Fame or Shame: Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread

[JaseSF]

Samoa Joe joins the Singles Hall of Fame. Samoa Joe is best known for his runs in ROH and TNA. Joe dominated in ROH holding its World Championship for an unrivalled 21 months and also holding the ROH Pure Championship before moving to TNA and impressing with an 18 month undefeated streak before losing to Kurt Angle at Genesis 2006. In TNA, Joe has captured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship once, the TNA X Division title four times and TNA World Tag Team Championship once. He also won the 2005 Super X Cup tournament, the 2008 King of the Mountain match being the only champion to retain his title in said match and the TNA Triple Crown.

Joe started out in Ultimate Pro Wrestling in 2000 where he feuded with John Cena. He eventually went on to capture the UPW Heavyweight Championship and became their longest reigning champion in history. In mid 2001, he began competing in Japan's Pro Wrestling Zero1 and Pro Wrestling NOAH while also competing in California's Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He'd team with Keiji Sakoda to win the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship. Competing in NOAH, Joe would eventually challenge Mitsuhara Misawa for the GHC World Heavyweight Championship but would be unsuccessful. In 2002, Joe began competing in ROH (Ring of Honor) where Joe quickly impressed with his hard-hitting stiff style that reminded one more of a MMA fighter than a pro wrestler. Joe defeated Xavier on May 17, 2003 for the ROH World Championship and held on to the title until December 26, 2004 when he finally lost it to Austin Aries. While champion, Joe defeated a virtual who's who of challengers including the likes of C.M. Punk, Aries, Roderick Strong, Homicide and many others.  Shortly after losing the ROH World title, Joe captured the ROH Pure Championship defeating his on-screen protege Jay Lethal on May 7, 2005. He'd hold the championship for three months before losing it to Nigel McGuinness on August 27, 2005. Joe would go on to impress in an October 2005 match against NOAH's Kenta Kobashi. Joe would eventually be a principal wrestler representing ROH in its war with CZW although he would get attacked by ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson, who'd he challenge in some great matches for the championship but would fail to regain it.

Joe started appearing in TNA in June 2005 and would go on to impress establishing a long undefeated streak and wowing fans in great matches with A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels. Joe would eventually brutally attack and "injure" Daniels which would set off a feud with Styles which would see Joe defeat him for his first X-Division Championship. Joe would eventually lose the title in Daniels in an Ultimate X match that also involved Styles. Joe would regain the title from Daniels n April 13, 2006. Joe would go on to reluctantly team with Sting against Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner at Sacrifice but would fail to aid Sting in a post-match beatdown by Jarrett and Steiner creating bad blood between them. Joe would go on to defeat Steiner in subsequent rematches. Joe would go on to lose his X Division Championship to Senshi in a Triple Threat match also involving Sonjay Dutt when Dutt was pinned. Joe suddenly decided he wanted to be part of the World Championship picture and stole Jeff Jarrett's title following a victory in a Fan's Revenge Lumberjack match. While Joe had the title in his possession, Kurt Angle debuted and targeted Joe giving Jarrett a chance to regain possession of the belt. Joe would go on to win a Monster's Ball match over Abyss, Raven and Brother Runt before moving into an intense rivalry/feud with Kurt Angle with Angle ending Joe undefeated streak with his anklelock submission hold. Angle would also go on to defeat him but just barely in an Iron Man match. Joe would go on to challenge Christian Cage for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship but Christian would cheat and find a way to defeat him. He'd then fail to win a King of the Mountain match for the title (it was won by Angle) but would rebound by capturing another X-Division Championship by defeating Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal. This qualified him for a match of champions teaming with Kurt Angle to defeat Team 3D for the TNA World Tag Team Championship but would later opt to hold the tag titles all by himself. Joe would elect to put all his titles on the line in a match at Hard Justice for all of Angle's titles (the TNA World title and the IGF version of the IWGP World Championship). Joe would lose to Angle thanks in large part to interference from Karen Angle. Joe would next target Christian Cage becoming the first man to defeat him by pinfall or submission after 23 months. Joe next started teaming with Kevin Nash and Eric Young, replacing a no show Scott Hall against Kurt Angle and his Angle Alliance of Tomko and A.J. Styles. This eventually led to Nash starting to show Joe tough love respect lessons about the wrestling business   . Joe would eventually form a team with Nash and Christian Cage to combat Angle and his oft interfering Angle Alliance with Joe and his partners eventually eliminating Tomko and Styles as a threat during Joe's TNA World Title shot at Lockdown where Joe would finally defeat Angle to win his first and only TNA World Heavyweight Championship with the stipulation he'd retire if he lost. Joe would successfully defend against Angle and then Scott Steiner and Kaz and would even retain his title in a King of the Mountain match. He'd then enter into a feud with Booker T. which eventually saw Sting suddenly appear and attack Joe with a baseball bat aiding Booker. Later Jeff Jarrett would return and help Joe regain possession of his stolen title with a guitar shot. At Bound For Glory IV, Joe would lose his TNA World Championship to a now heel Sting.

Joe and A.J. Styles and numerous other young wrestlers would form an alliance called "The Frontline" to combat Sting and his new Main Event Mafia faction that also included Kurt Angle, Booker T., Kevin Nash and eventually Scott Steiner. Eventually the MEM would help Nash gain a measure of revenge on Joe and would eventually sideline him while dominating the feud with the Frontline faction. Joe would return with a new look sporting a buzzcut hairstyle, tribal facepaint and a much heavier frame and often welding a large knife stating the MEM was about to meet the real Joe and his "nation of violence". The silly gimmick didn't suit him well at all and mostly Joe would just get disqualified night after night. Joe however would eventually win a key match over Kurt Angle that would thrust him into a position to possibly lead a team against the MEM at Lethal Lockdown but declined. He did however team with A.J. Styles, Jeff Jarrett and a returning Christopher Daniels  and his team did finally defeat the MEM. Shortly thereafter, he'd finally get some revenge on Nash defeating his former "mentor". At Slammiversary Joe would shock many however by turning on A.J. Styles and helping Kurt Angle win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a King of the Mountain match turning heel and eventually joining the MEM himself claiming he did it for the money. The new MEM would name Angle as leader and would boot out and attack Sting as well as Daniels and Styles. Joe would have a grudge match with Sting at Victory Road where it was revealed Taz was Samoa Joe's secret adviser helping Joe gain the win. At Hard Justice, Joe would go on to defeat Homicide for his fourth TNA X Division Championship and reignited his old feud with Daniels whom he defeated. He would however lose the X Division Championship to the Amazing Red following interference from Bobby Lashley. Lashley subsequently defeated Joe in a submission match. The MEM would fizzle out after Kurt Angle decided to turn face and Joe would once again focus on the World title but would fail to defeat A.J. Styles in several challenges. Since then, his career has kind of been in a tailspin in TNA with many shifts from face to heel back and forth but little success in his continued title hunt despite successes in feuds with Jeff Jarrett and D'Angelo Dinero but failing to defeat the undefeated Crimson.

The Yukon Lumberjacks join the Tag Teams Hall of Shame. The Yukon Lumberjacks was a big man team formed in 1978 in the WWWF under manager Captain Lou Albano. Yukon Eric, a very young Scott Irwin, and Yukon Pierre, the much older but equally inexperienced Zarinoff Lebeouf who also wrestled under Russian gimmicks such as Igor Volkoff and the Russian Stomper - he was also known as Pierre LaFleur. They used a Canadian lumberjack style gimmick somewhat inspired by the original Yukon Eric only they played heels. They had some success in the WWWF in 1978 going on to defeat Dino Bravo and Dominic DeNucci on June 26, 1978 to win the WWWF World Tag Team Championships. They'd lose the titles a few months later to Tony Garea and Larry Zbyszko and Pierre would retire shortly thereafter. Irwin would go on to gain even more recognition and success as Scott "Hog" Irwin teaming with his brother "Wild" Bill Irwin in the Long Riders and Super Destroyers tag teams.

"The Dirty White Girl" Kim Anthony joins the Managers/Valets Hall of Fame. "The Dirty White Girl" is of course best known for her time as the long-running valet of her now ex-husband "The Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony and his many partners over the years. She is remembered for her feuds with Tammy Lynn Sytch and partnered with Anthony against Dr. Tom Prichard and Miss Texas (AKA: Jacqueline Moore). She managed Anthony both in the Continental area, Alabama, the USWA where she once held the USWA Women's Championship and later Smoky Mountain Wrestling. She was one of the most active, in terms of not being afraid to get involved in the action, during the 1980s and was arguably a groundbreaker in that regard. She knew how to get fans to hate her and also how to get them to love her after she and Anthony turned face in the early 1990s. She also knew how to play up to whatever angles were thrown at her. She was a long-lasting independent attraction during her era.

Toni Adams joins the Managers/Valets Hall of Shame. Toni started in WCCW as an assistant to the production staff in 1984. There she'd meet and eventually marry pro wrestler "Gentleman" Chris Adams shortly after Adams divorce of ex-wife Jeannie Clark. She'd make some sporadic appearances in support of Adams before becoming his on screen manager in 1989. Before long she and announcer Frank Dusek would be attacked by Tojo Yamamoto and P.Y. Chu-Hi (Phil Hickerson) and would have her blouse ripped open by Yamamoto before Chris Adams could make the save igniting a feud between the Adams and Yamamoto and Chu-Hi. Toni started carrying a kendo stick to the ring with her for protection and soon showed she had no fear using it against anyone who dared to threaten her. Shortly thereafter she and Chris would feud with Billy Joe Travis, who would actually spank her in the ring at one point. In May 1990, she and Chris returned to now what was the USWA and started feuding with Chris former protege Steve Austin who would soon pair up with Adams' ex-wife Jeannie Clark, setting off a chain of mixed tag team matches and one of 1990s most memorable feuds. (Austin & Clark would eventually get married too). Not long after the feud, Toni would divorce Chris who had previously assaulted her due to his drinking problems. She'd make her return in late 1993 losing to Rockin' Robin before going on to manage Brian Christopher as Nanny Simpson and went on to feud with Koko B. Ware and Miss Texas (Jacqueline Moore) and would even score a win over Miss Texas at one point although Miss Texas would get the better of her in the end defeating her in a chain match by DQ. She'd go on to feud with Dirty White Girl Kim Anthony who defeated her finally in a street fight. She'd briefly manage Eddie Gilbert before his feud with Jerry Lawler and moved to Global Wrestling Federation where she'd join General Skandor Akbar's Devastation Inc. eventually managing Iceman King Parsons during a feud with ex-husband Chris Adams. She also managed Koko B. Ware, Scotty Flamingo, Tony Falk and Rod Price and also used the valet names Toni the Tigress and Miss Simpson.

Todd Pettengill joins the Hosts/Announcers Hall of Shame. He is best remembered for his mid-1990s WWF tenure as a backstage interviewer replacing the departing Sean Mooney. He appeared on WWF shows such as WWF Mania, WWF Blast-Off, WWF Livewire and WWF Action Zone. He made his Wrestlemania debut wearing a toga at Wrestlemania IX and is perhaps best remembered for performing "WWF Superstars" at the 1996 Slammy Awards. At the 1997 Slammys, he presented Miss Slammy to Sable. His last WWF PPV appearance was at SummerSlam 1997 and left after his contract expired. He seemed to be another interchangeable type in the WWF replacing Mooney and performing in much the same way.

[JaseSF]

Deuce and Domino join the Tag Teams Hall of Fame. I gotta personally admit to be a huge fan of this tag team and honestly I wish they were still around. Sporting 1950s style gimmicks that looked like they stepped out of a 50s juvenile deliquency film or perhaps even off of "Happy Days", Deuce and Domino sporting slick, greased back haircuts, sweet leather jackets, white shirts coming to the ring in a 50s style car along with manager Cherry Pie, the storyline sister of Deuce, who looked like she just finished working at the local drive-in burger joint wearing roller skates, poodle skirts and constantly chewing bubblegum. I just loved their gimmick but also it was that they seemed to be and acted like a real tag team with the same idealogies and the same desire for tag team success and tag team gold. Deuce Shade, the real life son of Jimmy Snuka, and Dice Domino began teaming in WWE's developmental territories Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling where they first started developing and working their greaser gimmick while paired with Kara Drew who became Cherry Pie. In OVW, they were known as The Throw-Backs and later changed their name to The Untouchables and started going by solely Deuce, Domino and Cherry. They'd captured the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship when Deuce defeated The Miz following the departure of the Miz's partner Chris Cage left OVW forcing Miz to defend the titles by himself. They'd drop the OVW Southern tag titles a month later to Roadkill and Kasey James in a match also involving the Spirit Squad. Next they'd pursue the team of C.M. Punk and Seth Skyfire eventually defeating them for their second OVW Southern Tag Team Championship and would also capture the Deep South Wrestling Tag Team Championship in a surprise appearance there. They'd eventually lose the Deep South tag titles to the Major Brothers and the OVW Southern tag titles to Sean Spears and Cody Runnels (Rhodes) with Cherry seemingly leaving them in favor of Spears & Runnels but it was all a set-up with Cherry eventually betraying Spears & Runnels to help Deuce and Domino. They'd capture one more OVW Southern Tag Team Championship from Spears & Runnels but would eventually drop the belts back to them in a street fight ending their feud/rivalry.

In January 2007, Deuce and Domino, along with Cherry, debuted in WWE and quickly impressed winning their debut match. On a February 2, 2007 match, they'd upset the WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a non-title match thus moving themselves into title contention. They'd lose their match against London & Kendrick at No Way Out but would go on to defeat London & Kendrick on the April 20, 2007 episode of WWE Smackdown! Deuce and Domino would go on to successfully defend their titles against many challengers including London & Kendrick, William Regal & Dave Taylor, Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka, Cryme Tyme, Batista and Ric Flair before finally losing the titles on August 31, 2007 to the unlikely team of Matt Hardy and M.V.P.. Deuce and Domino impressed in many matches with their hard-hitting in your face style and fifties inspired brawling moves and finishers like the Crack 'Em in the Mouth and the West Side Stomp. However they'd fail to regain the tag gold in WWE and would get sidetracked in many feuds with Hardy & MVP, Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore, Jesse and Festus and even Finlay and Hornswoggle. In late May 2008, Deuce and Domino split with Cherry pinning their run of losses on her and replaced her with Maryse which made Cherry a popular fan favorite for the first time. No more than a month later, after too many bad losses, they'd eventually turned on each other and started brawling with one another effectively dissolving the team. It was really too bad as they truly felt a bit of a throwback to the old powerhouse brawling teams of old like Doom, the APA, the Road Warriors and Demolition.

Dusty Rhodes joins the Hosts/Announcers Hall of Fame. Rhodes is and was a terrific talker, one of the very best in that regard in wrestling history. While sometimes his color commentary seemed a bit hard to follow I'm sure for those unfamiliar with Rhodes and his southern drawl, he was almost always entertaining and worked hard to try and sell and put over the talent in the ring pointing out motivations behind matches as each man wanting to get ahead and get the bigger purse as the winner, "to get to the pay window if you will...". He was a mainstay on WCW Saturday Night for many years.

[HappyGilmore]

Rhodes was great as an announcer.

[JaseSF]

TAKA Michinoku joins the Singles Hall of Shame. Actually TAKA is one of pro wrestling's most talented cruiserweights who's had success practically everywhere he went. TAKA actually took the name Michinoku in tribute to his mentor The Great Sasuke, owner of Michinoku pro Wrestling. TAKA debuted in the WWF in July 1997 and quickly impressed despite losing a couple of bouts to Sasuke himself. By December 1997, TAKA defeated Brian Christopher in a tournament final for the newly created WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. TAKA would hold the title an impressive 10 months defeating any and all comers until finally being upset by then-newcomer Christian in October 1998. Shortly thereafter TAKA would become engaged in a feud with Kai En Tai (Mens Teioh, Dick Togo and Sho Funaki) and even teamed up with Val Venis against them, that is until Val propositioned Kai En Tai's manager Mr. Yamaguchi's wife, also TAKA's "sister". This led to TAKA joining forces with Kai En Tai to try and take out Val. Eventually Togo and Teioh would return to Japan and the team would be just TAKA and Funaki who had rather little success and basically become a jobber team. TAKA however would get one more day in the WWF Spotlight when he challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship in April 2000 and would impress even though he fell short of winning the title despite help from Funaki and the APA.

TAKA would thereafter return to Japan in 2002 to rehab a shoulder injury and to help start up his own Kaientai promotion. Over the next few years he'd also appear in Hawaii and All-Japan Pro Wrestling forming a team called Mexico Amigos (Black) with the likes of El Nosawa Mendoza and Kaz Hayashi as well as later Nobutaka Araya who would eventually be booted out of the group again. He also made some appearance in a Japanese comedy style promotion called DDT as well as competing in Michinoku Pro and reuniting his old Kaientai tag team with Funaki. TAKA is a master of many high flying moves but also has a great ground game. His finisher the Michinoku Driver has become a feared and respected and now oft used finisher.

TAKA has held the AJPW Junior Heavyweight Championship, the UWA World Trios Championship with Francis Togo and Antonio Honda, the FMW Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship twice, the IWW Junior Heavyweight Championship, the FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship with TOMO Michinoku, the Strongest-K Championship twice, the Strongest-K tag Team Championship twice with Handsome Joe, the UWA/UWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship with Ryota Chikuzen, the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship (Michinoku Pro), the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with Dick Togo, the WEW Six Man Tag Team Championship with Gosaku Goshogawara and Tetsuhiro Kuroda and of course the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. He also won the Strongest-K Tournament in 2007.

Madusa Miceli joins the Managers/Valets Hall of Fame. Madusa, real name Debra Miceli, first made a name for herself in the AWA challenging and feuding with Sherri Martel until Sherri left for the WWF. Madusa would then replace Sherri as manager for "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly and later Nick Kiniski who teamed with Kelly in a team called "The Perfect Team". Madusa was actually surprisingly capable as a manager here and helped bring attention to her men with eventually Kelly moving into title contention while his team with Kiniski moved into tag title contention. Their success would prove short-lived however as Kelly & Kiniski just really couldn't deliver in the ring at this point in their careers. After moving away from Kelly and Kiniski, Madusa would go on to defeat Candi Devine for the AWA Women's Championship in a tournament final in December 1987 and would shortly thereafter move on to managing then AWA World Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig in what was actually quite a good pairing and the two would later join Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Exchange alongside Badd Company and Colonel DeBeers. Madusa would go on to lose the AWA Women's title to Wendi Richter in November 1988 in a six person tag match teaming with Badd Company against Wendi & the Top Guns. Madusa would in 1988 become the first ever woman to win the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year Award.

Madusa moved on to compete in All-Japan Women's Pro Wrestling becoming one of the first foreign wrestlers to do so. She'd defeat Chigusa Nagayo for the IWA Women's title and would hold it one day before losing it back to Nagayo. In Japan, Madusa  trained and worked hard to improve herself learning the Japanese style of women's wrestling but also Muay Thai, boxing and kickboxing. She'd also work in the U.S. in Tri-State Wrestling feuding with Luna Vachon whom she'd eventually defeat in an hair vs. hair match while teaming with Eddie Gilbert against Luna and Cactus Jack.

Madusa would debut in WCW in 1991 as a core member of Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance where she mainly acted as manager/valet for Ravishing Rick Rude. When Dangerously would later kick her out of the Alliance, she'd get her revenge by defeating Dangerously in a match at Clash of the Champions. Madusa would next move to the WWF under a new name and identity there known as Alundra Blayze where she captured the WWF Women's Championship three times, once in a tournament final over Heidi Lee Morgan, second over Bull Nakano whom she traded the title back and forth with and finally she worked a similar program with Bertha Faye. The WWF would let go of Madusa in 1995 and she'd make the jump to WCW and in a shocking WCW Nitro segment, she threw the WWF Women's Championship into the thrash! (The WWF Women's Championship wouldn't return until 1998). In WCW, Madusa feuded briefly with Bull Nakano and then battled Akira Hokuto for the newly created WCW Women's Championship but would fail to defeat Hokuto for it with Madusa eventually losing a Career match against Hokuto. Madusa however would return again in 1999 this time as a member of "Macho Man" Randy Savage's Team Madness alongside Gorgeous George and Miss Madness (the future Molly Holly). Following a somewhat successful run with Savage, Madusa herself tried to compete with the men entering title tournaments but seemingly to no avail. Eventually she took to managing Evan Karagias and guided him to the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship until Karagias dumped Madusa in favor of Spice of the Nitro Girls. Madusa would go on to challenge Karagias for his title and would actually win it with help from Spice who turned on Karagias and briefly became Madusa's manager. By early 2000, she became embroiled in a sadly farcical feud with Oklahoma (Ed Ferrara making fun of Jim Ross in rather bad taste fashion) which eventually saw her lose the Cruiserweight Championship to him. She'd also become an instructor at the WCW Power Plant and helped train the future Molly Holly. Right before WCW's collapse, she'd team with Billy Kidman in a losing effort Mixed Scaffold match against Shane Douglas and Torrie Wilson before retiring in 2001. After wrestling, Madusa would go on to impress on the Monster Truck circuit.

The Impact Players of Lance Storm & Justin Credible join the Tag Teams Hall of Fame. Storm and Credible would form a team in February 1999 when both men laid claim to becoming the next "Franchise" upon Shane Douglas's departure. Storm and manager/valet Dawn Marie and Credible with manager/bodyguard Jason made for an excellent combination. They'd soon come to dominate ECW feuding with the likes of Jerry Lynn, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman. They dominated the scene for quite a time attacking and brutalizing seemingly anyone who got in their way. They truly seemed to have the "it" factor at the time and were a cool and unpredictable tag team to watch. Their entrances with Dawn Marie and Jason were often high energy and exciting. They'd finally capture the ECW World Tag Team Championships from the unlikely pairing of Tommy Dreamer and Raven at Guilty as Charged 2000 but would lose them to Tommy Dreamer and Masato Tanaka on February 26, 2000 before regaining them from Mike Awesome and Raven at Living Dangerously 2000 on March 12th. The Impact Players would dominate the tag scene until their eventual split in late April 2000 when Storm left for WCW and Credible went on to become ECW World Heavyweight Champion. At Guilty as Charged 2000, a New Impact Players team of Credible and Steve Corino was formed but would prove short-lived as ECW neared its demise. During the later WWE Invasion storyline with both Storm and Credible members of the Alliance they'd reform their old team for a series of matches against the Hardy Boys, mainly on WWE Sunday Night Heat. Later at the ECW One Night Stand 2005 PPV, the Impact Players would again reunite with Credible helping Lance Storm defeat Chris Jericho at the event and again later that same year at Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign with Storm helping Credible in his cage match against Jerry Lynn.

[HappyGilmore]

Big fan of TAKA as well as the Impact Players. 

I think I was one of a dozen people who bought the TAKA/Funaki t-shirt when it was available in 2000 or so.

[JaseSF]

The Blue World Order of Big Stevie Cool [Stevie Richards], Da Blue Guy [The Blue Meanie] and Hollywood Nova join the Tag Teams Hall of Fame. The bWo stable formed in ECW in November 1996 as basically a parody of the nWo. After a long-time of parodying other wrestlers from both the WWF and WCW not to mention The Jackson 5 and KISS, Richards, Meanie and Nova (all lackeys in Raven's stable at the time) took things to a whole new level with their nWo parody which finally helped elevate Richards to a main event level in ECW as the bWo proved wildly popular with fans. The bWo even added further members in their nWo parody including Chastity, Thomas "The Inchworm" Rodman (parody of Dennis Rodman who was hanging around with the nWo at the time), 7-11 (parody of Syxx), "Nacho Man" Ricky Salvage (parody of Randy Savage), and a jobber in a parody of The Catman from KISS. They even added a bWo Japan in parody of nWo Japan with Taka Michinoku, Dick Togo and Mens Teioh (also members of Kaientai). However by 1998 with Stevie Richards having suffered a severe neck injury and shortly thereafter making the jump to WCW in 1997, the bWo now just Nova and Meanie had little success and were even squashed by Taz at one point. The bWo would actually reform in WWE in 2005 at ECW One Night Stand appearing before the tag match between Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman vs. the Dudley Boyz. The bWo would reunite again in July 2005 in response to JBL's bullying mistreatment of the Blue Meanie leading to a challenge from Meanie to JBL. Meanie, with a lot of help from Richards and Batista, would get the eventual win following a Meaniesault and a measure of revenge to boot. The bWo would again team up against the Mexicools (Super Crazy, Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis) in a six-man match at the Great American Bash and would even parody them as they made their ring entrance. However the bWo would lose to the Mexicools and shortly thereafter faded from the scene with Richards and Nova returning to their previous Steven Richards and Simon Dean WWE gimmicks. They'd have a few more sporadic reunions in the independents and once more at TNA Hardcore Justice.

Steve Romero joins the Hosts/Announcers Hall of Shame. Romero replaced Bill DeMott alongside Josh Matthews calling WWE Velocity which arguably featured some of WWE's finest, albeit largely unrecognized, wrestling talents at that time. Romero tried but wasn't really that great as a play by play or color man and seemed to lack real knowledge about wrestling and its history even if he did sometimes make cool references to old movies that most likely most viewers would have never heard of let alone seen. He also worked as a backstage interviewer and back-up commentator on WWE Smackdown! and also did work as a RAW backstage interviewer and commentated on WWE Sunday Night Heat on one occasion. He also did the Canadian update WWE spots for Canadian viewers.

Armando Estrada joins the Managers/Valets Hall of Fame. Mostly known for his time successfully managing Umaga and his loud and colorful ring introductions referring to himself as Armando Alejandro Estrada. Estrada actually began in Ohio Valley Wrestling as a boydguard for Muhammed Hassan and Daivari named Osama doing an anti-American gimmick. He managed Umaga to the WWE Intercontinental title in 2007. In August 2007, Estrada was named General Manager of ECW and mostly feuded with Colin Delaney before being moved into a jobber to the stars role. Estrada would move on to compete on the independent circuit in 2008 before returning in 2011 as a manager for Tyson Kidd although this seemingly only lasted one week on WWE Superstars. Estrada won the Pro Wrestling Report Manager of the Year Award in 2006 and was/is? in many ways a throwback to the managers of yesteryear.

Traci Brooks joins the Managers/Valets Hall of Shame. While Brooks has managed a variety of wrestlers to varying degrees of success, she's usually more remembered for her ahem "ample bosom" that any managerial guidance she might have given. In TNA, she managed Shane Douglas and Michael Shane in a new group called "the New Franchise" until eventually Shane and Brooks turned on Douglas to forge out on their own. Eventually Michael Shane and Traci would form an alliance with Frankie Kazarian which would prove very successful with the duo eventually defeating A.J. Styles in an Ultimate X match and co-holding the X Division Championship. They'd hold the title for almost two months before losing it to Petey Williams in a gauntlet match. Traci would turn face by leaving Shane and Kazarian behind in 2004 to become assistant to Dusty Rhodes, then acting TNA Director of Authority which would lead to a rivalry with Trinity who also wanted to become Dusty's assistant. This led to both women managing tag teams against one another with Traci eventually winning out by leading Ron & Don Harris to victory over Trinity's Phi Delta Slam tandem. Eventually Traci would leave Rhodes behind to begin managing Chris Sabin against Michael Shane, who was now managed by Trinity which eventually led to a double-turn as Traci betrayed Sabin to help old ally Shane win and Shane turned on Trinity. Traci was once again managing Shane who now changed his name to Matt Bentley who soon became known for his "Bentley Bounce" along with Traci. Bentley however would have some negotational difficulties with TNA and the pair would have little real success. Traci next started managing the promising Robert Roode as Ms. Brooks but her association with him would be shaky at best as he mistreated her and was generally abusive although he did coerce her into signing Eric Young during a feud between him and Roode. Eventually she would be replaced by a Miss Payton Banks with whom she'd engage in a feud and would now take on more of a role as an in-ring competitor although upon her return in 2011 she would rescue her real life husband Kazarian from an in-ring beatdown by Robbie E. and Cookie. She'd also go on to challenge Madison Rayne unsuccessfully for the Knockouts Championship. In addition to Douglas, Shane, Kazarian, Sabin, the Harris Brothers, Robert Roode and Eric Young, Brooks has managed C.M. Punk, Colt Cabana, Ace Steel, David Young, Jacqueline Moore and Alex Shelley.

[HappyGilmore]

I loved the bWo.  Still do.

[JaseSF]

Jung Dragons , the trio of Kaz Hayashi, Yang and Jamie-San join the Tag Teams Hall of Shame. This was a quick-paced team of cruiserweights who used the Japanese stable gimmick even though Jamie-San (in fact Jamie Noble) who wore a mask wasn't even Asian at all. They are mostly remembered for appearing in WCW where they feuded with another cruiserweight trio called 3 Count who used a boy band style gimmick. In WCW, they were later managed by the sexy Leia Meow (better known in ECW as Kimona Wanalaya) who dressed in a dominatrix outfit and carried a riding crop. Meow also often interfered in her men's bouts jumping from the top rope with flying bodypresses. All three stars while very impressive in the Jung Dragons and their high-flying fast paced bouts against 3 Count, all 3 would gain much greater recognition elsewhere with Yang gaining fame as Akio and Jimmy Wang Yang in WWE and Jamie-San becoming much better known as Jamie Noble. Hayashi also gained greater success upon returning to Japan.

The Long Riders [AKA: The Super Destroyers) team of brothers "Wild" Bill and Scott "Hog" Irwin join the Tag Teams Hall of Shame. The Irwins were impressive huge brawlers and I'll always remember the impression they made on me as a kid watching them appear in Canadian International Wrestling and the AWA where they had a memorable feud against the Road Warriors. They pretty much ran over everyone else who stood in their way except the Warriors that is. The larger Scott had actually held the WWF World Tag Team Championship as Eric, a member of the Yukon Lumberjacks. Afterwards Scott adopted a masked character gimmick called the Super Destroyer. He'd eventually team up with younger brother "Wild" Bill Irwin also under a mask as the masked Super Destroyers and together they ran roughshod over the Texas NWA territory first capturing the NWA American Tag Team Championship from Bulldog Brower and Roddy Piper in October 1983. No long after their debut, they'd be managed by General Skandor Akbar. They'd lose the titles to Brian Adias and Iceman King Parsons on Christmas 1983 only to regain it again in January 1984. They'd next lose their titles four months later to Rock 'n' Soul (Buck Zumhofe and Iceman King Parson) but would regain the titles again 13 days later but would then be unmasked by Rock 'n' Soul after which they became the Long Riders of Scott "Hog" Irwin and "Wild" Bill Irwin, two crazy and out of control Texas cowboy brawlers. They'd drop the titles back to Rock 'n' Soul in August but would regain the titles again defeating Zumhofe and Parsons in September in what would be their fourth and final reign as NWA American Tag Team Champions. They'd eventually lose their titles to the Fantastics in October and would move back to Georgia Championship Wrestling where they'd quickly capture the NWA National Tag Team Championships in a tournament. They'd hold the titles for close two months before dropping them to Ole Anderson and Thunderbolt Patterson. They'd shortly thereafter move on to compete in Canadian International Wrestling where they'd win another regional tag team championship and the AWA where they'd feud unsuccessfully with the Road Warriors and would fall short in challenging both the Warriors and later Scott Hall and Curt Hennig for the AWA World Tag Team Championships. Sadly the Long Riders team came to a premature end when Scott died of a brain tumor in 1987.

Kal Rudman joins the Hosts/Announcers Hall of Fame. Rudman will be best remembered as an host, interviewer and announcer for WWF Philadelphia Spectrum shows. He was quite good and capable in his role and covering and reacting to the wrestlers even when things sometimes got rather goofy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOQbxgPB8qw
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mITZqFb7nLc
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[HappyGilmore]

Ah...the old Spectrum.   

Lots of good shows there.

Also: I liked The Jung Dragons a lot.  One of the reasons I even watched WCW in 2000 at all.

[JaseSF]

Sapphire joins the Managers/Valets Hall of Shame. Sapphire is best remembered as Dusty Rhodes # 1 fan turned valet and dance partner during his WWF late 80s, early 90s polka dot gear run. Eventually she'd sell out to "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase who apparently had her price and would briefly becomes his valet before leaving the WWF. Born Juanita Wright, she was a genuine huge fan of pro wrestling who would eventually come to drive wrestlers to the arena and would even become a female wrestling referee before turning pro herself and performing as Princess Dark Cloud. As Sapphire in the WWF, she was a natural pairing with Rhodes "common man" character and their dancing together definitely added to Rhodes' popularity. She'd come to feud with Sensational Sherri Martel as Rhodes feuded with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. It would be revealed later in a shoot interview by Martel that Wright's admiration for Dusty Rhodes was legitimate and she no longer had the heart to perform after she was storyline split from Rhodes.

[JaseSF]

Ivory joins the Hosts/Announcers Hall of Shame. While quite talented as a lady wrestler and valet/manager and even as a trainer on "Tough Enough", Ivory didn't quite work so well as an host, a role she played as co-host on WWE Experience alongside Todd Grisham not because she didn't have energy and lots of enthusiam but because her shrill voice was grating and annoying to listen to on long commentary.

[HappyGilmore]

Ivory joins the Hosts/Announcers Hall of Shame. While quite talented as a lady wrestler and valet/manager and even as a trainer on "Tough Enough", Ivory didn't quite work so well as an host, a role she played as co-host on WWE Experience alongside Todd Grisham not because she didn't have energy and lots of enthusiam but because her shrill voice was grating and annoying to listen to on long commentary.

The two of them had a good enough chemistry together from what I remember.

She just was to energetic and shrill like over periods of time.

[JaseSF]

The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff join the Tag Teams Hall of Fame. As the "Foreign Legion" in the WWF under the management of one "Classy" Freddie Blassie, they captured the WWF Tag Team Championships from the U.S. Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo) managed by Captain Lou Albano with more than a little help from Blassie's timely interference and his cane which became a foreign object difference maker to end the match in the heels favor much to the fans at Wrestlemania I's disgust. Sheik & Volkoff were quite a formidable powerhouse tag team what with Iron Sheik being a former WWF Heavyweight Champion and Volkoff having been a constant challenger for the top championship as well in times past. With Volkoff singing the Russian national anthem before matches and Iron Sheik ranting that Iran and Russia were # 1 and spitting when he mentioned the U.S. of A., these guys were truly amongst wrestling's most hated heels in the 1980s. Now most fans remember them with a certain nostalgic fondness and they were certainly entertaining performers. Their time as tag champs would however prove short-lived as they'd lose the WWF Tag Team titles back to Windham & Rotundo three months later. Soon Volkoff would get sidetracked in a feud with Corporal Kirschner but began teaming with Sheik again in late 1986 under the new management of "The Doctor of Style" Slick. They'd have limited success despite competing against many of wrestling's top tag teams including the Killer Bees and British Bulldogs and would eventually end up feuding with Hacksaw Jim Duggan until Sheik and Duggan, supposed to be too ring enemies, got into trouble for doing drugs and drinking together and getting arrested for it. Sheik would be suspended and would eventually be released from the WWF which led to Volkoff forming a new tag team with Boris Zukhov called "The Bolsheviks" who actually had much less success than his team with Sheik. Volkoff was no stanger to tag success prior to his team with Sheik having captured the WWWF International Tag Team Titles as a member of the Mongols tag team as well as having tag success in many other federations. Sheik too had proved a top contender and previous tag title holder in many other territories before this partnership but this is arguably the one team both men are best remembered for to this day.

Vickie Guerrero joins the Managers/Valets Hall of Fame. The widow of the late Eddie Guerrero has no doubt surprised many by becoming one of pro wrestling's most hated personalities, a role many managers used to hold back in wrestling's heyday but it's rare to see in the modern era. Whether playing the role of a General Manager who favors her latest love interest as "The Cougar" or playing the role of supportive valet, Guerrero leads all those associated with her more oft than not to considerable success or at least helped extend heel heat even further just by her association with a certain star. Edge, Chavo Guerrero, Dolph Ziggler and Laycool all had great success in their partnerships with her and attained many championships in large part due to it while Kaitlyn and Big Show also benefitted from their involvement with her in different ways. Only Eric Escobar had very little success while under her wing and that may well be because the partnership was ended before it had a chance to take off although honestly the chemistry between the two never seen quite right. Her current partnership with Dolph Ziggler seems her best yet.

[JaseSF]

Todd Grisham joins the Hosts/Announcers Hall of Fame. Grisham, while similar to some degree to many predecessors for his energy and enthusiam just comes across as somewhat more likable and actually seems more a fan of the wrestling product. Grisham became the voice of WWE Heat alongside Jonathan Coachman in early 2004. He'd later work with Josh Matthews amongst others. He was also co-host of the WWE Experience alongside Ivory for several years and even hosted it alone after her release until mid-2006. He also worked on Raw doing backstage interviews with many of the wrestlers. In 2005, he also hosted WWE Bottom Line up until 2007. He would briefly get to do play by play on WWE Raw following Joey Styles storyline "quitting" the show. In July 2008, he became the play by play commentator on ECW on Sci-Fi replacing the departing Mike Adamle which probably made him seem an even bigger improvement than he actually was. There he was paired with Tazz until Tazz left for Smackdown and would be replaced by Matt Striker. Grisham and Striker would actually prove a popular announce team and would win the 2008 Slammy Award for Announce Team of the Year. He still conducted interviews on Raw and Smackdown during this time and would host the 2009 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In April 2009, Grisham would be moved to Smackdown! to do play by play alongside Jim Ross and in October, Matt Striker would also be moved to Smackdown and reunited with Grisham. However by December 2010, Grisham would be replaced by Josh Matthews on Smackdown and would be moved to the WWE NXT play by play role where a less serious environment is present and the show if often pretty bad but Grisham and color commentator William Regal are often surprisingly good.

[JaseSF]

"Ravishing" Rick Rude joins the Singles Hall of Fame. Rude was known as an arrogant, overconfident jerk of an heel who loved to call down the wrestling fan viewing audience as fat and lazy while declaring himself to be a "real man" and what all the women out there really wanted. Rude actually started out as a babyface named Ricky Rood but wisely reinvented himself as the suave, sophisticated muscleman "Ravishing" Rick Rude. Actually Rude was quite capable in-ring and could have great matches with a wide variety of stars even making the Ultimate Warrior look great in his matches with him. He's most remembered for his feud with Warrior, his intense heated feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts over Roberts' then real-life wife Cheryl after Rude brazenly tried to kiss her and later wore a likeness of her face on his wrestling tights, his feud with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in WCW where he and Madusa storyline broke the Dragon's nose. Prior to the WWF, he also had great feuds/rivalries with the likes of Jerry Lawler, King Kong Bundy, the Road Warriors (in Memphis and later the NWA), Wahoo McDaniel, Billy Jack Haynes (in Florida), Kevin Von Erich, Chris Adams (in WCCW), The Rock 'n' Roll Express (while teaming with Manny Fernandez in the NWA). Rude started off in Memphis as his Ravishing self under manager Jimmy Hart who would again later manage him initially during his WWF debut. Rude took on Percy Pringle in Florida and WCCW and had great success in both capturing top titles. In the NWA he was managed by Paul Jones who took him & Manny Fernandez to the NWA World Tag titles and eventually Bobby Heenan took him to arguably his greatest heights while he had a manager in the WWF as Intercontinental Champion, in WCW he would also be accompanied by Madusa and managed by Paul E. Dangerously during his WCW United States Championship run. In WCW, he'd also have memorable feuds with Dustin Rhodes (over the U.S. title), Ric Flair (over the NWA World title which he eventually captured and it was renamed the WCW International World title) and Sting with whom he feuded for both the U.S. title and later the WCW International World title. It would be in a match against Sting that Rude would suffer an in-ring career ending back injury. Later he showed up in ECW as a masked man who interfered in matches , a color commentator and even played the role of backup for the Triple Threat as well as aiding the WWF forces in the WWF Invasion ECW storyline. He'd eventually jump to the WWF and became an initial part of DeGeneration X appearing with the group at ringside in a suit. Later he'd jump to WCW and would play a similar role in the nWo frequently backing up Curt Hennig. Rude died young at age 40 of heart failure, an autopsy report would show he died from an overdose of mixed medications.

Rude's title accomplishments: NWA Southern (Florida) Heavyweight Championship twice, NWA United States (Florida) Tag Team Championship with Jesse Barr, AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship, AWA Southern Tag Team Championship with King Kong Bundy, NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic) with Manny Fernandez, WCW International World Heavyweight Championship three times, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, NWA American Heavyweight Championship which would be turned into the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship when WCCW broke off from the NWA, WCWA Television Championship, WWF Intercontinental Championship

Disco Inferno (AKA: Glenn Gilbertti) joins the Singles Hall of Shame. Gilbertti started wrestling in 1991 and first made a name for himself on the Georgia independent circuit impressing in Great Championship Wrestling. He also had short-lived stints in the WWF and USWA in 1992. Gilbertti reinvented himself as Disco Inferno in WCW in 1995 annoying the fans with his disco loving and disco dancing over the top character. Inferno would have limited success as a mid-card performer who even played up gimmicks such as him bringing out a diagram in order to remember his finishing hold as one point. Eventually Inferno became more a tweener as fans seemed to take a liking to him and his general goofiness. Eventually he'd chase WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko but would fail to defeat him. Next he'd end up feuding with Jacqueline Moore, whom he offended at one point, and Alex Wright with Wright and Disco becoming arch-dancing rivals. Disco would defeat Wright for the WCW World Television Championship on September 22, 1997 yet still suffered an embarrassing defeat to Jacqueline .  Inferno would eventually lose the TV title to Perry Saturn on November 3rd but would regain it from him on December 8th only to lose it about 4 weeks later to Booker T. After this, Disco fell down the rankings again and would turn heel to form a tag team with former rival Alex Wright called "The Dancing Fools", a buffoonish tandem used mostly for comedy relief. They did feud with Public Enemy and Davey Boy Smith & Jim Neidhart. After failing to get anywhere with this, the team split and Disco returned to singles action eventually joining the nWo Wolfpac and feuded with the likes of Booker T, Konnan, Buff Bagwell and Ernest "The Cat" Miller. Disco would capture the WCW Cruiserweight Championship from Psychosis on October 4, 1999 and would eventually team up with the Mamalukes tag team as an enforcer after dropping the Cruiserweight title to Evan Karagias. In 2000 when WCW revamped, Disco would leave the Mamalukes and would join the Filthy Animals faction as they feuded with the Misfits in Action with Disco unsuccessfully challenging Lt. Loco for the Cruiserweight Championship. Disco would eventually betray the Filthy Animals during a tag team match and would feud with both the Animals and the Natural Born Thrillers. Next Disco reformed his tag team with Alex Wright now calling themselves "The Boogie Knights". They'd win the WCW World Tag Team titles with General Rection actually substituting for an then-injured Disco. Disco would not be signed by the WWF upon their purchase of WCW so he moved on to compete in the WWA (World Wrestling All-Stars) continuing his comical Disco Inferno gimmick. He had limited success but mostly was used to put guys over although he would face WWA World Heavyweight Champion Sting in a losing effort at one point. Inferno moved on to compete in TNA under his real name Glenn Gilbertti and had some considerable success there as a member of the Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction even becoming their leader at one point. He'd eventually earn a NWA World Heavyweight title match against Jeff Jarrett but would fail to defeat him after interference from Vince Russo. After SEX disbanded, he began managing Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger and later would form a faction called the New York Connection including himself, Diamond, Swinger, David Young, Vito and Trinity. Eventually the stable would fail apart and Gilbertti and Young would battle Diamond & Swinger. Eventually though Swinger would turn on Diamond and would reunite with Gilbertti to battle Diamond, now called Pat Kenney, and a variety of tag partners. Not long after, Gilbertti would leave TNA to compete on the independent circuit in Georgia and Minnesota as well as competing in New Zealand. He returned to TNA in 2007 as Disco Inferno only to get squashed by Abyss and went on to work there as a road agent.

Disco's title accomplishments: GCW [Great Championship Wrestling] Heavyweight Championship, GCW Tag Team Championship with Johnny Swinger, GCW Television Championship three times, GCW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship, MEWF [Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation] Heavyweight Championship, NGWA [North Georgia Wrestling Association] Tag Team Championship with Ashley Clark, PPCW [Palmetto Pride Championship Wrestling] Heavyweight Championship, SWF [Swiss Wrestling Federation] Heavyweight Championship, WCW Cruiserweight Championship, WCW World Tag Team Championship, WCW World Television Championship twice.

Billy and Chuck join the Tag Teams Hall of Fame. This team, consisting of Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo displayed a quasi-homosexual relationship which was certainly a first and quite cutting edge and shocking for the WWE in the early 2000s era. As the Invasion storyline drew to an end, Chuck Palumbo would be booted out of the WCW/ECW Alliance faction and would defect to the WWF side forming a tag team with Billy Gunn. They eventually started to show signs of engaging in an homosexual relationship with one another dressing alike in matching red outfits and Chuck eventually even starting to wear his hair in pigtails (actually they were rather like the Lenny Lane and Lodi WCW tag team which preceded them). Eventually they would be paired up with personal stylist/manager Rico and would twice capture the WWE Tag Team Championship mainly feuding with the APA. In September 2002 Chuck proposed life partnership to Billy which Billy accepted. There was a commitment ceremony to be aired on WWE Smackdown! during which Billy and Chuck revealed the whole thing was simply a publicity stunt gone too far and they weren't homosexual at all but just two friends. During this ceremony, a disguised Eric Bischoff and 3 Minute Warning attacked Stephanie McMahon, then GM of Smackdown!. Following this, Rico jumped to Raw to manage 3 Minute Warning. Billy & Chuck remained a team on Smackdown but dropped all the gay apparel. Not long after they'd lose in the first round of a title tournament for the new Smackdown WWE Tag Team Championship and following an injury to Billy not long after would split up and return quietly to singles action.

Goldust joins the Singles Hall of Shame. Goldust, AKA: Dustin Rhodes, the son of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes has certainly had an up and down career but still has had success more often than not wherever he's travelled. Dustin first impressed in Florida wrestling following an initial path similar to his father's. He'd actually move to the WWF in 1990 debuting as Dusty's son Dustin and initially impressing in a match upsetting "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Dustin would go on to team with his dad Dusty against Ted DiBiase and Virgil in a losing effort at the 1991 Royal Rumble with Dustin leaving the WWF shortly thereafter. He'd debut in WCW about a month later as "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes feuding with Larry Zbyszko and Terry Taylor. Rhodes would have moderate success until 1992 when he teamed with Barry Windham to win the WCW World Tag Team titles until Windham eventually turned on Rhodes igniting a feud between the two. He'd go on to win the WCW United States Championship in January 1993 and would engage in a lengthy feud with "Ravishing" Rick Rude over the title and despite controversial finishes in numerous matches and the belt being held up, Rhodes would eventually emerge as the U.S. Champion. Rhodes would finally drop the U.S. title to "Stunning" Steve Austin in December 1993. In 1994, he'd enter into a feud with Bunkhouse Buck and Col. Robert Parker who eventually added Arn Anderson and Terry Funk into the mix. Dustin responded by bringing in his famous father to feud with Parker's Stud Stable. Eventually he'd feud with another member of Parker's stable the Blacktop Bully and would be fired for "blading" in a King of the Road match against Bully.

In September 1995, a completely transformed Rhodes returned to the WWF under a new gimmick - Goldust, nicknamed "The Bizarre One" (kind of like Exotic Adrian Street taken to a mad extreme with elements of Hollywood and the Oscar statue thrown in for good measure) for his creepy, suggestive in-ring mannerisms designed to throw opponents off their game. It actually proved quite successful early on with Goldust targeting and defeating Razor Ramon, who seemed reluctant to even get in the ring with him, for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Goldust was initially managed by the cigar smoking Marlena who from ringside in a director's chair seemed to delight in his bizarre actions such as groping and expressing affection for his opponents. Goldust would lose to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in an Hollywood Backlot Brawl at Wrestlemania XII yet would retain the I-C title in bouts with Savio Vega and the Ultimate Warrior finally dropping it to Ahmed Johnson in June 1996. Goldust next teamed up with Mankind and feuded with the Undertaker and then Marc Mero in an unsuccessful effort to bring Sable into his stable. In May 1997, Goldust would reveal himself on national TV as Dustin Runnels eventually coming to feud with the Hart Foundation stable mainly Brian Pillman to whom Rhodes would lose the services of Marlena for 30 days. Pillman however would unfortunately pass away before the feud could culminate and Goldust would eventually turn on his Survivor Series teammates turning heel once again and feuding with Vader. Goldust got even more bizarre than ever adding Luna Vachon as manager/valet and now referring to himself as "The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust" and started mimicking and imitating other wrestlers doing versions of Chynadust, Dust Lovedust, Dustydust, Hunterdust, Flashdust, Marilyn Mansondust, Sabledust and Vaderdust. In May 1998, he burned the Goldust jumpsuit and declared the character ended and would start calling himself Dustin Runnels, his real name. He reunited with Terri Runnels, formerly Marlena, and feuded with Val Venis. However it wouldn't be long before he'd bring back the Goldust persona to feud with Venis, Jeff Jarrett, Al Snow and even the Blue Meanie who'd eventually join him as a sidekick along with valet Ryan Shamrock. Goldust would capture the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Road Dogg but would lose it to The Godfather two weeks later. In 1999, Rhodes would request and receive his release from the WWF and would return to WCW. Rhodes initially debuted as Seven but the creepy painted face gimmick was quickly scrapped for fear of it being misinterpreted as a child abductor. Rhodes would return to being Dustin Rhodes but upon turning heel, changed his name to "The American Nightmare" Dustin Rhodes. In WCW, Rhodes feuded with Jeff Jarrett and Terry Funk. He'd eventually get himself suspended in April 2000 for badmouthing Vince Russo on national radio but would return in 2001 to feud with Jeff Jarrett and Ric Flair eventually once more bringing back his father to team with him against Jarrett and Flair. In January 2002, Rhodes made his surprise WWE return as Goldust in the Royal Rumble. He quickly started a feud with Rob Van Dam but failed to defeat him. Thereafter he turned his attention to the Hardcore division and won the title seven times. Following the brand split, Goldust would form a comedic tag team on Raw with Booker T which would prove quite popular with the pair eventually capturing the WWE World Tag Team Championship until they were forced to split up by Raw GM Eric Bischoff. Rhodes next did a terrible stuttering, Tourette's style gimmick and teamed with Lance Storm. Rhodes would quietly be released by WWE in December 2003. He'd move on to compete in TNA in 2004-2005 as "The Lone Star" Dustin Rhodes failing to defeat Jeff Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in his efforts. He'd also feud with Raven, Kid Kash and Bobby Roode before departing TNA and resigning with WWE in late 2005. He briefly appeared along with Vader as Jonathan Coachman's backup muscle during Coachman's short-lived feud with Batista. By early 2006, Goldust would be released by WWE yet again. He'd briefly appear in All-Japan Pro Wrestling in 2007 before returning to TNA initially aligning himself with Christian Cage against "Wildcat" Chris Harris. Rhodes eventually debuted a new bizarre gimmick character called "Black Reign" but typically lost or got DQed in his matches losing to Harris and losing a Monster's Ball match also involving Abyss, Rhino and Raven. Eventually Black Reign and his new tag team partner Rellik would feud with in a losing effort against Abyss and Raven and later Abyss and Rhino. He'd next attack Kaz and would briefly feud with Eric Young before continued no-shows led to his TNA release, Black Reign largely considered one of Runnels' worst character portrayal. In 2008, Goldust would return to the WWE to challenge Santino Marella but mostly was still used in a comedic role teaming at one point with Hornswoggle. Goldust would be traded to WWE's ECW brand and would actually impress in matches with Sheamus there. He also formed a somewhat successful team with Yoshi Tatsu and also teamed with Christian at times. He'd return to Raw in 2010 and would steal Ted DiBiase Jr.'s Million Dollar Championship from him with help from his NXT rookie/valet Aksana whom eventually agreed to marry Goldust in order to gain American citizenship only immediately afterwards she quickly slapped him and walked out on him shortly after which she would be eliminated from the NXT competition. Rhodes has since began to work as a Backstage Producer for WWE Events.

Goldust's title accomplishments: NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion, NWA Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Graham, NWA World Tag Team Championship with Barry Windham, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship twice, WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Tom Zenk and Big Josh, WCW World Tag Team Championship twice once with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and once with Barry Windham, WWE World Tag Team Championship with Booker T, WWF Hardcore Championship seven times, WWF Intercontinental Championship three times, TCW Heavyweight Championship, CCW World Heavyweight Championship.