by Dusty Rhodes
There’s no doubt that there will be many raised eyebrows, both for my selection of matches and for the apparent absence of some people on the card, many of who I’ve discussed previously in the book. Plus, I’ve decided that it’s not up to me to decide who would win or lose these fantasy matches, because if a card is booked the right way, it really doesn’t matter who wins or loses, only that it draws a profitable house and keeps everyone on it strong to ensure they will be able to continue drawing strong houses going forward.
With that in mind, I’ve also chosen who would be the booker and assistant bookers for this historic card. These would be the guys who would make sure there would be a good rhythm to the show, that all the finishes would be executed correctly and that the goals of keeping everyone on the card strong and ensuring they will be able to continue drawing strong houses after this card would be met.
The booker would be Eddie Graham. His assistants would be Jim Barnett and Jerry Jarrett. These three guys would probably come up with more creative stuff than you could imagine, while keeping everything very simple. Over the years I enjoyed listening to their bullshit, because they were even better at bullshitting than me. What’s great from my perspective is these three guys together wouldn’t try to reinvent the wheel. They’d use their knowledge of the business, current events and knack of reading the fans to book the greatest card in the history of the business.
While there would be many other factors to consider in putting a card of this magnitude together, it would probably take a whole book itself to explain the angles and buildups to get to this point, but we don’t have the luxury of time here.
So, with all that said, and without further delay, here now is “Starrcade Prime,” 10 main-event matches courtesy of that little ol’ matchmaker, me!
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes vs. Harley Race
This would be for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. I could have chosen a number of opponents to face on this card who would guarantee a sellout, such as Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Terry Funk, Abdullah the Butcher, or Kevin Sullivan. I drew great money with all these guys, but I never drew the type of money with them like I did with Harley. This is the match that drew the most arena money during our prime than anything else. The match itself would be a classic, and because we’ve worked so many times against each other, it would be spot on. The bottom line is this match is a proven commodity, so this is the match that gets my nod to close out “Starrcade Prime.”
Hulk Hogan vs. Bruno Sammartino
This one would be for the WWWF title. If the card would be at Madison Square Garden instead of the Armory, this would be the one that everyone would line up to see. It’s the one match everyone wanted to see take place, but it never happened. I believe Bruno had more sellouts at the Garden than any wrestler in history, while Hogan was the king of the PPVs. While both were enormously popular in their prime, Bruno never played the bad guy to my knowledge, so you’d have to figure that the Hulkster would take that role here. “Well, you know something brother,” while Bruno saw very little action in Florida, Tampa is Hogan’s hometown, so it would be interesting to see who would come out on top, “Doggone it!”
The Sheik vs. Mark Lewin
This match would be for the United States title. I personally witnessed this match as a young lad first hand in the Detroit territory and of all the matches I’ve ever seen, this is the one I “mark” for as they say. As I mentioned earlier, The Sheik and Mark Lewin were the greatest heel and babyface I’d ever seen, which is saying a lot. I probably learned more from watching these two work each other than any other match in my career. I don’t know what more I can say about these two that I haven’t already said earlier, except don’t confuse the Sheik with the guy who was the Iron Sheik, because the original Sheik is the measuring stick for which all other heels are judged.
Jose Lothario vs. Ric Flair
With the exception of one other match, this is the one that I think could be the potential “show stealer,” as these two would battle for the Texas Heavyweight Championship. Lothario was one of the greatest natural workers I’ve both seen and worked against, and when you talk about owning a town, he was the guy. There were some cities that you couldn’t even imagine beating Lothario for fear of a riot breaking out. So I think with the strong Hispanic population in Tampa and Flair’s ability to be a natural heel, the heat here would potentially be nothing short of tremendous. While I’ve said a lot about Ric’s style and ability, he has always risen to the occasion when the money is on the line, and so I think his approach going into this match would fit perfectly with Jose’s.
Terry and Dory Funk Jr. vs. “Cowboy” Bill Watts and Black Jack Mulligan
Being the only tag-team match on the card, there are a lot of tag teams I could have chosen, but in a match for the World Tag-Team titles, there’s no other team that would belong there except the Funks. The Rock-n-Roll Express, the Midnight Express, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Wild Samoans, the Brisco Brothers, and Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, are among countless others as some of the great tag teams that drew money over the years. But in my opinion, Terry and Dory were the greatest tag team ever, period. I know a lot of people say the “Minnesota Wrecking Crew” of Gene and Ole Anderson were the very best, but I personally think they were overrated. The Funks had a chemistry that was unmatched in any team I had seen before or since. As for their opponents, I chose Watts and Mulligan for the sheer brutality of them being a babyface tandem in this match up. To my knowledge Bill and Bobby Jack never teamed up before and I think it would be a good fit to work the Funks. I’ve already said plenty about Dory and Terry, but Bill and Black Jack were two guys who could do some legitimate ass whooping. When Bobby Jack made up his mind to kick your ass, you knew you were going to get your ass handed to you. Bill was also a tough S.O.B. If you’ve ever heard the word “stiff” used in the business before as a description of how guys work in the ring for their believability factor, this would be the match that would illustrate that style.
Jack Brisco vs. Dick Murdoch
In this contest for the Florida Heavyweight Championship, you have the guy who was a hero to me in Jack facing the guy who was my soul mate in this business and the person who should have been the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. This is another match that is a proven product as I witnessed this match up many times and it was really a cool program. Like I said, when Hoyt was on, there was none better, and Jack was so smooth in the ring, he had that special instinct on knowing how to read a crowd by listening to its reaction. From a pure wrestling perspective, this could potentially be the best match on the card.
Fritz von Erich vs. “Big Thunder” Gene Kiniski
With America’s Title on the line, this is another proven match for drawing money by standing on its own. If the match were held in Texas, it could probably be the only match on the card and still draw a huge house. This was the match that was the headliner for the first big outdoor show I remember in Arlington. While many will remember Fritz as a fan favorite in his later years, in his early days he was one of the most hated heels ever, portraying a goose-stepping, iron cross-wearing Nazi. Kiniski, on the other hand, was a former Canadian Football League player with the Edmonton Eskimos, who won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship by defeating my first hero, Lou Thesz, in 1966, only to lose it in this very building to Dory Funk, Jr. three years later. It would be interesting to see if Fritz’s claw could make “Big Thunder” submit in the same building he submitted to Funk in when the Spinning Toe Hold was applied.
“Chief “ Wahoo McDaniel vs. Johnny Valentine
This match would be for the North America Title and recreates one of the greatest feuds of all time. While both men had successful stints in Florida during their respective careers, both received their legendary status for taking two very different paths. Wahoo was very aware of being a role model for Native Americans and therefore was the perfect babyface at times, while Valentine personified the heel role with his cocky man
nerisms and arrogance. While Wahoo was one of the most intense and violent performers in the ring, often opening up cuts on his opponent’s chest with his tomahawk chops, Valentine is considered by many to be the best ever in getting his story across to the fans, something I personally witnessed and learned from. In 1970 Wahoo defeated Valentine in a vicious match for the Texas Heavyweight title, therefore making this “Starrcade Prime” match up the other bout that could potentially be the “show stealer.”
Goldust vs. Freddie Blassie
In a match that would probably be more suited for the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles than the Tampa Armory because of it being a Hollywood type of match, there would be no title on the line necessary for this one. In what I believe to be the best gimmick to hit wrestling since “Gorgeous” George Wagner in the 1950s, Goldust, to have him against the “Hollywood Fashion Plate” Freddie Blassie, just fits. I have always thought of Dustin as being one of the greatest athletes in the business, not because he is my son, but because of his ability. He makes what he does in the ring look so easy, almost effortless. Take those qualities and put it with the guy who was one of the first people in our business who understood the power of exposure beyond wrestling in Blassie, who guest starred on different TV shows like The Dick van Dyke Show and such, and you have a match that’s a perfect ten on the entertainment scale.
The Fabulous Moolah vs. Kay Noble
As the only females on the card, this one would be for the Women’s World title and features Lillian Ellison, who dominated the women’s division of pro wrestling as The Fabulous Moolah for some 30 years in a match against the toughest woman who I’ve ever seen around a wrestling ring, Kay Noble. While Moolah was salty in her prime, personally I would pay to see this match because Kay was one of those rare women who could put an ass whooping on a guy if she were so inclined to. I’d expect this match to be nothing short of stiff, tight and something that is a bit more meaningful than the tits and ass shows we see today with women’s wrestling.
So there you have it. That’s my All-Star line up for “Starrcade Prime.” I’m sure it included a few surprises and even a couple of disappointments, but that’s the way the wrestling business is. It can’t be perfect all the time.
It’s pretty common that after I put together a creation, I often think that what I’ve done is both good and bad. I think it’s important for you to know that in order to be successful in the wrestling business as a booker or executive producer, the person who has creative control, you have to be critical of yourself in order to push yourself to the next level and in order to stay on top of your game. If you don’t, you’re not only letting your fans down, but yourself as well.
While I would have loved to work some other top people onto the card like Andre the Giant, “Superstar” Billy Graham, and Magnum T.A. to name just a few, sometimes you have to know when not to book people for fear of overkill, because as we’ve been saying all along here, “business is business.”
It was also hard not to include the two best managers in the history of wrestling in my opinion, “Playboy” Gary Hart and Sir Oliver Humperdink. Like the great referees who knew when to be seen and heard and when to be invisible, these two guys were the best at knowing when to keep their hands off and when to be involved. Their timing was impeccable. While having two very distinct styles, they knew how important it was to keep the focus on the wrestlers and not on themselves. They knew how far they could go without going over the top and they knew when to actually go over that line in order to make a statement for the good of the business. Plus, by being around the business from an early age, they each had that very important sixth sense of knowing what was the right thing to do in order to protect their talent.
While there were very good managers throughout the years, and I’m sure some of you will argue with me saying that Lou Albano or Jimmy Hart or The Grand Wizard or Jim Cornette or Paul E or even J.J. Dillon was the best, and they were all great in their own regards, but to me Gary and Hump were simply a cut above the rest and just the best of the best.
I was glad, however, that I was able to find spots for four of my top five performers of all-time onto the card: Jose Lothario, Dick Murdoch, Fritz von Erich, and Wahoo McDaniel. The only one who didn’t find his way on the card actually wrestling was Eddie Graham, but because he would have been the head booker, well, hell, I guess that makes up for it.
So there you go. Now you’ve had the chance to get inside my head for just a little bit and understand more of what it takes to play matchmaker in the greatest business on Earth, professional wrestling.
CHAPTER 16
In late 2004 we ran a contest on dustyrhodeswrestling.com to search for the top ten fans of “The American Dream,” Dusty Rhodes. While I’ve always said that if not for you, my fans, there would be no “Dream,” we were overwhelmed by the thousands of responses and heartfelt sentiments that were sent in through the web site or by email.
To say that it was hard to pick the top ten from all of those submissions would be an understatement. That is why in addition to the top ten, I’ve also chosen 15 fans to receive Honorable Mention here.
They are in alphabetical order: Robbie Boyette (Greer, South Carolina); Frank Cabanski (Houston, Texas); Dominick Giorgianni (Gresham, Oregon); Rick Ingram (Longmont, Colorado); Dan Keefe (Falconer, New York); Malcolm A. Madison (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina); Reginald Moody (Cincinnati, Ohio); Dale L. Murphy (Lakeside, Arizona); Mark Roth (Hartford, Connecticut); Zach Thompson (Topeka, Kansas); Robert D. VanKavelaar (Williston, Florida); Andrew B. Weiner (Atlanta, Georgia); Brian Westcott (Meridian, Idaho); Ben Williams (Lusby, Maryland); and Dan Wojcik (Davenport, Iowa).
Like those who were chosen for the top ten, each of these fans captured a unique memory of me, and I thank them as I do you for letting me be a part of their life and yours, even if it has only been for a short period of time in the grand scheme of things.
So without any further delay, here now are my personal top ten selections and the winners of the “Why I am Dusty Rhodes’s Biggest Fan Contest,” each of who has received an autographed copy of this book from me.
10. Marc Wiggins. Sacramento, California
As a youngster growing up in Oakland, California during the ‘70s, I was right in the middle of the Big Time Wrestling territory, so I was introduced to the sport by guys like Rocky Johnson, Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens. As I got older, during junior high school, I began reading wrestling magazines like The Wrestler, Inside Wrestling and later, Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
It was in early 1976 when I read how Dusty Rhodes was on the trail of the current NWA World Champion, Terry Funk. I was riveted. Everything about him, his appearance, his relentless pursuit of the title and the way he talked, it was as if he was talking to me personally because he didn’t try to portray himself as noble or heroic or above the fans. He was one of the guys, who at that point I still hadn’t seen wrestle yet; I had just seen the pictures in the magazines.
In seventh grade I began to wear a gold elbow pad. My own “Bionic Elbow,” if you will. I started my own wrestling organization, featuring myself and several other eighth graders, but I was the champ [it was my idea] and had a new name … “Dusty” Wiggins. I used the “Bionic Elbow” to ward off the bullies, it only took one taste and they left me alone—and that is a direct result of “The American Dream’s” influence on me.
The first time I saw Dusty wrestle was on TV during the summer of 1977. My cable company had an all-sports channel; this was in the days before ESPN or Fox Sports Net. This particular all-sports channel would show the WWWF shows from Madison Square Garden, and at the time that was a huge deal since there was no way to see those wrestlers who were on the east coast.
One day the champ, “Superstar” Billy Graham was going to defend against Dusty Rhodes. I was on the ceiling for the entire match! I had never seen anyone light up an arena like that before. It was electric.
The match ended in a count out loss by Graham. After the match,
Rhodes took the house mic from Howard Finkel, the ring announcer, and said, “I came a long way to whoop your ass Graham, and this ain’t over, baby!”
Now that I had actually seen him wrestle, that was it. I was hooked. I remember seeing a picture of him in a satin jacket, so of course I had to have one. He wore a ZZ Top T-shirt in another photo; I had to have one, even though at the time I had no idea who ZZ Top was.
The next time that I saw Rhodes was again on TV. But this time it was from the Central States area. Big Time Wrestling had gone out of business and the Central States promotion had begun to show their TV show out here and Rhodes was having a match with Tank Patton. After the match he was in the ring doing a live interview and during the interview there was a black woman in the crowd who was completely beside herself at the sight of Rhodes. She was jumping around and running in the aisles. Rhodes saw this and stopped the interview, saying, and I remember this like it was yesterday, “Come here, baby. Come here and gimme some of that brown sugar!” With that she jumped into the ring and he kissed her, which sent her into orbit. I thought that was the coolest thing that I ever saw.
The critics said that he couldn’t win the NWA title, that if he didn’t win it in 1976, then he would never win it. He refused to listen and while he didn’t get it from Terry Funk, he did take it from Harley Race and he went on to win it on two other occasions. He never stopped competing.
