Goldust Biography

(American Professional Wrestler)

Birthday: April 11, 1969 (Aries)

Born In: Austin, Texas, United States

Dustin Patrick Runnels, famously known as “Goldust,” is an American professional wrestler who currently competes on the ‘World Wrestling Entertainment’ (WWE) show ‘Monday Night Raw.’ Runnels made his ‘WWE’ (then ‘World Wrestling Federation,’ or ‘WWF’) debut against Paul Diamond in 1990. He is currently the longest-serving ‘WWE’ performer, with more than 27 years of experience in wrestling and promoting the business. He wrestled his way through the ‘Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’ (TNA) and the ‘World Wrestling Championship’ (WCW) to compete in ‘WWE.’ As a wrestler, Goldust has won 20 championships, including the ‘WCW United States Heavyweight Championship’, the ‘WCW World Tag Team Championship,’ the ‘WWE Intercontinental Championship’, the ‘WWE World Tag Team Championship,’ and the ‘WWE Hardcore Championship.’ His flamboyant persona with the signature golden-yellow paint on his face has made Goldust quite popular in the ‘WWE’ universe. He has wrestled using various nicknames, such as “Black Reign,” “Dustin Rhodes,” “Dustin Runnels,” and “Gold Dustin.” He has also mimicked celebrities and wrestler characters such as “Chynadust,” “Dust Lovedust,” “Dustydust,” “Hunterdust,” “Sabledust,” and “Vaderdust” in the past. On April 2, 2018, in an episode of ‘Raw,’ Goldust announced his upcoming appearance in the ‘Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Match’ at ‘WrestleMania 34’. However, he lost to “Woken” Matt Hardy the same night.

13
Quick Facts

Also Known As: Dustin Patrick Runnels

Age: 55 Years, 55 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Milena Martelloni (m. 2002; div. 2003), Ta-rel Roche (m. 2012), Terri Runnels (m. 1993; div. 1999)

father: Dusty Rhodes

Born Country: United States

WWE Wrestlers American Men

Height: 6'6" (198 cm), 6'6" Males

City: Austin, Texas

U.S. State: Texas

  • 1

    What is Goldust's finishing move?

    Goldust's finishing move is the Final Cut, which is a swinging reverse STO.
  • 2

    Which WWE event did Goldust make his debut at?

    Goldust made his debut at WWE's In Your House 4: Great White North event in 1995.
  • 3

    Who did Goldust defeat to win his first WWE Intercontinental Championship?

    Goldust defeated Razor Ramon to win his first WWE Intercontinental Championship.
  • 4

    What famous tag team did Goldust form with Booker T in WWE?

    Goldust formed a tag team with Booker T known as "BookDust."
  • 5

    How many times has Goldust held the WWE Hardcore Championship?

    Goldust has held the WWE Hardcore Championship three times during his career.
Childhood & Early Life
Dustin Patrick Runnels was born on April 11, 1969, in Austin, Texas. His father was Virgil Runnels, famously known as “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes in ‘WWE.’
His father died in 2015, a few years after being inducted into the ‘WWE Hall of Fame.’ His half-brother, Cody Rhodes, is also a ‘WWE’ wrestler and is now known as “The American Nightmare” in the ‘Ring of Honor.’
He has a sister named Kristin Runnels Ditto who is a former ‘Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.’
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Early Career
Goldust made his wrestling debut on September 13, 1988, in a match for the ‘Championship Wrestling from Florida’ (CWF), based in Tampa. He defeated Bob Cook in his debut match and won the ‘Florida Heavyweight Championship’ on May 23, 1989.
In December 1988, he started wrestling as “Dustin Rhodes” for ‘WCW.’ He defeated Trent Knight in his first single match before he moved on to ‘All Japan Pro Wrestling’ (AJPW).
He appeared in ‘AJPW’ as ‘Dusty Rhodes Jr.’ in March 1989 before moving on to the ‘United States Wrestling Association’ (USWA) in mid-1989.
In late 1990, he made his ‘WWF’ debut as “Dustin Rhodes” and teamed up with his father at the 1991 ‘Royal Rumble.’ They lost to Ted DiBiase and Virgil in the match.
Career
He joined ‘WCW’ in February 1991 as “The Natural Dusty Rhodes” and competed with Larry Zbyzsko and Terrence Taylor. He also won the ‘WCW World Tag Team Championship’ with his tag-team partner Barry Windham on ‘WCW Saturday Night’ after defeating Steve Williams and Terry Gordy.
They lost the championship to Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas at the 18th ‘Clash of Champions.’ In January 1993, Goldust became the number one contender for the ‘WCW Heavyweight Championship’ and defeated his old partner Steamboat to win the ‘United States Heavyweight Championship.’
After successfully defending his title multiple times, he lost it to former champion Rick Rude. However, he won the title again on August 28, 1993, after defeating Rude.
He finally lost the title to Steve Austin at ‘Starrcade.’ He was fired from ‘WCW’ for going against their corporate policy in the 1995 pay-per-view event ‘Uncensored.’
He returned in 1999 as “Seven,” a character that was featured by ‘WCW’ as a face-painted person standing outside a child’s bedroom. The gimmick was soon canceled since “Seven” seemed like a child abductor. Following this, he began competing as “The American Nightmare” Dustin Rhodes.
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He feuded with Terry Funk, Vince Russo, Ric Flair, and others, before ‘WCW’ was purchased by ‘WWF’ in 2001.
He returned to ‘WWF’ in August 1995 as “Goldust,” a character who angered his opponents with his flirtatious comments and sexually charged affection toward them. He wore a golden jumpsuit, painted his face gold and black, and wore a platinum blonde wig on his head during his promos.
He gave an impression of a drag queen and often caressed his body while groping his opponent affectionately. He won his debut match against Marty Jannetty on October 22, 1995, at the ‘In Your House 4’ pay-per-view.
He also defeated “Bam Bam Bigelow” in the latter’s last match at the event ‘Survivor Series.’ He also won the ‘Intercontinental Championship’ after defeating Razor Ramon in 1996 but later lost the title to Ahmed Johnson at ‘King of the Ring.’
From 1997 to 1999, he feuded with Val Venis, Jeff Jarrett, Al Snow, The Blue Meanie, and The Hardy Boyz, as “Dustin Runnels,” before leaving the company in May 1999.
He returned as “Goldust” on January 20, 2002, at the ‘Royal Rumble’ and attacked Rob Van Dam on ‘Raw,’ turning heel, but was defeated by Rob at the event ‘No Way Out.’ He later won the ‘Hardcore Championship’ on nine occasions.
After ‘WWF’ was renamed ‘WWE,’ Goldust and Booker T’s partnership became a hit on ‘Raw.’ The duo won the ‘World Tag Team Championship’ at ‘Armageddon’ but later broke up. In December 2003, his contract expired.
From 2002 to 2008, he wrestled on independent circuits, too. He had stints with ‘TNA,’ ‘AJPW,’ and ‘One Pro Wrestling’ during this time.
He came back on ‘Raw’ in 2008 and teamed up with Hornswoggle, subsequently defeating The Brian Kendrick and Festus. However, he was traded to ‘ECW’. He competed with Zack Ryder, Sheamus, William Regal, and Yoshi Tatsu, before ‘Raw’ acquired him again in 2010.
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It was soon announced that Goldust would participate in the third season of ‘NXT’ with Aksana as his rookie. He ended up marrying Aksana, only to be slapped by her immediately after their marriage.
Aksana not only walked out on him but also stole the championship belt in a match the following Monday, while Goldust fought Ted DiBiase. The belt was later retrieved by Goldust. He divorced her afterward.
He returned to ‘WWE’ for the fifth time at the ‘Royal Rumble’ on January 27, 2013, and was eliminated by his half-brother, Cody Rhodes. He won his first ‘WWE’ title in 11 years after defeating ‘The Shield’ with Cody.
They defended the title many times, before losing it to The Miz and Damien Mizdow at the ‘Survivor Series.’ His half-brother, Cody, debuted as a new character, “Stardust,” with his appearance resembling that of Goldust.
In 2016, he formed an on-and-off tag team with R-Truth, and together, they were named ‘The Golden Truth.’ They won their first match at the ‘Money in the Bank’ pre-show, defeating Breezango.
Their team later had a feud which ended after Goldust defeated R-Truth on the July 10 episode of ‘Raw.’ In 2017, he competed with superstars such as Bray Wyatt, Finn Bálor, and John Cena and appeared at the ‘Royal Rumble,’ where he was eliminated by Dolph Ziggler.
On the April 2 episode of ‘Raw,’ he announced his upcoming appearance in the ‘Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Match’ at ‘WrestleMania 34.’ However, he was beaten by “Woken” Matt Hardy the same night.
Awards & Achievements
He has won wrestling titles such as the ‘ACW Heavyweight Championship,’ the ‘WCW United States Heavyweight Championship’ (twice) , the ‘WWF Intercontinental Championship’ (thrice), the ‘WWE Tag Team Championship’ (). He ranked 11 among the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ‘PWI 500’ in 1996.
His autobiography, ‘Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness,’ was published on December 14, 2010.
Personal Life
Goldust has a daughter named Dakota Avery, from his first marriage, with Terri Boatright. Terri and Goldust divorced on October 18, 1999, after six years of marriage. He then married an unknown woman. It was soon rumored that the woman in question was Milena Martelloni, whom he married on December 18, 2002. Milena and Goldust divorced in 2003.
Goldust is married to Ta-rel Marie Roche, his third wife, since June 22, 2012.
Facts About Goldust
Goldust, portrayed by Dustin Runnels, is known for his unique and eccentric character that captivated wrestling fans in the 1990s and beyond.
Despite his flamboyant persona, Goldust is a skilled wrestler with a successful career that includes multiple championship reigns in various promotions.
Goldust's iconic gold and black face paint has become synonymous with his character, adding an extra layer of mystique to his in-ring persona.
Outside of wrestling, Dustin Runnels is a talented artist who has created his own unique paintings and artworks, showcasing his creativity beyond the squared circle.
Goldust's character evolution over the years demonstrates his versatility as a performer, adapting to different storylines and personas while maintaining his signature flair.

See the events in life of Goldust in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Goldust Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/goldust-38881.php

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