Dusty Finish

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In professional wrestling, a Dusty Finish refers to a specific scripted ending to a match named after wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes. During his tenure as a booker in several promotions, he was known to have used this finish so often that it has since been indelibly linked to him. The finish itself is typically claimed to have been invented by Florida promoter Eddie Graham.

Variations

The archetypical scenario starts with a referee bump, in which the referee is knocked unconscious as a result of some action by one of the wrestlers. A second official is brought in to continue the match.

Pinfall vs. disqualification

In one variation, the substitute official declares a clean win (pinfall or submission), usually by the wrestler who is not responsible for the original ref bump. In the meantime, however, the first official regains consciousness and overturns the substitute official's decision, usually declaring that the original infraction caused a disqualification. This is especially important in title matches, as the standard rules of pro wrestling state that a title cannot change hands on a disqualification (though some federations, such as World Class, do not use this rule).

Double pinfall

Another variation also involves the original referee regaining consciousness, but doing so just before a pinfall where both wrestlers can be considered "down." One referee is on one side of the wrestlers, and the other on almost the exact opposite side, providing them with two different viewpoints. Both referees make a three count and signal for the bell to be rung, but award the match to differing wrestlers.

Technicality

Another situation that some people consider to be a Dusty Finish occurs when a match's result is declared void because of some obscure stipulation or infraction, e.g. disqualifying a wrestler for use of a piledriver (use of the piledriver was largely outlawed in 1981, and this rule was never officially rescinded). This also can be (and has been) applied retroactively to overturn a decision, such as when The Rockers were stripped of their title because the top rope broke, yet the match continued.

In modern years, most pro wrestling associations have on-screen authority figures capable of overturning a decision on a variety of technicalities. When two or more officials are involved, it can lead to various kinds of trouble, including holding up a title that was on the line or forcing a match to continue to a second fall.

Reasons for use

One reason behind the use of the Dusty Finish is to put over the idea of a wrestler winning the big match, without actually letting him win and thus ending the chase. Theoretically, in this situation, the fans leave convinced that the hero should have won and has been screwed, leading to a revenge match and heightening the atmosphere of a rematch. However, this ending can have the opposite effect, reinforcing the fans' belief that title changes will never occur unexpectedly without being revoked in some way.

Another reason is to force a title off of someone without having them actually drop it. The aftermath of a Dusty Finish often involves the two wrestlers having some kind of "best of" series, especially when a title is on the line.