AEW's Dustin Rhodes Discusses Working With Vince McMahon In WWE

There are few figures in professional wrestling as controversial as Vince McMahon, especially right now. Prior to the recent bombshell allegations regarding McMahon and other figures within WWE, AEW star Dustin Rhodes had a discussion with Denise Salcedo, with the topic turning to his former boss. Specifically, the two talked about McMahon's influence on the Goldust character.

"Vince was very hands-on with me in the promo work at the beginning," Rhodes said. "He really brought out the voice — how he liked it, right? And the 'Remember The Name,' which I later turned into 'You Will Never Forget The Name.' All that kind of stuff."

Because of the character's strangeness, Rhodes found it difficult to pinpoint the tone McMahon wanted to get across. While it took some time, Rhodes said that they eventually found what worked, and the character wound up finding real longevity within WWE.

"It was just awesome that [McMahon] was there, hands-on with it," Rhodes continued. "He's another God-like figure, father-like figure. It was very daunting and scary. He wanted it his way, and it's like, 'Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I'm trying here, man. Let's figure it out.'"

Rhodes compared the experience of practicing promos in front of McMahon to practicing in front of his father, Dusty Rhodes, who Dustin considers the best promo in wrestling history. The former WWE star admitted that he was not good back in those days, but credits McMahon for allowing him to make decisions about the character and giving him room to "sink or swim" in that environment. Rhodes eventually got a grip on the Goldust character and began getting huge reactions from fans, becoming a controversial but iconic figure in WWE's "Attitude Era."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Denise Salcedo with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.