Dusty 911 Call Controversy, Tyson Kidd Wearing Neck Brace

Wednesday, June 17th, 2015 | News, WWE | No Comments | Subscribe Via RSS

TMZ Release 911 Call After Dusty Rhodes Fall

Celebrity gossip site TMZ has released the 911 call made by Dusty Rhodes’ wife after the wrestling legend suffered a fall before his death. This has caused controversy for two reasons, firstly because the operator seems to lose his patience, but secondly because the call was made available in the first place.

At the end of the frantic call Dusty’s wife pleads for help, but the dispatcher sarcastically responds: “They’re coming as fast as they can. Me talking to you is not stopping them,” before letting out a sigh and hanging up.

Sean Waltman was particularly annoyed that the recoding ever saw the light of day, writing:

Dear @TMZ & @HarveyLevinTMZ,
I have defended you to critics & Twitter followers when they say you’re not a legit news source. If you weren’t, so much of the media wouldn’t be citing you as their source for stories. I never minded any story you’ve reported on me, as I take responsibility for my actions & accept the consequences. That being said, Myself & I dare say countless others are completely disgusted with your policy of releasing 911 calls from families desperately pleading for someone to save their loved one.

The recent release of the 911 Call from the family of Dusty Rhodes & the release of Ric Flair’s 911 call when his son Reid died is shameful & sickening. You can defend it as being newsworthy, but in reality you’re just feeding the sickening thirst for this kind of voyeurism in today’s society. The late, great Randy Savage’s father(also deceased) Angelo Poffo, who wrestled as The Mi$er had a saying that went “Where money lies, Honor dies.” Is there really that much money made by airing these calls, so your followers can hear these people at arguably the worst moments of their lives? Maybe there is enough money in it for you to trade in your honor. I’m usually a fan, but completely disgusted by your lack of discretion. Truly, Sean Waltman.

It was mentioned on the call that Rhodes was “very sick” and it’s believed the fall was a result of his condition and also not the cause of his death. He passed away later from kidney failure among other “complications.” Exactly what he was suffering from is unknown, but Jim Ross wrote on his blog:

The Dream and I talked about a week ago and he tried to convince me that he was “just fine.” I knew something was wrong when I saw him in San Jose at WrestleMania where I again questioned him about his health while sitting behind him at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The WWE Hall of Famer had lost a lot of weight prior to his death.

Dusty’s funeral was today at the St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida. Tyson Kidd was photographed in attendance wearing a neck brace following his injury: