The American Dream in Professional Wrestling: It's Time for a Comeback

The American Dream. Since his professional wrestling debut back in 1968, Dusty Rhodes has epitomized the very essence of the blue collar working class man.

Dusty was an everyman, a guy who fans all over the country could relate to, a wrestler who came from nothing and rose to the very top of the business.

Achieving his goals and making a good life for himself through hard work and dedication, Dusty’s moniker was not just a gimmick. Dusty Rhodes actually became The American Dream.

Oh, how the business could use him now.

Dusty’s gimmick would never be more relevant for fans in this country than it would be today.

Unemployment in the United States as of December 2010 is 9.4 percent. The number of Americans who went bankrupt last year was 1.53 million, up 9 percent from 2009. A record high 2.9 million properties received foreclosure filings in 2010, up 23 percent from 2008.

People all over the country are out of work, facing the very real possibility of losing everything they have. Their faith in their futures, their hopes for their children’s futures, everything they believe in, has been shaken to its foundations. For many, their dreams are all but dead.

Where art thou, Dusty Rhodes?

No, I don’t expect a 65-year-old man to cut a good old fashioned promo, lace up the boots and take on the top heels of WWE.

Dusty’s time has been over for a while now. There is no comeback for the three-time NWA World Champion.

But, his gimmick, on the other hand, deserves a second chance at life.

Dusty’s heyday in the NWA during the 80’s is very similar to the current tough times faced by many Americans today.

Unemployment in 1982 was 10.8 percent and the overall climate of the country was much like it is now.

The average wrestling fan was feeling the crunch, and for some, an NWA show was the only recreation they enjoyed.

Pro wrestling, much like movies, music, and other forms of entertainment, has always provided an escape.

It’s a way for people to get away from their normal routines and problems, and if only for a few hours, to lose themselves in the drama of the business.

And speaking for those working class fans was the blue collar champion himself, the man who had the guts to not only be proud of his country and what it meant to him, but who also used a nickname that every fan could believe in and relate to.

When Dusty Rhodes is referred to as one of the all-time greats, its not only for his work in the ring. It is also for his work on the mic.

Dusty’s “hard times” promo, in which he describes the misery of the working man in this country, is arguably the best ever done.

It says everything you need to know about his character. It also perfectly displays Dusty’s innate ability to connect. To put it another way, Dusty got it.

Dusty was able to tap into the crowd he played to, relate to them, make them feel important, and let them know that he understood their problems.

Sounding like a fiery pastor in a 1960’s tent revival, Dusty shouted with passion about the country he loved, and the dream that he believed in.

Dusty was one of us, and though he was one of the most financially successful wrestlers in the business during those days, he always stayed true to his humble roots as a “poor plumber’s son” from Austin, Texas.

If the NWA audience in the 1980’s had represented the majority of registered voters in this country, Dusty Rhodes could have been elected President by a landslide.

The legends of the business understand, as Dusty did, that the only way to truly be over, and be remembered, is to play your character to its fullest potential, and connect to the crowd.

Dusty had that connection, and when fans looked into his eyes, they believed who he was and what he said to them.

So, considering the state of the country right now, The American Dream would not only be over with fans, he would steal the show every time he spoke.

The fact that seemingly no one in either WWE or TNA have realized this is beyond me. After all, WWE creative, with its various lousy ideas, actually does have the occasional stroke of brilliance.

Drawing fans in and filling the seats is usually a priority for that company, yet there’s not one worker who’s running a gimmick similar to Dusty’s in this day and age?

What about TNA?

TNA’s apparent efforts at trying to convince fans that it is better than WWE should have by now, included a character like The American Dream.

After all, WWE’s pay per views and ticket prices are so much higher than TNA, not to mention their commonly held belief that Vince McMahon’s billionaire status was greedily earned on the backs of a majority of their current roster.

Dusty’s down to earth, blue collar character would not only fit in that company, he would be the perfect antithesis to Vince, and a gimmick that TNA could build around. Yet, no one has thought of this?

The point of following the business for fans is for the moments, the characters, the storylines that move us and remind us of our love for the sport. The point of the business for promoters is to put on the best program, with the best talent, and make some money.

The second coming of The American Dream would be, without a doubt, a win-win situation.

Of course, that return may have already taken place, in the form of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin’s gimmick, like Dusty’s, was very real, fans understood it and related to it. For all intents and purposes, Stone Cold clicked because The Dream clicked first.

Dusty was an ordinary man with a lust for life and a belief in his country. He faced hard times and persevered, against all odds, to become better, earning his place in history. He was The American Dream.

Maybe its just me. I am such a fan of Dusty’s Hall of Fame career, and everything he meant to the business. Maybe I just miss him, or I’m hoping for more relevance in my pro wrestling characters, and believe that it can be real again.

There is only one Dusty Rhodes. I realize that. I’m not asking for a copycat, or for another wrestler to rip off his gimmick.

I just want the passion back. I want a wrestler’s promo to move me, make me believe in the drama of the business, the way that Dusty used to.

I want to believe that moment can happen again, and is not confined to a singular era of the business that’s long gone.

Is there no one in the business today that can provide that human element, that spark of inspiration and hope that fans can latch onto and believe in?

I do believe it’s time for the Dream to be born again. The time is perfect, and the time is now. Professional Wrestling needs The American Dream. And so do the fans.