Florida [US], June 7 (ANI): Professional wrestling legend Billy Gunn, who’s at the moment working with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an on-screen persona and coach, talked concerning the promotion’s new programme, AEW Collision, saying that the present will assist followers catch some extra stars on their TV units, together with wrestling legend CM Punk.
In an unique interview with ANI, Gunn, whose actual identify is Kip Sopp, touched on AEW as a promotional automobile, his sons Colten and Austin, who work as a group named The Gunn Club, the aggressive nature of the skilled wrestling trade, managing his faction — The Acclaimed (consisting of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens), his good friend and former colleague Triple H (actual identify Paul Michael Levesque) as a artistic in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) amongst different issues.
Gunn rose to prominence within the Nineties in WWE, previously referred to as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), as part of the tag group The New Age Outlaws (with Road Dogg) and legendary steady D-Generation-X (together with Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna and X-Pac). He was an integral a part of promotion’s tv programming, notably ‘Raw’ and ‘Smackdown’ reveals when the corporate was in competitors with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) for TV rankings from 1995 to 2001 — a part referred to as the ‘Monday Night Wars’.
He has held WWE Tag Team Championship as soon as, WWE World Tag Team Championship 10 occasions, WWE Hardcore Championship (two occasions) and WWE Intercontinental Championship as soon as. He additionally gained the ‘King of the Ring’ event again in 1999.
In 2019, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of D-Generation-X. He additionally made a return to the corporate within the 2010s.
Gunn additionally had a stint with Impact Wrestling, previously referred to as Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling from 2005-09. He labored in numerous unbiased wrestling promotions from 2015-20 and began working for AEW in 2019.
Talking concerning the promotion’s new programme AEW Collision, which is the promotion’s second major program subsequent to AEW Dynamite and third program subsequent to AEW Rampage, Gunn advised ANI, “We are excited. Obviously, we are doing something right as we are getting another show of 2 hours. It is going to be amazing. It is a good way to bring other guys on TV. With Dynamite and Rampage, we have only three hours of broadcast. We have a pretty big roster and we cannot put everyone on TV every week. Fans want to see more guys. Now we are gonna get two hours of broadcast and we will give fans more superstars in action. We will be able to divide the roster now. It will highlight more talents, get more stories, will have a huge star in CM Punk.”On AEW’s partnerships with promotions like New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), DDT Pro Wrestling, Impact Wrestling and many others, Gunn stated such partnerships are good for everybody.
“It is good for everybody. You have AEW willing to do stuff with everyone. WWE is not doing this, because they are them! (laughs). I think it is a great fan experience. If you see two wrestlers from different promotions fight each other, is not that amazing? It is very fan-friendly. I do not really know about business since I am a coach. But as far as fan experience is concerned, it is amazing that our very best talent gets to work with the top talents from other promotions. I love NJPW. I love every aspect of wrestling,” stated Gunn.
Gunn stated with the inter-promotional partnerships and occasions rising, skilled wrestling won’t ever see one thing just like the Monday Night Wars ever once more.
“Doing all these inter-promotional events, nothing is going back to the Monday Night Wars days. Everything has changed. Wrestling has changed, the product has changed. We are not in a desperate mood. We are not trying to put WWE business, neither are they trying to do that to us. Everyone is focusing on their product and putting on the best show as possible for fans. We are focusing on what we can control. Wrestling has changed,” stated the wrestler.
Gunn stated his good friend Triple H is extraordinarily artistic and “will do fine” if given freedom whereas creating the product.
“He (Triple H) is very creative. I am not really watching a lot of wrestling since I have to worry about my show. As a creative, Hunter has been great since the start. If he is creative, he got to be a great businessman too. I have heard that their product, it is doing great right now and they have some big storylines going on. If he is given freedom and let him to do what he does, he will do fine.”Vince McMahon stepped down as WWE’s chairman and CEO after The Wall Street Journal reported in June final 12 months that multimillion-dollar hush-money funds had been made to ladies, who alleged sexual relationships with the wrestling trade’s mainstay. Since then, Triple H, the present chief content material officer (CFO) within the firm, has gained management over the artistic writing and route of the corporate, which permits him to name the pictures concerning the TV programming and different artistic points of the corporate. Triple H nonetheless has artistic management regardless that Vince returned because the Chairman subsequent 12 months. Nick Khan is the present CEO of WWE.
On why he joined AEW, Gunn stated he was supplied a job as a producer and coach by the corporate.
“Because I did not have a job and they offered me one (laughs). I was doing some independent stuff by myself. They approached me to join as a producer and a coach. They were just starting out. I and Austin did the first ‘All In’ show, which was their first big show. I was one of the first people to be hired there,” stated Gunn.
Gunn stated that AEW is making a distinction to the skilled wrestling trade with the quantity of younger expertise they’ve.
“It is just younger talent. There are a lot of youngsters on our roster. They have never been on a big promotion, never been on such a huge platform on TV like this. It is lot of fun, challenge for them. It is good for us as coaches to help them navigate the waters of TV and to present themselves in a fashion in which people gravitate towards them. It is about backing them,” stated the ace wrestler.
Talking about his sons Colten and Austin, who’re working as a group referred to as The Gunn Club, of which Billy himself was a component as soon as, Gunn stated his sons have labored laborious for all the pieces they’ve achieved and he’s extraordinarily happy with them as a father.
“My sons are amazing. They work super hard and a lot of people do not realise how hard they work. If you look at it from an outside perspective, they got a shot at this industry because of me. But the ones who really know me, know that I am not that guy. I worked hard to get to where I am at. I am not the guy who will do everything for their kids to help them get into the industry. They did everything by themselves. They did their own tryouts. They talked to Tony. As a dad, it is good seeing what they are doing. They have not even came close to reaching their fullest potential. They are still trying to find themselves. They are willing to try everything so that they find out what works for them. They deserve everything they get, but by no means, I have given anything to them,” stated Gunn.
Talking a few storyline the place he’s managing ‘The Acclaimed’ steady, which is feuding with The Gunn Club, Billy stated it has been “extremely fun” working within the storyline, particularly when his sons are concerned in it.
“The Acclaimed have a great future ahead of them, they are good on their own. But the plan was to use me to push them along. We found something really amazing. We have a great chemistry. I do not lead them. I let them make their own decisions. They are just like my boys, they ask me all sorts of things. I give them suggestions as well,” he added.
On the AEW stars, who will rule the trade in future, Gunn stated, “MJF has something. You have to put him there. My boys too. There are names like Darby Allin, and Jungle Boy. Also, The Acclaimed has to be there. All of them bring something special to the show, have their own special personalities.”Indian followers can catch AEW Dynamite LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport HD on Thursday, eighth June, 2023 from 5:30 am onwards. (ANI)