DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – Dusty Rhodes DVD Review (Part-2 & Conclusion)
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 1:17 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #221

Welcome one and all to the 221st edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

I have yet to view the most recent editions of Raw & ECW, but I think it’s fair to state that the WWE continue to gather steam while heading towards April-1 & WrestleMania 23. Shows from all 3 brands have been of a consistently high quality of late & that includes ECW which sure has crammed a lot of action into 1 hour over the past couple of weeks.

The good thing is that all the positives that have shown up on WWE programming of late haven’t totally been directly linked to WrestleMania 23. This is a good thing for mine as the shows don’t totally come off as a PPV sell-job. I think the WWE have found the right balance of building towards the big dance, while just putting on really well-balanced episodes as well.

Kudos to the WWE here & let’s hope that they now can get cracking with putting together some genuinely good undercard bouts, because I have had many emails over the past week or so suggesting that having 8 men in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match is a foolish move & will rob the undercard of much-needed depth. While it has robbed me of my Benoit vs Kennedy US Title bout, I will hold off further opinion on this discussion until a few more things start to take shape.

Today sees the second & final part of my Dusty Rhodes DVD review. I had absolutely no chance in getting this posted on the weekend as it turned out, so here it is continuing my Wednesday streak to 17 months now! For those who haven’t had the chance to read Part-1 of my review (which looks at Discs 1 & 2 of this 3 Disc set), you may still do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2007/articles/1172638912.php

Ok, bring the plundah if you wiiiilllllllllllllllll & let’s get on with the show…..


APPETIZERS – Disc-3 Matches

vs THE HONKY TONK MAN (WWE SummerSlam. August-28, 1989): The 2 begin with a little dance off before tying up & going through the motions. A weak looking ankle-lock by Dusty is abruptly halted by the heel managerial work of Jimmy Hart on the outside. Honky gets in a megaphone shot to the gut to get a 2 count before heading for the dreaded resthold that was bound to come. In fact, there were 3 of them! Dusty then wins a battle of fists before Honky sends Rhodes into the referee. This leads to the finish where Jimmy Hart misses Dusty with a guitar shot & strikes his own man. An elbow-drop later & it’s all over after 9 minutes. Usual HTMan bout that was half restholds, although it did have good crowd involvement & was at least stretched out to a decent duration. I can’t pass it though. Match Rating… 4.5

THE DREAM TEAM (Dusty, Brutus The Barber, Tito Santana & The Red Rooster) vs THE ENFORCERS (The Honky Tonk Man, Rick Martel, Bad News Brown & The Big Bossman (WWE Survivor Series. November-23, 1989): This is a traditional Survivor Series elimination match & Tito starts against Honky, before Santana’s one-time tag-team partner Martel comes in to pick the pace up. It isn’t long until the tags are coming thick & fast, with The Rooster the one playing the face in peril. Santana is the one that gets the hot tag & puts together a flurry of offense, but it ends up being him that is first eliminated (by Martel) after 9 minutes via a rollup reversal. The match slows down at this point with both The Bossman & Brown isolating Rooster. But a miscommunication between the 2 big men leads to dissension in the heel team & Brown is counted out as he simply walks out of the match at the 15 minute mark.

Honky is next to be eliminated 2 minutes later after a Brutus high knee-lift to the jaw. And Martel is next out courtesy of the Barber, leaving Bossman at a 3 on 1 disadvantage. This doesn’t last long though as a Bossman Slam eliminates The Red Rooster. But the match is soon over as Dusty hits a cross body block for the pinfall after running the ropes at the 22 minute mark. Predominantly entertaining elimination match that began well & settled into a nice pace, but suffered from too many quick eliminations towards the end. Nothing special action-wise, but you wouldn’t expect it to be considering the participants. It was all rather solid though & I liked it. Match Rating… 7.5

DUSTY & SAPPHIRE vs ‘MACHO KING’ RANDY SAVAGE & QUEEN SHERRI (WWE WrestleMania 6. April-1, 1990): This is a mixed tag-team match on the undercard of the Hogan vs Warrior main-event in Toronto. It is preceded by a locker-room interview with Dusty & Sapphire. The entrances take an eternity & the bout is further postponed as Dusty introduces Savage’s former valet Miss Elizabeth to his corner! Dusty & Randy start things off, but it isn’t long until the ladies are tagged in. Sapphire’s offense has me literally begging for her to tag out & when she eventually does, Macho takes to the air with a number of top-rope moves. One of them is with his scepter & this allows Sherri to hit a top-rope splash which only gets a 2 count. The 2 ladies then go at it & Sapphire ends up pinning Sherri at the 7 minute mark with a big assist from Elizabeth! Pretty damn embarrassing at times, I am thankful that Savage was in this match. The crowd were involved I suppose, but the action here was very much sub-par. The inclusion of Elizabeth did help the spectacle though & it did somehow fit with those earlier WrestleManias. Match Rating… 3.5

DUSTY & DUSTIN RHODES vs ‘THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN’ TED DIBIASE & VIRGIL (WWE. November-24, 1990): Emanating from Madison Square Garden, the action begins immediately here & we get the presence of Jimmy Hart & Honky Tonk Man on commentary. Dusty & Virgil begin for some reason & a couple of messy sequences lead to Virgil embarrassingly having to throw himself over the top-rope. The heels attempt to isolate Dusty, but the hot tag is made to Dustin who cleans house with dropkicks & the like. The heels eventually double-team the youngster & this results in the bout breaking down. Dusty then gets involved with the commentating Honky Tonk Man, which opens his son up to a 2 on 1 attack. Dibiase hits a powerslam leading to the decisive pinfall at the 9 minute mark. Passable action for the most part if you forget about the messy opening, but too short to allow a story to fully be told. Tough one to rate, but I don’t think I can pass it. Match Rating… 4.5

vs STEVE CORINO (ECW Living Dangerously. March-12, 2000): This is another Texas Bull-Rope Match where the 2 combatants are linked by a thick rope that has a cowbell in the middle of it. It isn’t long before the 2 go to ringside as Dusty takes to Corino with the cow-bell. Rhodes drags his opponent through the crowd as Jack Victory interferes to allow Corino to get in some offense. Both men are soon busted open due to cow-bell shots as they finally get back into the ring. Corino goes to the top-rope, but Dusty yanks on the rope & Corino basically headbutts a chair. Dusty then cuts Corino on the arm with the cow-bell, before ramming his head into a chair. The ref then assists Dusty by taping a cow-bell onto Corino’s forehead. A chairshot & elbow-drop later & it is all over after 10 minutes. Hardly a wrestling move to be seen, this was mostly awful & made no sense at all. The crowd seemed to like it, but it’s fair to say that I didn’t. Match Rating… 2.5

DUSTY & DUSTIN RHODES vs RIC FLAIR & JEFF JARRETT (WCW Greed. March-18, 2001): This was a ‘Kiss My A$$’ Match where the losers would have to kiss their opponent’s backside. This took place not long before WCW closed down & Flair initially doesn’t want to wrestle, but eventually does in casual clothes! Dustin & Jarrett begin at a good pace before Flair is tagged in & a battle of fists & chops take place. Dusty gets tagged in & the 2 veterans enjoy hamming it up as Rhodes’ main offensive weapon seems to be flatulence! Dusty then gets the crowd riled up with some bionic elbows, before Dustin is tagged in to clean house. Flair hits a low-blow behind the ref’s back to regain control for the heels, as Jarrett locks in a sleeperhold before targeting the knee & locking on a figure 4 leglock. After Dustin escapes and some back & forth action follows, the heels try simultaneous figure 4’s. However, Flair & Jarrett clash heads & Dustin scores a messy rollup pinfall on Flair at the 10 minute mark. Entertaining enough I suppose, but nothing out of this world with mainly standard action. The aftermath is then shown where Dusty forces his a$$ into Jarrett. So Dusty is to blame for Vince’s club!!! Match Rating… 6


MAIN – Disc-3 Promos & Vignettes

NWA World Championship Wrestling (July-13, 1985): Tony Schiavone interviews Dusty a week after his TV Title victory over Tully Blanchard. Blanchard’s valet Baby Doll is with Dusty & says some uncomplimentary things about him, even trying to land a punch! 2 minutes in length.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (July-20, 1985): 5 minute vignette of sorts where Baby Doll is first seen shoveling crap out of a horse stable, before taking a horse ride & escaping. Strange!

NWA World Championship Wrestling (July-23, 1985): Dusty reveals that Baby Doll is back with him after escaping on horse-back, before laying verbally into Tully Blanchard. 2 minutes in length.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (August-17, 1985): Rhodes targets Blanchard, The Andersons & Flair in this 2 minute interview, before explaining how Baby Doll escaped to Hawaii & stole his credit-card.

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling (September-10, 1985): Dusty speaks during a backstage interview about a challenge made to him by Paul Jones & The Barbarian, before moving on to World Champion Ric Flair. 2 minutes in length.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (September-28, 1985): 90 second promo aimed towards Arn Anderson.

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling (October-29, 1985): Following an injury, Dusty returns with this excellent 4 minute promo where he talks about the common person & “hard times”, while warning World Champion Ric Flair that he is coming after his title.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (November-16, 1985): Rhodes calls Flair “yellow” & warns him once more that he is going to take his title at Starrcade in this 2 minute promo.

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling (December-3, 1985): A serious sounding Dusty gives his “Kings & Queens” speech following his pinfall victory over Flair, that was controversially reversed later on. Very good 2 minute promo.

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling (December-15, 1985): Rhodes explains how he was never defeated for the TV Title & how he wants to defeat Arn Anderson to regain it in this 3 minute promo.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (January-4, 1986): Now National HeavyWeight Champion, Dusty rattles on with Baby Doll now by his side. Footage is included here of Rhodes getting some revenge on The 4 Horsemen by injuring Ole Anderson’s leg. 4 minutes in length.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (January-4, 1986): Dusty & Baby Doll are back on the same night to make fun of Ric Flair for 90 seconds.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (June-21, 1986): Dusty delivers an empty arena ringside promo that is aimed towards The 4 Horsemen, and Ole Anderson in particular. 2 minutes in length & Dusty rattles on about lightning bolts & the atmosphere a lot!

NWA World Championship Wrestling (August-16, 1986): Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Bill Apter interviews Dusty shortly after he lost the World Title back to Ric Flair. Rhodes vows revenge on The 4 Horsemen in this strong 4 minute promo.

NWA World-Wide Wrestling (February-17, 1987): 2 minutes worth of dueling promos between Dusty & a heel Sgt Slaughter.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (March-19, 1988): Dusty targets Gary Hart & Al Perez before talking about his tag-team with Nikolai Volkoff & then his barbed-wire match teaming with The Road Warriors. 3 minutes in length.

NWA World Championship Wrestling (May-21, 1988): Dusty speaks about teaming with Sting & Luger against The Horsemen. 2 minutes in length.

WWF Superstars (June-3, 1989): 90 second vignette where Dusty plays the All-American Pizza delivery man. Corny as!

WWF Superstars (June-10, 1989): More corniness as Dusty is in the back of the Americana Butcher Shop feeling up dead animals!

WWF Superstars (June-17, 1989): Dusty fills up the tank of a car at the Americana Gas Station. Some idiot had the bright idea to make this vignette longer at 2 minutes in length.

WWF Superstars (June-24, 1989): Rhodes is in a horse stable this time talking about how “doodoo” (I’m not making this up folks) is good for us all in the form of fertilizer. 1 minute in length & these are getting sillier.

WWF Superstars (July-1, 1989): Dusty the plumber finally makes an appearance to unclog a “chocolate brown” toilet. The bad toilet humor last for 2 & a half minutes.

WWF Superstars (July-8, 1989): Dusty is the All-American garbo here as he empties some bins.

WWF Superstars (July-15, 1989): Dusty is at the All-American Taco Shop this time around.

WWF Superstars (July-22, 1989):The vignettes finally end as Rhodes appears on The Brother Love Show mocking The Big Bossman (complete with police cap & night-stick). Dusty then stops the Brother Love music & dances to his own. 4 minutes in length.

WWF Wrestling Challenge (September-29, 1989): ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund interviews Dusty as he shows off his new yellow polka-dots while promising Americana justice on The Big Bossman & Slick. 3 minutes in length.

WWF Superstars (October-7, 1989): One minutes worth of more of the same aimed at The Big Bossman & Slick.

WWF Superstars (October-7, 1989): Later on during the same episode of ‘Superstars’, Dusty once more appears on The Brother Love Show, this time to hype The Survivor Series 8 man elimination match between his Dream Team & The Enforcers. 4 minutes in length.

WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event (January-27, 1990): One minute backstage interview where Dusty & Sapphire speak on upcoming opponents Rick Rude & Bobby Heenan.

WWF Superstars (May-12, 1990): Dusty once more appears on The Brother Love Show. This time he is with Sapphire (who gets in a slap) & their targets are Randy Savage & Sherri. 4 minutes in length.

WWF Wrestling Challenge (June-2, 1990): Another minutes worth aimed towards the King & Queen.

WWF Wrestling Challenge (September-15, 1990): Rhodes addresses the fact that ‘The Million Dollar Man’ purchased the services of Sapphire & embarrassed Dusty. 2 minutes in length.

WWF Superstars (Dcember-22, 1990): Dusty appears on The Brother Love Show once more & this time he has son Dustin by his side. Father & son explain how blood is thicker than water & how they cannot be bought. 3 minutes in length.

WWF Wrestling Challenge (December-29, 1990): More of the same leading up to the Rumble tag-team match between Dusty/Dustin & Dibiase/Virgil. This time it’s along side ‘Mean’ Gene though & lasts for 4 minutes.

WWF Raw (May-5, 1997): Jim Ross hosted segment where Dustin explains how hard it was growing up in his father’s footsteps & how difficult it is to have played the Goldust character. Dustin also sends an on-air message to Dusty who he hadn’t spoken to for over 2 years at that point. Good & realistic 6 man extra.


DESSERT – Easter Eggs & Conclusion

EASTER EGGS

- On Disc-1, go to the ‘Chapters’ Menu, highlight ‘Texas Outlaws’ & press left twice to see Mike Graham talking about the first time he ever met Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch. 90 seconds in length.

- On Disc-3, go to page 1 of the ‘Extras’ menu, highlight Dusty/Dustin vs Dibiase/Virgil & press left twice to see a modern day Ted Dibiase discussing his man-servant & bodyguard Virgil & how he got his character name. Of course, Virgil is Dusty’s real name & this was a rib of sorts! Dibiase goes on to explain how when he went to WCW & Virgil couldn’t be called that for legal reasons, how Dusty thought up the idea to call him Vincent (after Vince McMahon). 3 minutes in length. Good egg!


CONCLUSION

Oh boy, where do I start with this 3 disc set? Firstly, why the hell it’s a 3 disc set is beyond me. Whether it be the multiple duplication on matches, promos & vignettes, or many below average bouts, this could have easily been formatted down into 2 discs. It probably would have been a better watch overall if it had only been 2 discs as it was a real hard slog to get through all that was included. In the majority of cases for DVD releases, a little bit of extra quantity can’t hurt, but I do believe it did in this case.

I must admit that I have never been the hugest fan of Dusty Rhodes, so I may not be the best person to speak on this DVD, but I’m unsure there are too many wrestling fans that are. Even those old-school NWA fans would have other favorites above Dusty from what I know. While he did have above-average mic/promo skills & could get a decent bout out of good workers, there was never enough quality stuff during his career to get 9 hours worth of action out of.

The overall story is a good one I suppose & this shines through in the good documentary piece. But even still, this is nowhere near the best of the documentaries that the WWE have put together for a DVD package. As can be seen by my match ratings, the misses are really bad & the hits are only solid. Meanwhile, for every one very good non-match extra, there are about 3-5 which are either bad or duplications of others.

Overall, this is a disappointing effort by the WWE which far outstays it’s welcome & can only be recommended to Dusty Rhodes fans specifically, while being of decent interest to old-school NWA fans. All others should most probably stay away unless they have a lot of time to kill.


That’s another DVD review served up for you. If anyone would like to contribute any feedback or ask any questions, you are more than welcome to. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com. But if you are an LOP Forums member, it would be much appreciated if you could leave feedback on my thread at http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=217&page=4.

I’m certain that most will be glad that there is no DVD review planned for next week. In fact, what the hell do I have planned for next Wednesday? Ummm, I’m not sure, but I have had a steady stream of feedback concerning this, that & the other in the world of professional wrestling over the past couple of weeks, so I may just collate the most topical & timely and spout forth my opinion whichever way I see fit. As per usual, my column will be posted at the same Wednesday time on the same LOP channel. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.

DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu. 2002-2007

Exclusive To LordsOfPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com










***DIRECT LINK*** Photos of BATISTA With His HOT NEW GIRLFRIEND!

• Quick Links -
  [Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]