On June 11, 2015 the pro wrestling world lost one of the all time greats when Dusty Rhodes passed away.
During his time in wrestling, The American Dream captivated fans with his charisma during promos and in the ring as he gave us some of the best feuds and memorable matches in history.
But he was far more than a talent or booker as he touched so many lives in his own way, and Diamond Dallas Page is one that will never forget Dusty.
In 1994, DDP was frustrated with how he was being booked in WCW and told Dusty he knew he’d ever be a world champion and big star like Dusty, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan.
Dusty responded by asking why he’s there then, and told him to get out of their business if that was his mindset. It motivated DDP to turn things around and the two remained friends until Dusty’s death.
Hall of Fame induction
When DDP got the call from Triple H about going into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017, it took a minute for DDP to fully grasp what was happening and how he got there.
He talked about it in detail on DDP Snake Pit, and when it came time to discuss who should’ve inducted him, he wished Dusty could’ve been the one had he not passed away two years earlier.
“And you’ve got to just breathe and keep throwing out into the universe. The law of attraction. When he told me, man, I got really choked up and I started welling up, and then I said, ‘I wish Dusty was here.’ That’s who should have inducted me. The cool thing about Bischoff was he noticed that and he knew that. And that’s something he put in there, that I’m not supposed to be the guy.”
DDP said the highlight of his career was entering the Hall of Fame, and it was so he could thank everyone that had a hand in getting him there.
“It’s number one because it is everything. I got to thank everybody. Past and present, people who weren’t here anymore from Dusty to Jake, to Dusty’s wife Michelle, Cody’s mom. All those calls I made to him in between working in Florida Championship Wrestling with him, coming into the WCW, and being in WWE, he became the polka-dotted guy up there.
“And I’ll say it again, how you turn John Wayne meets Elvis, put him in polka-dots and he still gets it over. You know, that’s the talent. But Michelle was the person that answered the phone, Cody’s mom before Cody was here. She answered the phone and said, ‘I’ll make sure he calls you back, Dallas,’ because she was around me, you know, and she knew how much I cared about Dusty.”
There’s no denying DDP’s love and appreciation for Dusty, and as he’s said many times, “Without Dusty, there’s be no DDP.”
That’s a perfect tribute to one of the greats.
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