Dustin Rhodes Confirms Surgeries He Needs To Get

Dustin Rhodes made his in-ring debut in September 1988 and still performs sporadically today for AEW. However, at the age of 53, Rhodes has admitted to thinking about finishing up his in-ring career on the "Talk is Jericho" podcast. The former Goldust believes the business is in his blood, but revealed he would have to go under the knife if he wants to be as healthy as possible when he does eventually call it a day. 

"I look at Ric Flair, his supposed last match, I don't wanna do that," Rhodes told Chris Jericho. "So as long as I can get out of the business and still walk. Because I do need a couple of knee replacements, but that's fine, I'll get the knee replacements. I'll be fine. I'll be able to walk around. But I just remember getting in the business and seeing a couple of the old timers on walkers and in wheelchairs. I'm like, 'I don't wanna get to that point.'"

Rhodes' last match to date came on the August 26 episode of "AEW Rampage," where he unsuccessfully challenged Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Championship. Prior to this match, Rhodes had only competed in four other matches this year, including one-on-one matches against CM Punk, Lance Archer, and Sammy Guevara. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion also participated in the Royal Rampage match during the July 1 episode of "Rampage." Rhodes first joined Tony Khan's AEW in April 2019 and signed a multi-year extension four months later. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription