Did Dusty "create" Starrcade?

[RowdyRoddy]

Lots of folks claim the Dusty Rhodes invented "Starrcade." I thought that Dusty was in Florida during the summer/fall of 1983. Was it Dusty's idea for Harley Race to have a bounty on Ric Flair's head in August 1983? Was it Dusty's idea for Bob Orton to turn on Ric Flair and attack him with the help of Dick Slater?

Dusty was at Starrcade '83. He challenged the winner of the main event. However, I do not think that Dusty was the booker in MACW until winter of 1984. Thoughts???

[chitokmcmahon]

I heard somewhere that, while not the booker, he was friends with Crockett, and apparently gave Crockett and the booker at the time (was it Dory, Jr.?) a lot of ideas.

How true that is, I couldn't say, but I read that somewhere.

[The Hammer]

I have heard 2 different stories. I've heard the Dusty (I invented everything, because I am the best booker in the world) story. Also I've heard that Dory Funk Jr. is the one who came up with the concept. Which one is true, beats me.

[chitokmcmahon]

I've heard that too, that Dory came up with the concept, but Dusty apparently came up with the actual name "Starrcade"

[RowdyRoddy]

Dusty will take credit for creating Jim Crockett Promotions in 1935, but he will not take any credit for its' demise in late 1988....

[danpoutsma]

Dusty came up with the name. Not sure about the closed circuit, but JCP was running Greensboro on Thanksgiving long before Starrcade.

On his DVD, he also takes credit for coming up with Halloween Havoc. Only problem was the first Halloween Havoc was held in 1989 when Dusty was working for Vince. He also claims that it was his idea to make Ron Simmons world champion. The thing with that is Bill Watts and almost everyone else will tell you that was Watts.

[sittingstill]

''An' den on da fifth dayyyy, Duth-tay invented Wreth-tlemaniahhh & Cybah Thundayyyy, jack....'

I always heard Dusty talk about 'inventing' those PPV's. From what I understand, by Starrcade '83 a long term arrangement was in place for Dusty to come in and book, as well as be the top face against Flair at Starrcade '84 - I guess the deal was for JCP to up their game to combat the ensuing WWE expansion - for some reason Dusty was able to work Crockett into thinking that Big Ol' Dust had the midas touch - he certainly had 'something' to offer, as he booked the company's most successful years, but ultimately he needed to be edited.

He also should never have been let anywhere near a JCP ring....

Now - its possible that Dusty came up with a bunch of ideas for 'supercards' some of which were never used, some of which - like 'Halloween Havoc'' - were used later on when they were looking for ideas. But its also probable that Dusty is talking complete crap....whenever I hear him say that he created '...Havoc' I always get the feeling that he booked a few matches at Halloween Havoc '91 or something - maybe he came up with the Chamber Of Horrors concept - and in his mind that becomes ''yeah....Duth-tay cweated Halloween Havoc, baby''....

[thegreatbolo]

One thing Dusty can't take credit for inventing is the internet. Al Gore beat him to that one.

[RowdyRoddy]

Dusty: "That Al Gore. He didn't invent the Internet. Back in the days of the Texas Outlaws while Dirty Dick was sleeping, I came up with the idea for the Net!"

Dusty: "Where's Sweet Sapphire?"

[sittingstill]

Or more specifically, a written warning:

''Al Gore....y'all better not invent no internet....Dusty gonna vote for himself dis year....''

[Bradshaw0012]

Dusthy create Sthah-cade, Whah Ghamesth, Mhonday Nhitro, Mhadisthon Sthquah Ghahdehen and Jhupiter cause he'sth da bull a-da woodths.

Iheard similarieties of all theabove accounts, and can trace each back to Dusty. My understanding was that the original concept came from the success of the closed circuit format from "The Final Conflict", and Crockett hired Dusty as a consultant to come up with "big shows". I recall Dusty saying he tossed around names, even "Autumn Bomb" but then had the idea from the often used "match of the decade" term and wanted re-name a "decade" into something that sounded bigger, and came up with the promo/sales pitch "match of the decade, match of the century, and now the match of the Starrcade." From there, Dusty eventually got the book and of course we know the history.