Dustin Rhodes isn’t sugarcoating his past — and he made that clear in a blunt response to a fan this week.
The longtime veteran, best known to WWE audiences as Goldust, took to X on February 24, 2026, after a fan urged him to return to WWE and revive the character. Instead of entertaining the idea, Rhodes shut it down quickly. He revealed a detail about his prior run that raised eyebrows.
“Nope! I never got a raise there. What, you want me sitting the bench doing nothing? That ain’t me anymore,” Rhodes wrote.
Dustin Rhodes Reflects on His WWE Run and Move to AEW
Rhodes went on to explain that while he still loves the Goldust character, he believes that chapter has come to a close. “I have done the best work of my career with AEW,” he added. “I love the character Goldust, but he ran its course. I did what I was told and it got me nowhere. No thanks.”
The comments come as Rhodes continues to recover from double knee replacement surgery in August.
At the time of the procedure, he was one-half of the ROH Tag Team Champions with Sammy Guevara and one-third of the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions alongside Marshall and Ross Von Erich. Both titles were vacated during his absence.
Rhodes signed a new six-year deal with AEW in late 2024 and has previously stated that he plans to retire with the company. Despite being 56, “The Natural” has remained active in high-profile programs. He has also garnered praise for keeping pace with younger talent, proving he doesn’t belong on the sidelines yet.
While some fans may still long for the golden era of Goldust, Rhodes seems focused on the present.
For him, the curtain hasn’t closed — it’s just a different stage. And if his words are any indication, there’s no sequel planned for that old gimmick.
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