[Stardust]

One of the top wrestlers ever to grace the profession. A legend nationally, but back
when the sport was broken up by territories, Dusty Rhodes was a headliner in each.
From Florida to Texas, Mid-Atlantic and Minnesota. He is a three-time former NWA World
Heavyweight Champion, with defeats over Harley Race and Ric Flair.


Originally from Austin, Texas, Dusty is the father of Dustin Rhodes, also a top-notch
grappler and champion. Before making his professional debut in 1969, Rhodes played
football with the Boston Patriots. Early on, he teamed with Dick Murdoch as the Texas
Outlaws. The brutal and hated tag team captured a version of the NWA World Tag Team
Title in Detroit, the American Tag Team Title in Texas and the Florida Tag Team Title out
of Tampa. Rhodes and Murdoch shared the same eagerness for blood. The two won
over Bob Roop and Danny Miller on Tuesday, September 15, 1970 in Tampa. A week
later, they beat Miller and Louie Tillett at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory.

On September 29th, Rhodes and Murdoch wrestled the popular duo of Dory Funk Sr.
and Jose Lothario in Tampa. Rhodes pinned Lothario for the victory. They continued
their roll towards the top of the wrestling tag team scene. Dory Sr. enlisted his son Terry
to wrestle Rhodes and Murdoch on October 6th in Tampa. The match was not just a
normal bout, but a special Texas Death Match. The Funks won. On Tuesday, October
13th, Rhodes and Murdoch beat Dale Lewis and Thunderbolt Patterson in Tampa. They
captured the NWA Florida Tag Team Title and retained over Lewis and Art Thomas in
Tampa on the 20th of October. Rhodes and Murdoch tried their luck in the six-man tag
world in Tampa, teaming with Tarzan Tyler against Jake Smith, Ron Fuller and Jose
Lothario on October 27th. They lost. Rhodes and Murdoch beat Smith and Lothario on
November 3rd in a match they nearly lost. Tyler and Jack Brisco were also locked up in
the brawl. Brisco wanted to enter the war as he teamed up with Lothario and the Missouri
Mauler on November 10th in Tampa against Rhodes, Murdoch and Tyler. The “bad guys”
lost in 15-minutes. They lost by disqualification to Bobo Brazil and Louie Tillet on
November 17th in Tampa. The Outlaws eventually went their own ways.

All through the ’70s, Rhodes traveled throughout the world and became one of the
most popular athletes on the NWA Trail. Promoters brought him in every time they had
the opportunity because they knew Rhodes would put bodies in the seats. The road was
hard, but Rhodes eventually put himself in the spot every wrestler in the sport wanted to
be in. On August 21, 1979, he beat Harley Race at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in
Tampa and captured the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title. He won the
most prestigious belt in wrestling.

On the 26th, Rhodes was in Jacksonville to defend his title in a matinee against Don
Muraco. He retained. After the match, he drove west on I-10 to I-75 south to Orlando for
an evening defense against Race at the Sports Stadium. Rhodes was attacked by Terry
Funk prior to the match and suffered a broken right wrist. Instead of backing out and
rushing to the hospital, Rhodes went on to defend his title with the handicap and lost.
Race had regained the belt. During the “Last Tangle in Tampa” on Sunday, August 3,
1980, Rhodes challenged Race for the NWA Belt at the Tampa Stadium. The bout was a
special two-of-three-falls match. He won the initial fall by pinfall. The time-limit expired
before another fall could be counted by special referee, Fritz Von Erich. In late 1980, he
was advised by Sir Oliver Humperdink in Florida, a man who was a bitter rival just weeks
and months earlier.