The history of the Four Horsemen and Dusty Rhodes is not just a chapter in wrestling lore; it’s a foundational piece of what made the 1980s a golden era in professional wrestling. To fully appreciate the magnitude of this rivalry, it’s essential to explore how it began, evolved, and left a lasting impact on the wrestling world.
The Origins: The Birth of the Horsemen
Before the Horsemen became the iconic stable we remember, Ric Flair was already a top heel, a flamboyant and charismatic NWA World Heavyweight Champion. However, the genesis of the Four Horsemen started with Ric Flair’s transition into a face, a role that didn’t quite fit his natural persona. In the early 1980s, Flair’s rivalry with Dusty Rhodes began to heat up. Dusty, known as “The American Dream,” was the ultimate babyface—a man of the people, beloved by fans for his relatable charisma and defiance of the wrestling establishment.
Flair, on the other hand, was a symbol of opulence, flaunting his wealth and status, which made him the perfect foil for Dusty’s working-class hero persona. Their feud was initially a straightforward battle between good and evil, but the dynamics shifted when Flair’s kayfabe cousins, Arn and Ole Anderson, became involved. The Andersons, known as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, were already a feared tag team, and their alliance with Flair added a new level of danger to the feud.
When Dusty came to Flair’s aid against the Russians, it wasn’t just a simple case of one wrestler helping another—it was a pivotal moment that set the stage for the formation of the Horsemen. Flair’s attack on Dusty, aided by the Andersons, was a dramatic heel turn that shocked the wrestling world. The addition of Tully Blanchard, a skilled technician and ruthless competitor, and the managerial genius of JJ Dillon, completed the formation of the Horsemen. This stable wasn’t just a random collection of wrestlers; it was a carefully crafted unit designed to dominate the NWA and put an end to Dusty Rhodes.
The Feud Heats Up: Defining Moments
The Horsemen were unlike any other stable at the time. Their impact was immediate and profound. They weren’t just about winning matches—they were about making statements, often at the expense of Dusty Rhodes. The Horsemen’s attacks were brutal, calculated, and personal. They didn’t just want to defeat Dusty; they wanted to humiliate and destroy him. This wasn’t a feud built on gimmicks or contrived storylines; it was a war waged in the ring and carried over into arenas across the country.
One of the most defining moments in the Rhodes-Horsemen rivalry was the infamous parking lot attack in 1985. The Horsemen followed Dusty to a secluded area, and while JJ Dillon recorded the assault on a handheld camera, they beat him down with a baseball bat. The raw, unpolished footage made it feel real, more like a genuine assault than a scripted wrestling angle. This was a level of violence and realism that had rarely been seen in professional wrestling, setting a new standard for how far a feud could go.
Dusty’s response was equally iconic. He didn’t just fight back; he fought back with intensity, wielding a baseball bat of his own. This was Dusty Rhodes at his finest, embodying the spirit of the underdog who refuses to stay down, no matter how many times he’s knocked out. The fans were fully invested in this feud, not just because of the wrestling, but because of the storytelling. This was personal, and the audience felt every moment of it.
The War Games: A Feud’s Climax
By 1987, the Rhodes-Horsemen feud had reached a boiling point. To bring this epic rivalry to a climax, Dusty Rhodes devised the War Games match. This wasn’t just another wrestling match; it was a brutal, no-holds-barred battle inside a double-ringed, steel cage structure. The concept was simple: two teams of four would enter the cage at staggered intervals, with the match only officially starting once all participants were inside. The only way to win was by submission or surrender, ensuring that this would be a brutal, decisive battle.
The first War Games match took place at the Great American Bash in 1987, with Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, the Road Warriors, and Paul Ellering taking on the Four Horsemen and JJ Dillon. The match was as brutal as fans expected, with blood, sweat, and violence permeating every minute. This was the culmination of years of storytelling, a final showdown between the Horsemen and Dusty’s assembled team of warriors.
The War Games concept was so successful that it became a staple of professional wrestling, influencing countless other matches and promotions. But it was the original, born out of the Rhodes-Horsemen feud, that remains the most memorable. This match was a fitting tribute to the intensity and depth of their rivalry, a true test of endurance, skill, and will.
The Legacy: Lasting Impact on Wrestling
The legacy of the Rhodes-Horsemen rivalry extends far beyond the 1980s. The storytelling, the violence, and the emotional investment it generated set a new standard for what professional wrestling could be. It wasn’t just about winning titles; it was about crafting a narrative that kept fans on the edge of their seats for years.
The influence of this feud can be seen in many of the great wrestling rivalries that followed. The NWO’s invasion of WCW, with its emphasis on gang-style beatdowns and backstage attacks, was a direct descendant of the Horsemen’s tactics. The long-term storytelling that characterized the Rhodes-Horsemen rivalry is something that modern wrestling often struggles to replicate, but when done right, it’s a formula that has proven to be timeless.
Even the WWE, which was the WWF at the time and a direct competitor to the NWA, borrowed elements from the Rhodes-Horsemen feud. The rise of stables like D-Generation X and Evolution in the late 90s and early 2000s can be traced back to the Four Horsemen. These groups, while unique in their own right, owed much of their success to the blueprint laid out by the Horsemen and their relentless pursuit of Dusty Rhodes.
Dusty’s influence, both in front of and behind the camera, ensured that the lessons learned from this era would be passed down through generations of wrestlers. His sons, Cody and Dustin, have carried on his legacy, and their own careers have been shaped by the storytelling brilliance their father exhibited during his battles with the Horsemen.
Conclusion: A Rivalry for the Ages
The Rhodes versus Four Horsemen feud is a cornerstone of wrestling history. It wasn’t just a series of matches; it was a narrative arc that defined a generation of wrestling fans. The intensity, the storytelling, and the sheer physicality of the encounters set a benchmark that many have tried to reach, but few have ever surpassed. For anyone looking to understand the roots of modern professional wrestling, the Rhodes-Horsemen rivalry is essential viewing. It’s a reminder of a time when wrestling wasn’t just entertainment—it was a battle between good and evil, fought with passion, skill, and a deep understanding of what made the fans care.
