about how much he loved her or that he knew how much she loved him. The episode concludes with all four children picking out a picture to advertise for the Dusty Rhodes Foundation, started by Michelle to provide money for youth sports.

It was a touching, honest episode that is well-worth the watch.

RELATED LINKS

• Slam Wrestling’s Dusty Rhodes, Goldust/Dustin Rhodes, and Cody Rhodes story archive
• Slam Wrestling’s WWE on A&E archive
• Read more in Slam Wrestling's Hollywood Headlock

About The Author

Dave Hillhouse

Dave Hillhouse started writing for Slam Wrestling in 2005. His first taste of writing about wrestling was doing work for Burlington, Ontario’s Renegade Wrestling Alliance – and a lot of posting on AOL message boards. He enjoys exploring the quirky side of pro wrestling, and luckily there's no shortage of material. Much of his writing focuses on the connections between wrestling and film, TV, documentary, and more. In his off-time, he runs the Great Wrestling Tournaments fantasy voting page (click on the Facebook logo below to visit). Feel free to drop him a line (especially if you have some info about upcoming productions with a wrestling connection) at [email protected] .

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Cody Rhodes Discusses Dusty Rhodes’ ‘Biography: WWE Legends’ Special

By Anthony Nash

WWE and A&E are set to premiere the newest episode of its Biography: WWE Legends series on Sunday with an episode about the legendary figure Dusty Rhodes . Ahead of that episode, his son, Cody Rhodes , spoke about the project.

Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated , Cody — who is also a producer of the episode — praised WWE and A&E for the show and said that it had been a “blessed experience” to work on it. He also stated it was great to get to catalog, correct, and present more of his father’s career.

“WWE and A&E memorializing my father in this documentary has been a blessed experience,” said Rhodes. “Helping catalog, correct and bring light to Dusty’s life was a grand responsibility and one of the reasons I returned to WWE. Seeing the facts that support the legend, make this a beautiful watch for old fans and new fans alike.”

Rhodes went on to say that one of the best parts of getting to help produce the documentary was getting the chance to see an unseen interview that his father had done just a few weeks before his death.

“The best part of producing this doc was not the countless rewatches of old promos and matches, but being able to watch for the first time ever an unseen interview only weeks before he passed,” Rhodes said. “That interview serves as a spine for this documentary and in his own words, Dusty answers the question, ‘What was the most important thing to you?’ [Director] Rob Liano and his team did a wonderful job.”

Following his loss to Roman reigns at WWE WrestleMania 39, Rhodes entered into a feud with Brock Lesnar. A new report offered some insight into the storyline; more information is available here .

Anthony Nash has been writing about games and the gaming industry for nearly a decade. When he’s not writing about games, he’s usually playing them. You can find him on Twitter talking about games or sports at @_anthonynash.

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Director, producer discuss ‘Biography: WWE Legends — The American Dream Dusty Rhodes’ for A&E

Championship Wrestling from Florida under the direction and tutelage of the late, great Eddie Graham is where “The American Dream” persona of Dusty Rhodes was born

But there is so much more to the story — that one and many others.

Robert Liano and Tony Cocuzza worked on a very interesting and special project. They were instrumental parts of a team responsible for “Biography: WWE Legends — The American Dream Dusty Rhodes.”

It will premiere at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 9 on A&E.

About Dusty Rhodes

Dusty and legendary announcer Gordon Solie were the Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell of professional wrestling. Those fans in Florida, very lucky to witness greatness weekly on Saturday morning TV or at venues throughout the Sunshine State. i.e. Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Jacksonville Coliseum, Miami Beach Convention Center, Orlando/Eddie Graham Sports Stadium, National Guard Armory in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach Auditorium.

That all catapulted Big Dust into becoming a megastar, a legend, one of the true greats in front of the camera and behind the scenes in professional wrestling/sports entertainment.

The son of a plumber, he played a major role in society during the 1970s and 80s. He bridged the gap among races, creeds and colors, all supporting him, all supporting that American Dream. He made fans believe in him and that concept.

For the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions, he not only grew his stardom in front of the camera but also behind it. Before any WrestleManias, there was the NWA’s annual supershow Starrcade, a Dusty creation for JCP/NWA, birthed in 1983.

Starrcade was regarded by the NWA and WCW as their flagship event of the year, much like what WWE did with WrestleMania.

Originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view, Starrcade was ahead of its time under the JCP banner for the NWA from 1983 to 1987. Ted Turner’s WCW then branded it from 1988 to 2000. Of note, while with WCW, Dusty supported the move to have FSU All-American football great Ron Simmons become the first Black American to win the WCW world title.

A larger wrestler with some girth, Dusty Rhodes was an athlete. He wrestled smart; he could work a 30-, 40-, 50-, 60-minute match. Ahead of his time, Rhodes was a babyface, one of the most popular wrestlers of his era, but he wrestled like a heel, fighting fire with fire.

So many outstanding feuds in CWF including Harley Race, Ric Flair, King Curtis, Big Cat Ernie Ladd, Ox Baker, The Masked Assassin, The Prince of Darkness Kevin Sullivan and of course Terry Funk. In the NWA/WCW, he and Tully Blanchard delivered a very memorable feud and to heighten that effort, Dusty worked very well with Blanchard, Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson (The Four Horsemen).

Not only in the NWA, he secured title matches in the AWA against Nick Bockwinkel and in the WWWF/WWE against Superstar Billy Graham. Talk about a busy schedule, Dusty was ranked in the upper top 10 in the AWA, NWA and WWWF simultaneously.

And talk about the promos. He was one of the all-time best on mic. From Hard Times, Bull of the Woods (moooow), The Midnight Rider, Funky Like a Monkey, The Bionic Elbow, The Dusty Finish, Polka Dots, Starracde and more. His iconic rivalry and promos with Flair set the path for an entire industry, and he even beat The Nature Boy for one of his three NWA world title reigns.

That is “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.

What you may not know is he was a family man, Virgil Runnels Jr., and from family birthed four children, including two sons, who also became pro wrestlers/sports entertainers — the very athletic Dustin Rhodes, aka the eclectic Goldust and the charismatic, handsome Cody Rhodes, aka Stardust.

Dusty’s influence on the business is still seen today. He worked with many current WWE superstars when they were training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

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Biography: WWE Legends (2021)

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Currently you are able to watch "Biography: WWE Legends" streaming on Hulu, A&E or for free with ads on The Roku Channel, A&E, Freevee. It is also possible to buy "Biography: WWE Legends" as download on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store.

The stories behind some of the most memorable WWE Superstars of all time.

Where does Biography: WWE Legends rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Biography: WWE Legends is 1753 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The TV show has moved up the charts by 369 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Five Children and It but less popular than Still Standing.

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Growing-up in East Austin, Texaa, Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. always had an outsized vision of the possibilities for himself; his iconic rivalry and promos with Ric Flair set the path for an e... Read all Growing-up in East Austin, Texaa, Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. always had an outsized vision of the possibilities for himself; his iconic rivalry and promos with Ric Flair set the path for an entire industry. Growing-up in East Austin, Texaa, Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. always had an outsized vision of the possibilities for himself; his iconic rivalry and promos with Ric Flair set the path for an entire industry.

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April 11, 2023

Categories NEWS TICKER WWE News

By Jason Powell , ProWrestling.net Editor ( @prowrestlingnet )

-Sunday’s WWE A&E Biography on Dusty Rhodes delivered 461,000 viewers, according to Showbuzzdaily.com . The two-hour show finished 21st in Sunday’s cable ratings with a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

-Sunday’s WWE Rivals on Undertaker and Randy Orton delivered 427,000 viewers for A&E and finished 20th in the cable ratings with a 0.14 rating.

Powell’s POV: The A&E shows took a break for WrestleMania weekend. The prior week’s one-hour A&E biographies on Charlotte Flair produced 338,000 viewers and a 0.11 rating, and Yokozuna delivered 366,000 viewers and a 0.13 rating. The same night’s WWE Rivals on Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns had 362,000 viewers and a 0.14 rating.

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New WWE Programming Returning to A&E in February

• Author: Justin Barrasso

WWE returns to A&E next month, Sports Illustrated has learned.

The Season 3 premiere of Biography: WWE Legends is set to air on Sunday, Feb. 19, and it will focus on the New World Order . Further Legends episodes this season will detail the iconic careers of Dusty Rhodes, Chyna, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Kane and the Iron Sheik. WWE star Cody Rhodes was heavily involved in the episode featuring Dusty Rhodes.

In addition to the return of Legends , the series  WWE Rivals is also returning to A&E. That show will air immediately following Legends , and its Season 2 premiere will also air on Feb. 19.

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Rivals begins with an in-depth look at the Hulk Hogan–Andre the Giant feud that still ranks as one of WWE’s greatest of all-time. Other rivalries that will be covered are Steve Austin–Bret Hart, which effectively elevated Austin into a main event talent, as well as the Austin-Shawn Michaels feud. There will be a close look at the iconic Undertaker–Mankind battles, which included Mick Foley getting tossed off the top of a Hell in a Cell cage. There are also more recent feuds, like The Rock–John Cena, Triple H–Batista, and Brock Lesnar–Roman Reigns. Rivals will also feature Hollywood star and former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. leading roundtable discussions about the rivalries.

More Legends episodes are scheduled to air this spring. There will also be more content in the summer with season two of WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures . Booker T, Mick Foley and Lita will lead the search for some of wrestling’s most unique memorabilia.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @ JustinBarrasso .

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All New Seasons of 'Biography: WWE Legends' and 'WWE Rivals' Return Sunday, February 19

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September 19, 2024

A+E Networks

A&E NETWORK AND WWE® RETURN TO THE RING WITH ALL-NEW SEASONS OF “BIOGRAPHY: WWE LEGENDS” AND “WWE RIVALS” BEGINNING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

SERIES CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THE MOST ICONIC WWE SUPERSTARS AND STORIES AS PART OF A&E AND WWE’S ONGOING PROGRAMMING PARTNERSHIP

New York, NY – January 5, 2023 – WWE on A&E returns this winter beginning Sunday, February 19 with the season three premiere of “ Biography: WWE Legends ” at 8pm ET/PT followed by the season two premiere of “ WWE Rivals ” at 10pm ET/PT . Airing back-to-back each Sunday, the series continue to explore the lives and careers of some of the most iconic WWE Superstars through unprecedented access, interviews, and footage. The premieres continue A&E and WWE’s ongoing partnership featuring 130 hours of new, premium WWE-themed series and specials commissioned by the network to air exclusively on A&E platforms and distributed worldwide by A+E Networks.

Following “Biography: WWE Legends,” season two of “WWE Rivals” returns with actor and former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. leading a roundtable discussion of WWE luminaries to delve into the storylines and dynamic characters behind the epic battles that built the WWE. Each one-hour episode features archival footage from WWE’s library as well as interviews with the Legends involved and the Superstars that watched these rivalries unfold. The season begins with examining Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant , and will explore other rivalries including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, Undertaker vs. Mankind, The Rock vs. John Cena, Triple H vs. Batista, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels .

The action continues later this year with additional WWE-focused premieres. In addition to a new slate of “ Biography: WWE Legends ,” episodes premiering this spring, this summer even more WWE stories will be featured in season two of “ WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures .” This season, WWE Legends Booker T , Mick Foley , and Lita lead the search for WWE’s most iconic missing memorabilia.

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All series will be available on demand and to stream on the A&E App and aetv.com

“Biography: WWE Legends” and “WWE Rivals,” are produced by WWE for A&E Network. Executive producers for WWE are Kevin Dunn and Chris Kaiser. Executive producers for A&E Network are Elaine Frontain Bryant, Brad Abramson, and Jonathan Partridge. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights.

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Dusty Rhodes Biography And Other WWE Programming Returning To A&E In February

WWE's non-wrestling programming on A&E is set to return soon. According to a Wednesday afternoon report from Mike Johnson at PWInsider , all three of the WWE A&E shows, "Biography: WWE Legends," "WWE Rivals," and "WWE's Most Wanted Treasures," will all be returning on February 19.

Though Johnson did not have details about the subjects of the "Rivals" and "Most Wanted Treasures" episodes, he did name three of the "Biography" topics. Those are Dusty Rhodes, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and the nWo. The first two seasons of that show had eight and nine episodes, respectively, so if season three has a comparable number of episodes, there are still several "Biography" subjects yet to be revealed.

"Most Wanted Treasures" has not aired since the first season was shown in the spring of 2021. In the interim, A.J. "Top Dolla" Francis, who hosted the show, was released from WWE and eventually rehired. "Rivals," meanwhile, has aired one season so far, with nine episodes last summer.

WWE and A&E announced an extension of their broadcast deal last March, saying that it would result in 130 additional hours of programming from the partnership. As of the announcement, the deal has included 35 more episodes of "Biography," 24 more episodes of "Most Wanted Treasures," and 40 hours of "Rivals."

"A&E is an amazing partner with an impressive lineup of signature series across its networks," Nick Khan, then holding the title of WWE President, said in a press release at the time. "The expansion of our partnership will allow us to continue creating a massive slate of new content with a trusted partner, while further establishing A&E as a destination for WWE fans for years to come."

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WWE on A&E ratings up for Dusty Rhodes Biography

• By  Paul Fontaine
• Published: 11 Apr 2023, 09:04
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Sunday night’s edition of Biography: WWE Legends, focused on Dusty Rhodes, averaged 461,000 viewers on A&E. That’s up 31 percent from two weeks ago when the series last aired.

It’s the best audience total for Biography: WWE Legends since March 5 and the third highest of the current season.

In the 18-49 demo, Biography finished 21st on the cable charts with a 0.14 rating, up 16.7 percent from two weeks ago. It’s the best rating for Biography since the season premiere on February 19.

WWE Rivals, highlighting the feud between The Undertaker and Randy Orton, aired immediately following Biography and averaged 427,000 viewers. That’s up 18 percent from two weeks ago and is the highest audience total for the show since the season premiere.

Rivals finished 20th on the cable charts with a 0.14 rating in 18-49. That’s the same rating as two weeks ago and ties the third highest number in the history of the series. It marks the third straight week that Rivals has finished ahead of Biography in 18-49, despite the later start time.

Listed below are the viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for each episode of Biography: WWE Legends and WWE Rivals since their debuts: