WWE has elected not to offer a new contract of Dustin Runnels, aka Goldust, after his current contract expires in mid-January of 2004.
Page 1 of 1
This is a bit disappointing, to say the least. Granted, the stuttering gimmick may not have worked out the way WWE wanted it to, but Golddust was getting SERIOUS face heat during his stint with Booker T.
On the bright side, at least NWA-TNA can pick up one veteran that doesn't suck.
"Alright, now I'd like to show you one of my favorite cartoons. It's a sad, depressing story about a pathetic coyote who spends every waking moment of his life in the futile pursuit of a sadistic roadrunner, who mocks him and laughs at him as he is repeatedly crushed and maimed. I hope you enjoy it!"
While I can somewhat see the WWE's logic in this(he wasn't ever going to go anywhere in their eyes), I have to wonder how much more could Dustin have done? He ran with every shitty gimmick they gave him and made them entertaining, he was consistently good in the ring, he helped get Booker super over while Booker was struggling, and so on. It's kinda odd that he was released considering the WWE usually keeps around guys who consistently try hard despite being given shit(see: Stevie Richards).
The fact that Test still remains employed really annoys me right now.
"No iniquity or cruelty can exceed our own if we pusillanimously ... surrender successive generations to a condition of wretchedness. Will you do in your life what will live forever?" - WARRIOR
Goldust is a gimmick that if used every couple of months out of the blue could give a momentary comedic spike to whatever angle he's injected into and perhaps stir some interest (which is a nice asset when an angle starts to go south). I guess he's not exactly vital to the success of the company, but it sure seems like there's a lot of dead weight that could stand to be carted off before they removed him from their payroll.
Too bad, because Goldust is an historic and entertaining character. Dustin Runnels is more boring than a bag of dirt.
(edited by Barbwire Mike on 21.11.03 1659) Lethalwrestling.com: If you don't read us, you're probably gay.
Of all the stupid decisions WWE could make, this, in my opinion, is one of the worst. Good God Almighty, at least Goldust shows some freakin' effort, which is far more than I can say for slugs like the Big Show. As I've said in previous columns I wrote for the Slash, Goldust is one of my favorite performers because they give hiim sows' ears and he consistently turns them into silk purses. Man, I wish I could get TNA come January. What really burns me is they put this on WWE.com. What was the point of that? Public humiliation?
"Also, don't incur the wrath of P.U. It can only lead to trouble." - Torchslasher
Originally posted by Parts UnknownOf all the stupid decisions WWE could make, this, in my opinion, is one of the worst. Good God Almighty, at least Goldust shows some freakin' effort, which is far more than I can say for slugs like the Big Show. As I've said in previous columns I wrote for the Slash, Goldust is one of my favorite performers because they give hiim sows' ears and he consistently turns them into silk purses. Man, I wish I could get TNA come January. What really burns me is they put this on WWE.com. What was the point of that? Public humiliation?
Hasn't Goldust had a lot of injury problems lately which is why he's barely been on TV? Maybe Dustin just can't go anymore.
Speaking of Dustin, a very young and fat Dustin Rhodes appears on the Ric Flair DVD in the segment where Ricky Steamboat is having a public workout to warm up for Flair.
Disappointing news fo' shizzle. He put alot of energy into the character, which was refreshing to see. I agree...this is sort of an "odd" update. I doubt we'll see him on TV for the duration.
This sucks, Goldy went out with every stupid gimmick WWE could think of and did it with style.
Good part is, if/when he goes TNA, how long before on a TNA PPV, Jeff Jarrett and The Red Shirt Security are beating up Dusty Rhodes only to have Dustin make the save?
It's like a koala bear crapped a rainbow in my brain!
I almost wonder if they're just using this as leverage to re-sign him at a lower price than he's asking... I can't remember the last time I've seen a statement like that from WWE.
Unfortunately, without being able to use the Goldust gimmick, Dustin is as bland as they come. Talented and charismatic, yes, but without a gimmick to use... I just have flashbacks of his days in WCW (either the stint where he wore the 8-ball leather jacket and beat everyone in the fed, or his one towards the end of the company; take your pick). Neither really worked.
It's too bad... because I think they had something there with Booker T that could have been drawn on again whenever they saw fit.
WHAT? The Stoned Cold Truth. WHAT? I said, The Stone Cold Truth! WHAT? I said.... ahhh, never mind. Instead, check out the latest Inside The Ropes!!!
------------------------------------------------------------ The official Inside The Ropes archive!!!
Could this be why they dropped the "I remember" thing with Booker from last week? I was hoping that it was Goldy coming back, but now I just hope that it doesn't suck so bad that it kills Booker T's WWE career once and for all.
This saddens me, I always enjoy Goldust, he's one of those superstars that no matter if he's getting pushed or not. No matter where you necessary place him. He always somehow makes an angle, segment or person around him seem entertaining.
His stuff with Booker was amazing, and at the time period (not including the women division) was the only thing that really grabbed my interest on Raw. And I think it really helped Booker got bigtime over until WM19 (until you know what happened). His potential with Storm was fine while it lasted. Just remember him coming in giving Storm "charisma" tips during Storm 10 Questions to Al Snow on confidential makes me smile or him throwing Storm in the women lockeroom, hell I'd much rather have Storm partnered with a fun character like Goldust then what Storm is doing now with Val(brutal)... Even if he's not involved with an angle, him just wandering to other peoples feuds. He somehow makes it funnier. Something as simple as his mini involvement with Victoria backstage setting up a mini 2-week feud on Heat involving him, Trish, Vic and Stevie just added a fun factor into that I enjoyed.
Goldust isn't' the best wrestler, and he doesn't have World title written on him. But with two 2-hour shows someone as entertaining as Goldust should have a spot. I like Goldust so much he brings something that is really lacking in the WWE right now. Uniqueness and character. WWE is filled with jacked up studs who think their the sh*t or juiced up dudes who are really intense. That's a huge chunk of your roster. Goldust is off the beaten path. He actually got over on his own without a fraction of what some of these guys get without the need of a mega-squash push or being told how he's the best everytime he's on screen. He got over because he was unique, he was interesting, fun and brought some levity to the show... He's also one of the few who do comedy well in wrestling on a consistent bases. Great stuff like the Croc Hunter & even his bad ones(Benjamin Franklin) it somehow didn't suck because Goldust was doing it.
But look at the bright side also from WWE.com In other contract-related news, Jim Ross, executive vice president for talent relations, told WWE.com that John Heidenreich and Matt Morgan have agreed to terms on long-term contracts... What a fantastic trade, Yup Matt Morgan, he's really unique and entertaining. Can't wait for to see his unique OVW Hoss Sitdown Powerbomb special on a weekly bases and him acting all intense. How Fuh-Fuh-fuhk-fuhkd-HOW FUN
-Why did they announce it publically on WWE.com? Where were they going to announce it? Goldust has been a fairly major character on TV over the past 2 years, he's not coming back. Here's a way to let people know, "Hey, he's not coming back."
-We don't know anything about the decision. It could be that he's been injured so many times that they're just going to take their losses. Could be that he had another flair up with Terri. Or he wants to go to TNA to have one more run with Dusty. Or they ran out of money in the face paint budget. Or whatever. Who knows.
Wisconsin Badgers: 7-4 (All right! It's a new weekend, and my teams are ready to come back and do well ag...)
Originally posted by Excalibur05Why did they announce it publically on WWE.com? Where were they going to announce it? Goldust has been a fairly major character on TV over the past 2 years, he's not coming back. Here's a way to let people know, "Hey, he's not coming back."
Yeah, but a lot of major characters have left before and they've never made an announcement like that, at least as far as I can remember.
Very weird that they make an announcement that someone isn't returning 2 months before their contract expires. Weird enough to make you think this is some sort of work. Now, if it is real, I have mixed feelings. Dustin is still in his mid 30's, and when used properly, is over with the crowd. However, if this is the beginning of moving completely forward and getting away from the late 90's characters, then Dustin leaving is the first necessary step of many to come.
Why Pro Wrestling proves the INS cannot keep terrorists out of the United States: If a felon like Nathan Jones is allowed into the United States with no special skills (unless being totally inept in the ring counts, but I think there are enough totally inept people in the US to keep that skill from being unique or special), then how the hell can they justify keeping anyone else out?
I seem to remember them announcing Chyna's departure in 2001 a few months ahead of time. (possibly just in the Ross Report) It said something to the effect of "not renewing her contract", similar to Runnels.
That being said, I'll miss his comedy bits. He was far more entertaining than Hurricane/Rosey or Big Dick Storm.
Well< Dustin's had several injuries over this short tenure, and as beloved as he is around here it's really hard to fit such a bizarre and unique character into a meaningful singles feud. I'll miss his comedy skits-that is unless this is just the fed's way of testing the waters to see if he's popular enough to hang on to...
Thread ahead: Building the ultimate wrestling DVD collection..where to start? Next thread: Flair/Windham - Will it finally get its due? Previous thread: Vote for the new Trish Stratus shirt on WWE.com
Take away the sick bumps and Mick Foley was a really good brawler and had a great wrestling mind. There's a reason his brawls are 100x better then most of the typical garbage type matches.