Dustin Rhodes on Cody's Story, Goldust, AEW, Working For Tony Khan & Vince McMahon

On the match against Cody Rhodes at AEW Double or Nothing 2019:

"It meant a lot. Really at the beginning of it before it happened, I wasn't sure. AEW crowd, I’d been at WWE for so long, are they going to respond like I want them to respond? Are they going to boo me out of the building? What's going to happen? Nervous, of course, you're working with your brother, you want to have a good one. And your music hits and they responded in kind. And get out there and it's just, I've explained it before and it's it's very special. Very emotional, very heart-driven. You stand there and I just look at Cody across the ring and point up to the sky, right. And they just started the Dusty chants just like crazy loud, and it was just like electric. And it was so focused. And I tell the fans this, I can see the fans, but I can't really see them. I can hear them, but I can't hear them because I'm just we were so focused on each other and what needed to be done at that time to really shotgun this company, AEW, into existence. And it was it was amazing. We could have missed a bunch of stuff and it wouldn't have mattered the story was there. Two promos set it up brother versus brother. It worked. You know, and we were told years ago, it just wasn't good enough to be on like the big card, the Big Show and they were wrong. And we just went out there and absolutely slaughtered it. It was incredible. The stars aligned, it was perfect. I mean, couldn't have been more perfect."

On possibly retiring after that match:

"I was actually. So that I didn't have any idea about what Cody was doing. I thought ok, he was leaving the ring, this is my time right now just to go okay, I've had a great career. And, you know, he surprised me with his throwback with, you know, the promo I need my older brother. And it was very emotional. That's when people started squalling and then there wasn’t a dry eye in the place and it was just both of us. We were crying holding each other, you know, hugging it was just a very strong, strong feeling. So it was really good."

On his first vision as a wrestler:

"Just 80s cowboy. You know, I just looked at my dad, he was always a cowboy. You know, big dust, always a cowboy, always a hat on and the boots and stuff like that. And it's kind of what I wanted to do. I wanted to be just like him, but that's impossible. And you know, it took me years to figure that out. I finally realised that, you know, I can't fill my dad's shoes. I can't, not even close. So I had to that's when the Goldust thing came along. And you know, it opened my eyes to Hey, maybe I need to fill my own shoes. And I did and it was something completely different than what I am."

On not knowing the meaning of androgynous: 

"It sounded like something that's not good. So I went to the dictionary and looked it up and I'm just like, my jaw dropped. And I was like, What did I just sign up for and agree to do? I thought about it for a while and I was like, You know what, this may be a chance to do something good. I wasn't looking at it as is Vince trying to rib me or any of those things. I'm just trying to make my way make my name in the business and try to just grow my legacy as much as I possibly could, and it worked out. And I had to put 110% in it. And there was a lot of tough things that We did that I was scared to do, didn't want to do didn't want to, touch on these issues that were very important to people later on down the road. They're all you know, they'll DM me or something saying You really helped me come out or whatever it is. So you hear that a bunch of times from fans and it’s like, wow, I really had an impact back then. But that was tough for me to step out of that comfort zone. But when you do that, and I've learned to realise when you step out of your comfort zone, in your little circle, and you're everything's very comfortable in your little circle, but you step outside of that and you're trying something brand new that might frighten you. That's where the magic happens."

On Goldust being sexualised:

"I didn't want to cross [the line]. But when I did was when this stuff happened. Vince gave me the reigns for this character. He let me find myself I mean, he was hands-on in my voice a lot trying to bring out a creepy sexual Goldust voice. he worked with me hands on we did a bunch. And I finally got it, you know, and you have your few little catchphrases that stick or whatever and your body mannerisms and I was at. We ran with it. And it was incredible. He gave me, he took it away from me at a time too later on. And I was like, why man? I couldn't understand why but it was still very young."

On The Undertaker saying he should be in the WWE Hall of Fame:

"That was nice of him, I love to work and Mark man. He was great. Always great. Just, you got two people that can work, it makes things a lot easier, and back then everybody could work. You had good matches and good storylines. It was just different. The Attitude Era was a different beast man, different than anything we've ever had. And it was the Ruthless Aggression Era and all the other eras that we have gone through and look at where we're at now, and just how much the business has changed over the years. I'm an old-school guy, and I say this to my students all the time. Without the old school, there is none of this new school, right? You have to learn this sh*t right here. Then you add your little spices and your little 2024 attitude with it and a couple of new movesets people want to be told a story, period. And I swear to God, it still works. And it's just, that's me. I'm a storyteller. I'm big on psychology. I'm big on making people feel something because that is the most important thing. If they're feeling something at home sitting in the recliner, I touch their lives and or move them in some way they're coming back, they're not turning the channel. And there's a lot of people that don't, and there are a lot of people just going through the motions and doing moves and moves with no rhyme, no meaning and you know, nothing against them. But that's just not me. I mean, there's different styles and mine is it's old school."

On the wrestling resurgence:

"It is like a renaissance, isn't it? It is cool, man. You know how it goes in cycles. And I think we're on an upcycle right now, and it's incredible business for everybody. Everybody's kicking ass. The indies are strong, AEW is strong. WWE is strong. TNA is coming back. It's incredible to watch, right? People love to be entertained. They want to be taken out of their day for two or three hours, however long the show is and whatever they're going through good, bad, whatever, they get away. They want to watch this. And that's our job to take them out of that and retain them."

Did you think Cody would leave AEW?

"I didn't actually, I didn't. But I know some stuff that went on. And you know, I think it was just his time he made a smart decision. He made a very smart decision. Look at him now, he is the man here. So it's incredible. Incredible ride, incredible journey from him leaving the first time in WWE and saying he's betting on himself and just taking the ball and f*cking running with it. And he created something really cool. That's awesome."

On how Cody has changed compared to his first WWE run?

"More wisdom, more business sense. He's gotten very smart for his age in a short period of time. And he studies. He’s a studier of the business, studier or of politics, a studier of all kinds of things. I mean, he studies his vocabulary and he uses such big words and that's just not me. I'm like, what does that mean? I'm thinking then I'll look it up. Oh, that's a good word. But I won't ever f*cking remember it. That's what kind of sets us different, he wears suits all the time. I can't, it's just it's too hot. You know what I mean? And just comfort for me. But he's everything, when you look at a true superstar or megastar, he is fitting that bill right now. And he is doing an amazing job of carrying the company along with the great talent that are there yet but he's right now he can do no wrong. They're pushing them to the moon and it doesn't happen that much to people. So it's really good to see that a Rhodes is really getting their said due in the business with WWE."

On anything he didn’t enjoy doing in WWE and possibly saying no:

"I mean, there's probably a couple of storylines that I really didn't want to be in. But you know, back then I was just, let's go, let's do the thing, get it over with, whatever. Looking back at it, if I were to change anything, which I have no regrets, because those were my teachers. And they taught me a lot of lessons, I would have probably changed the way that I approached certain things diplomatically instead of losing my temper, or losing my sh*t, I don't want to do this or whatever, you know, those are probably the only thing. But you grow up and you see possibly how you were back then. And it's like, man, I was rough around the edges here, but this is all I knew. And it was like, you kind of get a little wiser as you get older. And it's not worth it. You're thinking about it. Why did I do that? Why didn't I just say no? Or, you know, changed it to make it a little different? There's all kinds of sh*t that I've done that was not very good. But, you know, whatever."

On thinking about the last match:

"No, I did last year a little bit. But then it's just like I'm not [ready]. It's one of those I need to sit down and think about this type of conversation with myself and weigh the cons and the pros and not yet. I would say, two to three years, maybe."

On possibly leaving AEW when Cody did:

"No, I'm happy there. I'm very happy in AEW and it's a good place for me. We're growing, we're doing some wonderful things. Business is up. Everything is great. It's a different style over there as it is WWE, you know. We have some of the greatest professional wrestlers on the planet in that company, man and it is special to watch them even to have a chance to step in the ring with him. My God, there's some good talent there. They do some amazing stuff. Just incredible stuff like different category stuff. Will Ospreay, they have to build a new category for him because he is insane. And he's so young. It's amazing how just the incredible things that he does, it's nuts."

On how AEW has changed in the last 5 years: 

"I think it's changed a little bit. I don't think it’s changed for the worse. I mean, every company grows and you have somebody like Tony, who is a huge wrestling fan. I mean, huge. I'll sit in and gorilla. Okay, and say, I'm not wrestling that night, I'm coaching. Right now I've been coaching Swerve a lot in all of his matches in the last year. I'll be really focused on watching the things and talking to the referee and given the times and telling them you forgot to do this, do this or whatever. Tony goes, Hey, Dustin, do you remember in 1991, you were in Syracuse, New York, you were wrestling so and so and he did this spot in this match? And I'm like, No, I don't Tony, let me let me concentrate on what's going on right here. We're on live television. I mean, he's got such a mind. And he remembers everything. And he loves my Dustin Rhodes. He's always loved them and one of his favourites. And it's pretty cool to be under him as you know, the boss. And I've never had a boss like that, because Vince was completely different. Very intimidating, and very business all the time. Tony's business, but he's also a very kind man, his doors are always open. And it's good because I feel very comfortable conversing with him, pitching him ideas constantly and just enjoying this from the beginning. It's been one last ride and it's still going on. So it's doing something and it's got my passion, still piqued."

What is Dustin Rhodes grateful for?

“My wife, my daughter, my family, my health and my sobriety."