Greg Valentine Explains What WWE HOFer Dusty Rhodes' Success Proved About Wrestling

The late Dusty Rhodes is widely regarded as one of the most colorful and charismatic performers of all time. Despite not having the physique of a typical wrestler, "The American Dream" became a huge hit with fans because of his "common man" persona. Speaking with "Wrestling Shoot Interviews," former WWE Intercontinental Champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine compared Rhodes and the late "Superstar" Billy Graham.

"The best body was Dusty Rhodes," Valentine said. "He used to prove that you did not need to have a good body to be a superstar. And he had that razzmatazz and those t*****s jumping up and down, but I'm a big fan of Dusty. He had great friggin' interviews, and 'Superstar' Billy Graham ... he had great interviews too ... But, you know, Billy Graham I don't think was all that good of a worker, but I didn't watch that many of his matches. I might maybe fell asleep. But Dusty, Dusty was entertaining, and when he made the comeback ... He had a heart of gold, and he could go forever, and he did his own comebacks."

Graham was the complete opposite of Rhodes when it came to physique. The former training partner of Arnold Schwarzenegger was an award-winning bodybuilder before he stepped foot inside the ring. Despite their physical differences, Rhodes and Graham crossed paths several times during the 1970s and 1980s. Notably, the two WWE Hall of Famers feuded over the WWWF Heavyweight Championship (WWE Championship) between 1977 and 1978.

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Shoot Interviews" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.