Jim Cornette on Ricky Steamboat's Problems With Dusty Rhodes
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- Опубліковано 12 січ 2022
- From Episode 226 of Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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It's a conflict of interest for an active wrestler to be a booker. Most can't resist the temptation to put themselves on top.
cough cough NASH cough cough
It's more an old philosophy that as booker your top star can't walk on you if you're the top star.
@@Briansgate Blah with the Nash, sometimes the booker is over enough to book himself to heights ... Nash, Dusty and even Flair. You should get that cough checked too 😷
@@donbrewer3904 Please, the NWO had already seen their heyday. That was all ego.
That's why I loved & respected “Big Cat" Ernie Ladd when he was a booker. He put himself in championship situations (i.e. NWA/Mid South North American championship) but still pushed others to be stars without trying to outshine them
Ricky Steamboat is one the greatest workers of all time.
Considering Macho Man and Bret Hart also worked; you have a 33 1/3% chance of being right.
@@wilcee675 you disappoint me. You forgot Virgil. Did you not see him bodyslam Andre at Wrestlemania 3?
@@nocontextpoppapump LMAO!
Wrestler to you.
He's my all time favorite wrestler
Jim told a story about Dusty getting pissed the Rock and Roll Express were drawing better than he was.
They sold out the Charlotte Coliseum without Dusty, Road Warriors, etc and he was pissed
“Nobody sells out Charlotte without the Dream on the card, baby.”
I know this is unrelated but your comment reminds me of the time when Sid eliminated Hulk Hogan in the 1992 Royal Rumble and the fans cheered loudly which sent Hogan into madness 😂😂
Ronnie Garvin said the same thing
@@kenrickeason i just started rewatching the rumbles to lead into this years and him holding Sids hand from the outside after being eliminated looking around the arena puffing his cheeks is one of the most "heel-ish" moves of all time. I remember watching it live when I was 12 and was like "what a loser" lol. I had hopped off the Hogan parade about 89 when I thought Macho should've won at Maina 5. It just got more ridiculous from there and coincided with being old enough to be like "why are we all supposed to love this bald motherfucker anyways"? ahahahah
Dusty put himself over a lot, and they say it's good for business. Anyone else gets themselves put over a lot and no matter how popular they are, people say they are being selfish.
One finger in the air. One finger. The arena was quiet,Dusty was in a sleeper. Obviously catching his breath. But to those of us in the arena,he was in trouble. The man lifts one finger in the air and the place goes ballistic. It’s easy to critique in hindsight. But the man had that much sway.
I'll never critique it,to this young buck, that was better Hulking then Hulk himself back in dem dayz,Daddy."Hard Times" still fuels my mornings for the workday ahead.
Yeah especially when nobody got out of a sleeper hold them days right?
When the Smart Marks started attending the Techwood Drive tapings dressed like The Horsemen Dusty’s days as a common man Babyface were numbered. Prior to that he was the most consistently over guy in the business.
@@LegendofTheCosmic7 Well when you can get the crowd invested in what you're selling, you suspend disbelief. Even though a Sleeper rarely put someone to sleep (outside of a jobber), some people just had the crowd in the palm of their hand.
Yep that's what a draw is: Someone who can have the audience in the palm of his hand. No flips or superkicks; a Just a single finger in the air gets a bigger pop than any of these skinny-fat Indy acrobats.
Most people aren't old enough to have seen Ricky in his prime in the '70s and early '80s. He was the best there was in the ring. He was an ace. He sold better than any wrestler that I ever saw. Ricky and Flair sold out arenas in the South throughout the late '70s, and I never, EVER saw crowds more into a wrestling match more than at their house shows. Steamboat was awesome in the ring. Maybe he didn't have the mic skills of Flair or Dusty, but so what? Few wrestlers ever had that level of mic skills. Jim Coronette, Dusty Rhodes, Macho Man, Stone Cold and the Rock ruled the mic, but comparing every wrestler to their mic skill level is ridiculously silly. Most wresters were just okay at talking. Back in those days, you did much of your talking in the ring. Steamboat was as good as it got. When he left, it did hurt the Mid-Atlantic a great deal. It took several years to get the fans back into Dusty's unfolding program. Guys like Magnum T.A. and talents like the Rock In Roll Express, the Road Warriors, and the formation of the 4-Horseman saw a rebound in interest, but it took some time for all that to sort itself out. Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express was my favorite bad guy tag team during this era. Jim's mic skills surpassed them all! You loved to hate him and his M.E., who seemed to be in love with themselves. lol! Steamboat was missed though. He was a treat to watch like no other ring performer that I ever saw. Bret Hart, Savage and all those guys were better promoted by the WWE, but they weren't better in the ring. Not at all.
Well said!
Bret and Savage were very good wrestlers who could make chicken shit into chicken salad but I see what you're saying. A lot of the guys in the NWA were very believable and realistic where in wwe, everybody was a cartoon character and didn't have to do much because the product was all about the showmanship. Just take a look at Ultimate Warrior, not great in the ring but his charisma and overall look, along with running to the ring, shaking the ropes and squashing his opponents was all that was needed for him to succeed. Now someone like Flair however, he may have not had a whole lot of offence but he was a great wrestler. What made him so great in the ring was that he could go for a full hour and could even carry someone who was green through a match which ended up being a great one at that. Most of the wrestlers who were green that went to the NWA became better workers by working with guys like the four horsemen, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and both Rock and Roll and Midnight Express.
@@richie9308 Totally agree
Steamboat , Bruno, & Tito are the hands down BEST singles faces in the history of the business. Steamboat sold better & was the smoothest worker of all of them.
Chi-Town Rumble with Flair is an absolute masterpiece. Then again, most angles featuring Steamboat were.
@@yoholmes273 Totally agree!
Another point for Ricky Steamboat is after he came back from his break before going to WWF, Dusty booked Steamboat in a program with Nikita Koloff, & 1 of the 1st thing out Nikita laid out Steamboat. Steamboat said he then saw the writing on the wall & gave his notice. He didn't just up & leave like I have heard Dusty say. Ricky Steamboat understood where Dusty wanted to go program-wise, (Russian Nightmare vs American Dream). But he felt that he had worked hard for his position & didn't want to go backwards.
Really like how coronet explains stuff from a business standpoint and brings out the behind-the-scenes intricacies…..
and after he’s done most listeners understand the reasoning behind some of the stuff that went on almost 40 years ago.
coronet is truly an icon of this business.
Put your bugle away, Evad. Cornette's name is spelled correctly right up there on the Wendy's sign.
I still say Steamboat and Youngblood were one of the all-time best tag teams in wrestling history. They could hold their own with anyone. People seem to forget them as time moves on. That’s a shame.
When Ric Flair knocked off Harley Race to begin his second World Championship reign at Starrcade 83 on Thanksgiving Night in The Greensboro Coliseum, Rick Steamboat and the late great Jay Youngblood defeated Jerry and the late great Jack Brisco for The NWA World Tag Team Championships on The Undercard.🤔🎤🐴💎👔👞👞🐉🤼♂️B.W.
Totally agree. People really underestimate how over Dusty was in the early-mid 80's. I grew up seeing Dusty clear the ring of the 4 Horsemen by himself on Sat nights on TBS... he was THE babyface opposite Flair
Like hell they do. 😂😂😂
But if they went to WWF they were never gonna get over Hogan..so WWF had it's own Dusty
Hogan put a few people over. Flair on the other hand, put tons of people over non title to hype events.
And the ones that did were let go by Vince. See Wendi Richter.
But Hogan couldn't wrestle.
@@mikebowermaster4250 flair was alot more generous in his givings. Wether he was champ or not the people knew the man was always Flair.
Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair's 1989 matches were all classics. Steamboat and Savage at Wrestlemania 3 stole the show.
Yep and Dusty's matches were never 5 star matches or match of the year
They also forgot his classic match with Flair in 1994
And how much money did those draw?
The ChiTown Rumble is for my money, the greatest single wrestling match from the greatest fued of all time.
And yes, While Macho & Steamer had a helluva year buildup & classic match.
Hogan & Andre w Bobby the Brain is what MANIA 3 was all about.
@@danielburger1775 Flair wrestled Steamer for no less than a thousand matches. That is one helluva lot of dimes that were drawn.
It’s sad Dusty couldn’t figure out a way to use Steamboat. But Dusty’s ego would never let anyone outshine him.
Imagine how the business could’ve been if Dusty had been able to put his creative genius behind stars other than himself. That’s not a knock on Dusty I appreciate his career, but he could’ve put the Rocket on Steamboat or Windham. But he craved the spotlight.
I don't disagree. However, I will say that if Magnum wouldn't have been tragically injured, he would've been number 1. Also, Dusty really wanted Barry Windham to be the man but Barry didn't want it. I guess my point is Dusty didn't have a problem giving up the spotlight for certain individuals.
@@theoelliott4649 You right.. Dusty's ego got in the way of business.. And I like Dusty and his sons.. All Talented as hell but yeah..
@@theoelliott4649 he might've done some of that in v1 nxt
I mean that’s kinda what big stars do if you had control over it why would you let someone outshine you if you don’t have to
Piper would have been hotter heel than Flair.
Flair and steamboat missed each in the WWF in ‘91. If the latter had struck around, Flair would have had series of spot and house show matches against him. The northeast would have seen what flair is all about skill wise and durability in the ring long before the Royal rumble.
Northeasterners would’ve gotten the double bridge at 35 minutes in spot lol
What I like about Flair is that he could go fit in any promotion at anytime without a bump in the road..
@@kenrickeason And he was happy to put the young guys over at house shows, as he did with Eddie in WCW
Wouldve like to see steamboat challenge for the winged eagle in 92' sometime after the rumble, they could have booked bret to take the title off him if he won or bret could just win the title still then also wrestle him down the line and bret could go on a rampage like he did as baby face new gen champ
Steamboat was used so poorly when he returned to WWF in the early 90's. One year of meaningless matches against the likes of Brawler and Kato. So much more could of been done with him.
To answer Corny’s last question: Roddy Piper.
Pat Ale - Yup. Piper
The only ones more popular was the Rock and Roll Express.
Ricky Steamboat was putting on amazing matches in Mid-Atlantic well before his stint in WWF.
Him and Youngblood were as hot a tag team as any, bar non. They sold out Greensboro on Thanksgiving at Final Conflict, with Kernodle & Slaughter, because almost the rest of the card was nothing to write home about.
It's a damn shame he wasn't in JCP around 86 or 87, with the perspective we've got now.
The Belt time stipulation sounds like an interesting concept to do today
I felt whenever someone in JCP would get popular, Dusty would attach himself purposely to get that popularity. He did it with Rock n Roll, Magnum TA, Road Warriors and even Nikita Koloff.
Exactly!!
Even the Nasty Boys a bit too.
Sting right before he was fired for the Road Warriors’ spike.
So basically Jericho today, but Jim buries him for it.
It was a bit different but still similar
Wrestling needs the TV Championship back. Because it can be defended on shows to breakout future talent. Jesus Christ it's that simple. PS, love the show Jim..
AEW’s TNT title is the TV title.
There would have been no room for Dusty, Magnum and Steamboat. Ricky had to go and it all worked out better than it would have if he had stayed. Truth is, at that time the Boogie Woogie Man was over like rover, and Steamboat would have been stuck in thrown together tag teams with occasional shots at singles titles. Just like he'd always been used, only fewer singles title shots.
Dusty deserved the polka dots
Never understood why TV title was defended on non-televised house shows… shouldn’t the TV title only be on the line on TV? Could still beat tv champ on house shows (without going 20+) in non-title matches.
It was always supposed to be Barry Windom. Even back in 85 86, Barry had everything, except the drive to be number 1. After hearing all the shoot interviews, it seems that Barry just didnt want it. Barry should have won in 87 instead of ron garvin. Instead of the obvious rematch win for Flair. Barry retains, and a new star is born.
@Ramiro Rodriguez You’re spot on with your comments. Barry’s problem was always Barry. J.J. Dillon said it best, “Barry could’ve been Ric Flair, but he wanted to be Dick Murdoch.”
Barry didn’t have “it”
Garvin was a lame duck champion. Flair wanted to win the belt at Starrcade and nobody wanted to have a brief and blatantly lackluster reign, but Garvin
Looking back, and having watched it, I think it went the way it should with Dusty in the #1 Babyface spot. He knew he could draw more money working with Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard, the #1 and #2 Heels in JCP/Mid-Atlantic than Steamboat could. Steamboat didn't have the Charisma and promo that Dusty did, and probably couldn't have sustained the four-year run that Dusty had with Flair, Tully, and the Horsemen.
No but he was loved in the area n could do single n tag . Definitely a mistake to let him go . Love Big Dust as well .
Nope I'd say you're wrong there and when I see that I'm sorry but I must correct you.
It wasn't a question of putting Steamboat on the top of the cards. When Dusty came in as booker, every major spot in JCP was going to go to someone with a connection to Dusty. Everyone else was going to be got rid of. Talent had nothing to do with it. Steamboat wasn't a Dusty guy and he wasn't going to have a place in Dusty's JCP. It was no different than what happened when JCP took over the UWF or GCW. Personal loyalty to Dusty mattered. talent didn't.
Guess you didn't watch wm3
@@kienpaulspicer1173 WrestleMania III was all about Hogan vs. Andre. It was the biggest draw in wrestling history and I was in attendance in my home state of Michigan. Steamboat/Savage was a great match, but the people didn't go to see Steamboat.
I always wondered why Wahoo McDaniels never got a run with the title?
His gimmick
He should have
Love Wahoo. What a badass. One of my favorites
Ricky was kept down, that's why he jumped to the WWF. At least he made more money while being kept down over in the WWF.
"Steamboat was the top star. He was legendary.
But business was way down."
🤣
Meanwhile back in reality..
WwE will spend all its time inflating Shawn Michael's as the greatest of all time....while in his heyday he was second worst drawing champion of all time with business waAaaay down.
Dusty Rhodes did a lot for Barry Windham and he would have done a lot for Magnum TA if he hadn't got hurt and couldn't wrestle no more
Maybe Jim left out Piper as a heel being brought in around 83 to 88 that could get over like Flair because he was technically there in 83 but certainly no heel could be put above Piper...even though he was a babyface there at the time. I would think JYD if given the opportunity at that time could've gotten over as a face to a level that could've rivaled Dusty's popularity. Not for very long after but in 83 I would say so
Damn. We almost would have had Magnum T.A. & Barry Windham in Mid-Atlantic at the same time. Lex Luger pretty much replaced Magnum T.A.
The sequel to this is the Dusty Terry Taylor heat.
I thought the t.v. title limit was 10 mins on televised matches. But I guess my memory's a little clouded. But I swear I remember when Morton was feuding with Flair Robert Gibson beat Arn on tv in like 12 mins but the change limit had expired. But again, could be wrong.
You’re exactly right, Scott!
TV title time limit was 10 mins on TV, and 20 mins on house shows!
@@larrysnelson9649 Actually, the time limit for the TV title was either 10 or 15 minutes.
I was a huge Steamboat fan as a child. Steamboat and Youngblood versus Slaughter and Kernodle was awesome. However, I was walking beside Steamboat one night at the Greensboro Coliseum and was so excited about seeing him up close. He was surrounded by twenty some fans, but I was right next to him. He literally held a conversation with one person the whole way from the parking lot to the building about a 70 yard walk. I was so disappointed in how he snubbed everyone and I have not cared for him since. I see the wrestling angles, but Steamboat was awesome, and he and Flair could have been great.
Even though they couldn't get Ringo Starr to appear, they still named it after him.
The video ends in a perfect spot.
Re: In the mid-1980s era, could any babyfaces get past Dusty Rhodes? Compare this to the other big company at the time. Any major babyface's chances at a title shot / main event spot in WWF were 100% impossible and hopeless. At JCP they at least had a fighting chance, and potential title matches vs. Flair.
So you mean to tell me Roddy Could not get over just as big time as a heel,and in the same conversation as Flair between 83-1988? i disagree Jimothy Cornette Sir.
I see both sides. Like The AWA. Verne at first had to be the top guy, to get people to go to shows. I think he held onto that spot a bit more than he needed to as time went on but that is here not there. I do see value in the"I Can Trust Myself"way of thinking though. If you get scr*wed by 2 or 3 guys leaving like Paul Heyman did with The Dudleys and Taz leaving within 2 weeks of eachother,you don't think if Paul was a wrestler and at that level he wouldn't have out the title on himself?
Steamboat just dripped with integrity. People figured if he sounds this good and backs up what he says IN the ring there's a good chance that he was a decent sort OUT of the ring - no driving 100 mph, no drunken stupors, no ring rat stories, no roids.
Steamboat, Tito, & Bruno....greatest PURE white meat babies of all time.
All class personified
Uh... Steamboat was anything but a decent sort out of the ring. He's been married more times than Flair.
1988-89: Dusty arrives in WWF. Ricky to WCW
1991: Dusty leaves WWF. Ricky returns to WWF
Does seem like Ricky was avoiding Dusty.
Steamboat savage. Wrestle mania 3. Classic. Steamboat. Is not talked about enough. Hell of a worker👋
LOL. It completely exposed the business as phony.
Dusty is in my top 5, I was such a big fan of his growing up, Steamboat as well
Superfly Jimmy Snuka, Kerry von Erich, Junk Yard Dog
The "loophole in the rules" is so easy and impactful to story telling, they do not understand the need to be subtle at times. They only understand constant, sensational spots. That constant bombardment drastically cheapens the impact of the spots they often fail at anyway.
The great Tully Blanchard: god Dusty should just book dusty vs Dusty. Awesome.
And even then you have to dress Tommy Young (or Mike Davis from Florida in the early middle Eighties 😏) as Dusty Rhodes in Referee Stripes to assure the perfect "Dusty Finish!"🤔😂🎤🐴💎🍊🌊☀️🌴🤼♂️B.W.
Thanks and safety to ya both as always!!
These are questions that the Greek philosopher’s would ponder over
Ricky was good. Hate reverse politics like these comments.
Ricky Steamboat was top ten in the world for a good 13 years or so...
He was still one of the best wrestlers in the world when he retired in 1994, and he was well into his 40s
Who could've, Hulk Hogan of course. In 84 Hogan would have been the biggest star in any company because of the Rocky 3 movie.
Finally brethren, for all the money generated from the Steamboat/Youngblood v. Brisco's feud...
Imagine the gate if we had the Brisco's v. The Rock 'n Roll Express.
This has never been proven but some say Dusty and Magnum wore masks and called themselves Frank and Jesse James at one point.
Its a vicious rumour as the masks were never removed. As far as im concerned they are the James boys
Dusty would have booked Steamboat and Tito Santana as a heel tag team.
Corny is an absolute beast on UA-cam.
The actual truth is he, or rather Bonnie demanded he be allowed to work a part-time schedule. Hard to push somebody to the moon when they only want to work a couple of times a week.
If dusty woulda turned heel he could have worked a program with steamboat pretty sure that would have drawn
Probably been stated countless times but the artist on this page is amazing. Absolutely hilarious
Junkyard Dog might of had a chance.
Dusty had the gift of gab. Dude could talk like not many can on the mic. That was a huge difference for him. Not many could talk like him.
I remember the first time I saw NWA mid Atlantic wrestling. I lived in Canada all we got was wwf from Duluth tv and AWA from Minnesota. until we got the superstation. I thought NWA was pretty cool except I thought it was ridiculous that a fat funny talking blonde guy was the top good guy. In comparison to hulk hogan or even nick bockwinkle he was not as convincing.
I'm 62 never again in the 70 TO 82 GREAT
10:20 this is a good question and I don't think I can name anyone that REALLY could have been hotter than Dusty. When I think of mid 80s babyfaces I'm thinking Curt Hennig, Scott Hall, Billy Jack Haynes, Junkyard Dog, Kerry Von Erich, Rick Martel.... which of them could/would have the impact long term that Dusty did if pushed like Dusty pushed himself? Not sure I can say any of them.
Tommy Rich could be added to that list.
@@gms9655 good call
Only one i can think of at that time would be andre, but by that point idk if his health would have allowed it. maybe JYD?
He was exactly right about Dusty, and though personally I didn’t like Dustys schtick or his good old boy Gimmick you can’t deny he was sooo Over during that time period….
It would have been really interesting to see how things would have been different when Magnum was hurt if they had brought Steamboat back then, rather than turning Nikita. The fans had received the time to miss him, and he could have really added more talent to the matches with Dusty and the Road Warriors, instead of being another muscle guy (often called the Russian Road Warrior). Those great matches we got later with Arn and Flair with Steamboat happen earlier, and more classics with Tully could have happened.
It's been a long time, but I remember the TV title as a 10 minute match...?
As do i
Dusty also buried the Rock n Roll Express because they were becoming the top babyfaces.
I see both sides. But I will say that in my humble opinion steamboat was one of the most underutilized talents in wrestling history. Crowd ALWAYS loved him and his in ring work was second to none.
Yep he couldn't let go of the top stop straight up.
Piper returning to JCP in mid 1987 to fight the Horsemen could have saved the company
There's NO way Piper was going to leave WWF at the time. Piper was riding huge there.
I think Jimmy Valiant as the Boogy Woogy man
Steamboat would have turned heel if Dusty was still in the NWA. You know Dusty couldn't stand to be outshined.
That would have been detrimental for Ricky.
He wanted to do a heel run, but George Scott told him that he could run out with a chainsaw and carve up his opponent and the fans would still cheer him.
In the late 80s and early 90s NWA/WCW - most tv title matches had a 10 minute time limit; or "tv time remaining."
Dusty never had a match w the young bucks that's a horrible rumor !
Tommy Wildfire Rich....Brody would had a hell of a time....completing against Flair as a super villain...he attacked everyone....good, bad, and ugly....maybe the Van Erichs if they would've stay heel long enough....
Dusty was a leech and an egomaniac. I used to want to see the Horsemen legitimately put him out of wrestling.
It's easy to beat Ricky the Dragon. Yell "It's Godzilla!" He'll run away.
Starrcade 84 was horribly booked. Steamboat losing to Blanchard after building that feud for almost a year was awful. Then Dusty "Dusty finished" himself in the main event against Flair. The match was stopped due to a cut on Dusty's head twelve minutes into the match?! WTF?
Barry took off because Florida was not paying him enough
Magnum was going to be made the World Champ prior to his accident.
I heard a lot that Dusty Rhodes treated Scott Putski like crap because of the hate between Dusty and Ivan. I also heard from a source that Dusty Told Bill Watts to fire JYD cause he could draw more black people than JYD could.
Uhh what
id say kerry von erich might have gotten over as good as dusty.
As a kid, I never saw the appeal of Dusty Rhodes. He had charisma, but the other top babyfaces were built like athletes..Snuka, Hogan Stamboat, Magnum, Sting etc, and you can easily imagine them as stars. He also put on boring matches. I could understand if his matches were great, but they weren't Dusty was Hogan minus the muscles. He should have been booked the same as Jimmy Valiant was.
Steamboat. Was a baby face. His whole career. Never could have been a heal
He tried to be a heel, they won't let him.
Steamboat didn’t want to be a heel, too bad because he may have been able to round out his character better.
On the other hand, Steamboat didn’t have the promo abilities to have been a credible heel.
His promos made him seem to be too nice of a guy…And the Steamboat ANGRY promos looked like a really nice guy ACTING angry.
Steamboat was only as over and as technically as sound as the heel he was working with, he looked good with Flair and, to a lesser extent, Savage.
His feud with Piper in JCP in the early 80’s didn’t make it as well as it should’ve because he couldn’t remotely match Piper on the stick or in the ring. Piper carried him pretty well, though.
He wanted to do a heel run, but George Scott once told him that he could go out there and carve his opponent up with a chainsaw and the fans would still cheer him.
@@mkl62 I heard Ricky say that Pat Patterson told him that. Who knows, maybe both of them told him that…
@@tamichahine5337 Maybe. Remember that George Scott left JCP and went to work with Vince. I feel that he was the one who signed a lot of the NWA wrestlers to the WWE. Ditto for Jim Barnett. However, when Barnett saw what Vince was doing, he began to secretly contact Crockett and tell him Vince's dealings. Vince found out and fired Barnett.
0:33 he does mean WWF. What's wrong with that statement? Dusty went to the WWF in 89. C'mon Corny and Brian! 🤷🏽♂️😄😄😄
Steamboat I think could of been bigger then dusty if they would of find it right
Ricky was a bigger draw than Dusty any day of the week. Dusty didn’t like it so that’s why the eraser was used rather than the pencil….
Cmon, hurry up corny. I’m watching “the history of super Mario bro 3” after this and it’s 45 minutes.
Bookers usually have egos if your an active wrestler you can't see what's best for business.
Love ‘‘em both….but Dustaaay was my Hulk Hogan before there was a Hulk Hogan
Shame. Steamboat and Dusty are both in my top ten all time.
I wonder if in 1984 Kerry Von Erich could have gotten as over in Crockett as he was in Dallas? Most likely not BUT if he he had flown in for TV and bigger shows while still working part time in World Class it could have been great. That is as long as he had his drug use down to a reasonable level! No finding Kerry at bell time passed out in his car. No falling asleep mid hold during his match to where on TV they had to say he had a 105° fever but wouldn't disappoint his fans by no showing.
Kerry could get it done in the ring, when sober. But he could not match Kevin in the ring, and he certainly could not match David in the ring or on the mike. The losses of David, Gino, and Magnum, in a two year period, really hurt the NWA. So many what ifs…
Sound like to me:
1. Nobody was going to be the number 1 baby face while Dusty was there
2. Corny was giving Dusty the benefit of the doubt, while he would have shitted if Jim Herd did that
Who could have been top face instead of Dusty? ... ... how about Andre, Harley Race, Piper, Martel, or Snuka?
NWA babyfaces
1. Dusty Rhodes
2. Sting
3. Magnum TA
4. Steamboat
5. Ricky Morton
is it possible for an active legendary headline wrestler to NOT book himself without bias? seriously...
Dusty stayed on some bullshit lol
No one was gonna be more popular than Dusty, not if he was in charge
Here's the thing--and the 1987 booking model at the WWF is a great example: use the IC for the solid workers, and the world title for the larger-than-life characters. Steamboat was a great worker, but in terms of charisma, didn't hold a candle to Flair or Rhodes. He added legitimacy to any promotion he was at. He could've easily competed in the US title circuit, but I think at that point he probably wanted something more.