Were the Polka Dots Really That Bad?

   When people talk about "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes' run in the WWF, they inevitably bring up how dumb they thought it was that he was made to wear polka dots.  While I can see it being a tad silly, I really don't think it was that big a deal.  People say that Dusty was made to look like a fool when he came to the WWF.  Was he really though?  Let's think about this for a second.  Dusty made his debut in 1989.  By this time, Dusty was past his prime and he knew it.  He probably had a lot of fun.  Also, other than wearing polka dots, his gimmick was exactly the same.  Besides, if anyone could pull off polka dots, it was Dusty Rhodes!

   Dusty was still ridiculously over and popular.  He had this charisma that was unmatched at the time.  Other than Hulk Hogan, Dusty was probably one of the most over people in the company.  On an unrelated note, I find it interesting that the four main feuds Dusty had in the WWF were with someone who had the word "man" in their name; Honky Tonk Man, Big Bossman, Macho Man, & Million Dollar Man.  Just thought that was funny!  At this point, Dusty knew his place and what was expected of him.  He knew he wasn't going to be the World Champion, not to mention, he didn't have the book this time around.

   I just don't understand all the outrage about the way Dusty Rhodes was treated, especially about his ring gear.  Anyone else might have failed wearing polka dots and I'd even argue that only Dusty Rhodes could pull it off.  Are polka dots worth getting all hot and bothered over?  It seems silly to me!  The vignettes introducing him were entertaining and really drove the point home that he was a common man.  In fact, it made some of his feuds all the more entertaining, considering Randy Savage was portraying a King and Ted DiBiase was portraying a rich man.

   If Dusty was really treated that badly, he wouldn't have been able to lead two Survivor Series teams in his time up north.  If he was treated so badly, he wouldn't have been a part of big storylines.  The two storylines that had the most entertainment value and drew the most passion were with Savage and DiBiase.  In fact, one feud somewhat led to the other.  The stories progressed and led to other things.  

   He started feuding with Randy Savage in the fall of 1989 after he resolved his problem with the Big Bossman.  Dusty started bringing around a woman named Sapphire, who was a fan of his.  Sapphire was portrayed as the complete opposite of Savage's counterpart Sensational Sherri.  Savage was now the King and replaced Miss Elizabeth with Sherri.  Royalty and the common man; it's timeless!  The women became just as integral as the men did for this.  It led to a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania.  Dusty and Sapphire won the match, partly because of their idea to play mind games with Savage by bringing out Elizabeth.  On a sad note, all five participants in this match are all deceased.

   The feud continued through SummerSlam with each pair set to have singles matches.  In the lead up to the event, Sapphire was being given extravagant gifts by an anonymous person, which caused great concern for Dusty.  Sherri was getting ready for her match with Sapphire.  However, Sapphire did not show up and Sherri was announced the winner.  Later on, Dusty and Savage went one on one.  However, Dusty was distracted and Savage got the win.  It turned out that the gifts Sapphire received were given to her by the Million Dollar Man and he purchased her services, leaving Dusty heartbroken.  

   Dusty and DiBiase continued to feud during the remainder of 1990 and into the new year.  This time, it was the common man vs. the wealthy.  It got even more personal when DiBiase went after Dusty's son Dustin.  Of course, DiBiase still had his bodyguard Virgil watching his back and getting involved.  It was during this feud that we saw the slow progression of Virgil getting tired of his treatment by DiBiase and finally breaking away.  After DiBiase and Virgil defeated Dusty and Dustin Rhodes, Virgil turned on his former employer and enlisted the services of Rowdy Roddy Piper.  Of course, I should mention something else before someone else does.  Dusty Rhodes' real name was Virgil, which is why the WWF created a Virgil character.  I know there was some real life heat between Dusty and the McMahon family, dating back several years.   Even so, were polka dots really that bad?  It's funny to think that Dusty feuding with the Macho Man ended up leading to Virgil finally breaking ties with DiBiase.  Also, a few months later, Savage and Elizabeth reunited, so everything came full circle.

   Much like Rhodes, people also mention that Harley Race wasn't treated very kindly in the WWF and the King gimmick was to make him look silly.  While it did come off silly, it was meant as a tribute to Race being the King of wrestling, so to speak.  That was not their way of taking a shot at Jerry Lawler either, by the way.  Also, Race was well past his prime and you knew he wasn't going over Hulk Hogan or winning another World Title.  However, Race was someone who could be counted on and I'm sure he was a mentor to many backstage.  Having had the pleasure of meeting Race twice in my life, I can tell you he is a man of integrity.  I bring this up because it's similar to the way people were unhappy with Dusty's use in the WWF.  That's not to say WWF never dropped the ball with other wrestlers.  They certainly didn't treat Ricky Steamboat the same during his extremely short comeback in 1991.  In fact, they acted as if he was not the same former Intercontinental Champion that took it to the limit with Randy Savage at WrestleMania III.  

   At the end of the day, Dusty Rhodes was already a legend in the business and his WWF run didn't ruin his credibility at all.  Also, how catchy was his "Common Man" theme song?  We hadn't heard that good a use of the cowbell since "Don't Fear the Reaper."  It completely embodied "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes' character.  He was relatable and he was charismatic!  No amount of polka dots will change the impact Dusty Rhodes made on professional wrestling.  So I ask one more time; were the polka dots really that bad?

If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!

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