Dustin Rhodes Gives An Emotional Speech At ‘WWE Starrcade’ About His Father, Dusty [Video]

At the WWE Starrcade live event held inside the Greensboro Coliseum, tradition was honored as Dustin Rhodes returned to honor his father “The American Dream,” Dusty Rhodes. Despite being incredibly hyped by WWE as if it was going to be a pay-per-view, there was no live coverage of the show aside from social media posts. However, WWE talent performed as if millions at home were watching along with the audience in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Starrcade event was the biggest annual event of NWA/WCW. It began as a November pay-per-view show, but became an annual event in December for many years until the final show, which occurred on December 17, 2000, in Washington, D.C. The last Starrcade that was held in Greensboro occurred on November 27, 1986, when it split locations with The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.

One of the pioneers of this annual spectacle, Dusty Rhodes, was honored by WWE during the show. Most notably, Dusty was honored by his son, who removed his Goldust garb for a night to become his old WCW character, “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes. Dustin defeated Dash Wilder with his old school bulldog finisher, topped off by his vintage theme song after the bell. Dustin then got on the mic and took a trip down memory lane.

Dustin discussed how he was so thankful to be a part of the event, and how it brought back so many memories. He remembered sitting in the crowd watching The Gathering (Starrcade 1985) as a fan, and now he was competing in a WWE Starrcade live event. He added that the fans have stood by him for all the years, whether they loved him or hated him, and “we’ve done some wonderful things together.”

Most importantly, Dustin said, was that there’s nothing more special than standing right in the Greensboro ring where his dad, Dusty, once did. He closed by thanking the fans for loving and honoring the Rhodes’ family. He received a resounding ovation for the speech, and stated that it was an “emotional night.” This was Dustin’s first Starrcade event in nearly 18 years, as he competed against Jeff Jarrett on December 19, 1999, in a Bunkhouse Brawl.

[Featured Images by WWE]