All language subtitles for WWE Rivals - Season 4 - EP-05 - Ric Flair VS. Dusty Rhodes

- Dusty Rhodes.

- Tell 'em Ric.

- Tell 'em Ric.

It's only just begun.

- Ric and Dusty together,

that was magic.

- I want you out here
nose to nose,

face to face Ric Flair.

- The rivalry between Ric Flair
and Dusty Rhodes

is the rivalry between
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Contrasting styles is
what makes great fights.

- Stylin' and profilin'.

- Ric rolled in with the
jewelry and the suit

and the alligator shoes.

I looked at him go, "Man,
I want to be like him."

- Woo.

Woo.

Woo.

- He's throwing his
success in people's faces.

He's not afraid to brag.

- You can buy these anytime
you want for about $10/$11,000.

I got 15 of them.

I don't put values in the
same thing Ric Flair does.

- I've been hooked
forever on Dusty Rhodes.

- The little plumber's son,
who come out of the ditch

and became so sweet.

- He really was
the American dream.

- And here we go.

- The polar opposites.

He was a perfect babyface.

I was the perfect heel.

- He has got a bad cut.

- For me and Flair,

you never knew what
you were going to get.

You kept watching it.

- They both wanted one thing,

that top spot.

That creates an incredible
dynamic.

- Yeah, you bad Ric.

You bad.

- When you have two of
the best at the same time,

there's always going to be
a bit of jealousy and rivalry.

That's what made it so good.

- You're out of line

- So much animosity

in this awesome rivalry.

- When two legends collide,

their rivalry stays pinned in
our minds forever.

This is where we break
down the legendary stories

behind the greatest
rivalries of all time.

I'm Gabriel Iglesias,

and this is

WWE Rivals.

- Remember one
thing, to be the man,

you got to beat the man.

I'm the son of a plumber.

I was raised in Austin, Texas,
and I never had anything

unless I got down on
my knees and went for it.

- The American Dream,
Dusty Rhodes

and the Nature Boy,
Ric Flair.

I don't even know
where to start.

These are two
names that I mean,

the business wouldn't
be the business

without these two legends.

- Mmhmm.

- Those guys
were a different level.

- Woo.

I'm the Nature Boy.

I'm the dealer.

You know why?

Because this says so.

Don't be stomping on me,
Ric Flair.

Don't talk about
the American Dream

Dusty Rhodes.

I am the best, daddy.

There is no other.

- You want to talk about
how big this rivalry was,

look at the reaction.

If you put Dusty Rhodes versus
Ric Flair in almost any arena

you were going to sell out.

- I wish I could have been there
to experience that,

you know, and to be
a fan back then,

Like, I'm so jealous that I-

- Ah, yeah dude it was the
greatest.

- You know what I mean?

For you to be there, like,

- Especially for a little kid.

- Yeah.

- Man, everything's bigger
than life as it is, right?

- I meet people all the time,

like, "I grew up
on Dusty Rhodes"

and, like, "Do you remember
what that was like?"

- Oh, yeah.

I grew up in Florida,
in the Tampa Bay area.

There was no one
bigger than Dusty Rhodes.

He was the biggest
celebrity in all of Florida.

- You can see the throngs,
they are gathering around,

trying to get to this
charismatic individual,

Dusty Rhodes.

♪

- Whether you like it or not,

I'm gonna get meaner and
badder than you've ever seen.

- They'd film TV at
the Sportatorium in Tampa.

That's where I used to
go watch Dusty Rhodes

and skip high school after lunch

and go down and watch
him film wrestling.

- There's no greater star.

There's no greater being,

ever than Dusty Rhodes,
The American Dream.

- When Dusty Rhodes punched
somebody

or hit an elbow every time,

boom,
boom,

sounded like a cannon
would go off.

His charisma-

He was really, really good at
connecting with the crowd.

- It's about winning
for my people, baby.

- I fell in love with him
then.

If he wasn't on TV one week,

I was pissed off.

- Who's your favorite wrestler?

- Dusty Rhodes.

- Why do you like Dusty
better than anyone else?

- He's a hunk.

- I admit, I don't look like
the athlete of the day.

My belly's just a little big.

My heinie's just a little big.

But brother, I am bad,
and they know I'm bad.

- You have to remember what the
ideal man was like at that time.

It was Stallone,
it was Schwarzenegger.

It was this idea that
you needed 20 inch biceps

and a six pack abs.

And here was Dusty Rhodes.

He looked like
somebody you might know.

And yet Dusty Rhodes
is a real athlete.

- There's the athlete
side of Dusty,

and then there's the
thespian side of Dusty.

To be a
superhero in real life

and somewhat in a
performative sense.

That's what he was for me.

♪

- I am the hit maker,
the record breaker.

When all the wrestlers in
the back laughing and jokin',

the Dream's out front, Woo.

Cookin' and smokin'

- Dusty was an entertainer first
and then a wrestler second.

- When I was growing up,

I sure didn't think
265 pounds of blue eyed soul

would captivate the
country like I have.

The people drive me.

I was very strict on how
I wanted myself looked at,

how I wanted the
fans to perceive me,

how I wanted to stay
true to my character.

- I think Dusty was
kind of like a pied piper,

and they would follow him
because they believed

that Dusty was one of them.

- Dusty was Mr. Charisma.

He was in Minneapolis when I
started-

my hero from day one.

- Around the time
that Ric Flair began training

for the sport of kings,

Dusty Rhodes was already
establishing himself as a star,

and when he saw
guys like Dusty Rhodes,

he was just drawn to them.

And when he latches on
to something, he's all in.

- I liked him so much that
when I wasn't booked,

I would travel with
Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch

and just be their driver.

- We had a great time
earlier in his career.

Me and Dick Murdoch
drove him crazy.

He was about 300 pounds.

We made him
shave his head.

He looked like
Porky the Pig.

- And this isn't as ridiculous
as it sounds

because Ric Flair was soaking
up knowledge.

Dusty was the star and
Ric was the student.

- Flair got in the business
one reason because of Dusty.

You know, he almost
named him last name Rhodes.

- Rambling Ricky Rhodes.

Yeah.

- Wow.

- Because of his affection and-
and admiration for Dusty Rhodes.

- And guess who my idol was?

It was the American Dream
Dusty Rhodes, my idol.

I wanted to be
Ramblin Ricky Rhodes.

[laughing]

- That's a
true story I told him.

I said Natch, "Let me
give you some advice.

Just be the first ever
Nature Boy Ric Flair."

And the rest is history.

- Ric Flair he is a
peacock, a dandy.

- I wear the finest clothes,
date the most beautiful women,

driving the biggest cars,

and I'm the toughest piece
of work in pro wrestling.

- Woo.

I mean, I had sunk
my teeth into it.

Every day it just got better.

The more extravagant I was,
the more attention I got.

The finest jet money can buy.

And it doesn't
belong to Burt Reynolds.

It belongs to the one
and the only

Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

Woo.

- What a lot of younger people
don't understand

having grown up watching WWE,

one dominating juggernaut,

is that there was
a territory system,

the National Wrestling
Alliance.

Not only were Ric Flair
and Dusty Rhodes stars

in their individual territories,

Flair in the
Charlotte based territory,

Dusty in the
Tampa Bay's territory,

but they were often sought
by other promoters,

and they traveled,

and there was no other symbol
of dominance

in the
National Wrestling Alliance,

than wearing that NWA World
Heavyweight Championship.

- Dusty Rhodes, the challenger
strolls into the ring

getting set to take on the
World Heavyweight Champion,

Harley Race.

- On that given night.

I wanted to do the best,
be the best in my business.

I always wanted to
bring them with me.

That was my
deal with the fans.

And they became
such a part of me

that they forgot
everything else.

Everything was real.

- It's all or nothing
for Dusty Rhodes.

Comes down with the elbow.

[bell rings]

- Dusty Rhodes
has just become

the World Heavyweight
Wrestling Champion.

- First time I won the NWA
Worlds Heavyweight title

was a dream come true.

I'm telling you,
get a dream, hold on to it,

and shoot for the sky.

Because now I-

It was real.

It was the most
realest thing I'd ever done.

That moment, I was
champion of the world.

- Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes
began the rivalry.

They finally had their first
championship match in 1981.

Having your first championship
match

against the American Dream.

- No pressure.

- I was so enamored with
Dusty Rhodes.

For me to wrestle Dusty
was awesome.

I wanna tell ya, it was one of
the greatest moments of my life,

but it was terrible.

- And Rhodes grabbing Flair
off the top rope for a suplex,

and look out.

And Nature Boy Ric Flair has won

the World Heavyweight
Championship.

- Wasn't put together right?

The glamor and
glitz wasn't there,

and it could have been so
much better had it been done

in Florida or the Carolinas
where people knew us.

They didn't even know us
in Kansas City.

He didn't want to lose.

I didn't blame him.

We're friends, but I think
he was really upset by it.

- In Florida, there was not a
lot of financial movement

for me within my prime.

As far as creativity wise,

I needed to kick it
in a little bit.

- You know, his name
was American Dream,

but he was a
dreamer of epic proportion.

He had come up
with these concepts

of doing a
mega, huge show,

and he was just looking
for the platform to do it.

- Crockett Promotions in
Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jim Crockett called me and said.

"I want an event
like no other event."

This would be-be before Mania.

- David, it's always a pleasure

to be on Mid-Atlantic
Championship Wrestling

because this is-

- Coming to Mid-atlantic was
kind of the beginning of

a section of Dusty Rhodes career
that he would end up

becoming just as much known
for as what he did in the ring,

which was to be
that creative force.

And one of his first big
ideas was to put on Starrcade.

- Ladies and gentlemen,
Starrcade

- This was a major,
significant event,

but it was also a very
important event for Ric Flair.

- We're entering a brand new era

of professional wrestling.

- In the early 80s, Dusty moved
to Charlotte, North Carolina,

to work for Jim Crockett.

Dusty always wanted
to produce wrestling

to facilitate the
shows and all of that.

He was very creative.

- My dad was a
really deep thinker.

I'd catch him a lot at his
desk, staring at a legal pad,

sometimes with
matches scribbled there

or ideas.

He was an idea man.

- Dusty Rhodes had just
come in to be the new booker.

Dusty also was an active
wrestler.

He coined the phrase "He's the
man with the pencil."

He makes the decisions.

Who wrestles who, who
wins there, this and that.

- Dusty had a
brilliant booking mind.

He knew how to tell a long
term story in pro wrestling.

He knew how to evoke emotion and
how to bring people to the peak

and then pull them back.

- Some people have that genius.

Dusty Rhodes had it.

Starrcade, Dusty created it,
he came up with it.

It was our WrestleMania.

before there was WrestleMania.

- The name Starrcade
came from Dusty Rhodes.

He understood

the concept of
the big event

probably better
than anybody.

- Starrcade '83, I done
made my appointment.

- The creation of Starrcade.

I got the biggest payday
that I'd ever gotten

just to create it
as a writer, as a,

you know, a movie
director of a movie.

It was my-
Starrcade's my movie.

When I see it today, it's
Gone With the Wind to me.

- Starrcade '83.

Ric Flair and
Harley Race, I mean,

to get this match for Greensboro
is just, uh, unbelievable.

And the match is
going to be scheduled

for Thursday, November the 24th,
Thanksgiving Night, 1983.

- We had Thanksgiving dinner
early in St. Pete,

and then drove to Orlando and
watched it on closed circuit.

- Due to the tremendous demand
for tickets,

Starrcade '83 can be seen

on closed circuit,

big screen color TV

around the world and

in selected cities in your area.

- To be able to go somewhere
and watch something live

that was happening
somewhere else.

- That's so cool.

- There was a lot of people in
there, man.

They probably had 10-
12,000 people in there.

- It was actually a cool event.

- Live from the Greensboro
Coliseum,

Starrcade-

- This is a night for
everybody to remember,

wrestling history to be made.

- Setting up Starrcade for the
first time was huge for Dusty

from a creative perspective.

Starrcade changed
the industry,

but it was also huge for
the guy in the main event.

- From Charlotte,
North Carolina,

The Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

- The stakes were really high
for Ric Flair.

He was in his home turf.

It was almost like
Ric Flair had to win.

- Dusty Rhodes,
the American Dream,

two times world
Heavyweight Champion is here

challenging the winner of this
match to meet Dusty Rhodes

so I can be third times World's
Heavyweight Champion once again.

- Here it is Starrcade '83.

It's all going to
culminate right here.

- I can think of two words
that may sum up this

entire match tonight,

intensity and execution.

- Flair up on the top rope.

One

- He's got him down, one.

- Two.

- Two.

Three.

He did it.

He did it.

- And what a match and what a
battle for Ric Flair.

- It was overwhelmingly
phenomenal.

Starrcade.

That was a big deal.

And that was in my
home-home turf.

For me to win in Greensboro,

that's what really launched
my career,

and I was able to
really run with it.

- Congratulations.

I want to you
remember one thing, daddy.

Down the road, there's
one more "Dream".

There's a time comin'.

- You know, Jim Crockett
has taken the world.

And I'm the man
that's making it possible.

The World Heavyweight
Wrestling Champion.

- Starrcade launched Ric Flair

into a completely
different stratosphere.

- Diamond ring wearin',
kiss stealin'-

Woo.

-wheelin dealin',

Limousine ridin',
jet flyin', son of a gun.

- He was that arrogant.

If you saw him, you want
to run up to him and slap him.

- Take a look at that, huh?

Arnold Schwarzenegger, be
glad you're making movies.

- People hated Flair because
Flair would flaunt his money.

- My shoes cost more
than your house.

- When you really think about it
and you're honest with yourself,

well no you hate Ric Flair

because he's everything
you're not.

- To enhance my image,

I spent hundreds of thousands
of dollars.

Woo.

I was living in
the biggest house

on the
biggest side of town.

- I got a limousine
sitting out there.

A mile long, with 25 women
just dying for me to go.

Woo.

- Every guy who's got
testosterone in their body

wants to been Ric Flair.

- Jan, darling.

I didn't expect to see you
for another week or two.

- Ric just came
across as authentic

and the fans bought into it.

- When my name is
on the marquee, baby,

you know you're seeing
the best there is.

- With the
Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

He was the
champion of the world.

When I seen his full flown
gimmick start to un-unveil

in front of me, I said, "Wow,
this gonna be easy."

When you take the title,
that makes you the greatest

at what you do.

And right now Ric
Flair has that title.

And someday Dusty Rhodes
wants that title back.

- You're looking at the World's
Heavyweight Champion,

Nature Boy Ric Flair.

- I was the best wrestler alive.

I knew it.

Best dressed.

Best everything.

I knew how good I was back then.

I didn't even think about it.

I'm alligators and Rolex
watches-

from head to toe.

I'm the man.

- He knew how good he was.

He was the man there,
you know what I mean?

He needed a babyface.

There I was.

- Ric Flair is a great champion,

and the conflict between
me and him will come to pass.

- What a man.

The American Dream,
Dusty Rhodes.

- Dusty is a hero all over the
United States at that point.

- Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

World's Heavyweight Champion.

Fancy robe.

Fancy cars.

Fancy ladies.

But Dusty Rhodes,
the American Dream,

knows you and
knows you well.

- You can't have an ego and not,
you know, have some rivalry.

Dusty had a power in
his business influence,

and Ric had this power

because he was just the number
one performer in the world.

- Woo.

- You have two of the
best and two of the greatest

at the same time.

There's always going to be a
bit of jealousy and rivalry.

That's what made it so good.

- You nothing happening
son of a plumber.

You can't stand
the fact that I was born

with a golden spoon in my mouth
can ya?

Huh?

- Promos are everything.

And to be a special superstar,
to be a memorable one,

you have to be able to
deliver in the promo.

- You're gonna call
your ladies on the phone

and you're gonna say,

"Ladies, how did
I lose that world title

to the American Dream?"

- Big Dust-

You got no belt.

You got no life.

You got nothin' to brag about.

Nothin' to stand on

- Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes
promos,

how they played
off of each other.

They were just so
opposite, but so great.

But they made you
listen to every word

they were talking
about.

- Ric Flair-

It's not over.

It will never be over.

I'm going to mess
you up real bad.

- The job of that interview,
especially during that day,

was to talk people into the
building, was to sell tickets.

I think when the two were paired
together, the great promo,

plus the great booking-

magic.

- Dusty Rhodes, our
egos ride side by side.

He doesn't like me getting ahead
and that hurts me right here,

for him to get ahead

- To kill Ric Flair is to take
what he wants

more than anything
in the world, what he has,

and that's that gold
around his waist.

- 1983 was the first Starrcade.

So you fast forward a year
later when they have

the closed circuit again,
it's Dusty versus Flair.

- There was a lot of bells and
whistles on that match, right?

They had a "Smokin' Joe" Frazier
as the special referee.

- Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair.

Let's keep it clean.

Let's keep it fair.

- It was also a million
dollar, winner take all.

- There's a purported
purse of a million dollars.

Exaggerated, undoubtedly.

But still, fans believed that.

- It's me and you
and one million dollars.

I don't want to hear from
you, because now is the time

that the talkin' stops and
the fightin' begins.

- I'm going to walk in this
Coliseum Thanksgiving night,

and I'm going to be ready
for any kind of action.

Woo.

- It was like it was real.

What was real in it

was two mega egos who

both believed they were the guy.

In our business, you have to
think that.

- One thing
I'm sick and tired of

sick and tired of

is that goofy looking hat on top
of your head.

I'm tired of looking at that
hat.

I'm just gonna slip it off,

and throw it out to the fans.

- Just a little preview fans

of what it's all gonna be like
at Starrcade '84.

- You didn't feel like
they were cutting the promo.

They were-

They were talking and
they believed every word

that they were saying.

- Yeah

- This is what-
this is how I feel.

And I'm telling you that,

and I know you feel it too.

- And whether you
like it or not.

I'm going to be the
man after Starrcade.

This is mine.

- When you're listening to them
speak, it's like it's a rhythm.

It's almost like a song.

And you're just like,"Wow."

And so to hear it like that,
you know, from both sides.

- Yeah.

- Both guys were so good
at this, and you were just,

you were just waiting to see
what was going to happen next.

- The tension is mounting
here at the Greensboro Coliseum.

- A one million dollar challenge
match

for the NWA World Heavyweight
Championship.

- It caught on.

People came
from everywhere for it.

Nothing like it in the world.

We were rockin' and rollin'.

- Our special referee,
"Smokin' Joe" Frazier.

and this is the moment

that we've all been waiting for
right here.

- You know, it was amazing.

They loved, uh, you
know what I was selling.

They got it.

Sometimes it's just that
little extra something

Makes the rivalry
really, really powerful.

- There goes Flair,
over the top rope.

- Starrcade '84.

A lot of people are truly
convinced that Dusty Rhodes

is going to win the NWA
World Heavyweight Championship.

- Dusty Rhodes
slammed into the ring post.

He has got a bad cut.

It appears to be
on the right eye.

- Dusty starts to bleed.

- Referee saying, wait a minute.

He's gotta check that eye.

As Dusty Rhodes is
pushing him away.

- It could be a
very serious injury.

- Dusty was bleeding
too much, and in wrestling,

you never stopped a match
because of blood,

but, you know,

- It was too much.

- Joe's a boxing guy,
so he's getting in there.

- He's the cutman.

- "You gotta stop the match."
he's like.

Oh, people were so mad.

[bell rings]

- Joe Frazier he has stopped it

because of the cut on the eye.

- Jim Crockett.

- A million dollar check.

- Handling him the uh
one million dollars check to uh,

Ric Flair.

- I got in that
ring to go 120%

and don't think he
wasn't in there going 120%.

It's unfortunate he
suffered the cut.

Whether Joe-Joe Frazier should
have stopped the match or not,

It's not my business.

All I went in that ring-

- After Starrcade,
things kind of cooled down

between Ric Flair
and Dusty Rhodes.

Ric ends up respecting Dusty.

The two form
kind of a partnership,

and Ric Flair for a short
period of time

becomes a hero.

- You got to reinvent yourself.

Don't reinvent the character,

but you have to change
this a little bit.

- Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair,

as they all continue to go at
it in that ring.

- Is this going to be a
start of a new allegiance?

- As you can see, Ric Flair's
hand is being raised in victory.

- September 1985 Ric Flair
is in the ring and Nikita Koloff

and Ivan Koloff
are beating him up.

- Stomping away.

It's a two on one situation
and coming to the aid

of the World
Heavyweight Champion.

Dusty has cleared
the ring and there they stand,

both of them in the cage.

- Instead of the two teaming up,

suddenly, Flair's allies,

Ole and Arn Anderson.

- Look here,
from behind.

That's the Andersons

It's a two on one right now.

Not only that, look
what Flair is doing.

He is padlocking that cage.

Dusty Rhodes is helpless.

- They destroy Dusty Rhodes.

- Down he goes on that
left foot of Dusty Rhodes.

- They break his leg.

- It's panic in the ring.

- My dad, being the
dirtiest player in the game,

just makes you
hate him more.

- We're at the point of
desperation right now.

- We had a riot that night.

It took us over an hour to
get out of the ring.

- All of these angles
on how to build a rivalry

and make it seem
real is really the blueprint

of not just
modern pro wrestling,

but all of reality television.

- That face sure
tells it all, Tony.

- I felt like I was
watching a crime,

and I was so young
when I saw this,

but uh, you knew there
was something there.

And the birth of the Four
Horsemen was uh something

that took that rivalry

to a whole different place.

- We told Dusty Rhodes
we was gonna break his leg

and we broke his leg.

- The Four Horsemen, that
was the first faction

in pro wrestling where ya
just had four dudes.

It's us against the world.

- You had Arn Anderson,
Ole Anderson,

Tully Blanchard,
and J.J. Dillon.

He was the manager.

They began interfering
on Ric Flair's behalf.

- The Four Horsemen
are really on a roll.

- They got booed out
of the building,

but everyone thought they were
so cool at the same time.

People were sitting in
the crowd wearing suits.

- It's a supergroup.

It's like the Avengers.

They came together like
the Avengers they assembled.

And now you
better watch ya ass.

- Everyone has got to watch
out for the Four Horsemen now.

- To this day, the greatest
faction that's ever existed.

It was magic for a long time.

- Dusty Rhodes-

Ha, I hope you live
through it, brother.

- I mean, you got this common
man that everybody loves

and you got four against one,

so he's always
fighting against the odds.

It was just a perfect matchup.

- What in the world is going on?

- They had the legendary
"Hard Times" promo-

- Right.

- -came out ll of this.

- It's Dusty Rhodes,

and Dusty, your fans welcome you
back, man.

- I don't have to say a lot more

about the way
I feel about Ric Flair.

No respect, no honor.

He put "Hard Times" on
Dusty Rhodes and his family.

And without
thinking one second

of what I was
going to say.

It just came out.

You don't know what "Hard Times"
are, daddy.

"Hard Times" are when the
textile workers

around this country

are out of work and got 4 or 5
kids and can't pay their wages,

can't buy their food.

And one word led to
another, to another to another.

And it built and it
built and it built.

And "Hard Times" are when a
man has worked at a job

30 years, 30 years,
they give him a watch,

kick him in the butt,

and say, hey, a computer
took your place, daddy.

That's "Hard Times".

- I mean, think about
that period in the 80's.

What was
happening in US society.

The biggest shows
were Dynasty and Dallas.

You know, this total exaltation
of the super rich of the time.

But there was an underbelly
underneath that.

Working class people whose
voice was not necessarily heard

in the broader culture.

And yet Dusty Rhodes was heard.

- And Ric Flair, you put
"Hard Times" on this country

by taking Dusty Rhodes out.

- Dusty was able
to bring it home.

In that one promo to
let you know

that he felt what you felt,

and you wanted him t
to win for that.

- I will be the next World's
Heavyweight Champion

on this "Hard Time" blues.

- Just how much is riding on
this match when you're talking

about the World's
Heavyweight Championship,

you're talking about
all of the marbles.

- Ric Flair and Dusty were
really rivals in real life.

They both wanted one thing,

that top spot and that creates
an incredible dynamic.

- We just made music, man.

We rolled.

No pressure.

He was a perfect babyface.

I was the perfect heel.

- Looks pretty dark right now
for the champion.

- Fans of Dusty Rhodes backing
him,

wanting to see him win
the NWA title

from The Nature Boy Ric Flair.

He had it.

He was going for it.

He had the Bionic elbow going.

Everything was just perfect.

- The referee is down.

- Oh.

- Tommy is really out
of it down there.

Here's Arn Anderson.

- Arn Anderson came
charging into the ring

after Dusty Rhodes.

Oh that's-that's Ole
Anderson now in the ring.

- Ole

- Ole caught Dusty Rhodes from
behind.

- Another referee has come in

because Tommy Young
is still down.

He's wrapped him up.

He got him.

[bell rings]

- Audience goes home thinking,
wow, my guy's the new champion.

- Dusty Rhodes has done it.

- That night, Dusty Rhodes
pinned Nature Boy Ric Flair

on Starrcade '85, and everyone
thought, including myself,

that he was the World
Heavyweight Champion.

However, Bob Geigel, the
president of the NWA,

has given the belt back to
Nature Boy Ric Flair

because of a ruling made by
referee Tommy Young.

- Let's take a look, Tommy,

and they're your hands on the
right of the screen,

right there when you see Arn
Anderson in.

That is where I'm
assuming you're calling

for the disqualification.

But when you were knocked out,

you were not able to make that
call right there at that time.

- That is correct.

Mr. Rhodes-

He had thought he became
World Heavyweight Champion.

- Well, it's obvious-

- Dusty's championship victory

didn't count because
the pinfall didn't count

because Ole and
Arn Anderson come out

and that resulted
in a disqualification.

And as we know, a world
title will only change hands

on pinfall or submission.

- They say nothing about
Dusty Rhodes defeating Ric Flair

Starrcade '85 which I did.

So Ric Flair-

- Dusty Rhodes at this point is
the booker.

He's booking this stuff.

He's the one who's deciding
what's going to occur

in the match.

These types of finishes would
fire up fans to go see

these guys clash again.

- Dusty Rhodes

- Tell 'em Ric.

- Tell 'em Ric.

- It's only just
begun,

[laughing]

- We got 'em right
where we want 'em.

- As the rivalry evolved,

so did the production
value behind the storytelling.

You'd see handheld camera shots
of the Four Horsemen tailing

Dusty Rhodes down the road.

As all this was happening,

Dusty Rhodes was that creative
force behind the scenes.

This wasn't stuff that had
really been shown

on wrestling television
before this point.

- Poor Dusty got
beat up by his car.

I mean, just tried
to break his leg.

I mean, did everything
you could to him.

The Four Horsemen,

and these guys are
beating our hero up.

- Four horsemen always
had Ric Flair's back,

so Dusty had to be
careful because every time

he was
wrestling Ric Flair,

he was actually
wrestling with four guys.

- Nobody interfere.

The four horsemen, they need to
ride on another planet

because I reserved the
stratosphere for me and you.

- Welcome to the
Great American Bash.

14 cities in 33 days.

The greatest wrestlers, the
greatest wrestling matches

and the greatest wrestling fans.

- The year is 1986 and another
brainchild of the you know,

American Dream, The
Great American Bash.

- And This Great American Bash.

It felt to me like their version
of the Rock 'n' Wrestling,

like WWE.

- That's right.

It was mainly Dusty's brain.

Dusty's brain was
that thing ran differently

than the rest of the world.

He was that creative.

- Ain't it good to be alive

and raising hell at
Greensboro, North Carolina?

- Great American
Bash on tour, man.

And we hired everybody from
George Jones to Waylon Jennings,

went on the road
and it worked.

It sold out everywhere.

- This is Waylon Jennings, and
I'm looking forward

to being a part of The Great
American Bash '86.

- The Great American Bash tour.

They went from major
city to major city.

And the most important part
every single night,

Ric Flair was defending
the World's Championship.

- Unprecedented signed the
contract to wrestle each night

of the Bash and to defend the
NWA World Heavyweight Title.

- Throughout this tour,
we have been seeing Ric Flair

escape with the title.

- One thing that Ric did,
I think better than anyone

is that he sold a fight.

You wanted to see Ric
get beaten and that,

I think, was what
was so compelling

when people would come to watch
Ric Flair, they wanted to see-

- No one got beat up better
than Ric Flair.

- People-

- Oh my god.

- yeah, people wanted to see
him get his ass kicked.

- Yeah.

- On night number 12 right
before the Great American Bash

tour is over,
Dusty and Flair

meet in a cage in
Greensboro, North Carolina.

- A fellow named Dusty Rhodes.

He hasn't got the guts

to back up what it tells
all of you is going to do.

- It's only fitting.

It's only right that
it comes down

to Dusty Rhodes
and Ric Flair.

If you think I'm through

on my quest for the
World's Heavyweight Title,

you're damn wrong
television land.

- He's fought
for so long to beat Ric Flair

to get that championship
belt around his waist.

But there was all these
obstacles that stood in his way,

- And that was
a tremendous blow.

- This may be one of the longer
chases in wrestling history.

It's loss after loss after loss,

but I would say from
a wrestling perspective,

those weren't losses.

That is the
definition of the chase.

- Five years after losing the
title to Ric Flair,

Dusty Rhodes gets his
opportunity to win the gold

again at The Great
American Bash.

- Yeah, and this is monumental
because this is an angle,

a storyline that lasted
almost a decade.

I mean, that-that's amazing.

- When Ric Flair and
Dusty Rhodes wrestle

the two greatest wrestlers in
the world are colliding.

- The American dream
Dusty Rhodes

wants Ric Flair and
wants that championship.

- Because they're in the cage,

It neutralizes the influence of
the Four Horsemen.

Now it's going to be
one on one, man to man.

- They've wrestled so many times
against each other before,

but it's always
a new ball game

each time you step into the
ring on a different occasion.

- In 1986,
Dusty Rhodes fans

had been on that
ride with Dusty for years.

As they try and they try
and they try to get the title,

that means that
they're the man.

But at the same time, to be the
man, you've got to beat the man.

- There it is.

There's your weapon.

There's the thing that
makes a cage match

the most dangerous
match in wrestling.

- Dusty Rhodes had
to beat Ric Flair.

He had to.

It couldn't be something

where Ric Flair always
came out on top.

- Ric has him exactly
where he wants him.

Can he hold on?

Can Dusty get out of it?

- Only two ways, David,

to reverse it on
Flair or to get to the ropes.

- Dusty and Flair had been
going around for several years

and the fans are really
anxious to see

Dusty finally
claim that big prize.

- You keep your mouth shut.

- The fans are behind Dusty.

Here he comes.

Dusty caught him.

- At first it was all Ric Flair.

Now, it's all Dusty Rhodes.

Small package has Ric.

Dusty Rhodes has
just won the match.

[bell rings]

- I remember throwing the
cushions of my couch

up in the air.

Like all of these
really primal emotions

because we'd been
waiting for it for so long.

- What a moment.

- Talk about the chase.

If you look at the furthest
sections of that building,

and people are losing their
mind,

it's because they were
in on the chase with him.

[crowd cheers]

- Dusty winning that
title that last time,

it just seemed
like that was

"Okay, I'm done. I have nothing
else to accomplish here."

- That's right.

You put a nice button,
you put a nice button on it.

- To say Ric Flair and Dusty
Rhodes have been influential

in wrestling would be a
gross understatement.

Not only did they have this
rivalry in the ring

for the ages, but decades later,
they're both in positions

where they're mentoring
the new generation.

- Hey hey hey what's up man?

- What's up guys?

Looking good, man.

- Hey.

- I learned a lot from Ric.

Ric was a big part of the
early stages of my career.

He took me under his wing.

I was lucky because I had Ric.

- Dusty Rhodes took on a
position as the main coach,

the teacher at the WWE's
Performance Center.

- A teacher promo class
3 or 4 times a week.

I'm looking for how you
communicate

with what I named the
Red light district.

Red light,
meaning the camera.

That's 20 something in here.

When the red light's on
there, that's 15 million.

You got to make them
believe who you are.

That's what I teach.

It's one, two, three.

And they're here
and they come down.

They got to come down like
you just won the Super Bowl.

- Exactly.

- You know what I'm saying?

- Exactly.

- As ironic as it is, one of the
people that walked through

the Performance Center doors
to be molded by Dusty Rhodes

was a Flair.

- You really haven't
seen anything yet,

and you've pushed
me to my limit.

- Dusty was the guy with all the
wisdom they could all go to.

To have my daughter, you know,
be training under him

was a huge honor
for her and for me.

- My most-my most
redeeming qualities.

Yes, I know.

The weekly struggle of figuring
out how to communicate

in promos and getting
that out of me and,

just constantly
making me believe

that I had it in me
that I was going to be a star.

He believed in me.

- We're struggling trying to
cut promos in a way that's,

you know, relatable to people.

And he would just
make you feel so good.

And the fact that Dusty Rhodes
believed in you was,

"Oh my gosh"

you know what I mean?

Like, it just gave you-

It gave you confidence and
he was so good

at just giving people
confidence to go out

and be the best
versions of themselves.

- The legacy of Rhodes and
Flair is still going today.

- Charlotte Flair
walking that aisle.

- As amazing as
Dusty and Ric were,

the kids are so amazing that one
day they're just a lot of people

are just going to
know them as their dads.

- The American
Nightmare, Cody Rhodes.

- It's so hard,

especially when you come
from that kind of greatness.

You just have
huge shoes to fill.

- A lot of people
would shy away from that.

People would want to, like,
not be what their parents are.

The way that Cody and Charlotte
have stepped into those shoes,

and filled those shoes,
and try to exceed those shoes,

and keep on perpetuating
that legacy.

It's pretty remarkable.

- The passion I have for this
industry is why I'm still here.

One thing is for sure though,
when you go back and you look,

you look at "Hard Times"
on the road.

You look at driving down
the road night after night,

seven days in a row.

And I looked across to see who
this seven day in a row marathon

was with, and it was the
greatest wrestler

in our industry's history,
the Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

- You're gonna kill me.

Yeah, I'm good.

- It'll be good.

- I know, I know it is.

- Hold it together.

Get me through the night Natch.

- My idol.

He was the American
dream, Dusty Rhodes.

I used to say to them,
"What are you doing, man?"

He'd say, "I'm genius-in"

And he's a smart guy and he
adds a lot to this company.

Thank you Dream.

Love you.

- Man, I think so many of the
best rivalries come

when it's there's a
layer of friendship there,

a deep layer of friendship.

But at the end of the day,
you still want to be the guy.

You still want to be the
one that comes out on top.

- Ric Flair, there's only one.

- The storyline was so
compelling, you were excited

to see what was
going to happen next.

- Ric Flair He put "Hard Times"
on Dusty Rhodes and his family.

Big Dust, you got no belt.

You got no life.

- For Dusty and for Ric to go
around the country

fighting for that
championship was unbelievable.

- Dusty did it.

- Dusty was one of the greatest
in the history of this business.

Our first Starrcade,

I walked up to him,
center of the ring.

He's like "Kid-

Let's have fun."

We did.

Great chemistry.

- I watch you from a baby
and he moved on in to become

a legendary figure
in our industry.

- Ric Flair your-

Woo.

-livin' legend.

- Our rivalry was,

if not the biggest
in our industry.

I don't know what would be.

I really don't.