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Cody Rhodes Wishes He Could Have Wrestled In Territory Era, Talks Dusty’s Legacy In Florida
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Cody Rhodes says would have loved to wrestle in the territory era and wonders how he would have done during that time. The WWE star has long been open about his old school sentiment and appreciation for the era that his father Dusty Rhodes wrestled in. Dusty was a huge part of Eddie Graham’s Championship Wrestling from Florida among other territories, and his legacy is strong there to this day.
Rhodes reflected on Dusty’s popularity in Florida in his interview on the Double Coverage Podcast. He also talked about how he would have liked to test himself in the territories and which places he thinks he would have done well in. You can see the highlights below:
On His Dad’s Popularity In Florida:
“Dusty in Florida. You know, time is a tricky thing as far as, I feel like we reinvent history. We rewrite history a lot. I hate it. And some of the times that you can’t really capture or can’t find the footage — you know, the 70s, the 80s, we’re starting to get some of the information. If you’re someone who’s a historian, just stick to your guns. Because I can’t explain to someone how popular Dusty was in Florida. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because Eddie Graham set him up for success. Maybe it’s because he looked like some of the people in the stands. Maybe it’s because of the community; maybe it was because a bunch of redneck Florida people had never heard someone talk like that and then they wanted that — I don’t know.
“Like, Dusty in Florida is absurd. There’s this tag match with Sting and Dusty and it’s at Clash of Champions and when they tag him in I always — it’s one of my favorite matches, because you can see the difference. Their young kids are there; they’re coming for Sting, they’re excited about seeing Sting. The faces are painted… but man, you can hear that raucous crowd, who’s seen some Florida fights before, lose it for him. And it’s just — they were scalping tickets. They were selling out all these armories left and right. They had a real business. And that business ends because of cable.”
On Wishing He Count Wrestle In the Territory Era:
“I think all the time — if I could have gone back and wrestled somewhere, I would have loved to wrestle in a territory somewhere in that period, where all you knew was your territory. I think I could have done pretty well in Houston. I ask Bruce Pritchard all the time like, ‘How would I have done?’ I think I would have done well in California. I don’t know if I could have made it in Florida. I don’t know. Because they had a murderer’s row of ‘Who’s who.'”
“To this day, I go into gyms and different places in Florida, and they could care less if I’ve done anything or anything of that nature. But I remember one time a guy at an LA Fitness is like, ‘Oh, Dusty Rhodes’ son doesn’t pay in Florida.’ It’s something he said to me and I thought, ‘How long ago was that man? Like the fact that you remember that just’ — I’m glad that’s a touching place.” If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Double Coverage Podcast with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.
