Dusty Rhodes

"The American Dream" defined blue-collar heroism across decades, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times alongside ten NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship reigns and a host of other regional gold. Behind the scenes, he wielded equal influence as a booker, constantly devising new stipulations and narrative arcs for other wrestlers to perform. He earned inductions into the WWE, WCW, NWA, and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame.

After departing WWF in 1991, Rhodes cycled through WCW, ECW, and TNA before running his own Georgia-based promotion, Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, from 2000 to 2003. He worked ROH and FIP independents in 2004, defeating Gangrel and making Northeast Wrestling appearances before his final major indie run concluded. He signed with WWE as a creative consultant in 2005 and became a trainer and producer in NXT, directly shaping a generation of talent before his passing on June 11, 2015.