WWE NXT fans seem to have embraced the bizarre aura of The Velveteen Dream with open arms in his star-making feud and culminating match with Aleister Black. The Dream’s gimmick echoes that of the son of another “Dream”, Goldust. In the context of 2017, The Velveteen Dream seems to be destined to successfully execute a story arch that never quite came to fruition for the son of the “son of a plumber”.
Contrary to what appeared to be his general thesis when debuting in the WWE, fans have forgotten the name of “Goldust”….at least the character that he was.
A case can be made for Goldust being the one to light the wick of the Attitude Era. He challenged the status quo of the late 90’s with his androgynous body language, outfits, and uber-suggestive rhetoric. Goldust manipulated the minds of both fans and opponents by blatantly blurring the lines of his sexuality, making his opponents as confused (and often as disturbed) as he appeared to be.
According to Vince Russo on The Steve Austin Show, letters began coming to WWE’s doorstep complaining about the Goldust character at a time when he was arguably the hottest heel in the company. The heat he generated from live crowds even had him often working with Shawn Michaels on house shows on a regular basis. Goldust had his push stalled after the letters came in and, oddly enough, WWE creative transitioned him into what can only be described as a nymphomaniac into S&M on acid (think Demolition starring in a midnight movie on Cinemax).
His character now garishly brought sex to the forefront when the original incarnation of Goldust simply brought innuendo. Somehow, the new version was more television-friendly.
One could argue that the Goldust character alluded to a curiosity towards alternate sexual orientations to a WWE audience that simply wasn’t ready to accept that kind of character (which may explain the scalding heat he was generating from live crowds). It was been two decades since the debut of Goldust, and we have had time (hopefully) to reflect and decide that acceptance is a much higher road than that of rejection.
Should this be the case, we might be experiencing something special in the Velveteen Dream in NXT, as he can complete a story arc that Goldust really was not afforded the chance to.
Much like Goldust’s rivalries with the likes of Razor Ramon and Roddy Piper, Velveteen Dream, an ultra-athletic Goldust/Rick Rude/Val Venis hybrid, is almost always going to be positioned as the antithesis of his opponents. Typically, the nature of one’s professional wrestling story arch is to win championships in a testosterone-fueled (…and that is all that is doing the fueling…thank you, WWE Wellness Policy) environment. In a perfect world, someone as “experimental” as the Velveteen Dream would simply be accepted as unique. But this is not a perfect world, and imperfection is cranked up to ten in the context of the WWE.
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What is perfect for Dream is the fact that WWE is a global enterprise now, and has publicly projected itself as accepting of all people. No letters from concerned parents or sponsors are going to stop his rise, but the discomfort within the locker room will remain. Therefore, a Purple Rain is set to descend and all of NXT, and eventually the WWE, will be forced to “say his name.” The Velveteen Dream is about to claim in stake in the heads of all who stand in his way.
The time could not be better for Dream to become a major player within the WWE landscape. His feud with Aleister Black projected him as someone who is fully aware that someone like him tends to be overlooked, especially in the WWE where the illusion of ultimate toughness is often critical to one’s success and longevity. It was not as if Black had publicly chastised him or attacked him from behind. The Velveteen Dream chose Black as being the catalyst for the acceptance and acknowledgment of his legitimacy regardless of lifestyle choice. When Black, the poster boy for darkness, said his name, “Velveteen Dream” was stamped into the peripheral vision of all those looking to rise to the top of NXT.
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At age 48, one can argue that Goldust’s ring work is the best of his career. However, his time as a prospective face of the company has passed. WWE dropped the ball by halting the rise of Goldust, but the blood on their hands has lingered and is now paying dividends in the form of The Velveteen Dream. The world should be ready for a champion like him. If they are not, the WWE should be ready for his androgynous mind games to breed success and dollars.