Dustin Rhodes: Out of the darkness

When Dustin Rhodes was mulling over the offer to headline New Year’s Chaos, the debut show of Top Rope Pro Wrestling, he quietly asked who else was going to be a part of the show.

Now we know why.

“If I get booked on a show, I want to make sure that that locker room is not full of a bunch of drunks and things like that. Because that’s not good for me,” said Rhodes, who lists getting clean and sober at the top of his list of career accomplishments after 25 years in the pro-wrestling business.

And that’s saying a lot, considering that Rhodes has been a champion in WWE and WCW and been a top-of-the-card performer for decades.

An early-career shoulder surgery led Rhodes down the path of self-medication and eventually substance abuse. In 2007, with the help of WWE, Rhodes went into rehab, and he is nearing the fifth anniversary of his new clean bill of health.

“These last four and a half years being clean and sober and being able to see clearly and go out and know that I don’t need other things to get me through a match has made all the difference in the world,” said Rhodes, who notices that he has “such a clean outlook on life being clean and sober.”

“I can’t ask for anything more than that, but one day at a time, to be able to keep doing what I’m doing and love to do, and doing it without any kind of drug or alcohol in my system,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes, as Goldust, will square off against Chris Mordetzky, fka Chris Masters, at New Year’s Chaos. The two have not worked a match against each other before, though they have been friends for years, dating back to their time in WWE.

“He’s very strong. He works that strongman style. Me being the veteran that I am for 25 years, it’s like riding a bike for me. I could miss it for two years and then get back in the ring and pick it up again. It’s steady, it’s fun, it’s my life. It’s in the blood,” Rhodes said.

“His strength and my mind games will tear up the house. We should have a pretty good night for the people there,” Rhodes said.

 

Details

• Cross Rhodes: Goldust Out of the Darkness, by Dustin Rhodes, chronicling his journey toward becoming clean and sober, is available online at www.dustinthodes.lockerdome.com.
• More information on New Year’s Chaos, including a link to purchase tickets for the show, is online at www.TopRopeProWrestling.com.