Scott,
Do you think Dusty Rhodes could have been something more during his WWF run? Vince obviously had it in for Dusty and saddled him with the polka dots and general goofiness, but do you think he could have had a greater impact? Feuding with Savage made sense, but he never really did anything else.
I think he pretty much exceeded what his potential should have been given his age and Vince’s hatred of him. Dusty was never going to be a top guy given his look and history, and he almost was, so good for him. I don’t think that realistically anyone in 1990 was going to buy him as a serious challenger to the WWF title or anything, but headlining C-shows against Dibiase or Savage? Totally fine. Dusty made a shit-ton of money from merchandise and got to rub it in Vince’s face before getting fired, so everyone was happy.