Dustin Rhodes: ‘I’ve realized I’m a really good teacher’
Dustin Rhodes is proud of the work he’s doing to help the future of professional wrestling.
In addition to competing in the ring, the 55-year-old Rhodes is a mentor to talent in AEW and has his own training school in Texas. He told Texas Monthly that working with younger wrestlers and seeing them improve is the “greatest payoff.”
“I’ve realized I’m a really good teacher, and I’m proud of myself for that,” Rhodes said. “I love when I see these young kids, like in our women’s division, who work with me every single week. Before we’re even supposed to be at the building, they’re training with me. And when I see them go out and do something in a match that I taught them and it works, that’s the greatest payoff. To see them succeeding and getting better is truly amazing. It has nothing to do with money. This is me giving back to the business.”
Rhodes operates the Rhodes Wrestling Academy and the new Rhodes Wrestling Association indie promotion, which is holding its first show in Leander, Texas on Thursday, November 21.
“I always wanted a wrestling school, but there was just never time to do it,” Rhodes told Texas Monthly. “I’ve finally had time to open up and we’re about three years in business right now and pumping out really good students. I teach them a lot of things that other schools don’t teach.”
Currently, Rhodes is a double champion in ROH. He holds the ROH Tag Team titles with Sammy Guevara and the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles with Marshall & Ross Von Erich. In the Texas Monthly interview, Rhodes indicated that he’s not thinking about retiring from in-ring competition soon.
“I always think I can give a little bit more, because I’m still passionate,” he said. “Here I am, fifty-five years old, and I’m hanging with the kids and putting on some tremendous matches. I don’t think I’ve had a bad one since I’ve been in AEW, to be honest. It’s shocking to me that I’m still able to do it and that I’ve had a plethora of meaningful matches here in my fifties. Yes, my body is beat up, and I hurt, but I rehab all the time. I’m in the gym every single day, no matter what.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.