Many fans incorrectly identify the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin as the beginning of the Attitude Era – the most profitable period in WWE history. However, there was someone who came along and changed the game long before Austin would cut his Austin 3:16 promo on Jake Roberts. That person was the man known simply as Goldust.
The son of the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Dustin Runnels had shifted back and forth between the WWE and rival WCW during the early 90s before ultimately signing with the WWE in 1995 as Goldust. The character was sexually suggestive, frequently engaged in behavior that was considered homoerotic, and was unlike anything the WWE Universe had ever seen.
Goldust was a pioneer in pushing the WWE away from the traditional face/heel booking that the company had relied upon for years in favor of a product that was appealing to adults and featured morally ambiguous characters. Had the product not shifted back to a PG rating, Goldust would be even higher on this list, but as it stands, he is still one of the most important superstars in company history.
As things stand right now, the only matches officially set for the September 21st WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view in Nashville, Tennessee are Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the WWE United States Championship and Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
According to reports, two additional matches that are all but confirmed are The Usos vs. Goldust and Stardust for the WWE Tag-Team Championships and Mark Henry vs. Rusev.
The plan right now for the WWE Divas Championship match on the card appears to be a four-way with Paige defending against AJ Lee, Nikki Bella and Brie Bella, as all four were linked together on all of WWE’s television shows this week.
Another match likely for the show, although it may not be a pay-per-view match, is Bo Dallas vs. Jack Swagger.
The key Superstars left without matches that are expected on the show are Chris Jericho (in his final match of his current run with WWE), Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
It appears WWE is going with a Reigns vs. Rollins match, so they may go with Jericho vs. Orton since the Jericho vs. Wyatt and Reigns vs. Orton matches are set for next week’s RAW to combat the season premiere of Monday Night Football. However, they could either way, with one final Jericho vs. Wyatt “blow-off” match, as well as another Reigns vs. Orton bout.
As noted in the past, the WWE Studios film “Lockdown,” which Dean Ambrose is off filming, is set to wrap up on the Saturday before Night Of Champions, so he could end up on the show if WWE chooses to go that route.
The WWE rolled through midwest tonight, as they set up shop in Des Moines, Iowa. This week’s card featured a total of eight matches, including a life changing six-man tag main event. It’s time to once again take the WWE to school, and I’ll be the one doling out the grades.
As always, matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, move variety, crowd reaction, and overall impact on the storyline. Important in-ring promos will also be graded based on factors such as originality, believability, and importance. Without further ado, here is this week’s Raw report card.
Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel
Tonight’s show started with Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel, and featured a shitload of guests, including the Authority, John Cena, and Roman Reigns. There was some entertaining banter during the segment, including Triple H and Jericho hurling corny insults at one another as Jericho dissed Triple H’s pink tie, while the Game chose to attack Y2J’s scarf during a hilarious back and forth. Rollins was extremely over during the promo and got the biggest pop of the night in his home state. Cena threatening to sue the company was pretty lame, however, and held the promo back a bit. It was an overall decent segment, it set up the main event, and the crowd seemed to be into it.
Grade: B
Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro and the Miz
The first match of the night was a tag team match featuring the United States and Intercontinental Champions. The Miz showed up with his body double Damien Mizdow and a personal stylist, complete with chairs and makeup. Miz and Sandow were hilarious throughout the contest and the ending was solid. Ziggler and Cesaro also worked well together during the opening portion of the match, with Cesaro’s fall away slam into a pinning combination being one of the most impressive spots I’ve seen in a long time. Overall, it was an entertaining contest and was a good way to advance both feuds.
– Scout.com has a new article up about Sting’s son, Steven Borden, who is a senior and tight-end at the University of Kentucky. In the article, it’s made clear that Borden has no interest in following in his father’s footsteps to become a pro wrestler. You can check out the piece at Scout.com.
– Below is a Sam Roberts interview from SummerSlam weekend with Goldust.
As far as the team of Goldust and Stardust is concerned, by all accounts last night seemed to be the beginning of a heel turn for the wacky duo. While anything is possible, especially in WWE and especially considering their unique, off-the-wall characters, the belief is that the team will be switching heel over the next few weeks of television.
Speaking of The Dust Brothers, the WWE Shop website has released new t-shirts and merchandise for the two.
Campuses around the country are infested with returning college students this week. In honor of all the alcohol that will be consumed and the knowledge that will hopefully be absorbed, it’s time to take the WWE to school, and I’ll be the one doling out the grades.
Welcome to the first ever WWE Raw Report Card. Matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, move variety, crowd reaction, and overall impact on the storyline. Important in-ring promos will also be graded based on factors such as originality, believability, and importance. Without further ado, here are this week’s grades.
Hall of Fame Forum
This week’s Raw started with a roundtable discussion regarding the upcoming rematch between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. First off, I never thought I’d see the day where Shawn Michaels was the worst dressed man in the ring, but his combination of cowboy hat, jacket, and Remington t-shirt didn’t do him any favors.
Overall, it was nice seeing the legends together, even if it did feel a bit scripted at times and offered little insight. One hilarious moment was when Michaels said everyone loves Cena, eliciting massive boos from the audience. Speaking of Cena, his promo was surprisingly compelling, and it was nice to see him own up to the beating he took at SummerSlam.
Grade: B-
Rusev vs. Jack Swagger
This was likely the last contest between Rusev and Swagger, and all I can say is, “Good riddance.” This match featured a lot of downtime that resulted in a poor workrate, and a lot of the match was spent outside of the ring with nothing going on.
The in-ring psychology was pretty good (Swagger sold the rib injury well) and the crowd was into it, so that raised the grade a bit, but it was ultimately a fitting ending to a rather pointless program that saw Swagger dominated at nearly every stage of the feud.
Grade: C
Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro
This was a rather short match, but both superstars worked well together during the time they were given. One criticism is that the ending felt a bit rushed. One moment Cesaro was rolling outside of the ring to avoid the Five Star Frog Splash and only a few seconds later he was hitting the Neutralizer for the win in a sequence that felt a bit off.
The match also served its purpose by building a championship match between Cesaro and Sheamus – a program that looks like it could be entertaining with two of the company’s better workers.
– It looks like Goldust and Stardust may have turned heel on this week’s edition of RAW. After winning a WWE Tag-Team title match via count out, Goldust got on the microphone and accused The Usos of getting counted out on purpose. After demanding a rematch right then and there, Goldust and Stardust instead attacked The Usos in heel fashion, focusing on the injured knee of Uso and attacking it violently.
– As noted last week, WWE filmed some footage and interviews with Brock Lesnar backstage at last Monday night’s RAW. The footage is scheduled to air on some of the week’s that Lesnar isn’t scheduled for television. On this week’s edition of RAW, the first of those segments aired, which featured Lesnar talking about his destruction of John Cena at SummerSlam while clips were shown of their match. They also touched on the scheduled immediate rematch between the two at the upcoming WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
– The second edition of Jesse Ventura’s “We The People” podcast is now available, which features an interview with Chris Jericho. You can check that out at iTunes.Apple.com.
– WWE star Goldust will be part of the new WWE 2K15 video game roster. You can check out a photo of Goldust in the game below.
At one point, the plan for the WWE SummerSlam “Kickoff Show” match was a four-way tag-team match for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, with The Usos defending against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, Ryback and Curtis Axel and Goldust and Stardust.
As things stand now, the pre-show match for the pay-per-view is being discussed and a decision is expected to be made at some point during the next week.
It’s worth noting that the new “Slater Gator” duo (Heath Slater and Titus O’Neil) may end up being involved if they go the tag-team route, which is expected, as the new tag-combination recently picked up a notable win over Goldust and Stardust on WWE Main Event.
The following is the final card for tonight’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
– John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Briefcase For Title Shot Up To One Year)
– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett*
WWE Tag-Team Championship
– The Usos (c) vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
WWE Divas Championship
Paige (c) vs. Naomi
Divas Match (Special Guest Referee: Fandango)
– Summer Rae vs. Layla
Tag-Team Match
– Goldust & Stardust vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
Singles Match
– Rusev vs. Big E.
* – Barrett suffered a separated shoulder during the SmackDown taping this past Tuesday, however WWE has yet to announce whether or not he has been pulled from his match.
Make sure to join us here later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of the fifth annual WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view!
The WWE’s brightest stars will attempt to cash in at this Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Two ladder matches will main event the program, with one being held to declare a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In addition, former champion Daniel Bryan will address the WWE Universe during the pre-show.
Here are my predictions for this Sunday’s event.
Summer Rae vs. Layla (Fandango Guest Referee)
I was never the biggest Fandango supporter, but I definitely thought he would be doing something bigger than referring a divas match a year ago. He has regressed over the past year and lost a lot of momentum. This will likely be the bathroom break match of the night, and Fandango will play a major role in the outcome, of course. Summer Rae will win this one by either rejoining Fandango or using him to influence the outcome of the contest before abandoning him.
Winner: Summer Rae by pinfall
Rusev vs. Big E
These guys performed well together at last month’s Payback, even though they were given less than four minutes total. They will hopefully get a little more time during this one, allowing both superstars to showcase their strengths.
I think Rusev will ultimately win this one, but Big E will also look strong during the match. Big E cut a passionate promo on last week’s Raw, so it appears the WWE wants to showcase him a bit more. Both guys will look good, but Rusev will force Big E to tap out in the end.
Winner: Rusev by submission
Stardust and Goldust vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
The Rhodes Brothers storyline has been moving slowly over the past few months. It first looked as if the two brothers were going to feud with one another, with Cody searching for an adequate replacement because he felt Goldust deserved better.
He eventually rebranded himself as Stardust and the two have been on a winning streak ever since. They will continue to look strong on Sunday, picking up the win after Cody hits his Diamond Dust finisher on Curtis Axel.
– During the final segment of the WWE Money In The Bank “go-home” edition of RAW on Monday night, it was announced that Kane has been added to the Money In The Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
– Below is a video of the Goldust and Stardust segment from Monday’s RAW:
One week from today, WWE’s annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. The event has quickly become one of the most anticipated programs of the year, as it provides exciting action and sets up the storyline for months by allowing a WWE superstar to stalk his prey while holding a contract for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.
There will be two Money in the Bank ladder matches this year. One will be held for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and the other will be a traditional contest for a shot at the title. The first contest will feature perennial title contenders such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Alberto Del Rio, as well as up-and-coming stars such as Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, and Cesaro.
It seems like John Cena is once again the favorite to leave Boston as the champ.
The second ladder match will feature Seth Rollins, with the rest of the lineup to be determined in a series of qualifying matches. Thus far, only three matches have been announced for the entire pay-per-view, and with only one week left before the event, one has to wonder how the WWE will tie everything together in such a brief period.
Other than the two ladder matches, a matchup between the Usos and Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt family is the only confirmed contest on the card. It seems apparent that Dean Ambrose will be one of the participants in the traditional ladder match. Potential options also include those who did not qualify for the championship ladder match, including Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and Rob Van Dam.
The two ladder matches will soak up a large portion of the roster, meaning the midcard will have to pick up some slack in order to fill up the three hours of airtime. Rumored contests include Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. RybAxel, Rusev vs. Big E, and a Divas Championship match involving Paige and all or part of the Funkadactyls.
This week’s Raw took place in the dump of a city known as Cleveland, Ohio. The card featured a total of six matches, including two contests to finalize the field for the Money in the Bank championship ladder match.
Most notably, this week’s Raw saw Roman Reigns and John Cena punch their tickets for Money in the Bank, while Vickie Guerrero and Stephanie McMahon bonded with one another. As always, a few questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.
5. Will Seth Rollins get a new theme song/attire soon?
Seth Rollins furthered his feud with former partner Dean Ambrose last night, and it seems apparent that the two will square off at Money in the Bank. Since joining the Authority, Rollins seems to have lost a bit of momentum.
Most importantly, it feels like Rollins needs new attire, as he is currently still sporting his Shield gear. His new theme music also does not fit him well, but there are rumors that it could change in the near future. Ultimately, the situation shows how haphazardly his heel change was handled, as there was not even a plan in place for new ring gear or decent entrance music.
There are rumors that Vince McMahon is not too keen on Adam Rose. He seemed to be over last night, with the crowd loudly singing along to his theme song for the first time that I can recall.
Rose defeated Fandango in a mixed-gender tag team contest. There was a bit of irony during the match, with Rose essentially being the same character that Fandango was a year ago. We all know what has happened to Fandango during the past year. Where will Rose be a year from now, and most importantly, will he still be with the company?
On Monday’s RAW, Cody Rhodes debuted a new character, Stardust, and teamed with his brother Goldust in a quick match against Ryback and Curtis Axel. Shortly after the match, Cody Rhodes, who has changed his Twitter handle to Stardust, tweeted:
– After Monday’s WWE RAW from the Cleveland, Ohio went off the air tonight, Dean Ambrose grabbed a chair and hit Seth Rollins with it several times. John Cena then hit the ring and delivered an Attitude Adjustment to Rollins. Roman Reigns hit Rollins with the spear to end the show.
– Here is video footage of Goldust’s new tag team partner, Stardust, who bares a striking resemblance to Cody Rhodes:
– It was announced on Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of SmackDown, which airs Friday night on SyFy and will be taped on Tuesday night, Roman Reigns will battle one-on-one with Alberto Del Rio.
– Also on Monday’s RAW, Cody Rhodes debuted as Goldust’s latest tag-team partner as his new “Stardust” character. Stardust is a Goldust-looking character with gold face paint and a black star painted on his face.
– Goldust had fans speculating that former WWE Superstar Ted DiBiase Jr. may be the next tag-team partner that Cody Rhodes chooses for him. When asked who Rhodes might pick for Goldust’s partner this week, Goldust replied by saying that was “the million dollar question.”
– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Eva Marie recently did a fitness photo shoot for an upcoming issue of Iron Man Magazine. The shoot is expected to be featured on the next season of Total Divas.
The following are results of the matches taped for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars. The matches took place prior to Monday’s WWE RAW show, which was taped in the afternoon at the O2 Arena in London, England.
– Big Show def. Titus O’Neil in the opening match of the evening. Show ended up picking up the win via pin fall after hitting O’Neil with a chokeslam.
– Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) def. Cody Rhodes (with Goldust) via submission in the main event of the show. The finish saw Swagger lock Rhodes up in his Patriot Lock submission hold, forcing him to tap out.
It seemed as if the tag team division had been revitalized last year. However, almost as soon as fans started to become excited about the division again, half of the teams were broken up and it has been largely ignored.
The Usos are the current champions, and I think their pay-per-view exposure shows how confident the WWE is that the Uso brothers will draw. After all, they defended their tag titles on the pre-show at WrestleMania and did not appear in any capacity at Extreme Rules.
With that said, it would not take much effort to get the division back to where it was at the end of last year. Here are five current or potential tag teams that could help make the division relevant again (or at the very least, get it onto the pay-per-view card).
5. Rybaxel – At first, this team seemed like it would go nowhere. They had both just basically flopped while under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, so why would anyone believe that they would fare well without him? Surprisingly, both have improved since leaving Heyman, especially Ryback. He is hilarious on the microphone and can actually be pretty entertaining when he’s allowed to speak. I think the WWE still has plans to push both guys in the future, and a run with the Tag Team Championships could help elevate both superstars.
4. Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler – These guys have adopted similar personality traits in recent weeks, most notably because both guys seem disgruntled, annoyed, and displeased that their talents are not being properly utilized. Sandow and Ziggler would make a great team if paired together, as both are impressive in the ring and on the mic. There were rumors a while back of a possible stable of disgruntled superstars being formed, including Ziggler and the Miz, but a team of Sandow and Ziggler would work even better and could make the tag title picture exciting again.
3. Jack Swagger and Cody Rhodes – It is no secret that Zeb Colter has been trying to recruit a new member to the Real Americans since Cesaro betrayed him a few weeks back. With Cody being the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, it would make sense for him to become a Real American. Cody and Goldust are definitely going to part ways soon, with Cody likely being the one to turn heel, so it would provide the perfect opportunity for Cody to align with Swagger and Colter afterward.
As previously reported, Vince Russo has opened up an official commentary-style website which covers music, movies, sports and pro wrestling. His latest pro wrestling piece is a top ten list of the easiest talents he ever produced during his years in the business.
The top five reads as follows:
5. Kurt Angle
4. “Any Female Wrestler”
3. Dustin Rhodes
2. Paul Bearer
1. “Mr.” Backlund
You can check out the full top ten list here and here.
Russo’s official website is also accepting writers and video specialists. You can apply for those positions at PyroAndBallyhoo.com/hiring.
– WWE announced at last night’s SmackDown and Main Event tapings that the company will return to the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY on Monday, November 3rd for RAW.
– The long awaited Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust feud will in fact be happening, according to a report at PWInsider.com.
– Tuesday night’s episode of “The Goldbergs” on ABC did in fact feature a pro wrestling theme. The show was advertised as having a Star Wars theme, however, the subplot saw the older brother on the show trying out for his high school wrestling team and confusing that with professional wrestling.
The character referenced “WWF” a dozen times and was shown play fighting in his living room with wrestling buddies, something I’m sure many of our readers remember from their childhoods. The character even brought out a steel chair during his high school wrestling meet.
The episode ended with an Ultimate Warrior tribute graphic.
Early viewership data is in for the show and it actually drew a season-low 4.07 million viewers.
The following are results for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which aired live on the WWE Network on Tuesday, April 29, 2014.
– Goldust def. Alberto Del Rio in a singles bout to open the show. The match saw a lot of back-and-forth action until Goldust counters Del Rio’s superkick attempt and blasts him with his Final Cut finisher for the 1-2-3 and the victory.
– After Goldust picks up the victory, Cody Rhodes comes in and congratulates him. Renee Young enters the ring and interviews both guys. She asks if their recent singles matches means they are going their separate ways. Goldust says that the Brotherhood is still together. He says they may work singles matches from time-to-time, but ultimately they have each others backs. Young asks Rhodes if he is proud of his brother. He seems offended at the question and asks if she thinks Goldust is better than him because he won tonight and Cody lost on RAW. Eventually he apologizes and reiterates the fact that the Brotherhood is together and says things will stay that way. The two hug and that’s that.
– Paige def. Alicia Fox in Divas action to retain her WWE Divas Championship. The match went back-and-forth, with Paige taking a lot of punishment before ultimately hitting Fox with a big DDT to score the pin fall victory. After the match, as Paige was walking up the ramp, Tamina Snuka comes out to the top of the stage and the two have a staredown.
– Backstage, Renee Young is with Sheamus. She asks Sheamus for his level of concern knowing he has to face Bray Wyatt in the main event tonight. Sheamus talks briefly about how he’s not afraid and informs Wyatt that tonight — it’s time to fight.
– Bad News Barrett def. Kofi Kingston in singles competition. Barrett cuts a promo before the match dressing down Big E., informing him that he’s going to take his WWE Intercontinental Championship this Sunday at Extreme Rules. The two have a solid back-and-forth match that ends when Kingston leaps in the air off of the ringside steps, but gets caught on the way down with the Bull Hammer Elbow from Barrett. Barrett rolls Kingston back in the ring and covers him. 1-2-3. Barrett wins.
– Bray Wyatt def. Sheamus in the headline bout of this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. Bray Wyatt sings along with the crowd, singing of course, “he’s got the whole world in his hands.” He sings along with them until Sheamus’ music hits to interupt him. The two end up having an extremely competitive match that sees Erick Rowan and Luke Harper distract Sheamus at the end, allowing Wyatt to hit him with his Sister Abigail finisher for the 1-2-3.
– After the main event ends, Rowan and Harper join Wyatt in a three-on-one beatdown of Sheamus until The Usos come out to make the save. The show goes off the air with all six guys staring each other down.
Veteran pro wrestling journalist recently caught up with D-Von Dudley for an exclusive WWE.com interview. Below is an excerpt from the interview.
APTER: Paul Heyman was, of course, the extreme ringleader. He riled the troops up and got everyone in an extreme mood, didn’t he?
DUDLEY: He sure did. I met Paul after I had a tryout for ECW. He was at the Pelham, N.Y., production studio they used for editing and doing the commentary. I got in there, Paul was sitting down, and we wound up talking and hitting it off great. I will admit right now that I am a Paul Heyman guy! When a lot of us wrestlers back in those days were looking for work and were not looked at by WWE or WCW, Paul was the one who gave us a shot. He believed in us. He saw things in us that we didn’t know we had and it brought out the best in us. Paul knew how to get certain things out of us to make us better. I used to call him Dr. Frankenstein because he created so much talent that came out of ECW that no one else would have been able to create.
APTER: What do you think of the current Paul Heyman?
DUDLEY: It’s the real Paul Heyman! He does things that make you hate him, but a minute later you want to marry him and love him. [laughs]
APTER: Who do you consider extreme on the current WWE roster?
DUDLEY: Daniel Bryan, for one. Most people wouldn’t put him in that category because he is such a technician in the ring, but I can see him getting down and dirty. Sheamus could be in that category as well. Put Randy Orton there, too. We beat the hell out of each other many times. I know a lot of people cheer him and a lot boo him, but I would put John Cena on that list as well. I had many brawls with him when I was in WWE and he was working himself up in the ranks.
APTER: So much of your career was as a tag team competitor with your partner, Bubba Ray. What is your current view of the WWE tag team scene?
DUDLEY: I think it’s great that WWE is strengthening the tag team division. If given the opportunity to go back to WWE, I would love to have a partner to take on The Usos, Cody Rhodes & Goldust, Ryback & Curtis Axel, The Shield, The Wyatts.
