History YMMV / Goldust

* VindicatedByHistory: The Goldust gimmick won Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter's "Worst Gimmick" award when it debuted in 1995 and again when it became The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust in 1997. Over 20 years on, Dustin Runnels is still playing it... until joining Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling.

* VindicatedByHistory: The Goldust gimmick won Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter's "Worst Gimmick" award when it debuted in 1995 and again when it became The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust in 1997. Over 20 years on, Dustin Runnels is still playing it.

** TookALevelInBadass: His tag-team run with [[Wrestling/CodyRhodes Cody Rhodes]].
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: For newer fans, it might seem unfathomable that clean-cut straight arrow babyface Dustin Rhodes from WCW is the same guy.
** Watching a WCW match in the early 90's with Dustin, with the commentators heavily referencing his youth and inexperience would be kind of funny when compared to the fact that he's now considered a Wrestling Oldie.
* FashionVictimVillain: As The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust.

* FashionVictimVillain: As The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust.

* [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Screwed by WWE]]: The alleged reason for his firing in 2012. He called a spot where Darren Young and Titus O'Neil would perform a tag move on Yoshi Tatsu. The pair botched the move and dropped Yoshi Tatsu on his head. While Yoshi was not seriously injured, WWE allegedly placed the blame for this botch ''entirely'' on Goldust and fired him.
* VindicatedByHistory: The Goldust gimmick won Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter's "Worst Gimmick" award when it debuted in 1995 and again when it became The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust in 1997. Over 20 years on, Dustin Runnels is still playing it.

* AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5ycXfMF318 Comes with the territory]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJy_2cMl5iU of being a pro wrestler]]

** Watching a WCW match in the early 90's with Dustin, with the commentators heavily referencing his youth snd inexperience would be kind of funny when compared to the fact that he's now considered a Wrestling Oldie.

* AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5ycXfMF318 Comes with the territory of being a pro wrestler]]

* FanNickName: On Youtube, The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust is called Gaga Dust, as in Lady Gaga before she was cool.

* [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Screwed by WWE]]: The alleged reason for his firing in 2012. He called a spot where Darren Young and Titus O'Neil would perform a tag move on Yoshi Tatsu. The pair botched the move and dropped Yoshi Tatsu on his head. While Yoshi was not seriously injured, WWE allegedly placed the blame for this botch ''entirely'' on Goldust and fired him.

** Subverted by the fact that a '''LOT''' of what he did that year, especially with Wrestling/BookerT, was '''REALLY''' funny.

* FashionVictimVillain: As The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust..

** TookALevelInBadass: His current tag-team run with [[Wrestling/CodyRhodes Cody Rhodes]].
* [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moment of Awesome]]: The reveal of Marlena wound up adding a new dimension to the character, in that Goldust was deliberately flamboyant and homoerotic in order to spook his opponents. It paid off with his first [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html Intercontinental Title]] win over [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]] at ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble 1996.''

* [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Screwed by WWE]]: The alleged reason for his firing in 2012. He called a spot where DarrenYoung and TitusONeil would perform a tag move on Yoshi Tatsu. The pair botched the move and dropped Yoshi Tatsu on his head. While Yoshi was not seriously injured, WWE allegedly placed the blame for this botch ''entirely'' on Goldust and fired him.

* [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments Crowning Moment of Awesome]]: The reveal of Marlena wound up adding a new dimension to the character, in that Goldust was deliberately flamboyant and homoerotic in order to spook his opponents. It paid off with his first [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html Intercontinental Title]] win over [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]] at ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble 1996.''

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The reveal of Marlena wound up adding a new dimension to the character, in that Goldust was deliberately flamboyant and homoerotic in order to spook his opponents. It paid off with his first [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html Intercontinental Title]] win over [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]] at ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble 1996.''
* FashionVictimVillain: As The Artist Formerly Known As {{Goldust}}.

* BadassDecay: Transformed from an uber-creepy tank in 1995 to TheBumblebee kid-friendly comic relief in 2002.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The reveal of Marlena wound up adding a new dimension to the character, in that Goldust was deliberately flamboyant and homoerotic in order to spook his opponents. It paid off with his first [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html Intercontinental Title]] win over [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]] at ''Royal Rumble 1996.''

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The reveal of Marlena wound up adding a new dimension to the character, in that Goldust was deliberately flamboyant and homoerotic in order to spook his opponents. It paid off with his first Intercontinental title win over [[ScottHall Razor Ramon]] at ''Royal Rumble 1996.''

* HamAndCheese: Like his dad and [[CodyRhodes brother]].