Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels , Jr . , better known as " The American Dream " Dusty Rhodes ( October 12 , 1945 – June 11 , 2015 ) , was an American professional wrestler and booker who most recently worked for WWE behind the scenes as a Creative director and trainer for NXT . Billed as " the son of a plumber " , Rhodes ' character was that of the working man . Rhodes is a three - time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and has also won the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship once , the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship ten times , the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship ( Florida version ) seven times and the NWA National Heavyweight Championship one time . He has also won many other championships during his wrestling career . He is one of six men inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame , the WCW Hall of Fame , the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame . He is the father of professional wrestlers Dustin Rhodes and Cody Rhodes , both having at points worked for WWE . Professional wrestling career . Early career . Rhodes started his career as a rule - breaking heel , tagging with fellow Texan Dick Murdoch to form the tag team The Texas Outlaws in the American Wrestling Association . In 1974 , Rhodes turned face after turning on tag team partner Pak Song and manager Gary Hart during a match in Florida against Eddie and Mike Graham . This led him to break out as a solo face superstar , primarily in Florida , referring to himself as " Stardust " , the " White Soul King " , and the " American Dream " , a working class hero . Rhodes ascended to the top of several National Wrestling Alliance promotions , including those in Florida ( where he also wrestled wearing a mask as " The Midnight Rider " ) and in Georgia . On November 25 , 1978 , Rhodes won a single - night tournament to capture the vacant Florida Heavyweight Championship , with injured champion Steve Keirn presenting him with the title in an emotional moment . Rhodes vowed that both of them would be seen as champions in the eyes of the people . He eventually began working with Jim Crockett Promotions ( JCP ) in the Mid - Atlantic , which eventually purchased World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) , formerly Georgia Championship Wrestling . While there , he formed a team with Manny Fernandez . He also teamed with Magnum T . A . as " America ' s Team " . The tandem began teaming up to oppose the Four Horsemen and the Russian Team in 1985 . They were one of the more dominant tag teams in the promotion until 1986 , when Magnum ' s career was ended in a car wreck . Subsequently , he teamed with Nikita Koloff as The Super Powers . Rhodes was also a World Six - Man Tag Team Champion with the Road Warriors . Rhodes had feuds with stars such as Abdullah the Butcher , Pak Song , Terry Funk , Kevin Sullivan , Blackjack Mulligan , Nikita Koloff , Harley Race , " Superstar " Billy Graham , " Crippler " Ray Stevens and , most notably , The Four Horsemen ( especially Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard ) . Rhodes , Flair and Race each fought each other many times over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . Rhodes won the NWA World Title three times ; twice by defeating Race and once by defeating Flair . Jim Crockett Promotions ( 1985 – 1989 ) . Rhodes became a booker for Jim Crockett Promotions after he won the Television Title in 1985 . He is credited with inventing many of the WCW pay - per - view names and gimmicks , such as War Games , BattleBowl , and Lethal Lottery . The term Dusty Finish refers to one of Rhodes ' favorite techniques , ending a match in controversy after the referee is knocked unconscious . During his stint as booker , JCP were engulfed in aggressive competition with the World Wrestling Federation . When the WWF introduced Mike Jones as Ted DiBiase ' s bodyguard , Bobby Heenan suggested to name the character " Virgil " as an inside joke on Dusty ' s real name . Years later , when Jones appeared in JCP ' s successor World Championship Wrestling in a similar role , he was named " Vincent " , in reference to WWF owner Vince McMahon , reportedly again at Heenan ' s suggestion . The joke continued later in WCW when Jones changed his name again , this time to " Shane " , the same as Vince ' s son ' s , Shane McMahon . As the executive producer of JCP ' s programming , he was credited by his real name ( Virgil Runnels ) to avoid fans seeing that Dusty , still a top draw in the company , was actually running things behind the scenes . Rhodes was fired from Jim Crockett Promotions after Starrcade ' 88 , because of a taboo on - screen bloodletting ( laid down by the Turner Broadcasting System following their purchase of the company ) during a November 26 altercation with the Road Warriors . Furious with the interference , Rhodes booked an angle where Road Warrior Animal pulled a spike out of his shoulder pad and jammed it in Rhodes ' eye busting it wide open . Rhodes was then fired from WCW . Following this , Rhodes returned to Florida to compete in Florida Championship Wrestling , where he captured the PWF Heavyweight title and also returned to the AWA for a few appearances . World Wrestling Federation ( 1989 – 1991 ) . In late 1989 Rhodes came to the WWF as the yellow polka - dotted " Common Man " Dusty Rhodes , a gimmick some felt was intended to humiliate him due to his synonymy with the rival JCP / WCW , although Dusty later admitted that the gimmick and outfit were his own ideas . He was managed by Sapphire , who was intended to represent the " common woman " . During his early time in the WWF , Rhodes was embroiled in a heated feud with " Macho King " Randy Savage and his manager / partner Sensational Queen Sherri , who in turn found a rival in Sapphire . After a particularly intense confrontation between the two couples , Savage ' s ex - manager Miss Elizabeth allied herself with Rhodes and Sapphire and was instrumental in helping them win the WWF ' s first mixed tag - team match during WrestleMania VI . Sapphire , however , left Rhodes during SummerSlam 1990 for The Million - Dollar Man ' s money , Afterwards , Rhodes dropped the Polka dots and feuded with Dibiase and Virgil , which also resulted in the national debut of his son Dustin at the 1991 Royal Rumble . Both departed the WWF shortly after , marking the end of Dusty Rhodes ' career as a full - time in - ring competitor . When Ric Flair left for the WWF in 1991 , taking the NWA World Heavyweight Title belt with him , Dusty ' s PWF Heavyweight Championship belt was used as a replacement at The Great American Bash for the title match between Lex Luger and Barry Windham until a replacement could be made . Return to WCW and ECW ( 1990s ) . Rhodes returned to WCW shortly afterwards as a member of WCW ' s booking committee . He also served as the manager of Ron Simmons , from 1991 to 1992 , and was in Simmons ' corner on August 2 , 1992 when he defeated Big Van Vader to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . He later joined the broadcast team , usually working with Tony Schiavone on " WCW Saturday Night " . He would be paired with Schiavone and Bobby Heenan on pay - per - views . In 1994 , Rhodes returned to the ring to team up with his son Dustin along with The Nasty Boys versus Arn Anderson , Bunkhouse Buck , Terry Funk , and Col . Rob Parker . The angle occurred after Anderson turned on Dustin during a tag team match at Bash at the Beach ' 94 and Dusty , admitting to being an absentee parent who should have been at his son ' s side instead of Anderson , put on the trunks one more time in order to help his son gain his revenge . Rhodes was originally on the side of WCW when its battle with the New World Order ( nWo ) began in 1996 . At Souled Out 1998 , Larry Zbyszko asked Rhodes , who was working the PPV broadcast , to accompany him to the ring for his match against Scott Hall . Zbyszko won the match by disqualification due to interference by Louie Spicolli . Rhodes entered the ring , delivering his trademark elbow smashes to Spicolli as Zbyszko stood and grabbed Hall . Rhodes went to elbow Hall , but seemingly inadvertently hit Zbyszko instead . Hall then pointed to Rhodes as he revealed an nWo shirt . The three began to drop repeated elbows on Zbyszko before Rhodes announced " That ' s tradition , WCW ! Bite this ! " . Announcer Tony Schiavone left the broadcast booth in shock but later returned , kayfabe ripping Rhodes for his actions for most of the rest of the night . As a member of the nWo , Rhodes served as the manager of Hall and Nash . He eventually left WCW and went to ECW where he put over former ECW World Champion , " King of Old School " Steve Corino . Rhodes returned once more to WCW , re - igniting his feud with Ric Flair . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2003 – 2005 ) . Rhodes began appearing with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) in 2003 , returning to the ring to feud against the villainous Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction , and later becoming the Director of Authority at their November 7 , 2004 pay - per - view , Victory Road . At the same time , Rhodes acted as head booker and writer . In May 2005 , TNA President Dixie Carter asked Rhodes to move onto a creative team , which included Jeremy Borash , Bill Banks , and Scott D ' Amore . Rhodes resigned as booker , waiting out the rest of his contract with TNA , which expired soon after . Independent circuit ( 2003 – 2006 ) . Rhodes began taking independent circuit bookings in 2003 , after the closure of Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling and during his run with TNA . Rhodes made his first indy circuit appearance on April 12 , 2003 for Ring of Honor , when he participated in the " I Quit Bunkhouse Riot " as a member of Homicide ' s team . On December 12 , Rhodes defeated Jerry Lawler at an International Wrestling Cartel show that also featured Mick Foley as the special guest referee . The next day , Rhodes appeared at NWA Bluegrass and defeated Slash . Rhodes competed in a tag team match for Full Impact Pro on November 29 , 2003 , teaming with Bubba the Love Sponge to defeat the team of Kevin Sullivan and Ralph Mosca . Rhodes returned to ROH on March 13 , 2004 , where he competed alongside The Carnage Crew in a Scramble Cage match against Special K , which the Carnage Crew won . On July 24 , Rhodes returned to FIP and defeated Gangrel . Rhodes would briefly disappear from the independent scene before resurfacing in October , appearing for Northeast Wrestling in a victory over Kamala . Later in the month , he appeared for IWA Mid - South in a tag team match with Ian Rotten in a victory over Chris Candido and Steve Stone . Rhodes made three appearances for the Japanese promotion HUSTLE in 2004 , the first being on January 4 in a six - man tag team match with Steve Corino and Tom Howard against Mil Mascaras , Dos Caras , and Sicodelico , Jr . , which Rhodes ' team lost . The second was on March 7 , where he teamed with his son Dustin against Shinjiro Otani and Satoshi Kojima , which he also lost . The third was on May 8 , where he defeated Steve Corino . Starting in December 2004 , Rhodes made regular appearances for Carolina Championship Wrestling , where his first match for the promotion saw him team up with The Rock ' n ' Roll Express to take on Dennis Condrey , Bobby Eaton , and Stan Lane , all three of the best - known members of the Midnight Express . He also briefly resurrected his feud with Tully Blanchard in CCW , earning two consecutive victories over him , the second being in a Bunkhouse Brawl . On February 5 , Rhodes defeated The Illustrious Jonnie Stewart , in front of a near sell - out arena in Tucson , AZ . On March 12 , Rhodes defeated Abdullah the Butcher where Mick Foley served as referee . On April 9 , 2005 , Rhodes challenged Jeff Jarrett ( who was still contracted to TNA , but due to TNA ' s then - affiliation with the NWA , he was allowed to appear for other affiliated promotions ) for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . In a match that featured Jimmy Valiant as the special guest referee , Jarrett retained the title after Terry Funk made a surprise appearance and interfered . This led to Rhodes challenging Funk to a Falls - Count - Anywhere Bunkhouse match , which Rhodes won . This would be Rhodes ' final appearance with CCW until August , where he would team with his son Dustin against Phi Delta Slam . On July 15 , 2005 , Rhodes participated in Ballpark Brawl IV in a victory over Kid Kash . Rhodes participated in the first WrestleReunion , competing in an eight - man tag team match with D ' Lo Brown , The Blue Meanie , and Tom Prichard against Steve Corino , Andrew Martin , Evil Clown , and the Masked Superstar . Rhodes faced Tully Blanchard at a " Starrcade " Tribute Show on November 19 , where he was managed by Magnum T . A . and where Blanchard was managed by James J . Dillon . Rhodes ended up losing the match . On December 3 , 2005 , Rhodes returned to Carolina Championship Wrestling for one night only to face Terry Funk in an " I Quit " match , which Rhodes won . Rhodes made his final major appearances on the independent circuit before returning full - time to WWE in mid - 2006 , defeating Jerry Lawler by DQ at a Southern Championship Wrestling Show on March 4 , and defeating Steve Corino in a Texas Bullrope match at a Big Time Wrestling show on April 15 . Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling . For several years , Rhodes operated Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling , a small Georgia - based promotion , featuring wrestlers trained by himself alongside veterans such as Steve Corino . Return to World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2005 – 2015 ) . In September 2005 , Rhodes signed a WWE Legends deal and was brought onto the Creative Team as a creative consultant . He made an appearance on the October 3 , 2005 " WWE Homecoming " in which he , along with other legends , beat down Rob Conway , to whom Rhodes delivered a signature Bionic elbow . Rhodes made an appearance on the June 19 , 2006 edition of " Raw " , appearing in a backstage segment with Vince McMahon where he promoted his new DVD , " The American Dream - The Dusty Rhodes Story " , and would attempt to convince a trio of male strippers ( one of whom was Big Dick Johnson ) who ' d been hired by D - Generation X to annoy Vince , to buy the DVD . Dusty Rhodes was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31 , 2007 by his two sons , Dustin and Cody . During his acceptance speech , Rhodes asked Ric Flair and Arn Anderson to hold up the " sign " and induct him and Harley Race into the Four Horsemen . During an interview on WWE ' s " The American Dream " DVD set , Rhodes claims that his most popular promo of all time was his " Hard Times " interview during his feud with Ric Flair . The promo — which references out - of - work steel workers , factory runners and other blue collar individuals — apparently resonated with wrestling fans that people came to him in arenas in tears to thank him for " honoring their plight . " A few weeks before Survivor Series 2006 , Rhodes returned to WWE to be a part of Team WWE Legends , led by Ric Flair . The team , consisting of Sgt . Slaughter , Ron Simmons , and Arn Anderson ( acting as manager ) competed against the Spirit Squad at Survivor Series . Rhodes , along with the other legends , was eliminated early on in the match before Flair managed to become the sole survivor . A few weeks before WWE ' s 2007 broadcast of the Great American Bash , Dusty Rhodes returned to WWE television to feud with Randy Orton . At The Great American Bash , Orton defeated Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match after Rhodes was nailed in the head with the cowbell . The following night on " Raw " , after Orton defeated Rhodes ' son Cody Rhodes , Orton delivered a vicious kick to Dusty ' s head while " The American Dream " was trying to tend to his son . On December 10 , 2007 , on the " Raw " 15th Anniversary special episode , Rhodes was at ringside to see Cody and Hardcore Holly defeat Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the World Tag Team Championship , and congratulated the two on their victory afterwards . On March 29 , 2008 , Rhodes inducted his mentor Eddie Graham into the WWE Hall of Fame . Two nights later , on the March 31 edition of " Raw " , Rhodes was seen in the crowd of superstars paying their respects to Ric Flair during his farewell ceremony . Rhodes made an appearance on the 800th episode of " Raw " , where he was involved in an in - ring segment , which saw superstars including Kung Funaki , Hornswoggle , The Boogeyman , Jesse , Festus , and the commentators Jerry " The King " Lawler and Michael Cole , dancing in the ring . On April 4 , 2009 , Rhodes inducted The Funk Brothers ( Terry Funk and Dory Funk , Jr . ) into the WWE Hall of Fame . On August 31 , 2009 , Rhodes was the special guest host of Raw and booked a match between his son , Cody and Randy Orton for Orton ' s WWE Championship with John Cena as the special guest referee . Before the match began , he turned on Cena as all three members of Legacy took him out along with DX . After the assault , Orton shook hands and praised Rhodes , but gave him an RKO . He reappeared on June 7 , 2010 , to help Quinton Jackson and Sharlto Copley defeat I . R . S . , Ted DiBiase , Jr . , Virgil , and Roddy Piper . He reappeared on the November 2 edition of " WWE NXT " , during his son , Goldust ' s ( kayfabe ) wedding with his NXT rookie , Aksana . Rhodes showed up on the November 15 , 2010 episode of Raw in a backstage segment with both of his sons Goldust and Cody Rhodes . Currently , Rhodes is the head creative writer for the weekly NXT Wrestling television broadcast . On February 25 , 2011 edition of Smackdown , Rhodes briefly turned heel when he helped his son Cody attack Rey Mysterio in a setup . Rhodes turned face when he inducted the Road Warriors in the WWE Hall of Fame . He appeared on the November 29 , 2011 special holiday edition of " SmackDown " backstage with Roddy Piper and the rest of SmackDown roster . On April 10 , 2012 , Rhodes made an appearance on WWE Smackdown : Blast from the Past as a face , embarrassing his son Cody Rhodes . On the March 4 , 2013 episode of " Old School Raw " , Rhodes was attacked by Jack Swagger during Swagger ' s match with Hacksaw Jim Duggan . He returned on the March 25 episode of Raw in a Hall of Fame panel Q - and - A session with John Cena and The Rock . Rhodes has been hospitalized due to infection on his left foot which caused by snake bite . On September 12 , 2013 , he was removed as NXT Commissioner . Dusty was advertised to and did appear on the February 16 edition of " Raw " , trying to convince his boys Goldust ( Dustin ) and Stardust ( Cody ) to keep their bond , but Stardust later turned on Goldust regardless . Personal life . Rhodes is divorced from his first wife Sandra and is now married to a woman named Michelle . He has four children , Dustin , Cody , Teil and Kristin Runnels Ditto , a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader . He has a granddaughter , Dakota , the daughter of Dustin and his ex - wife , Terri Runnels and two grandsons Dalton and Dylan , children of Kristin and her husband Don Ditto . Death . In his later years , Rhodes developed stomach cancer . On June 10 , 2015 , paramedics responded to Rhodes ' home in Orlando , Florida , after getting a call reporting that he had fallen . They drove him to a nearby hospital , where he died the next day . A few days later , TMZ released Rhodes ' 911 phone call in which the dispatcher was rude to his wife , causing her to hang up . It was met with backlash from fans towards the dispatcher . At the 2015 Money in the Bank pay - per - view event , a ten - bell salute was given in honor of Rhodes , with the entire WWE roster and the McMahon family on the entrance ramp . The next night on Raw , they honored him with a video tribute and a special after Raw on the WWE Network . At the NXT tapings following his death , he was honored with another ten - bell salute . In his most famous promo , Rhodes said , " There were two bad people . One was John Wayne and he ' s dead , brother – and the other ' s right here " . Wayne died on June 11 , 1979 , exactly 36 years before Rhodes ' death , and also from stomach cancer .