_(cropped).jpg) Gunn in 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Monty Kip Sopp[6] (1963-11-01)November 1, 1963 (age 62)[7][1] Orlando, Florida, U.S.[1] |
| Alma mater | Sam Houston State University |
Spouses | |
| Children | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Billy[1] Billy G[1] Billy Gunn[2] Cute Kip[1] Daddy Ass[3] KIP[1] Kip Gunn[1][4] Kip James[1] Kip Montana[1] Kip Sopp[2] Kip Winchester[1] Mr. Ass[1] The G-Man[1] The New Age Outlaw[1] The Outlaw[2] Rockabilly[5] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[5] |
| Billed weight | 260 lb (118 kg)[5] |
| Billed from | Austin, Texas Orlando, Florida[5] |
| Trained by | Jerry Gray[1] Don Harris[1] Ron Harris[1] |
| Debut | 1989 |
Monty Kip Sopp[6] (born November 1, 1963),[7] better known by hisring nameBilly Gunn, is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also performs under the ring nameDaddy Ass and is the on-screen manager forAnthony Bowens. He was a member ofThe Acclaimed as amanager and the team'ssix-man tag team partner. He is also signed toWWE under a Legends contract.
He was previously known for his tenures inWorld Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015, while also serving as a coach on WWE'sTough Enough and was a trainer inNXT. He also wrestled forTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling from 2005 to 2009.
Primarily atag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 11-timetag team champion in WWE with three different partners (withBart Gunn as TheSmoking Gunns; withRoad Dogg as TheNew Age Outlaws; and withChuck Palumbo asBilly and Chuck). He is also a formerone-timeWWF Intercontinental Champion and atwo-timeWWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He also won the1999King of the Ring tournament, and was inducted into theWWE Hall of Famein 2019 as a member ofD-Generation X. At AEW, Gunn is a former one-time and longest reigningAEW World Trios Champions withThe Acclaimed (Max Caster andAnthony Bowens).
Gunn trained as a bull rider while attendingOviedo High School inOviedo, Florida.[8] After a stint as a professionalbull rider inProfessional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early 20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.[6] Trained by Jerry Gray, Sopp wrestled on theindependent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent forWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993.
After weeks ofvignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993, episode ofRaw, teaming with hison-screen brother,Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja andGlenn Ruth.[9] The duo, now known as TheSmoking Gunns, made theirpay-per-view debut atKing of the Ring, teaming with TheSteiner Brothers to defeatMoney Inc. andThe Headshrinkers in aneight-man tag team match.[10] AtSummerSlam, the duo teamed withTatanka to pick up a win againstBam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers.[11] On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his firstRoyal Rumble match at thenamesake event, but was eliminated byDiesel.[12] In early 1995, the Gunns won their firstTag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team ofBob Holly and1-2-3 Kid.[13] They held the title untilWrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team ofOwen Hart andYokozuna.[14] They won the titles again in September 1995.[15]
On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery.[16] After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeatingThe Godwinns in May in the Free-For-All ofIn Your House 8: Beware of Dog after Billy distracted Phineas by kissing Sunny.[17] After the match, The Godwinns' managerSunnyturned on her team in favor of the Gunns, turning all threeheel in the process.[17] On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart andThe British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. The two would feud in late 1996.
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. AtWrestleMania 13, he defeatedFlash Funk[18] catching the attention ofThe Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé.[19] During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly,[19] He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with"The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997, episode ofShotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed andsmashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance.
James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed theNew Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won theTag Team Championship from theLegion of Doom on November 24.[20] They also defeated the LOD in a rematch atIn Your House: D-Generation X.[21]
The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves withD-Generation X. At theRoyal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in acasket match to helpShawn Michaels defeatThe Undertaker. AtNo Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up withTriple H andSavio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to faceChainsaw Charlie,Cactus Jack,Owen Hart, andSteve Austin. They were, however, defeated.[21] On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to adumpster match atWrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles.[21] The next night onRaw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in asteel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H,Chyna, andX-Pac.[22] After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX).[23]
After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against theLegion of Doom 2000 atUnforgiven.[21] DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his newstablemates,The Nation. AtOver The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen,Kama Mustafa, andD'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match.[21]
During this time, the Outlaws began a feud withKane andMankind. AtSummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in aHandicap match after Kaneno-showed the title defense.[24] The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time.[25] In December, the Outlaws lost the title toThe Big Boss Man andKen Shamrock fromThe Corporation.[15]
The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. Road Dogg won theHardcore Championship in December 1998,[26] and Gunn set his sights on theIntercontinental Championship. At the1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challengedKen Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title.[27] The next month atSt. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was thespecial guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match betweenVal Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men.[27]
In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship fromHardcore Holly.[26] AtWrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in aTriple Threat match which also includedAl Snow.[28] The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeatJeff Jarrett andOwen Hart atBacklash.[28] After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match atOver the Edge.[28] Gunn then won theKing of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock,Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac.[28] After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated atFully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna.[28]
Gunn then began a brief feud withThe Rock. AtSummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match.[29] Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating TheRock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999.[30] The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind andAl Snow.[31] At the2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac.[32] The Outlaws then had a feud with TheDudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws atNo Way Out.[32] After suffering a tornrotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury.
Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud withRight to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. AtNo Mercy, Right to Censor membersSteven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn.[33] Due to a stipulation in a match with Steven Richards on the October 31 episode of Monday Night Raw from the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded withEddie Guerrero and the rest ofThe Radicalz. AtSurvivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, andK-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz.[34] A few weeks later onSmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero.[35] However, the title reign was short-lived, asChris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later atArmageddon.[35] After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match atNo Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinningRaven for the title.[26] The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later.[26]
In a 2001 match onSunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated byChuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, andBilly and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storylinehomosexual relationship.
In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeatedSpike Dudley andTazz to win theWWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team.[36] After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyantRico. After retaining the title against theAcolytes Protection Agency, theDudley Boyz, and theHardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match atWrestleMania X8 and againstAl Snow andMaven atBacklash, Billy and Chuck began a feud withRikishi.[37] AtJudgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with aroundhouse kick.[38] Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later onSmackDown! with Rico's help.[39] They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team ofEdge andHollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode ofSmackDown!.
On the September 5 edition ofSmackDown!, after Billy lost a match toRey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode ofSmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony.[40] However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was apublicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be RawGeneral ManagerEric Bischoff (who was wearing askin mask), who then summoned3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck.[40] Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected toRaw. AtUnforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck.[41] Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode ofSmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly createdWWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team ofRon Simmons andReverend D-Von.[42] Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded.
After returning in June 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeatingA-Train, andTorrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud withJamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match atVengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie.[43] After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated byGoldberg.[44] Afterward, he wrestled mainly onVelocity, forming an occasional tag team withHardcore Holly. AtJudgment Day, Gunn and Holly challengedCharlie Haas andRico for theWWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful.[45][46] AtThe Great American Bash, Gunn lost toKenzo Suzuki.[47] Afterwards, he mainly wrestled onVelocity and house shows until that August.
On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract.[48] In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towardsTriple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there".[49]
On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWEtrademark, although announcers recognized him as such) atAgainst All Odds with the same gimmick, helpingJeff Jarrett retain theNWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match withKevin Nash.[50] Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett andMonty Brown known asPlanet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-viewLockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked.[51]
The Outlaw began a campaign to make former allyB.G. James leave the3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. AtNo Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out ofMarietta, Georgia" (thefamily seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy.[52] As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru membersRon Killings andKonnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings atSacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory.[53]
In September atUnbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team ofApolo andLance Hoyt.[54] There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005, episode ofImpact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK andTeam Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captainPetey Williams from beating down B.G. James.[55] He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again atBound for Glory.[56] Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in anover-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[56] After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees.
On the November 26 episode ofImpact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable.[57] Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born.[57] However, atTurning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru.[58] Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father,Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates,Apolo andHomicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves asThe James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managedLatin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo toMachete, and then from him toHernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. AtFinal Resolution, The James Gang defeatedThe Diamonds in the Rough (David Young andElix Skipper). AtAgainst All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). AtDestination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. AtSacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch atSlammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in aBingo Hall Brawl. AtVictory Road, The James Gang andAbyss defeated Team 3D and their newest memberBrother Runt. AtNo Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. AtBound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D.
By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition ofImpact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit.[59] Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration andSpike TV, but each time his mic was cut off.[59] Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break.[59] When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was aworked shoot thatVince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWEVince McMahon.
A few weeks later onImpact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new nameVoodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' onPaul Levesque,Michael Hickenbottom, andVincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively).[60] Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of:D-Generation X.[61] After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, atGenesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeatedKazarian,Maverick Matt andJohnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainousChristy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. AtDestination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team ofThe Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas &Romeo Roselli). On theLockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team wasDamaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode ofImpact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match atSacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team atSlammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associateLance Hoyt. AtVictory Road, they introduced their newmanager, the Voodoo Queen,Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. AtHard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. AtNo Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won byA.J. Styles and Tomko. AtBound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition ofImpact!, VKM teamed withA.J. Styles andTomko in a losing effort tothe Latin American Xchange andthe Steiner Brothers. AtGenesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in whichGail Kim retained the title. AtTurning Point, James competed in theFeast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner atAgainst All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008, episode ofImpact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch.
On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James atLockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances onImpact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage byMatt Morgan for no reason. The next week onImpact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage inJim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for theDeuces Wild tournament atSacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition ofImpact!, where he partnered withLance Hoyt andJames Storm in a losing effort against Morgan andThe Latin American Xchange.
On the August 14 episode ofImpact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member ofThe Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview onKaren Angle's showKaren's Angle. atBound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost toRhino,ODB andRhaka Khan in aBimbo Brawl. atFinal Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. AtGenesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injuredKevin Nash inthe Main Event Mafia.
As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off ofTNA Impact! along withJacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition ofImpact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition ofImpact!,Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into aface. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition ofXplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition ofXplosion, Kip defeatedSheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition ofXplosion, Kip lost toRob Terry and on December 3, 2009, edition ofXplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost toKiyoshi.
Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion.[62]
After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited withB.G. James to reformThe New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25.[63] They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011.[63]
On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut forLucha Libre USA as a member of theheelstable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match againstMarco Corleone.[4] On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship.[64] However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship.[65]
On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his firstWWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited withRoad Dogg,X-Pac,Shawn Michaels andTriple H to reformD-Generation X for one night only on the1000th episode ofRaw.[66] In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for theNXT Wrestling territory inTampa, Florida.[67] On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return atOld School Raw, defeatingPrimo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted byBrock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with anF-5 as part of his ongoingfeud with Triple H.
He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to helpCM Punk clear outThe Shield in aid ofRoddy Piper onOld School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode ofSmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode ofRaw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during theRoyal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beatCody Rhodes andGoldust to win theWWE Tag Team Championship. The next night onRaw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification whenBrock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week onRaw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship toThe Usos. Gunn sustainedhemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield atWrestleMania XXX.[68]
Gunn returned toRaw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attackingThe Ascension along with the nWo and the APA.[69] At theRoyal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. AtWrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg,X-Pac andShawn Michaels, reunited asD-Generation X to helpTriple H in his match againstSting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along withWWE Hall of FamersBooker T andLita for thesixth season ofTough Enough.
On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test forperformance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels oftestosterone at apowerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years.[70]
On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up withKevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for theMCW Pro WrestlingMCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up withMr. Anderson andTajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016, Gunn challenged for thePro Wrestling PrideHeavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title toKen Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to theTroops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016.
On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut forChikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova.[71]
On November 5, 2016, at theNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) eventPower Struggle,Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of hisHunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming2016 World Tag League.[72] Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block.[73] Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-showNew Japan Rumble atWrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winnerMichael Elgin.[74] While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who toldHiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him.[75] When Tanahashi captured theIWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger.[75] Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 atG1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW.[76]
Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018, episode ofRaw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X.
.jpg)
In January 2019, Gunn was hired byAll Elite Wrestling as acoach.[77] At May 25 at theAEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019, episode ofAEWDynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020, episode ofDynamite, wrestling ina dark match with his sonAustin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020, episode ofDynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes ofDynamite during theCOVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020, episode ofDynamite, Gunn, now under the shortened ring name ofBilly, participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for theAEW TNT Championship. He also would wrestleMJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020, episode ofDynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes ofAEW Dark.[78][79]
On the November 4, 2020, episode ofDynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020, episode ofDark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other sonColten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match.[80] On the same day, the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form,Billy Gunn.[81] The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020, episode ofDark.[82][83] On the December 8, 2020, episode ofDark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN.[84] On the December 1, 2021, episode ofDynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin.[85][86] On the April 15, 2022, episode ofAEW Rampage, the Gunn Club lost a six-man tag team match toBlackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson,Jon Moxley, andWheeler Yuta), after Yuta pinned Billy.[87][88]
On the August 17, 2022, episode ofDynamite, the Gunn Club ended when both of his sons turned against him and joinedStokely Hathaway.[89]The Acclaimed (Max Caster andAnthony Bowens) came to Gunn's aid and Gunn began managing the duo. While paired with the Acclaimed, Bowens affectionately coined Gunn asDaddy Ass, a reference to Gunn's 1999 WWF "Mr. Ass" persona.[3] On September 21, 2022, atDynamite: Grand Slam, the Acclaimed successfully capture theAEW World Tag Team Championship with a win over Swerve in Our Glory (Swerve Strickland andKeith Lee).[90] On August 27, 2023, atAll In, Gunn and The Acclaimed won theAEW World Trios Championship fromThe House of Black (Malakai Black,Brody King, andBuddy Matthews) in a "House Rules"No Holds Barredsix-man tag team match. AtDynasty:Zero Hour on April 21, 2024,ROH World Six-Man Tag Team ChampionsBullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns) defeated Gunn and The Acclaimed for the AEW World Trios Championship in awinner takes allchampionship unification match to unify the titles as the Unified World Trios Championship, ending their reign at a record 238 days.[91][92] In January 2025 on theMaximum Carnage special episode ofCollision, The Acclaimed disbanded after months of dissension.[93]
On April 6 atDynasty Zero Hour, Gunn returned after a brief hiatus as the manager for Bowens and was ringside when Bowens defeated Caster.[94] On the July 26 episode ofCollision, Bowens began teasing aheel turn after assaulting Caster following their match, and had to be held back by Gunn.[95]
In 2021, Gunn has signed a WWE Legends contract where he can appear in multiple video games, action figures and other merchandise.[96]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Double Fury | Wincott | [97] |
| 2010 | The Other Guys | Kip James | (uncredited) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sabrina The Teenage Witch | Xavier "The Avenger" Prescott |
Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell in 1990.[98] Together they had two sons:Colten andAustin, who are both professional wrestlers working forAll Elite Wrestling.[99] Sopp and Tinnell separated in 2000 and finalized their divorce in December 2002.[98] Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009.[100]
Sopp has said that he battlesasthma and uses aninhaler.[101]
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Sopp studiedagribusiness atSam Houston State University.[102]
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling DatabaseLinks to related articles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
