Dustin Rhodes plans to end his wrestling career within the next two to three years.
During a recent appearance on the “Close Up with Renee Paquette” podcast, Dustin expressed his belief that Tony Khan will provide him the opportunity to have a retirement match, similar to Sting’s farewell at AEW Revolution 2024. He said,
“I’ve thought in depth, and there’s a list of three guys. I’d rather not say them right now. I want to keep that close to my chest, but I do have a plan. It’s not soon, guys. I know I’ve said I have one more year sometimes in the past, and it always changes. Then the next year I’ll say, ‘Oh, I got a couple more years,’ and the next two years come, and, ‘Oh, maybe next year.’ Seriously, it’s not very close, but it is. I would say a couple of years, two and a half, maybe. I do have a plan of who I want to work, who I want to face, and I think Tony’s going to be okay with that.”
He continued, “I think he’s going to give me the opportunity to go out like Sting did. and that is the most respect that I could ever feel. Feel the most love, the most passion from this company, and I feel it every single day. With all the tribalism out there about the other place and us and what’s good, what’s bad, whatever, they have no idea how hard we work and what goes on. I mean, we’re our startup company. This is our sixth year. We are growing every single year, doing amazing, making huge amounts of money, and working all over the world. It is a place I want to be and finish my career.”
During a recent appearance on “The Wrestling Classic” podcast, NJPW World TV Champion El Phantasmo discussed his battle with cancer.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On his bout with cancer: “There’s no way to tell (when you’ll be in remission from cancer). It was a very weird of just this is what’s happening and you have to accept it, and you know, every time family or friends, I’m like, it’s just positive mental attitude. Don’t let yourself beat yourself up and that’s exactly what I try to tell myself. I was like, ‘Alright, this is what we’re doing.’ Of course, I would lose a testicle. That’s such an ELP thing to have done.”
On the illness being detected quickly: “I got lucky that they caught it fast and I could get back to the gym really quick and once it didn’t spread, then you’re like, ‘Hey, I’m ready. I don’t wanna milk this any longer than I need to. I don’t wanna sit at home… The whole thing was I was always gonna be in the (NJPW World) TV Title match even before this cancer thing kind of happened, which kind of distracted people from the whole original story about the TV Title… I’ve been in New Japan for six years now and that was the first singles title that I’ve won so that was (a) very cool moment. I’ve proved myself as a tag team guy that — as a foreigner, to have the Tokyo Dome explode for a title win is pretty awesome. It’s a good feeling.”
