On a recent edition of his “The ARN Show” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson discussed working with a young Dustin Rhodes in 1994, Robert Fuller’s WCW run, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On teaming with Dustin Rhodes in WCW: “Well, they were an established team. And I know in my mind, I was just gonna go out and do what I do well. Not necessarily try to formulate this continuity with Dustin suddenly becoming a great team, because that’s not the way it works. That comes in time. It’s being together, and it’s your intuition about what’s fixing to happen, and it turned out to be right or wrong. You know, it all goes in to becoming a great team. I think we both just went in there to do what we did well and hopefully catch one of those guys on the roller skates and catch a fall on them.”
On whether fans got to see the best of Robert Fuller in WCW: “Well no, the best Robert Fuller prior to becoming Colonel Parker was as a babyface. You know, he was very good, a very good babyface with a lot of skills. Just like Jimmy Golden prior to Bunkhouse Buck was a great baby face. But when he became Colonel Parker, if you listen to that promo that he cuts on me — and it was pretty scathing one — from last week’s show, right? He cut a pretty good one. Listen to the verbiage, and listen to, go back and listen to it, and see how entertaining it is and how he never misses a beat. He doesn’t do anything that’s not flawless for that character. At he hit it every single time. You give him a mic, there was never an instance that he fumbled.”
On who he thought had a higher ceiling in 1994 – Dustin Rhodes or Cactus Jack: “Ah, I thought Dustin had a very bright future. I mean, he’s wrestling royalty. He’s a Rhodes. He’s young, he’s healthy and he’s picking it up. He picked up — he’s a Ricky Steamboat-type wrestler. He’s a wrestler. It’s not a gimmick, it’s not a — you know, he’s a natural. And whoever gave him that, if it was his dad, wasn’t being pompous. He saw what we all saw. He wasn’t natural. And he is a natural.”
In a recent episode of his podcast, “The ARN Show,” WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson shared his experiences working with Dustin Rhodes in 1994, discussed Robert Fuller’s run in WCW, and more. Let’s delve into some of the highlights from the podcast.
When asked about teaming up with Dustin Rhodes in WCW, Anderson explained that they were already an established team. He emphasized that their focus was on doing what they did best individually, rather than trying to force a strong team dynamic right away. Anderson believed that becoming a great team takes time, intuition, and being able to predict and react to what is happening in the ring. He mentioned that they hoped to catch their opponents off guard and secure a victory.
Moving on to Robert Fuller’s time in WCW, Anderson expressed his opinion that fans didn’t get to see Fuller’s best work during his run as Colonel Parker. Anderson believed that Fuller’s peak performance came when he portrayed a babyface character. He praised Fuller’s skills and described him as a talented wrestler who excelled as a good guy. However, Anderson also acknowledged Fuller’s ability to flawlessly embody the Colonel Parker character, citing a recent scathing promo he cut on Anderson as evidence of his entertaining and flawless delivery.
When asked about the potential of Dustin Rhodes and Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) in 1994, Anderson expressed his belief that Rhodes had a very bright future ahead of him. He highlighted Rhodes’ wrestling pedigree as a member of the Rhodes family and praised his natural talent and ability in the ring. Anderson compared Rhodes to Ricky Steamboat, describing him as a natural wrestler who wasn’t relying on a gimmick or persona. He credited Rhodes’ father, Dusty Rhodes, for recognizing his son’s potential and not being arrogant when he called him a natural wrestler.
The podcast episode also included an embedded video of a July 1994 interview with Arn Anderson, titled “ARN #232: The Old Arn Anderson.” The video provides additional context and insight into the topics discussed in the podcast.
Overall, Arn Anderson’s podcast episode offered fans a glimpse into his experiences working with Dustin Rhodes, his thoughts on Robert Fuller’s portrayal of Colonel Parker, and his belief in the bright future of Dustin Rhodes as a professional wrestler. It provided an interesting perspective on the behind-the-scenes dynamics and talent evaluation in WCW during the mid-1990s.