A pro wrestler gifted with natural talent, Dustin Rhodes has captivated a five decades long legacy in the squared circle. Having worked for WWE, WCW, TNA, and AEW, Dustin is one of the most well respected veterans in this industry. The former Goldust has been on a roll, turning out amazing work ever since joining AEW last year. The eldest Rhodes brother has been influential to providing guidance to the future stars on Dynamite. One of Dustin’s proteges in AEW has been the exquisite Sonny Kiss. Dustin has been instrumental to training Sonny at the Nightmare Factory as one of AEW’s next breakout stars. The former XO Lishus has finally begun to appear regularly on AEW programming. It was earlier this year that Kiss began a tandem with the “Bad Boy” Joey Janela. Unofficially known as Bad Romance, Janela and Kiss have been a regular feature on AEW Dark. While the New Jersey natives have fared successfully on Dark, they lose constantly whenever they appear on Dynamite. AEW has still been using Janela as a singles competitor while Sonny mainly for tag matches, or simply to provide support at ringside. Since Kiss has been personally coached and developed by Rhodes, and with AEW wanting both Sonny and Dustin in tag teams, it would’ve made more sense for both to be in a tag team together.
Code Red
Currently, Dustin is in a tag team with QT Marshall as the Natural Nightmares. The duo, accompanied by Brandi Rhodes, has been claiming wins on AEW Dark on route to receiving an AEW World Tag Team title shot on the June 17th edition of Dynamite. At 51 years of age, putting Dustin Rhodes in a regular tag team is a smart idea. Dustin Rhodes has an underrated proven legacy as a tag team specialist. From his highly entertaining pairing with Booker T in 2003, to the Brotherhood in 2013 alongside his blood, Cody. The Rhodes Brothers were a phenomenal tag team, defeating The Shield and The Usos as WWE World Tag Team Champions. While this unfortunately led to the creation of Stardust, Dustin’s partnership gave Cody a more prominent platform in WWE before it all came crumbling down.
The Natural Nightmares afford Dustin the opportunity to work an easier schedule while performing with the new blood of AEW. However, the team originated out of nowhere when many fans expected, and hoped, for Dustin to begin teaming with Sonny Kiss. There is nothing wrong, per se, with QT. He is a well-respected trainer and friend of the Nightmare Family. The problem lies in the fact the QT is not the most exciting wrestler. Many fans want AEW to extend noteworthy time and attention to wrestlers such as: Kiss, Lucha Bros, Santana & Ortiz, and a notable number of competitors in the women’s division including champion Hikaru Shida. So it’s disheartening when the apple man is given more consistent character investment than any of the other wrestlers listed. Simply put, QT getting more focus than a number of future stars is egregious.
Kiss from a Rhodes
What can be said about “The Bizarre One” Goldust that hasn’t been told already? Dustin’s tenure as the black and gold painted character drew both ire and praise from the wrestling community. The character that was proposed by Vince McMahon as androgynous became a three-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, three time WWE World Tag Team Champion, and a nine-time WWE Hardcore Champion. While Dustin did not originally enjoy playing the black and gold face painted persona, it led to some genuinely captivating moments in WWE. Dustin Rhodes is an expert character wrestler who was willing to push the boundaries and take risks. Goldust was unique, completely different from anything else in WWE at the time, and that wealth of knowledge is perfect in AEW. The wrestler formerly known as Goldust mentoring Sonny Kiss in AEW is a beautiful story that represents a true passing of the torch.
The “Concrete Rose” is unlike anything seen in wrestling before. An athlete of effeminate qualities with strength, speed, grace, and elegance, Sonny is what wrestling needs right now. With pro wrestling regularly enforcing a stigma of hypermasculinity, it’s refreshing to see an athlete’s skill succeed with femininity and beauty. With AEW keen on placing Sonny in a tag team, many fans expected Kiss to tag with the eldest Rhodes brother. However, AEW put Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss together in a team that has done well. They are regularly successful on AEW Dark and show solid chemistry. The problem is that they are both currently used to put over other wrestlers rather than have their own storylines. If Sonny Kiss were to team with Dustin it would lead to the concrete rose gaining recognition in AEW that she would benefit from more than QT Marshall. Considering AEW are still interested in having Joey as a singles competitor anyway, then it would be best for Sonny to have a regular role rather than play backup.
Pairing Sonny and Dustin together would give them both a much-needed character arc. For Dustin, teaming with Sonny will allow him to give his wealth of experience to a new star. For Sonny, it will give her an opportunity to receive more attention from AEW creative and learn from one of the most adaptable people in wrestling. Dustin’s tag team expertise needs to be taught to the younger generation of wrestlers who will benefit from it more. Sonny has all the tools to succeed in this industry. With Dustin’s help, Sonny can regularly grow in the ring, on the mic, and learn how to explore his character more.
On AEW Dark last year, Dustin and Sonny teamed up to take on Peter Avalon and, ironically enough, QT Marshall. The fire of Kiss mixed with the experience of Dustin was a perfect combination that should’ve been more than a once-off. Considering AEW wants both Dustin Rhodes and Sonny Kiss in the stacked tag division, then it would’ve been best for them to team together. Dustin’s current partner, QT, is not needed on Dynamite, rather he is perfect for training future stars in AEW and wrestling on Dark. Sonny Kiss and Dustin Rhodes would be a fantastic tag team in an already stacked division. The Natural real-life chemistry between the two is a compelling story waiting to happen and would allow Sonny Kiss to blossom into the star that he is.
Stay tuned to Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW DARK Tuesday nights at 7 PM ET on YouTube.
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