Dustin Rhodes teases going after major World Title outside AEW

Dustin Rhodes is charting his final run in All Elite Wrestling, but he also pays attention to what's going on outside the company. He recently revealed that he's considered going after the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship before hanging up his boots.

Dustin Rhodes has won several major titles throughout his long career, and he's currently the reigning ROH World Tag Team and World Six-Man Tag Team Champion alongside Sammy Guevara and The Von Erichs, respectively. However, he's never won the fabled "10 Pounds of Gold" in the National Wrestling Alliance.

His father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, won many titles in NWA territories, and he's also in the historic promotion's Hall of Fame. Likewise, Cody Rhodes won the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at the original All In event in 2018. In a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Dustin Rhodes said he'd thought about chasing that particular title, but he noted that the National Wrestling Alliance was not what it used to be:

"Well, that’s something that I’ve thought about also (going after NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title). At the same time, the NWA of today is not the same as it used to be and I think it’s lost a lot of its prestige. Nothing wrong with NWA, what they’re doing and everything. They’re trying to get their platform going and it’s just changed a lot and it’s different and I think the spark has gone from the, you know, 10 Pounds of Gold."

The Natural noted the familial connection to the title but remained noncommittal:

"But that is also something that my brother’s had and my dad and it would be a cool little trios. All three of us to have that, it would be historic and no other family has done that, which would be really cool. So yeah, you never say never, man." [H/T POST Wrestling]

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Dustin Rhodes has a plan for his retirement match in AEW

While many fans have hoped to see Dustin Rhodes compete against his younger brother, WWE's Cody Rhodes, one more time, it seems that The Natural has already planned his retirement out, and The American Nightmare won't be his final opponent.

In the same appearance on the Battleground Podcast, the elder Rhodes revealed that he'd already decided who we wanted to wrestle in his final match, although he didn't reveal the name. He also claimed that, like Sting, he wanted to win his last match and go out on a high note:

"It's gonna be tough to step away, but, you know...by no means am I anywhere on Sting's level, but I want that same kind of out. I do; I think I've earned it. And I think, to finish it off on a pay-per-view, and to cut a very heartwrenching, emotional promo afterwards is what people like. And it's not like the old days where you...I wanna win. I wanna win that last match. I don't wanna lose."

Rhodes recently signed a multi-year extension with Tony Khan, ostensibly keeping him AEW until his planned retirement. Whether the 55-year-old will target the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship before he's done remains to be seen.