The following are highlights from a recent Dusty Rhodes interview conducted by AP writer Daniel Gelston:
Rhodes on Randy Savage’s impact: “When you take a look at our society and every form of entertainment, every form of sports, there are people we call players. The Ochocincos, the Troy Aikman’s, the Derek Jeter’s, the guys like that. Randy was that type of guy. He was a charismatic guy. He studied, he was a student of the game. He lifted 24-7. When he was not around it, he was very reclusive. He gave me good light. I was glad I have fond memories of him.”
Rhodes on Savage in the ring: “He was a good dance, a good partner. If you made a mistake, he would let you know. He battled his way to where he was. When I came over from another company, my only WrestleMania was in Toronto in the SkyDome and it was a mixed tag match against ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. He was very focused. Even though he was younger than me, I learned a lot. I didn’t listen to a lot of people, but I listened to him. We had a good dance. He was a good dance partner.”
Rhodes on Savage staying away from wrestling: “I know he had some good investments. I know that for a fact. He had made a lot of money. He just wanted to kind of drift off. He was a recluse almost. Whatever he was doing, he wanted that privacy. Yeah, he was out of the picture for 10 years, but he didn’t want to be in the picture. He was his own guy.”
Rhodes on Savage as a person/wrestler: “As a person, I remember my youngest daughter, when she would go around the dressing room, he was just unbelievably, overwhelmingly nice. Almost (John) Cena-esque. He was a different guy outside of the ring. I remember the kindness and that side of him. We all have demons and devils, but the bottom line is, he was a star that took time for the regular people.”
