History Wrestling / Goldust

* RageAgainstTheAuthor[=/=]RealLifeWritesThePlot: Dustin got tired of being Goldust at one point and tried to be a born-again Christian wrestler. (See above under FunWithAcronyms.) The gimmick sadly didn't take, in part [[ScrewedByTheNetwork because WWE]] [[TheyJustDidntCare didn't care]] and in part because it was just him in a t-shirt and blue jeans just preaching before matches. Even when Dustin went to WCW and TNA, he never tried (or they never let him try) the gimmick again.

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of movies, and, especially, the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward, when the Goldust gimmick started.

* SiblingYinYang: In character, and arguably RealLife. He's a good sixteen years older than [[CodyRhodes Cody]], and by their own admission the Rhodes brothers don't have a lot in common

** And now with his brother CodyRhodes.

'''Dustin Runnels''', born 1969, is a {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er best known by his ring names '''Dustin Rhodes''' and '''Goldust'''. He is the son of WWE Hall of Famer [[Wrestling/DustyRhodes "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes]], the half-brother of fellow WWE superstar, Wrestling/CodyRhodes and the ex-husband of former WWE Diva Terri "Marlena" Runnels. While he is most known for his work in Wrestling/{{WWE}} and Wrestling/{{WCW}}, he has also competed for Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, the United States Wrestling Association in Memphis, Wrestling/{{TNA}}, Wrestling/{{HUSTLE}}, and many independent promotions around the U.S.

** WhatCouldHaveBeen: The character was supposed to be the first openly gay wrestler, and was portrayed as one for about a month (his first major feud was sending love letters to [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]]). However, gay rights groups got upset over a gay person also being "evil," so [[Wrestling/TerriRunnels Marlena]] was introduced and it all became "mindgames."

* BadassFamily: He's a Rhodes, it's a given.
** Dustin was the one that established this trope, being the first of Dusty's kids to follow in his footsteps.

** WhatCouldHaveBeen: The character was supposed to be the first openly gay wrestler, and was portrayed as one for about a month (his first major feud was sending love letters to [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]]). However, gay rights groups got upset over a gay person also being "evil," so Marlena was introduced and it all became "mindgames."

* TheArtifact: Shattered Dreams. He invented the move specifically to get back at Val Venis for fooling around with [[Wrestling/TerriRunnels Marlena]], but he kept using it afterwards too.

* TheArtifact: Shattered Dreams. He invented the move specifically to get back at Val Venis for fooling around with Marlena, but he kept using it afterwards too.

Among his in-ring achievements, he is a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-6.html WCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion]] w[=/=]Matt Borne and "The Z-Man" Tom Zenk, a former 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-t.html WCW World Tag Team Champion]], holding the belts 1x w[=/=]Wrestling/RickySteamboat and 2x w[=/=]Wrestling/BarryWindham, a former 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-h.html WCW United States Heavyweight Champion]], a former 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion]], a former 10x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-hc.html WWE Hardcore Champion]] a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]] w[=/=]Wrestling/BookerT, and two-time and current WWE Tag Team Champion alongside his brother Cody.

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of movies, and, especially, the AcademyAward, when the Goldust gimmick started.

* WildlifeCommentarySpoof: Did one on the WWF version of the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder in their natural habitat(their locker room) in order to set up a joke about Wrestling/XPac's [[XPacSucks special situation.]]

* BlowYouAway: Normally his "wonder breathing" is just creepy or disgusting to other wrestlers but he managed to blow Summer Rae off the ring apron with it once. (Cody was their to catch her)

* FunWithAcronyms: After Dustin [[TrashcanBonfire burned the Goldust suit]] on the May 11, 1998 ''[[{{Wrestling/WWERaw}} Raw]]'', he went back to his real name and started a [[TheGimmick gimmick]] as a born-again Christian. It was mostly played straight and serious (in fact, his warning before the Wrestling/{{Sable}}-Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} bikini contest at ''WWF Fully Loaded'', July 26, 1998, was a definite precursor to WWE's subsequent RealLife problems with the Parents' Television Council, which spawned the [[MoralGuardians Right to Censor]] gimmick), though Dustin also appeared in taped vignettes where he would attempt to spread his message and would claim to be speaking for an organization called '''E'''vangelists '''A'''gainst '''T'''elevision '''M'''edia and '''E'''ntertainment.

Among his in-ring achievements, he is a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-6.html WCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion]] w[=/=]Matt Borne and "The Z-Man" Tom Zenk, a former 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-t.html WCW World Tag Team Champion]], holding the belts 1x w[=/=]Wrestling/RickySteamboat and 2x w[=/=]Wrestling/BarryWindham, a former 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-h.html WCW United States Heavyweight Champion]], a former 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion]], a former 10x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-hc.html WWE Hardcore Champion]] a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Champion]] w[=/=]Wrestling/BookerT, and one-time WWE Tag Team Champion alongside his brother Cody.

** CloudcuckolandersMinder: As of mid-2014, he's become this to Stardust (''his brother''). You '''know''' things are bad if Goldust is this.

* CloudCuckolandersMinder: To Stardust. You '''know''' things are bad if Goldust is this.

* GroinAttack: "Shattered Dreams"

* {{Cosplay}}: While teaming with Booker T Goldust did his fair share of it. Sometimes as popular wrestlers, such as The Rock. Other times as popular movie characters, such as Darth Vader.

* BlackFace: The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust wore it, along with an afro wig and a boom box before the 1998 Royal Rumble on Raw. He happened to be facing [[Wrestling/TwoColdScorpio Flash Funk]], who actually was black.

* BlackFace: The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust wore it, along with an afro wig and a boom box before the 1998 Royal Rumble on Raw. He happened to be facing [[Wrestling/2ColdScorpio Flash Funk]], who actually was black.

* BlackFace: The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust wore it, along with an afro wig and a boom box before the 1998 Royal Rumble on Raw. He happened to be facing Flash Funk, who actually was black.

* BlackFace: Wore it, along with an afro wig at the 1998 Royal Rumble. He happened to enter at number two against number one Flash Funk, who actually was black.

** What about Adrian Adonis? He did the gay gimmick 10 years before in WWF.

* {{Nepotism}}: Being Dusty's son, and with Dusty's booking power in WCW, he had to work to overcome the implications of this.
** Largely averted in fact. Goldust's greatest success came in the years beginning the WWE Wrestling/AttitudeEra, where he and his father worked in different promotions[[note]]Dusty Rhodes was working in WCW while Goldust was in the aforementioned WWF/E[[/note]] and weren't even on speaking terms.

-->Wrestling/JimCornette:"No, he's an [[Accent OnTheWrongSyllable invalid]]!"

* EvilCripple: The Artists formerly known as Goldust claimed his wrist was too injured to tag in for the Survivor Series match under team USA lead by Wrestling/BigVanVader. After Survivor Series he milked it for all it was worth, coming out to the arena in a wheel chair.