Every time a list of bizarre characters who have stepped inside a wrestling ring for any promotion is made Goldust will feature on top of each and every one of those lists. In September 1995, Goldust debuted as a heel character that played mind games with his adversaries using his sexually suggestive antics.
He used to make coquettish and indecent advances towards his opponents during the matches. Goldust portrayed a character that was a drag queen. He always wore a golden jump suit with face paint and little splashes of other colors on the jumpsuit and a golden wig.
In those days WWF pushed the envelope with a risqué product and the Goldust gimmick was a successful attempt towards it. Over the years Goldust has been involved in some strange segments; let’s try to list his top 5 weird segments:
5. Goldust shares the bed with Booker-T
Back in 2002, Booker-T and Goldust had formed a tag team and used to do comic vignettes on Raw. However, Booker-T ditched Goldust and joined the NWO. Goldust's request to join the NWO was rejected.
But, Goldust kept pursuing Booker to leave the NWO and form a tag team again. During a backstage interview, where Booker was explaining why he was chosen to be a part of the NWO, he was distracted by female fan wanting an autograph at a special place. She whispered in Booker's ears and left the key of her room with him.
Later that night Booker-T was shown lying in bed waiting for the female fan. When they both got in bed and switched off the lights the audiences heard a familiar voice. Yes, you guessed it right. It was Goldust (Wearing a feminine white night gown) sharing the bed with them and cribbing the Booker doesn't pick his calls anymore.
This got Booker so pissed that he walked out of the room almost naked !! Such is Goldust's character that he can sneak in anywhere, even in your bed.
4. Goldust wears lingerie at WrestleMania 12
Goldust was supposed to face Razor Ramon at WrestleMania 12. It was rematch for the Intercontinental Title that Ramon lost to Goldust at Royal Rumble. However, Razor Ramon was suspended from the WWF for drug use. He was replaced with Roddy Piper and the match became a non title one.
The Hollywood Backlot Brawl proved that he was a tough wrestler underneath the golden exterior. During the match, Goldust humiliated Piper by molesting him in the ring. Well, his absurdities continued when Goldie went ahead and kissed Piper after he took off his shirt.
Piper was in a state of shock after he realized what has just happened to him. In a fit of rage he attacked Goldust and rips his outfit and revealing a shockingly sickening bondage outfit.
It’s a sight that most people would like to forget. But, when you learn that Goldust was the brains behind this idea you realize how dedicatedly Dustin Runnels portrays his character and how he contributed in taking this outlandish gimmick to heights that it has reached in the WWE.
3. A distasteful stuttering gimmick
In early 2003, Goldust was attacked by Randy Orton and Batista as he did not tell the whereabouts of Scott Steiner to them. He was viciously assaulted and thrown into a round tube by the young Evolution members that resulted in him getting electrocuted. As a result of which Goldust contacted a stutter and Tourette-like tics.
It was explained that the electrocution had disturbed the mind and speech of Goldust. This gimmick was meant to be a comic act back then. But, it has offended a lot of people as it made fun of people suffering from disorders like Tourette’s syndrome, stammering etc.
The most distasteful moment of the gimmick came when respected wrestlers Triple H and Ric Flair laughed at Goldust. The PG era had not dawned by then and such crass gimmicks were still prevalent in the WWE Universe. It’s just one of the few things that people wish to forget about the PG era.
2. Goldust hits on The Undertaker
In 1996, Goldust had gained control of Mankind and briefly feuded with the Undertaker. During the feud, Vince was interviewing the Undertaker and his manager Paul Bearer who were hyping a casket match with Goldust at In Your House - Beware of Dog.
Goldust decided to intervene in the interview along with his manger Marlena and started doing what does best, trying to creep out his opponents. But, this time his opponent was the Deadman himself. Goldust started his promo by saying how tall and dark Undertaker was. He even complemented his fragrance and attributed it to embalming fluid number 5.
He even went on to feel The Undertaker’s hand and his advances on Taker were met with aggression. Just as Taker was attacking Goldie, Mankind ran in with the mandible claw to make the save. When the Deadman was lying motionless in the ring, Goldust started removing his robe and suggestively moved over Taker’s body.
Seeing a character with questionable sexual orientation doing evocative gestures on the Lord of Darkness is one of the segments that will always be etched in the minds of the WWE fans.
1. Goldust’s bondage gimmicks
Goldust was a character that was known for his quirky attires throughout his career. In the late 1997, Goldust was paired with an equally crazy valet, Luna Vachon. Though this pairing did not last for a very long time, it will be known for being a lascivious gimmick.
During this short period, Luna brought Goldust to the ring with a chain around his neck and gag ball in his mouth. Goldust had ditched his golden outfit for a green one. The new outfit even had silver spikes covering his nipples.
This was a ludicrous act and was not even entertaining. Thank God that the angle was not continued and is not mentioned on TV as it was the freakiest moment of the Bizarre One’s career.
Goldust is one of those characters who had thrived in the Pre-PG era. You can still trust him with sneaking up on people at the most unsuspecting places. He will surely be a WWE Hall Of Famer when he retires, but, will continue to entertain the fans with his spooky character till then.
