Secrets of the Ring - Dusty Rhodes

The Good
Gabe Sapolsky sits down with Dusty Rhodes (this was while he was working with NWA-TNA) and they go through his journal, specifically the year of 1987. If you love Dusty, I cannot imagine you would not enjoy this. He is a toned down version of his "American Dream" character and delivers so many of those "Rhodeisms" that it spices things up. They talk briefly about building things to this high-point in Jim Crockett Promotions. Dusty talks about his jump from Florida, his promotion of Starcade and how that changed, his relationship with Jim Crockett (and other big wigs in the business) and they go over some of the turmoil that followed JCP's decline. The crux of this is going through the year, picking out some key shows, talking about Dusty's booking psychology, the UWF merger and JCP's expansion and they discuss the talent. If you want to know about how the War Games, the Great American Bash tours, the Crockett Cup and other JCP standards came to be, this is the place to hear about them. Why did Ronnie Garvin get pushed so hard? Why did Nikita Koloff "replace" Magnum TA after TA's car wreck? How could he successfully run two and three shows every night? Why did Dusty not push the UWF talent harder and try to work an interpromotional feud? Dusty has some great answers and especially as it concerns that last question. If you look at the history of interpromotional feuds, there is a trend. Sometimes the invaders are put over strong (Poffos in Memphis, The Outsiders & nWo in WCW, UWFi contingency in New Japan) and business spikes, but ultimately the whole things cools off ad transitioning to the next big thing can be hard as it is kind of "hotshot" type angle. Sometimes the in-coming crew is buried (WCW/ECW talent in WWF being the most infamous example). Dusty explains why he, as the booker, could not justify pushing these outsiders over the talent that he'd been up and down the road with. He felt he gave the in-coming stars chances and several delivered Steve Williams, Big Bubba and, of course, Sting. However, some of them like Eddie Gilbert, Terry Taylor and others did not. I cannot say I entirely agree with his stance and feel like that missed opportunity probably did JCP more harm than good, but I think his defense is reasonable.

The Bad
Dusty Rhodes is such a hit-or-miss person for me. He is someone who I can pop for when he does his schtick, I thought he had some great ideas in Crockett and 1993 WCW, I would crack up at his color commentary and thought the WWE Documentary on him was great, however his book was unimpressive, his RF Video shoot was lackluster, his matches and booking were awful at times and he has kind of become a cartoon character and his serious side seems to have retired years ago. This shoot is a great concept and it has some great content, however I would say I was a bit disappointed. I don't know if it was the lack of depth in his notes, Gabe's lack of digging or Dusty's lack of communication skills (hard to believe, considering he was one of the greatest promos ever), but this shoot interview was not the masterpiece I would have hoped for.

The Rating: ***3/4

The American Dream
Directors: Kevin Dunn
Distributor: WWE Home Video
Released: 6/06 

Featured Talent
Arn Anderson, Shelton Benjamin, Tully Blanchard, Jerry Brisco, John Cena, Simon Dean, Ted Dibiase, Ric Flair, Tony Garea, Mike Graham, Superstar Billy Graham, Michael Hayes, Bobby Heenan, Jerry Lawler, Chris Masters, Vince McMahon, Trevor Murdoch, Gene Okerland, Pat Patterson, Roddy Piper, Bruce Pritchard, Harley Race, William Regal, Dusty Rhodes, Michelle Rhodes, Dustin Runnels, Sgt. Slaughter, Joey Styles, Triple H


The Good
Dusty Rhodes is one of those once-in-a-lifetime personalities that comes along and despite hardships and limitations, they have that special something that makes them a legend. Dusty Rhodes story as the son of plumber in Austin, Texas is true, so telling it is very easy. There are great photographs and some fitting music that compliment the distinct voice and vernacular of the man. Like numerous other biographical documentaries by the WWE, the personality of the performer carries much of the quality of the piece. Although he's no Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes can talk well and keep the viewer engaged with his storytelling. The legacy of the Texas Outlaws (Rhodes and Dick Murdoch) is appropriately explained, but there is definitely more to that story. The Florida territory is succinctly and accurately described in a way that helps the modern fan understand how it worked and why it worked. Eddie Graham is put over and it connects to Dusty's own promotional acumen. Luckily they address some of Dusty's faults as well because he certainly has some that cannot fairly be left unsaid. Ultimately though it explains how Dusty Rhodes simply had a gift for getting things over, namely himself. He got over as a bad ass heel, he got over as a flamboyant jive-talking average Joe babyface and he even got over in his yellow polka dots. The tales of that last part are particularly funny. While you can grasp some of his excellence on the mic, it does not come across as strongly as in the Superstar Graham DVD. The real highlight of this is the story of the Dusty and Dustin Rhodes. They genuinely try to explain the hardships that being a pro-wrestler have on a family and how difficult it is for a son to follow his father when that father is a huge star. Dustin Rhodes brings a lot of emotion and honesty to this and it makes this more than a run-of-the-mill documentary about a pro-wrestling legend. The extras are all good from okay matches to great promos and vignettes. 

The Bad
Dusty Rhodes' legacy within the WWF is very different than his time spent elsewhere. He had a great feud with Superstar Graham in the late 70s and a run in the late 80s that many believe ruined his legacy. Although he was moderately successful in that ridiculous role and it was fun for everybody, it did his career no favors. The character of Sapphire and the racial baggage that comes with it is not even addressed (no surprise there), but she stands out as an example of the underlying bigotry that existed in the WWF worldview at that time. The final sticking point is that Dusty Rhodes does not seem to really take much of the heat for the death of Jim Crockett Promotions. He admits he usually catches the blame, but by no means admits his guilt. He was not alone, but he was certainly complacent as JCP spent its way into the ground. 

The Rating: ****1/4