From 1965 to 1975, Runnels was married to Sandra. He married Michelle Rubio in 1978, and the couple was married for 37 years until his death in 2015.
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Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. a.k.a. “The American Dream”, Dusty Rhodes, was born on October 11, 1945. He was a professional wrestler, booker, and trainer from the United States who most famously worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation, later known as the WWE. Rhodes is regarded as one of the best wrestlers and talkers in professional wrestling history.
Rhodes was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a United States Heavyweight Champion and several World Television, World Tag Team, and World Six-Man Tag Team Champions during his stint with Jim Crockett Promotions, afterward known as WCW. He also won several regional titles and is one of seven guys inducted into the WWE, WCW, Professional Wrestling, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Halls of Fame. Dustin and Cody, his kids, have also followed professional wrestling careers, now appearing for AEW and WWE, respectively.
Following his retirement from wrestling, he worked as a backstage booker and producer in WWE’s NXT developmental division and made infrequent on-air appearances on WWE television and pay-per-views. Rhodes, billed as “the son of a plumber,” did not have the body of a traditional wrestler; his character was that of the “ordinary guy,” noted for the personality displayed in his interviews. According to WWE chairman Vince McMahon, no wrestler “personified the essence of charisma quite like Dusty Rhodes.”
Rhodes attended West Texas State University after graduating from Johnston High School in Austin. In 1967, Rhodes read advertising in the newspaper for Tony Santos’ Boston-based professional wrestling organization, Big Time Wrestling. Rhodes drove to Boston and, despite his lack of wrestling expertise, bluffed his way into working for the organization by leveraging his real-life ties with Bobby Duncum and the Funk brothers. In 1968, Rhodes moved on to Fritz Von Erich’s Texas territory World Class Championship Wrestling, which was also known at the time as Big Time Wrestling. The ring name “Dusty Rhodes” was initially used by Rhodes in Texas.
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From 1965 to 1975, Runnels was married to Sandra. He married Michelle Rubio in 1978, and the couple was married for 37 years until his death in 2015. Dustin, Kristin, Teil, and Cody Runnels were his four children. Dakota, the daughter of Dustin and his ex-wife Terri Boatright, Dalton and Dylan, children of Kristin and her husband Don Ditto, Kellan and Maris, children of Teil and her husband Kevin Gergel, and Liberty, daughter of Cody and his wife Brandi were among his six grandkids. He also has a brother named Larry and a sister named Connie. Little is known about his spouses, although both his ex-wife and widow preferred a secluded existence away from the spotlight.
