“And you will never forget the name of … Goldust.”

Indeed, when it comes to unusual personas in WWE — a landscape that has been home to everything from giant dancing turkeys to worm-eating boogeymen — none has had the lasting power of The Bizarre One. His face painted black-and-gold with a wardrobe that includes silken blond wigs and the kind of feathered robes that would make Ric Flair blush, Goldust has personified peculiar for nearly two decades.

However, since returning to action at WWE Battleground, Goldust has revealed a new side of himself. Though he’s hardly cast aside his more erratic tendencies — just check out his Darth Maul-inspired “war paint” — there’s a new determination beneath the attention-grabbing accoutrements. In place of the flashy and unusual funnyman who captured the imagination of the WWE Universe is a seasoned veteran who can go hold-for-hold with the youngest Superstars on the roster.

Watch Goldust highlights |  View historical Goldust photos

It is perhaps this latest evolution of Goldust that is most similar to the man wearing the makeup, Dustin Rhodes. The son of celebrated WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, Dustin is a born fighter who places family above all else, never forgetting his allegiances not only to his iconic bloodline, but to himself.

Mere days after winning the WWE Tag Team Championships alongside his brother Cody, Dustin took WWE.com on a journey through his whirlwind career, delved into the controversial beginnings of his Goldust persona and revealed the secret to his most recent success. 

WWE.COM: How did your dad feel about you entering the sports-entertainment business?

GOLDUST: Dad lived such a hectic, hard life on the road, and I didn’t get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked. Dad was around more for Cody when he was growing up. But I think he wanted something better for me because this business is very hard. It will eat you up and spit you out if you let it. 

WWE.COM: Why’d you go into sports-entertainment despite your dad’s wishes?

GOLDUST: Cody and I were so adamant about getting into the business because we love our dad. We wanted to do what he did and make a name for ourselves like he did. He was, and still is, our hero. So I just think he tried to sway us in a different direction: college, football scholarships and things which Cody and I both had. He had a wrestling scholarship and I had football scholarships. But we didn’t want that. We wanted to be like him.

[Dad] did his job to [set us on a different path] to the best of his ability, but we ultimately chose the entertainment industry and haven’t looked back. Yeah, there are times when I wish I would have gotten a degree, but the past is history and tomorrow’s a mystery.

Right now, though, Dad is like a little kid in a candy store, seeing how both of his boys have excelled. Everything’s very positive for the family, and he’s very positive. We’re all on the same page.

Read Dusty’s reaction to Goldust & Cody’s victory |  Learn about WWE’s greatest families

WWE.COM: What was it like getting your start in sports-entertainment as the son of Dusty Rhodes? Did that make it easier or harder?

GOLDUST: My dad did it the right way. I did a little bit of schooling in Dallas, Texas, then I went to where Dad really started in the business in Florida for Eddie Graham’s son – Mike Graham, my trainer and teacher – and Steve Keirn.  He sent me down there with $2,000 cash, my truck loaded up with everything I owned — which wasn’t much — and I got to live with my aunt for a little bit making $20 a night. I was having the time of my life learning my trade.

WWE.COM: How long was it before you took the next step?

GOLDUST: After about two years, Mike Graham called me into his office one day and said, “Dustin, your dad wants you up in NWA.” I didn’t want to go! It was exciting, sure, but I was settled in. I had things going on. I was 19, 20 years old. I didn’t want to go to Atlanta and be on TV. I was scared. Then I go up there, and I had a lot to prove to myself. They named me “The Natural,” because I caught it so quick. It was easy for me to pick up, because it was in my blood. I wanted it, and nothing was going to stop me from having it.

WWE.COM: Was there resentment from other guys in the locker room?

GOLDUST: Stepping in as Dusty’s son, I wasn’t thinking about all that stuff, and I didn’t know what anyone else was thinking. I just did what I was told, did the best I could, and listened and learned and kept my damn mouth shut. Today, you don’t have that with some of these young kids. They like to be the ones to tell veterans, “Well, I’d like to do this and that …” Just shut your mouth and listen. You might learn something, instead of going 1,000 miles an hour. Me, I didn’t pay attention to what people might have been saying about me in the locker room. I listened, focused on making a name for myself and, at that point, really tried to fill my dad’s shoes.  

WWE.COM: A lot of WWE fans really got to know you for the first time at the 1991 Royal Rumble, when you teamed with Dusty against Ted DiBiase and Virgil. How surreal was that?

GOLDUST: It was very cool. I didn’t really talk to Vince [McMahon]. I had just spoken to him and said hello and things. I knew what I was getting into, and my instincts kicked in on making my performance gold. Just watching everything and being on a national stage was crazy. I also had this mullet hairdo going on; I don’t know what was going on with that. It was fun. I remember special moments like those.

Watch father and son unite at Royal Rumble 1991

WWE.COM: A lot more of those special moments would come just a few years later courtesy of your Goldust persona, which pushed the envelope before a lot of other Superstars. How important was The Bizarre One in the birth of the Attitude Era?

GOLDUST: At that point – which I don’t really like to talk about anymore, because it’s kind of a bad subject – Dad and I had our issues. For years we hadn’t spoken with one another. But Vince called me and presented me with the Goldust character. I said, “Hell yes.” I was ready to step out on my own. I went 100 percent with it. It took me a while to get it figured out – six or seven months – but it was so, so far ahead of its time. It really was a catalyst to the Attitude Era and started steering things in that direction.

WWE.COM: Was there ever a time when you thought you might be taking things too far as Goldust?

GOLDUST: Before I figured things out, there were times when I was hesitant about doing certain things as Goldust. But when I was wrestling Savio Vega, I started doing things that got a reaction. I played the role and the character took shape. When people told me to hold back, that’s when I had a problem. But I was young. I didn’t understand the stuff that was going on in the office at that point and the calls we were getting. I felt like it was being taken from me. I thought, “Now what am I going to do? I’m just a guy painted in gold.” It was tough transitioning into “The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust,” then back into Goldust and trying to find my way again. I had some good runs, some bad runs, but you take it all. And I’ve learned from every single one of them.

See the many faces of Goldust |  Relive Goldust’s career milestones

WWE.COM: What’s interesting about Goldust is how much he’s evolved over the years and changed with the times. Did you ever think Goldust would go on to become a fan favorite?

GOLDUST: I didn’t really think about it until a few years ago. Goldust has gotten to the nostalgia point. It’s hard to hate on Goldust, because he’s done his time. You can’t dislike him. I can’t explain it really, but I hear it a lot from fans. Of course, there are some haters out there, but there are very few right now from what I can see. But going back to being hated at the beginning, I actually loved being a “bad guy” and doing the things I did, like my [WrestleMania XII] moment with Roddy Piper. 

WWE.COM: When you left WWE for WCW in 1999, you debuted a new persona called “Seven.” Why didn’t that work out?

GOLDUST: Maybe the network execs weren’t ready for that character. I came up with that character at the house, thinking about a character floating in [a child’s] window. Maybe it was too much. They saw it differently and it didn’t get a fair shake. But that’s okay. In my mind, when I created Seven, he was going to be different. Let’s say Sting was in the main event, but he looks up at the screen and sees his wife cooking for the kids, and there I am in the window. Sting’s 2,000 miles away and he can’t get home. Those were the mind games Seven would have played, which were different than Goldust. That’s all it was. But they didn’t go with it.

See Seven make his entrance on WCW Nitro

WWE.COM: How did WCW in those days compare to the company in the early 1990s?

GOLDUST: In the early 1990s, I was learning the business. So was [“Stone Cold” Steve] Austin, and we were doing some amazing things. Here are the five guys I learned the business from: Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko and Bobby Eaton. Those guys taught me how to do everything in the ring. I learned so much from each of them. Those were the best times in WCW.

Toward the end, I didn’t care for WCW. I was doing it to make money.

WWE.COM: You went on to make several appearances in WWE over the next decade, but you parted ways with WWE in 2012. Did you think that was it for Goldust?

GOLDUST: I wasn’t really focused on that at the time. I mean, I had been on the best run of my career in 2010, and that’s when I got injured. I needed three major shoulder surgeries at once.  I moved into a behind-the-scenes role as a producer, and that didn’t work out. At that point [in 2012], I wasn’t really questioning WWE. I knew something would come back and I’m glad it did. I didn’t know it would be this soon or at this pace. I’ve gone right back into the fire. This month has been a heck of a ride and I can’t wait for the next one. I’ve just got to stay in shape so I can keep up with these boys.

WWE.COM: Speaking of staying in shape, you might be in the best shape of your life right now. What have you been doing differently?

GOLDUST: I go to the gym twice a day. I take no days off. I do three days of DDP Yoga and I do Pilates twice a week. Every day I’ve got some kind of program. I’m eating gluten free and properly, instead of putting a bunch of trash in my body.

Learn more about DDP Yoga |  Watch Goldust & Cody Rhodes defeat The Shield

Ever since I got clean and sober five years ago, I fell in love with working out. Not that I lift heavy or anything, but if I don’t go to the gym I feel guilty for not going. If I eat a candy bar, I feel like I have to get on the elliptical. And that’s okay. As long as I’m staying mobile and active, I think it’s good that I found an addiction to that instead of drugs and alcohol.

WWE.COM: Would you say that winning the WWE Tag Team Titles with your brother is your favorite Goldust moment?

GOLDUST: Well, you have different kinds of moments, but yes, everything leading up to and including Monday night, and going on to last Friday on SmackDown, has been incredible. [Cody and I] are together and we’re actually looking for a tag team name. Personally, I don’t think we need one. But this is the coolest thing I’ve done in the business.

WWE.COM: What do you think the future holds for the Rhodes family in WWE?

GOLDUST: Well, the McMahon family has really been trying to – as Dad puts it – put the Rhodes family out to pasture by firing Cody and threatening Dusty, using Big Show to knock out my dad. Whatever Hunter or Stephanie throw our way, Cody and I will make the best of it. They will be the losers, and we will be the winners in whatever we do.

Through all of this, I love being there with Cody, watching him grow and telling him what he can work on. I give him advice and he gives advice right back. It’s brought us closer and closer. I wasn’t really there for my brother when I was younger. I was either on the road or in a bad way during my down times. I’m just trying to enjoy the hell out of this with Cody. I’m proud of him, and I’m proud of us as a team.

For the latest updates from Goldust, follow @DUSTIN_RHODES1 on Twitter.