Athletes - Virgil Runnels III

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	Athletes - Virgil Runnels III

Virgil Runnels III (born April 11, 1966 in Austin, Texas; often called Dustin Runnels) is an American professional wrestler who has competed in the WWE and WCW. He is mostly best-known for his WWE character of Goldust, a sexually ambiguous movie star. He also wrestled in WCW and TNA as Dustin Rhodes. His father, Virgil Runnels, Jr., who wrestled as Dusty Rhodes, was one of the best-known wrestlers of the 1970s and 1980s. He is currently performing for World Wrestling Entertainment on the RAW brand under the Goldust moniker.

Career

Early career

Virgil "Dustin" Runnels III was the co-captain of the East Mecklenburg High School Charlotte, NC varsity wrestling team in the 1987-88 school year. He also played varsity football during that same time.

Runnels started wrestling as Dustin Rhodes in 1988 in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He debuted in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions in late 1988. He formed a tag team with Kendall Windham called the "Texas Broncos." They feuded briefly with Al Perez and Larry Zbyszko.

In March 1989, Dustin was back in FCW. He teamed with Mike Graham and feuded with Black Bart. He also feuded with Kendall Windham over the FCW Title.

In July 1989, he went to the CWA, where he continued to feud with Bart. He left for the WWF in January 1990. He continued to feud with Bart on the undercard and eventually teamed with his father, Dusty Rhodes, to feud with Ted DiBiase and Virgil.

World Championship Wrestling

In February 1991, he went to WCW, where he feuded with Larry Zbysko at mid-card level. In April, Alexandra York offered him to join her York Foundation heel stable, but he turned her down. This started a feud with Foundation member Terrence Taylor that lasted several months. York was in reality his first wife,Terri.

In late 1991, he feuded with Television Champ "Stunning" Steve Austin over the title before forming a tag team with real life best friend Barry Windham. Windham was injured by Arn Anderson and Larry Zbysko, "The Enforcers", so Dustin got a new partner, Ricky Steamboat, and they won the tag team titles from them. For the next seven months (through June 1992), he feuded with Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance of Anderson, Zbysko, Austin, Rick Rude and Bobby Eaton. He was in the "War Games" against the Dangerous Alliance with Steamboat, Windham, Sting and Nikita Koloff as his partners.

October 1992 saw him reform his team with Windham to win the Tag Team Titles. In November, Windham turned on him and started a brief feud.

In January 1993, he won the United States Title and also began a feud with Rick Rude that would run through August. In October, he started feuding with Paul Orndorff and Steve Austin over the title, losing it to Austin in December.

In March 1994, he became involved in a feud with Bunkhouse Buck and Col. Rob Parker. Parker eventually brought in Terry Funk and Arn Anderson to feud with Dustin. Dustin brought in his father, Dusty, to help him. This feud lasted until December when Parker brought in Blacktop Bully to feud with Dustin. Dustin and the Bully both were fired in March 1995 when they both "bladed" (cut themselves to look busted open) at the Uncensored PPV after they were told not to.

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