Top WWE star “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes appeared on Bill Simmons’ podcast, where he discussed various topics, including Vince McMahon confirming that he offered his father, Dusty Rhodes, the spot originally meant for Hulk Hogan.
Cody Rhodes said, “So, one of the things that that Vince actually told me, I didn’t believe the story when my dad told me the story. Again, you never know what to believe. My dad telling me he was slotted for the spot, walked out of the hotel room, never came back because Vince had booked recording studio time, they were going to make an album with Dusty. All right? I thought, ‘This is complete Dad nonsense.’ Years later, Vince tells me the exact story. Tells me how mad he was. ‘Dusty walked out of the hotel room on me.’ And I’m thinking, ‘What? This is a — he really was in line to do it.’ However, part of the story. He didn’t say it in a mean-spirited way. He said, ‘But it worked out better that I got Hulk and that your dad got to go do Jim Crockett Promotions, help build WCW up from the NWA. Him and Ric and everyone of course involved, and all the the great talented people they had. I think it worked out better.; I don’t know the answer to that, but I think Hogan was more of the now than maybe [Dusty].”
On whether Hogan was the right call over Dusty:
“I think a lot of it you could literally chalk it up to, Dusty’s subverting your expectations with his look, was one thing. But the look at the time and where it was going, especially if you look at the AWA. Which most people don’t realize, Hulkamania and St. Paul at the AWA, was happening. So, I think it was probably the right call. Dusty had a different delivery, a different way of talking people in and Hogan was — Stallone, Arnold, Hogan.”
On Dusty being out of his prime at that point:
“He was, he was. He had beat himself up. He was moving through. Dusty’s real prime is — there’s very, very little footage of his real, not prime but his hottest stuff is Florida. Championship wrestling from Florida with Gordon Solie and Pak Song and Harley coming in, and that was unbelievable. I mean, they were scalping tickets. This is — Tampa’s main sport was was really Championship Wrestling from Florida at this this brief onset with the Armory and the Grahams. It’s crazy.”
You can check out the complete podcast below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
