Dusty Rhodes Once Said This Wrestler Was The Greatest Ever In The Ring

Dusty Rhodes is regarded as one of the most influential people in wrestling history due to his work as a wrestler, booker, and trainer before his passing in 2015. Triple H recently looked back on his time working with Rhodes in an interview with The Ringer, praising "The American Dream" by saying, "He contributed so much to the business, and his ideas and his concepts and his business ideas are still floating around today."

The opinions on pro wrestling of a man as respected as Rhodes hold a lot of weight. So that's why it was noteworthy when he revealed his pick for the "greatest wrestler of all time" in a 2013 interview with Sports Illustrated. When asked about his old tag team partner, the late Dick Murdoch, Rhodes was quick to refer to him as an all-time great. "Murdoch was a special guy," Rhodes proclaimed. "I tell my classes at the [WWE] Performance Center about him when we talk about personalities and talent." Rhodes said that whenever he's asked who he believes to be the best wrestler of all time, he says Murdoch "without hesitation."

Murdoch and Rhodes were known as The Texas Outlaws during their run as a tag team and were decorated champions in the late 60s and early 70s. Rhodes continued to compliment his former tag team partner in the 2013 interview, saying, "There are nights he would take off, but even half of him was better than 95 percent of most guys in the business." That's high praise coming from someone such as Rhodes, who had been in the business for over four and a half decades  at the time of the interview.

Outside of teaming with Rhodes, Murdoch's work in both America and Japan made him a true wrestling legend despite having a controversial reputation throughout his 30-year career. Rhodes specifically pointed out Murdoch's bouts against Barry Windham in Mid-South Wrestling as some of his best work. "He would have been the first person, after Andre, I would have chosen for a Hall of Fame," Rhodes said. "Dick Murdoch is a true Hall of Famer."