Name	Cody Rhodes
Alt	A Caucasian male wearing short, white, wrestling tights and a white and black jacket holds a wrestling championship in the air above his head. The championship consists of five visible gold plates afixed to a white strap.
Names	Cody RhodesCody Runnels
Height
Weight
Birth date	June 30, 1985
Birth place	Marietta, Georgia
Billed	Marietta, Georgia
Trainer	Dusty RhodesAl SnowBruno SassiRay Lloyd
Debut	June 2006
Website	}}

Cody Runnels (born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Cody Rhodes. Runnels is signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand

Runnels is the half-brother of Goldust as well as the son of Dusty Rhodes, and worked as a referee in his father's promotion during high school. Runnels started wrestling professionally in 2006, using his real name, wrestling for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). While situated at OVW, he won various championships, both in tag team and singles competition, including the OVW Heavyweight Championship. He made his WWE television debut on July 16, 2007, under the ring name Cody Rhodes. In December 2007, Rhodes captured his first title with the company, the World Tag Team Championship with Hardcore Holly, and the two held it for six months.

Rhodes formed a secret alliance with Ted DiBiase during 2008. In the course of a match held on June 29 he turned on Holly by switching sides to join DiBiase, with whom he became World Tag Team champion. The new champions dropped their titles in August, only to win them back a week later. Rhodes and DiBiase were joined by Manu shortly afterwards, forming a faction of multi-generation wrestlers, although this alliance was to be short-lived. In January 2009, Rhodes and DiBiase formed a new alliance, The Legacy, with Randy Orton. Rhodes was moved to the SmackDown brand in April 2010, as part of the Supplemental Draft, and won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Drew McIntyre in September of the same year. In August 2011, Rhodes won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, his first singles championship in WWE, holding it for over seven months until he lost it at WrestleMania 28.

Amateur wrestling career

Runnels had a successful high school wrestling career, attending Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia. He placed sixth in the division as a sophomore. As a junior, Runnels won the Georgia state tournament at in 2003, and successfully defended the title in his senior year. Runnels had planned to wrestle collegiately at Pennsylvania State University, but decided to become a professional wrestler instead. During his time in high school, Runnels also acted as a referee in his father's Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion. After graduating from high school, Runnels attended an acting school.

Professional wrestling career

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2007)

Using his real name, Runnels began wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in June 2006. Runnels formed a tag team with Shawn Spears in mid-August 2006 and they quickly became embroiled in a feud with The Untouchables over the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. They first captured the championship from The Untouchables on October 18. In November 2006, Runnels and Spears defeated The Untouchables in a tag team match, and won the services of Cherry, The Untouchables' manager. Cherry accompanied Spears and Runnels to ringside, and soon Spears began to fall in love with her, which began interfering with their matches. On November 29, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship was vacated after a match between The Untouchables and Runnels and Spears ended in a draw. The following week, a rematch between the two teams was held for the vacant championship. During this match Cherry turned on Spears and Runnels, rejoining The Untouchables and helping them regain the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. Two weeks later, on December 20, Runnels and Spears defeated Deuce 'n Domino in a Street Fight to win the championship for the second time. Shortly afterwards, Runnels and Spears became involved in a scripted rivalry with each other, after Spears became jealous of Runnels' success as a singles wrestler. This rift started when Runnels won the OVW Heavyweight Championship from Paul Burchill at a house show on February 17, 2007, only to lose it back to Burchill the next day. Spears went on to win the OVW Television Championship in response. On April 11, the duo lost the Southern Tag Team Championship to the team of Justin LaRouche and Charles Evans. Runnels went on to defeat his now heated rival on July 6, to become the new OVW Television Champion. Exactly one week later, however, Runnels lost the championship back to Spears.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Debut and teaming with Hardcore Holly (2007–2008)

On the July 2 episode of ''Raw'', Runnels made his television debut, using the ring name Cody Rhodes, in a backstage segment with his father Dusty Rhodes and Randy Orton, where Orton introduced himself to Rhodes and then slapped Dusty as a sign of disrespect. On July 9, Rhodes slapped Orton in return, and the following week, Rhodes faced Orton in his debut WWE match, but lost. Rhodes appeared at The Great American Bash to prevent Orton from further attacking his father. The next night on ''Raw'', Rhodes challenged Orton to a rematch from the previous week, only to lose again. Orton followed this up by kicking Rhodes' father in the head, similar to how he had, in storyline, nearly ended the careers of Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam.

Rhodes' next storyline was a rivalry with Daivari, after he pinned him on the July 30 episode of ''Raw'', to keep his job. In the midst of this rivalry, he also feuded with The World's Greatest Tag Team, defeating both members, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin in singles matches. The two feuds combined, when Rhodes, along with Paul London and Brian Kendrick, beat The World's Greatest Tag Team and Daivari in a six-man tag team match. The following week, Rhodes teamed up with Mickie James to defeat Daivari and Jillian Hall, ending their scripted rivalry.

Three weeks later, he began a feud with Hardcore Holly and lost three consecutive matches to him. Rhodes eventually earned Holly's respect, impressing Holly during their matches with his persistence and several near-falls, and the two formed a tag team. They earned a shot at the World Tag Team titles by defeating Paul London and Brian Kendrick and The Highlanders in a WWE.com exclusive match after an Alabama Slam. They fought against the Tag Team Champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch at Survivor Series, in what was Rhodes' first on-screen title shot and pay-per-view match, but were unsuccessful. On the November 19, 2007 episode of ''Raw'', Rhodes faced Holly for a fourth time, and beat him for the first time, although they were both attacked by Randy Orton afterwards.

On December 10, 2007, on the ''Raw'' 15th Anniversary special episode, Rhodes along with Hardcore Holly defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the World Tag Team Championship, marking Rhodes' first championship in WWE. The following week, Rhodes and Holly retained their title, in their first title defense, against Cade and Murdoch. They also successfully defended the championships against the teams of Santino Marella and Carlito and Paul London and Brian Kendrick. In May 2008, Ted DiBiase began feuding with the duo, threatening to take their titles in his first match as part of the Raw brand.

The Legacy (2008–2010)

At the pay-per-view event, Night of Champions on June 29, Rhodes turned on Holly by revealing himself as Ted DiBiase's partner to help DiBiase win the match, becoming a villain. After holding the championship for just over a month, they dropped it to John Cena and Batista on the August 4 episode of ''Raw''. The following week, DiBiase and Rhodes used their rematch clause to regain the championship. Rhodes and DiBiase were joined by Manu, the son of Afa Anoa'i, in September, forming a stable of multi-generational superstars. On the October 27, 2008 episode of ''Raw'', Rhodes and DiBiase lost the World Tag Team Championship to Kofi Kingston and CM Punk.

During this time, Rhodes, DiBiase and Manu entered a storyline with Randy Orton where Orton constantly criticized and insulted them, and attacked DiBiase on the November 3 episode of ''Raw''. At Survivor Series, Rhodes, along with Orton, was a sole survivor, for Orton's team, in the annual Elimination match. Rhodes and Manu accepted Orton's offer for an alliance in the following weeks, and the trio dubbed themselves "The Legacy"; debuting in a two-on-three handicap match against Batista and Triple H. Orton began scheduling tests for The Legacy members, so they could prove themselves, and over two weeks, both Manu and Sim Snuka were kicked out.

On January 12, Snuka and Manu gave Rhodes the chance to align with them to attack Orton, along with the returning Ted DiBiase, but Rhodes refused. As they ambushed Orton, DiBiase instead joined with Orton and Rhodes to attack Snuka and Manu, and became a member of The Legacy. As part of The Legacy, Rhodes entered the Royal Rumble match in order to help Orton win, and lasted until the final three, before being eliminated by Triple H. Rhodes and DiBiase became involved in Orton's scripted rivalry with the McMahon family, helping him to attack Shane and Stephanie McMahon, and Stephanie's real-life husband, Triple H. Rhodes was also elevated to main event status as a result of joining The Legacy, competing in handicap and six-man tag team matches against Orton's opponents and rivals. On April 26, at Backlash, Rhodes, DiBiase, and Orton defeated Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon in a six-man tag team match, which, per the pre-match stipulation, resulted in Orton winning the WWE Championship. Rhodes suffered a minor neck injury in June, but did not need any time off to recover. Throughout mid-2009, Rhodes and DiBiase continued to compete against and attack Orton's rivals, especially Triple H. This led to Triple H reforming D-Generation X (DX) with Shawn Michaels, and DX defeated Rhodes and DiBiase at SummerSlam. Rhodes and DiBiase defeated DX at the following pay-per-view, Breaking Point in a submissions count anywhere match, but were defeated in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in October, when Rhodes was pinned following a sledgehammer shot to the head. To sell the injury, Rhodes was taken out of the arena on a stretcher following the match.

Tension within The Legacy became apparent at the 2010 Royal Rumble, when Rhodes attempted to interfere in Orton's match for the WWE Championship. Rhodes was caught by the referee, resulting in a disqualification for Orton, who attacked Rhodes and DiBiase, who had tried to help Rhodes, after the match. On the February 15 episode of ''Raw'', Orton took on Sheamus in a non-title rematch, but was again disqualified after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered. During the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Rhodes interfered, passing a lead pipe through the cage to DiBiase. DiBiase hit Orton with the pipe and eliminated him from the match. The next night on ''Raw'', Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase during a six-man tag team match, and they attacked Orton the following week in retaliation. This led to a triple threat match at WrestleMania XXVI, in which Orton defeated Rhodes and DiBiase.

SmackDown; Dashing and masked personas (2010–2011)

As part of the 2010 WWE Supplemental Draft, Rhodes was drafted to the SmackDown brand. He made his debut for the brand on the April 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', by defeating John Morrison. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Rhodes participated in a tournament for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship, but lost to Christian in the semi-finals. On June 1, it was announced that Rhodes would be mentoring Husky Harris, a third generation wrestler, in the second season of ''WWE NXT''.

On the June 25 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rhodes began a new narcissistic gimmick, claiming to be the best-looking wrestler in WWE and demanding to be called "Dashing" Cody Rhodes. As part of the gimmick, vignettes began airing in which Rhodes gave 'grooming tips'. As part of the gimmick, Rhodes was extremely protective of his face during matches; if he was hit in the face, he threw a fit and checked his mirror. In September, he attacked Christian along with Drew McIntyre after a match, and the duo also attacked Matt Hardy, forming an alliance. At Night of Champions in September, Rhodes and McIntyre captured the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tag Team Turmoil match, also including The Hart Dynasty, The Usos, Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov, and Evan Bourne and Mark Henry. At Bragging Rights, Rhodes and McIntyre lost the championship to The Nexus (John Cena and David Otunga). On the October 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', after losing a tag team match, Rhodes and McIntyre dissolved their partnership.

In January 2011, Rhodes faced Rey Mysterio in a match, during which Mysterio hit Rhodes in the face with his exposed knee brace and legitimately broke Rhodes' nose. This prompted a storyline between the two, with Rhodes declaring he was no longer dashing and required facial reconstructive surgery. As part of the storyline with Mysterio, Rhodes was off television for several weeks, missing both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber pay-per-view events. Upon his return, he wore a clear protective mask over his face, and colluded with his father to attack Mysterio and remove Mysterio's mask on the February 25 episode of ''SmackDown''. Rhodes would go on to use his protective mask as a weapon during matches by headbutting opponents and sometimes took off the mask to use it to hit his opponents.

Rhodes and Mysterio faced off in a match at WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, which Rhodes won. The duo also faced off in a Falls Count Anywhere match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in May, which was won by Mysterio. On subsequent episodes of ''SmackDown'' following Wrestlemania XXVII, Rhodes, with the help of assistants, would hand out paper bags to the audience during his promos. Rhodes demanded the audience to put on the paper bags on their heads to cover their ugliness and imperfections, because they offended him. Rhodes also put paper bags over several of his opponents' heads after matches with them.

Intercontinental Champion (2011-present)

Rhodes reformed his alliance with Ted DiBiase on the May 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', and the duo went on to feud with Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan. At the second annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Rhodes participated in a Money in the Bank ladder match to earn a guaranteed World Heavyweight Championship match, but was unsuccessful as his rival Daniel Bryan won the match.

At the August 9 tapings of the August 12 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rhodes defeated Ezekiel Jackson to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship, his first singles title with the company. He made his first title defense the following week on ''SmackDown'', by defeating Jackson in a rematch. That same night, Rhodes and DiBiase had a verbal confrontation with Orton. The following week, DiBiase lost to Orton in a singles match, and Rhodes attacked him, ending their alliance and resulting in a Intercontinental Championship match at Night of Champions which Rhodes won.

Simultaneously, Rhodes had begun a feud with Orton, with Orton defeating Rhodes on the September 9 episode of ''SmackDown'', but Rhodes defeated Orton on the September 12 episode of ''Raw'' with the help of Mark Henry's distraction of Orton. On the September 23 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rhodes defeated Orton by disqualification when Orton took Rhodes' mask off and hit him with it. Post-match, Orton attacked Rhodes with the timekeeper's bell, legitimately cutting Rhodes and causing bleeding. The footage was highly edited for some broadcasts. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Rhodes claimed he needed nine staples to close the wound.

At the same time as his feud with Orton, Rhodes was successfully defending his Intercontinental Championship, including in a 10-man battle royal and against Sheamus in a singles match. At the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 2, Rhodes debuted a new white design for the Intercontinental Championship, similar to the classic 1980s design, before successfully defending it against John Morrison. Throughout October, Rhodes continued feuding with Orton, costing him the World Heavyweight Championship and attacking him. At Vengeance, Rhodes was defeated by Orton in a non-title match. On the November 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', Orton defeated Rhodes in a Street Fight to end the feud; in the process, Orton broke Rhodes' mask during the bout.

On the November 14 episode of ''Raw'', Rhodes reappeared without his mask, claiming that Orton had set him free, signaling the end of the masked gimmick. Rhodes was a member of Team Barrett for a traditional Survivor Series match at Survivor Series, in which he and Wade Barrett were the only two survivors and won the match. Rhodes then feuded with ''SmackDown'' commentator Booker T, attacking him from behind on several occasions, and successfully retaining the Intercontinental Championship against him at Tables, Ladders & Chairs and on the January 6, 2012, episode of ''SmackDown''. In the 2012 Royal Rumble match, Rhodes lasted over 40 minutes, and eliminated more wrestlers than other any other competitor with six, before he was eliminated by Big Show. At Elimination Chamber Rhodes pinned Show in the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match, before being eliminated by Santino Marella. Rhodes spent the following weeks highlighting Show's embarrassing moments in previous WrestleManias, often costing Show to lose matches in the process. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Rhodes lost the Intercontinental Championship to Big Show, ending his near eight month reign of 236 days.

Other media

In July 2009, Rhodes became one of the faces of the Gillette "Be a Superstar" advertising campaign, along with Chris Jericho and John Cena. "Be a Superstar" was a four-month long interactive campaign, which featured the wrestlers in numerous videos promoting Gillette Fusion products. In August 2009, Rhodes, along with DiBiase, The Big Show and The Great Khali appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien''. On May 26, 2010 it was announced that Rhodes would be guest starring in an episode of ''Warehouse 13'' as "Kurt Smoller", a love interest of character Myka Bering. The episode aired in August 2010.

Personal life

Runnels is the son of Dusty Rhodes as well as the half-brother of fellow WWE superstar Dustin Rhodes, who is better known by his ring name "Goldust". He also has a sister, Kristin Ditto, who is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. On March 31, 2007, alongside Dustin, he inducted their father into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is also the nephew of professional wrestlers, Jerry Sags and Fred Ottman, and the godson of Magnum T.A.].

His boots featured a Triforce symbol from the ''The Legend of Zelda'' series of video games of which he is a fan; he has stated he replays ''A Link to the Past'' yearly. Runnels is also a comic book fan and has worn wrestling gear inspired by Archangel, a character from X-Men. He cites Omega Red and Cyclops as his favorite fictional characters, along with the Inhumans.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Cross Rhodes'' (Rolling cutter)  – 2009–present

''The Silver Spoon DDT'' (Flowing DDT)  – 2007–2009

Signature moves

''Beautiful Disaster'' / ''Disaster Kick'' (Sometimes used as Finisher (Springboard kick)

Bulldog, sometimes from the second rope

Crossbody, sometimes from the top rope

Double leg slam  – adopted from Hardcore Holly

Dropkick

Dropping down and uppercutting the opponent, as a back body drop counter  – adopted from his brother

Inverted suplex slam

Kick to the midsection of an opponent holding onto the ropes and in a wheelbarrow hold  – adopted from Hardcore Holly

Knee drop

Moonsault

Russian legsweep

Wheelbarrow suplex

Managers

Cherry

Nicknames

"Dashing" Cody Rhodes

Entrance themes

"Out To Kill" by Billy Lincoln (July 2007–June 2008; March 2010–July 2010)

"Priceless" by Jim Johnston (June 2008–January 2009)

"Priceless (remix)" by Jim Johnston (January 2009–May 2009)

"It's a New Day" by Adelitas Way (June 2009–March 2010)

"Smoke & Mirrors" by TV/TV (July 2010–January 2011)

"Smoke & Mirrors" by Jim Johnston (November 2011 – Present)

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

Georgia State Tournament

Sixth at weight class (2002)

Champion at weight class (2003)

Champion at weight class (2004)

Professional wrestling

Ohio Valley Wrestling

OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Shawn Spears

OVW Television Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2008)

PWI ranked him #35 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Hardcore Holly (1) and Ted DiBiase (2)

WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)

WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Drew McIntyre

Slammy Award for Outstanding Achievement of Baby Oil Application (2010)

References

External links

WWE profile

WWE Kids profile

Slam! Sports bio

Online World Of Wrestling profile

Category:1985 births Category:American professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:People from Marietta, Georgia

ar:كودي رودز ca:Cody Rhodes cs:Cody Rhodes da:Cody Rhodes de:Cody Rhodes es:Cody Runnels fr:Cody Rhodes ko:코디 로즈 it:Cody Runnels nl:Cody Rhodes ja:コーディ・ローデス no:Cody Rhodes pl:Cody Rhodes pt:Cody Rhodes ro:Cody Rhodes ru:Коди Роудс simple:Cody Rhodes sk:Cody Rhodes fi:Cody Rhodes sv:Cody Rhodes th:โคดี้ โรดส์ tr:Cody Rhodes vi:Cody Rhodes

Name	Justin Gabriel
Names	Justin AngelJustin GabrielPaul LloydPaul Lloyd, Jr.PJ Black
Height
Weight
Birth date	March 03, 1981
Birth place	Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa
Billed	Cape Town, South Africa
Trainer	Paul Lloyd, Sr.Steve DebbesAlex ShaneMark SloanFlorida Championship Wrestling
Debut	1997
Website	}}

Paul Lloyd, Jr. (born March 3, 1981) is a second-generation South African professional wrestler. He is signed with WWE, and performs on the SmackDown brand under the name Justin Gabriel. He was a contestant in the first season of ''WWE NXT'', where he finished third, before joining The Nexus stable on ''Raw''. He has held the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Heath Slater on three occasions. He is also a former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Lloyd made his professional wrestling debut at the age of 16 and was originally trained by his father Paul Lloyd, Sr., a promoter and wrestler in South Africa who also went by the ring name "The Pink Panther". His grandfather was a professional boxer and amateur wrestler. Lloyd grew up watching his father wrestle and in the early part of his training he used to practice in the backyard of his home, which had two rings positioned. Lloyd went by the ring name ''PJ Black''. He formed a regular tag team with Ray Leppan (who went by the name Presley Jackson, now known as Dameon Duke) called Pure Juice. During Lloyd's final year in high school his father died and a year later he moved to the United Kingdom for five years.

United Kingdom and South Africa (2000–2008)

Lloyd spent five years in the United Kingdom, where he trained with the FWA Academy as well as acquiring diplomas in Graphic Web Design, Personal Training, Sports Nutrition and Body Massage. He was trained by Alex Shane and Mark Sloan. In 2003 he made his FWA debut. He also made an appearance in International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom.

In 2006, he returned to South Africa and wrestled for World Wrestling Professionals (WWP), which is nationally televised on SABC 2 in South Africa and Colours TV in India with the shows ''WWP Thunderstrike'' and ''100% De Dhana Dhan'', respectively. His most notable feuds during his tenure in WWP were against Tornado, Dameon Duke, Mikey Whiplash and Joe E. Legend. On November 1, 2007, Black became the promotion's inaugural World Cruiserweight Champion, by defeating The Playa in a match to determine the inaugural champion. After holding the championship for 13 days, he lost it to The Lizard on November 14. He then declared his intentions to compete in WWP's heavyweight division.

Lloyd challenged unsuccessfully for the WWP World Heavyweight Championship against Joe E Legend on a ''WWP Thunderstrike'' episode that aired on January 10, 2009. During the match he suffered minor burns to the face after a fireball spot did not go as originally planned and he had to be treated at a local hospital. His final match in South Africa took place on November 8, 2008 at WWP's bi-annual Carnival City Casino show, where he was defeated by Terri Middoux in front of a record attendance.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2008–present)

Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2010)

In 2008, Lloyd signed a three-year developmental deal with WWE, becoming the first South African person to do so. He was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory, where he made his debut under his real name on February 5, in a loss to Kawal. His first win in FCW came the following week, when he teamed with Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta to defeat Tyler Reks, Johnny Curtis, and DJ Gabriel in a six-man tag team match. The following month, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Angel'. He went on to wrestle against DH Smith, Barreta, Yoshitatsu, and Lance Hoyt over the next few months. In June, he formed a tag team with Kris Logan, with the pair defeating DJ Bariel and Vic Adams in their debut match as a team. They quickly began to feud with The Dudebusters of Barreta and Croft, losing to them in several championship matches over the next month. At the July 23, 2009 tapings of FCW's television show, Angel and Logan defeated Barreta and Croft to become the Florida Tag Team Champions. They lost the championship on the same night to The Rotundos (Bo and Duke).

Following the loss of the championship, Angel and Logan dissolved as a tag team, with Angel returning to singles competition. He went on a winning streak throughout August, defeating Alex Riley, Vance Archer, and Sheamus. Angel won the Florida Heavyweight Championship from Heath Slater in a two out of three falls match at the September 24, 2009 television tapings. He successfully defended the championship against Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, Slater, and Curt Hawkins throughout late 2009. In February 2010, he changed his ring name to 'Justin Gabriel' to conincide with his appearances on ''NXT''. Further successful championship defenses occurred in early 2010, against competitors including Hawkins, Barreta, and Kaval. After a near six-month reign, Gabriel lost the championship at the March 18 television tapings, when Alex Riley won a three-way match, which also included Wade Barrett. Gabriel lost a rematch to Riley on March 31 and again on May 20. In May, he started a feud with fellow South African Leo Kruger over who was the better wrestler. On June 10, Gabriel beat Kruger, but Kruger reversed the result in a rematch at the July 1 television tapings, which was Gabriel's final appearance in FCW.

''NXT'' (2010)

On February 16, 2010, it was announced that Angel was going to be competing on the first season of ''WWE NXT'', under the name Justin Gabriel, with Matt Hardy as his storyline mentor. He made his in-ring debut on the March 2 episode of ''NXT'' in a tag team match with his mentor Hardy, against the team of William Regal and Skip Sheffield. Gabriel and Hardy won the match when Gabriel pinned Regal, making him the first rookie to pin a pro on the show. He went on to defeat Wade Barrett the following week, before suffering his first defeat on the March 16 episode of ''NXT'', when he and Hardy were defeated by CM Punk and Darren Young. On March 30, in the first Pros Poll, Gabriel was ranked third behind Daniel Bryan (first) and Wade Barrett (second). Before the first elimination, Gabriel won the Rookie Challenge earning immunity from elimination in the following Pros Poll. In that Poll, Gabriel remained in third place behind Wade Barrett (who was moved to first) and David Otunga (second). In the season finale on the June 1 episode of ''NXT'', Gabriel was the first eliminated, finishing in third place overall in the competition.

The Nexus and Corre; Teaming with Heath Slater (2010–2011)

On the June 7 episode of ''Raw'', Gabriel and the other season one ''NXT'' rookies turned heel by interfering in the main event match between John Cena and CM Punk, attacking both competitors, the announcing team and Justin Roberts, the ring announcer, before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment. On the June 14 episode of ''Raw'' the rookies (excluding Daniel Bryan who had been released) attacked General Manager Bret Hart, when he refused to give them contracts. At the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view, the seven rookies interfered in the WWE Championship match, as a result costing Cena the championship. The following week on ''Raw'', Vince McMahon fired Hart and announced the hiring of a new General Manager, who had signed the seven season one ''NXT'' rookies to contracts. The following week, the group was named The Nexus. On the July 12 episode of ''Raw'', The Nexus competed in their first match together, without Darren Young, a six–on–one handicap match against John Cena, which they won when Gabriel pinned Cena. The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at SummerSlam. Gabriel was one of the final two Nexus members in the match, but Cena's team won when Cena eliminated Gabriel and then Barrett to win the match.

In October 2010, Cena was forced to join The Nexus as a result of losing to Barrett at Hell in a Cell, and at the following pay-per-view, Cena and Otunga won the WWE Tag Team Championship. On the October 25 episode of ''Raw'', Barrett made a tag team match, with Gabriel and Heath Slater facing Otunga and Cena for the championship. Gabriel and Slater won when Barrett ordered Otunga to allow Slater to pin him, becoming the new Tag Team Champions. Gabriel and Slater held the championship for nearly two months, before losing it to Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov in a four-way elimination match also involving The Usos and Mark Henry and Yoshi Tatsu on the December 6 episode of ''Raw''. Gabriel and Slater received a rematch for the championship at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view on December 19, but lost by disqualification when Nexus member Michael McGillicutty interfered.

On the January 10, 2011, episode of ''Raw'' Gabriel and Slater refused to take part in new Nexus leader CM Punk's initiation and walked away from the group.

The following day, at the tapings of the January 14 eisode of ''SmackDown'', Gabriel and Slater helped their former leader Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson attack Big Show. The following week, Gabriel, Slater, Barrett, and Jackson announced they had formed The Corre, and later that night Gabriel defeated World Heavyweight Champion Edge in a non-title match, following interference from the other members of The Corre. After winning a non-title match against the champions Kozlov and Marella on the February 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', Gabriel and Slater received a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship two weeks later, but lost via disqualification when the other members of The Corre interfered. They received a rematch at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 20 and defeated Marella and Kozlov to win the WWE Tag Team Championship for the second time. The following night on ''Raw'', Gabriel and Slater lost the championship to John Cena and The Miz, but won the championship back minutes later after Barrett invoked The Corre's rematch clause, and The Miz turned on Cena. During this time, The Corre had continued to feud with The Big Show, and at WrestleMania XXVII in April the team of The Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella, and Kofi Kingston defeated The Corre. At the April 19 taping of ''SmackDown'', the duo of Gabriel and Slater lost the Tag Team Championship to the team of Kane and The Big Show. In a backstage segment following the match, Gabriel was attacked by Slater, who thought Gabriel blamed him for their loss. On the May 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Gabriel, Barrett, and Slater attacked Jackson, removing him from the group. On the June 10th edition of SmackDown, when Barrett walked out on Gabriel and Slater in a 6-man tag team match against Jackson and The Usos, Gabriel and Slater told Barrett later backstage that The Corre was over.

They would start a feud with The Usos. On the June 17th edition of SmackDown, Gabriel and Slater, with new music, were defeated by The Usos, later defeating them in a rematch on the June 24th edition. The next day he together with Slater were announced for the Smackdown Money in the Bank match in Chicago, Illinois. They were again defeated by The Usos on the July 8th edition, having a visible disagreement and argument in the ring following the match.

Face turn and singles competition (2011–Present)

The following week, Slater accused Gabriel of dropping the ball, thus ending the their team and Gabriel turning face. Gabriel ended up winning the match against Slater. At Money in the Bank, he participated in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful. The match was won by Daniel Bryan. Gabriel cemented his face status on the July 21, 2011 episode of WWE Superstars, when he faced Tyson Kidd in a one on one match in a winning effort after performing a 450° splash on Kidd, despite his (Kidd's) super hurricanrana.

Personal life

Lloyd has competed in numerous modeling contests as well. He placed first in the Male Fitness Model Search held by FAME SA, sixth in the 2008 Mr Body Classic contest held by Mr & Ms Body Beautiful SA, eighth in the 2007 Men's Model Search held by Mr & Ms Fitness SA, and reached the top five in the Mr Physique Division in the 2008 Men's Model Search.

LLoyd has been in a relationship with WWE Diva Kelly Kelly since 2010.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

450° splash

Signature moves

Arm drag

Hurricanrana

Koji clutch

*Multiple kick variations

*Back

*Baseball slide

*Enzuigiri

*Legsweep

*Reverse roundhouse

*Spinning heel

*Super

Discus elbow

Slingshot somersault senton

Spin-out powerbomb

Springboard crossbody

Springboard moonsault

STO

Nicknames

"The South African Sensation"

Entrance themes

"We Are One" by 12 Stones (June 7, 2010–January 10, 2011; Used as a part of Nexus)

"End of Days" (Various versions) (January 14, 2011–June 10, 2011; Used as a part of Corre)

"Black or White" by Bleeding In Stereo (June 24, 2011–July 8, 2011; Used while teaming with Heath Slater)

"All About the Power" by Jim Johnston (July 15, 2011 - July 21, 2011)

"The Rising" by Jim Johnston (July 29, 2011 - Present)

Championships and accomplishments

'''Florida Championship Wrestling

FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kris Logan

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Feud of the Year (2010) –

PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010) –

PWI ranked him #61 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011

World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Heath Slater

Slammy Award for Shocker of the Year (2010) –

World Wrestling Professionals

WWP World Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

References

External links

WWE profile

Facebook

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:People from Cape Town Category:South African professional wrestlers

ar:جستين غابرييل ca:Paul Lloyd da:Paul Lloyd, Jr. de:Justin Gabriel es:Paul Lloyd, Jr. fr:Justin Gabriel ko:저스틴 가브리엘 it:Justin Angel nl:Paul Lloyd Jr. ja:ポール・ロイド・ジュニア no:Paul Lloyd jr. pl:Justin Gabriel pt:Justin Gabriel ru:Джастин Гэбриел simple:Justin Gabriel fi:Justin Gabriel th:จัสติน เกเบรียล

Name	Dustin Rhodes
Names	Black ReignDustin RhodesDusty Rhodes, Jr.GoldustGold DustinSevenThe Artist Formerly Known as Goldust
Height
Weight
Birth date	April 11, 1969
Birth place	Austin, Texas
Billed	Hollywood, California
Trainer	Dusty RhodesSkandor Akbar
Debut	September 13, 1988 }}

Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with the WWE under the ring name Goldust. He has also performed for World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Dustin Rhodes, Black Reign and Seven. Runnels is the son of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and is the half-brother of Cody Rhodes.

During his career, Rhodes has won several championships. In World Championship Wrestling, he was a two-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time World Six-Man Tag Team Champion and a two-time World Tag Team Champion. In World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment, he is a three-time Intercontinental Champion, a nine-time Hardcore Champion, and a one-time World Tag Team Champion.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Federation (1990–1991)

Rhodes debuted as a fan favorite in the World Wrestling Federation in late 1990, wrestling as Dustin Rhodes. In December 1990, Rhodes defeated Ted DiBiase in a televised ten-minute challenge match. On January 19, 1991 at the Royal Rumble, Rhodes and his father Dusty lost to Ted DiBiase and Virgil in a tag team bout, and left immediately after.

World Championship Wrestling (1991–1995)

In February 1991, Rhodes joined World Championship Wrestling, wrestling as "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes. He feuded with Larry Zbyszko until April 1991, when he refused to join Alexandra York's York Foundation, thus beginning a feud with Foundation member Terrence Taylor.

In October 1992, Rhodes and Barry Windham won the World Tag Team Championship. One month later, Windham turned on Rhodes, beginning a feud. In January 1993, Rhodes won the United States Heavyweight Championship. In the same month, he began a lengthy feud with Rick Rude that lasted until August. Rhodes lost the title to "Stunning" Steve Austin in December 1993.

In March 1994, Rhodes started feuding with Bunkhouse Buck and Col. Robert Parker. After Parker introduced Arn Anderson and Terry Funk as adversaries for Runnels, Runnels responded by bringing his father, a former enemy of Funk, back into the ring to team with him again against Parker's Stud Stable. In December 1994, Parker introduced another opponent for Rhodes, The Blacktop Bully. In March 1995, Rhodes and The Blacktop Bully both bladed during a King of the Road match at the 1995 Uncensored pay-per-view after being instructed to by one another, which was against corporate policy at the time in WCW. They were subsequently fired as a result.

Return to the WWF (1995–1999)

In September 1995, Rhodes returned to the World Wrestling Federation, wrestling as a heel nicknamed "the bizarre one" because of his somewhat spooky, very suggestive mannerisms and presence under the name Goldust. He deliberately attempted to creep out his opponents through lewd and flirtatious mind games. The character is portrayed as being obsessed with films and the color gold, as a pun of the Oscars Statuette. As Goldust, Runnels wrestled and won his debut match on October 22, 1995 against Marty Jannetty at the In Your House 4 pay-per-view. Runnels wrestled first in a gold and white and later a black and gold colored jumpsuit while wearing black and gold face paint and a platinum blonde wig over his short platinum blonde hair, with his appearance modeled after an Academy Award. While competing in matches, Goldust utilized such tactics as groping his opponents and expressing affection towards them in the midst of his onslaught.

Goldust initially feuded with Razor Ramon, whom he stalked and sent messages to throughout late 1995. The feud culminated at the Royal Rumble on January 21, 1996, where Goldust defeated Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship due to interference from the 1-2-3 Kid. This match also marked the debut of his valet, Marlena, portrayed by his then-wife Terri. With a seductively nonchalant character, Marlena sat at ringside in a director's chair, advising Goldust while smoking a cigar. A rematch between Goldust and Ramon at WrestleMania XII was canceled after Ramon was suspended, with Goldust instead wrestling and losing to Roddy Piper in a non-title "Hollywood Backlot Brawl".

Goldust defended his Intercontinental Championship in bouts against Savio Vega and The Ultimate Warrior before losing to Ahmed Johnson at King of the Ring on June 23, 1996. In August 1996, Goldust briefly gained control over Mankind and feuded with The Undertaker. His attention soon turned to Marc Mero and his then wife Sable. Goldust and Marlena attempted to get Sable to join their team, but Mero won the feud and kept her by his side.

In May 1997, Goldust revealed his identity as Dustin Runnels, the son of Dusty Rhodes. In the summer and fall of that year, he joined other wrestlers in their conflict with The Hart Foundation, feuding in particular with Brian Pillman, to who he lost the services of Marlena for thirty days. Just before the thirty days were up, Pillman died hours before Badd Blood of heart disease on October 5, 1997. In November 1997, Goldust split with Marlena and refused to cooperate with his Survivor Series teammates, which once again turned him into a heel. This led to a feud with Vader and the appearance of The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust (a reference to Prince), managed by Luna Vachon. He began mimicking celebrities and fellow wrestlers with characters such as "Chynadust", "Dust Lovedust", "Dustydust", "Hunterdust", "Flashdust", "Marilyn Mansondust", "Sabledust", and "Vaderdust".

In May 1998, Rhodes declared the end of Goldust and burned his jumpsuit on television, thereby splitting with Luna and eventually getting involved with Terri Runnels once again. He feuded with Val Venis, who had been involved with Terri during their separation. Now going by his real name, Dustin Runnels began speaking out (mostly in taped vignettes) on the increasingly edgy WWF product and promoting alternatives to watching the show such as reading the Bible. These vignettes were sponsored by the fictional group, "Evangelists Against Television, Movies and Entertainment", the anagram for which reads "EATME" - a thinly veiled joke on the WWF's part. Runnels declared himself a born again Christian, alluding to "his" return, and walking through the crowd with signs reading "he's coming back!" While the return of Christ was clearly implied, Runnels was in fact referencing the return of the Goldust gimmick, which he reprised in October 1998 against Val Venis and then in November 1998, he began feuding with Jeff Jarrett over the attention of his manager, Debra.

In early 1999, Goldust feuded with Al Snow, upon stealing Head, Snow's mascot, and The Blue Meanie, who had recently renamed himself "Bluedust" and adopted many of Goldust's mannerisms. After Goldust defeated Meanie at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Meanie became Goldust's apprentice. After Ryan Shamrock became Goldust's valet, Meanie and Shamrock began vying for Goldust's attention. In the same time period, Goldust won the Intercontinental Championship again from Road Dogg and then lost it to The Godfather two weeks later.

Throughout 1999, vignettes featuring hidden-camera footage of wrestlers began airing on television. The vignettes were originally referred to as GDTV (Goldust Television), with the intention of eventually revealing Goldust as the person behind them, but were renamed GTV after Rhodes requested and was granted a release from his contract.

Return to WCW (1999–2001)

Rhodes returned to World Championship Wrestling in 1999, filming several vignettes for a fantastical, face-painted character named Seven. These vignettes contained ominous footage of Rhodes in full makeup standing outside of a child's bedroom window. The character was dropped after Turner Standards and Practices expressed concern that this gimmick could be misinterpreted as a child abductor. Upon returning to WCW television, Rhodes removed his costume and delivered a worked shoot in which he mocked unrealistic gimmicks as well as his time as Goldust in the WWF. After turning heel upon his return, Rhodes began wrestling as "The American Nightmare" Dustin Rhodes, with his nickname a reference to his father's nickname, "The American Dream".

Rhodes feuded with Jeff Jarrett before turning heel and feuding with Terry Funk. He was suspended in April 2000 due to an appearance on the ''WCW Live!'' Internet radio program in which he criticized WCW head writer Vince Russo, calling him a "sawed-off midget" and an "asshole". He returned to WCW television in January 2001, assisting his father in his feud with Jarrett and, eventually, Ric Flair. He wrestled on the very last WCW pay-per-view, WCW Greed on March 18, 2001. Exactly 10 years after the last time he teamed with his father on a pay-per-view, he and his father defeated Jeff Jarrett & Ric Flair in a tag team match.

In March 2001, WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation, with the WWF neglecting to acquire Rhodes' contract. In July 2001, Rhodes, while still under contract to AOL Time Warner, began wrestling for his father's newly created Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion, winning the promotion's Heavyweight Championship.

Return to WWF/E (2001–2003)

In December 2001, Rhodes accepted a buyout from his AOL Time Warner contract and was re-signed by the World Wrestling Federation to a 2-year deal. Promos immediately began airing on WWF television advertising the return of Goldust. On January 20, 2002, Rhodes officially returned by taking part in the Royal Rumble, reprising his Goldust character. Shortly after returning, promos began airing for a few weeks of Goldust saying that there was a certain wrestler whose "star was shining brighter" than he'd like. He eventually revealed the person he was talking about was Rob Van Dam by attacking him on Raw. Van Dam defeated him in a singles match at No Way Out 2002. After the loss, he moved on to the hardcore division, where he won the Hardcore Championship on seven occasions.

When the World Wrestling Federation was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment and the roster was divided into two brands, ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown!'', Goldust was assigned to the ''Raw'' brand, where he formed a tag team with Booker T. The duo engaged in numerous comedic vignettes, on one occasion hosting a segment titled ''Booker T and Goldust at the Movies'' and delivering reviews of ''The Scorpion King'', a film starring The Rock. In May 2002, Booker joined the nWo, with Goldust's request to join the faction rejected. In June 2002, Booker was ejected from the nWo by Shawn Michaels, sparking a feud between the nWo and Booker and Goldust. Booker and Goldust went on to compete in the tag team division, winning the World Tag Team Championship at Armageddon before being forced to split up on the February 3, 2003 edition of Raw by Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff for failing to win back the World Tag Team Titles.

Following the dissolution of the tag team, Rhodes developed a gimmick whereupon he contracted a stutter, as well as Tourette's-like symptoms (which continue to this day), upon receiving a shock from a Round Tube during an attack at the hands of Batista and Randy Orton. Rhodes appeared sporadically thereafter, forming a tag team with Lance Storm in August 2003. In fall 2003, Booker T. began receiving mysterious, haunting messages for a few weeks from somebody. The messages only said "I remember". It was rumored that the messages would be from Goldust, which would have began a feud between the two. Suddenly, the angle was never mentioned again on television and the company announced on their web site that they would not be renewing Rhodes' contract. WWE allowed his contract to expire in December 2003.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2005)

On February 4, 2004, he debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as "The Lone Star" Dustin Rhodes, unsuccessfully challenging Jeff Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. On February 18, Runnels and El Leon defeated Kevin Northcutt and Legend in a tag team bout.

In December 2004, he returned to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, once again wrestling as Dustin Rhodes. He feuded with Raven, Kid Kash, and Bobby Roode during his time there. His TNA contract expired in April 2005 and he chose not to renew it, leaving TNA.

Return to WWE (2005–2006)

Rhodes returned to World Wrestling Entertainment on October 31, 2005 repackaged as a heel and back under the Goldust attire, as Jonathan Coachman enlisted him and Vader to attack Batista. Goldust and Vader unsuccessfully interfered in a Street Fight between Batista and Coachman on behalf of Coachman at Taboo Tuesday. Following the event, Goldust once again disappeared from television.

In January 2006, Goldust took part in the Royal Rumble match and was assigned once again to the ''Raw'' brand until he was released from his WWE contract on June 14, 2006 for no-showing an appearance.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2007)

On January 28, 2007, it was announced that Rhodes would appear at the February 17, 2007 All Japan Pro Wrestling show in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. On February 15, Rhodes, identified as Gold Dustin, appeared at ringside during a match involving The Great Muta, resulting in a brawl between Rhodes and The Great Muta. On February 17, Rhodes and Jinsei Shinzaki were defeated by The Great Muta and Yoshihiro Tajiri in a tag team bout.

Return to TNA (2007–2008)

On July 15, 2007, Rhodes returned to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at Victory Road and aligned himself with Christian Cage by helping him defeat "Wildcat" Chris Harris. In an interview on ''TNA Impact!'' conducted by Mike Tenay, Rhodes discussed accusations of having a split personality and stated that he was going to embrace it and let it out. TNA presented the interview as being an emotional breakdown on the part of Rhodes. On August 12 at Hard Justice, Rhodes debuted his new ring name, Black Reign, and a "new, darker and bizarre look". At Hard Justice, Harris defeated Black Reign via DQ when Reign attacked several referees. The next week, the gimmick was explored even further, saying that Rhodes constantly switches between Rhodes and Reign. He was featured at Bound for Glory in a Monster's Ball match against Rhino, Abyss, and Raven, which he lost. Reign challenged Abyss to a "Shop of Horrors" match at Genesis and lost. At Genesis, Reign's new partner, Rellik (which is "Killer" spelled backwards), made his debut after attacking Abyss. At Turning Point, Black Reign and Rellik lost to Abyss and Raven in a Match of 10,000 Tacks. Originally, this match was signed to be Abyss and Rhino versus Rellik and Black Reign but, due to an injury, Rhino was replaced by Raven for this match.

On ''Impact!'', he helped Rellik beat up Kaz. Later the same night, he appeared for an interview, as Dustin Rhodes, without his Black Reign make-up and stated that his "alter ego" has been scaring him since when he was a little kid. His interview was interrupted by the furious Kaz. Reign and his partner Rellik then began feuding with Eric Young and his new superhero gimmick Super Eric. After three months of not showing up on television, Black Reign's profile was removed from the TNA roster page and he was released from his TNA contract. His Black Reign persona was voted the worst gimmick of 2007 by the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''.

Return to WWE (2008–Present)

Raw (2008–2009)

On October 26, 2008, Rhodes returned to the WWE and turned face on Cyber Sunday under his Goldust persona as part of the three choices (the other two being Roddy Piper and The Honky Tonk Man) that the fans could choose to face Santino Marella for the Intercontinental Championship. After Honky Tonk Man was chosen and won via disqualification, Goldust and Piper entered the ring and the three candidates fought Marella, afterwards celebrating together in the ring. The following night on ''Raw'', Goldust appeared again with Piper and the Honky Tonk Man as guest commentators for Marella's match with Charlie Haas. The match ended when Goldust and Piper distracted Marella so that Honky Tonk Man could smash his guitar over Marella's head.

Goldust appeared on the celebration of the 800th episode of Raw on November 3, 2008, dancing alongside his father Dusty Rhodes, Lilian Garcia and several other wrestlers. A noticeably slimmer and quicker Rhodes finally made a full time return on the ''Raw'' roster once again on the November 24, 2008 edition of ''Raw'', where he defeated Santino Marella. Goldust participated in the 2009 Royal Rumble match and stared down his real-life half-brother, Cody Rhodes, but was eliminated by him later. Goldust participated at WrestleMania XXV as a lumberjack during the tag team championship unification match between The Colóns and John Morrison and The Miz.

On May 25, episode of ''Raw'', Goldust teamed up with Hornswoggle in a tag team match, where they defeated Festus and The Brian Kendrick. Goldust then teamed with Hornswoggle on multiple occasions, mainly feuding with Kendrick, where they had many matches both on ''WWE Superstars'' and ''Raw''.

ECW and SmackDown (2009–2010)

The team of Goldust and Hornswoggle came to an end on June 29, 2009 when Goldust was traded to the ECW brand via a 15-man trade, marking the first time that Rhodes has been on another brand other than Raw. His debut match for the brand came on the July 14 episode of ''ECW'', in which he lost to Zack Ryder. In the upcoming weeks, he started a feud with Sheamus leading to his first televised singles win in several months on ''Superstars'' against Sheamus pinning him using an inside cradle. After several weeks of feuding, Sheamus defeated Goldust in a "No Disqualifications" match on the September 1st episode of ''ECW on SyFy'' to end the feud.

Following this loss, he garnered his first number one contender's match for the ECW Championship on the September 15, 2009 edition of ''ECW on SyFy'' in a 10-Man Battle Royal where he was the seventh participant eliminated and Zack Ryder earning the title shot in the end. The September 29, 2009 edition of ''ECW on Syfy'' saw Goldust win his first match on ECW in an 8-Man Tag-Team match where Yoshi Tatsu pinned William Regal to score the win for their team. Goldust debuted a new finishing maneuver called the "Golden Age" on the October 22, 2009, edition of ''WWE Superstars'', when he and Tommy Dreamer defeated Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson. On the November 10 edition of ''ECW on Syfy'', Goldust won his first televised singles match on the ECW brand by pinning Paul Burchill. Goldust participated in an "ECW Homecoming" Match on the December 22 edition of ''ECW on Syfy'' to determine who will get an opportunity to challenge Christian for the ECW Championship, but was defeated by Vance Archer.

In early January, he teamed with Yoshi Tatsu and began a feud with ECW newcomers Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft. The duos exchanged victories in singles and tag team competition until the feud came to an end on the February 9 episode of ''ECW'', when Goldust and Tatsu defeated Barreta and Croft in a match to determine the number one contenders to the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. However, Goldust and Tatsu failed in capturing the titles on the final episode of ''ECW on SyFy''. The team of Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu came to an end when Tatsu signed with the ''Raw'' brand after ''ECW on SyFy'' was cancelled.

On March 3, 2010, Goldust joined the ''SmackDown'' brand, making it the first time that Goldust had ever been officially on the ''SmackDown'' roster. He made his debut for the brand on the March 4 edition of ''WWE Superstars'' in a losing effort against Chris Jericho. The following week on ''Superstars'', he won his first match as a SmackDown star after defeating Mike Knox using his finishing move, the Final Cut, as well as beating William Regal also using the Final Cut soon afterwards. He appeared in a dark 26-man battle royal match at WrestleMania XXVI, but failed to win, although his past ally Yoshi Tatsu won.

Return to Raw, feud with Ted DiBiase and injury (2010 - present)

As part of the 2010 WWE Supplemental Draft, Goldust was drafted back to the Raw brand. On the May 3 episode of ''Raw'', Goldust made his re-debut for the brand in a backstage segment with the guest host for that week, Wayne Brady. In late September, a mysterious stalker was sending messages to Maryse and Ted DiBiase, but it was unsure who they were aimed at. On the October 4 episode of ''Raw'', Goldust was revealed as the mystery stalker, but the messages were not directed to Maryse, but at DiBiase's Million Dollar Championship, which he then took.

During the season 2 finale of ''NXT'' on August 31, 2010, it was announced that Goldust will take part in NXT's third season as a Pro with Aksana as his Rookie. On the October 12 edition of ''NXT'' Goldust proposed to Aksana, who was facing deportation from the country, so she could stay in America. On the October 18 edition of ''Raw'', DiBiase tried to reclaim his Million Dollar Championship after Goldust's match with Zack Ryder by attacking him, but he was unsuccessful in retrieving his belt. At Bragging Rights, DiBiase defeated Goldust, but Goldust still left with the title after Aksana distracted DiBiase long enough for Goldust to hit his finisher on him. Goldust and Aksana were married on the November 2 edition of ''NXT'' with father Dusty Rhodes and real-life half-brother "Dashing" Cody Rhodes in attendance. Immediately afterwards Aksana slapped Goldust and walked out on him. The following Monday on ''Raw'' Aksana stole the Million Dollar Championship belt during Goldust's match with Ted DiBiase. The following week on ''Raw'' Goldust managed to steal the Million Dollar Championship belt back from Aksana and then returned it to Ted DiBiase, Sr. and, on ''NXT'' he asked Aksana for a divorce after she was eliminated.

On December 7, it was reported that Runnels had suffered a shoulder injury. He underwent surgery to repair the injury on December 10 and as a result, was expected to be out of action for five to six months. On July 11, 2011 Goldust began working backstage as a producer at WWE events while recovering from his injury.

Acting career

On December 2, 2010 Goldust announced over Twitter his first acting role in the horror movie ''The Fire Witch''.

Personal life

Dustin's father is "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. His real life half-brother is Cody Rhodes, who also wrestles for WWE on its Smackdown brand. He also has a sister, Kristin Ditto, who is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

In 1993, Rhodes married Terri Runnels (née Boatright), whom he met while they were both working for WCW. They have a daughter, Dakota, who was born in 1994. Dustin's strained relationship with his father caused problems in their marriage, and Terri alleges that Dusty spread rumors about her that included infidelity and "gold-digging." The couple divorced in 1999 after six years of marriage. Years after the divorce, they were able to have a "better relationship" for the sake of their daughter.

Dustin married his second wife, Milena, on December 18, 2002. They had been dating for 18 months prior to the marriage.

On December 14, 2010, WWE released Rhodes' autobiography titled, "Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness". Dustin announced via Twitter that there will be a sequel to the book.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

*As Goldust

*''Curtain Call'' (Lifting falling inverted DDT)

*''Final Cut'' (Vertical suplex lifted and dropped into a snap swinging neckbreaker) — 2007–present

*''Shattered Dreams'' / ''Golden Globes'' (Running low blow to a rope hung opponent)

*As Dustin Rhodes

*''Lone Star State of Mind'' (Lifting falling inverted DDT) – TNA

*As Black Reign

*''Blackout'' (Kneeling facebuster) – 2007–2008

*''Schizophrenic'' (Vertical suplex lifted and dropped into a snap swinging neckbreaker) – 2007

Signature moves

Bionic elbow– Adopted from his father

Bulldog, sometimes from the second rope

Clothesline

DDT

''Director's Cut'' / ''Shock Treatment'' (Snap scoop powerslam pin)

Diving clothesline

''Good Night Sweet Charlotte'' (Sleeper hold)

Jumping hip attack to an onrushing opponent

Inverted atomic drop, often followed by a clothesline

''Oscar'' (Sitout rear mat slam)

Reverse STO

Running stunner – 2007

Sidewalk slam

Spinebuster

Spinning side slam

Throat thrust, as a back body drop counter

Managers

Marlena

*Luna Vachon

*Bluedust

Ryan Shamrock

*James Mitchell

Hornswoggle

*Skandor Akbar

Aksana

Nicknames

"The Natural" (WCW)

"The American Nightmare" (WCW) – Later used by Drew McIntyre in the WWE

"The Lonestar" (WCW / TCW/ TNA)

"The Prince of Perversion" (WWF/E)

"The Bizarre One" (WWF/E)

Entrance themes

"Dustin Runnels" by Jim Johnston (WWF; as Dustin Runnels)

"The Natural" by D. Conort, M. Seitz and J. Papa (WCW; as Dustin Rhodes)

"Golden" by Jim Johnston (WWF)

"Goldust" by Jim Johnston (WWF)

"Black Reign" by Dale Oliver (TNA)

"Gold-Lust" by Jim Johnston (WWF/E)

Championships and accomplishments

Championship Wrestling from Florida

NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mike Graham

'''Coastal Championship Wrestling

CCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1991)

PWI ranked him #11 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1996

Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling

TCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Championship Wrestling

*NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)- with Barry Windham

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Big Josh and Tom Zenk

WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ricky Steamboat (1) and Barry Windham (1)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Booker T

WWF Hardcore Championship (7 times)

WWF Intercontinental Championship (3 times)

*Million Dollar Championship (1 time)

Slammy Award for Best Couple (1997)

*Slammy Award for Frequent Tweeter (2010)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

5 Star Match (1992) with Nikita Koloff, Sting, Ricky Steamboat, and Barry Windham vs. Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, and Larry Zbyszko in a WarGames match at WrestleWar

Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1997)

Most Improved (1991)

Rookie of the Year (1989)

Worst Gimmick (1995) as Goldust

Worst Gimmick (1997) as The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust

Worst Gimmick (2007) as Black Reign

References

External links

WWE profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Cross Rhodes: Out of the Darkness Book Review

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American professional wrestlers Category:People from Austin, Texas

ar:غولدست ca:Goldust da:Dustin Rhodes de:Goldust es:Dustin Runnels fa:داستین رودز fr:Dustin Patrick Runnels ko:더스틴 로즈 it:Dustin Patrick Runnels he:וירג'יל ראנלס nl:Dustin Rhodes ja:ヴァージル・ラネルズ3世 no:Virgil Runnels III pl:Dustin Rhodes pt:Dustin Rhodes ru:Голдаст simple:Dustin Rhodes fi:Dustin Rhodes sv:Dustin Rhodes th:ดัสติน โรดส์