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One Man Band: Billy Gunn�s Fan Club of One
By Kevin Kelly
(from WWF magazine, August 1999)

When he played football at Oviedo (Florida) High School, Badd Ass Billy Gunn was a leader on the field. He led the team in many statistical categories, but is remembered most for his arrogance. The best athlete on the team, Billy was never shy about lauding his own accomplishments and the central Florida team was successful. Then he competed in rodeo, Billy Gunn wasn�t concerned with team awards. He simply wanted to be the nest bull rider - and group honors for Sam Houston State wasn�t a big concern for him.

In the New Age Outlaws, Billy Gunn was part of a cohesive unit. Many say that the Road Dogg and Billy were the greatest tag team of all time. Flashy, quick and athletic, the three-time Federation Tag Team Champions were perhaps best known for their signature entrance. The catch introduction grabbed the audiences� attention and brought them right into the ring with the Outlaws. Road Dogg did most of the talking - Billy had one line at the end.

But they were a team, on the surface at least. Billy�s chiseled physique and supreme athletic ability combined with Road Dogg�s toughness, resilience and charisma made the Outlaws what they were. But did Billy Gunn have a hidden agenda? Did he simply use the New Age Outlaws as a stepping stone to go from obscurity to superstardom? Now that he has severed the bond the Outlaws once shared, can he finally get to the level he feels he belongs? Simply put, Billy Gunn feels he should be the Federation Champion. Does he have what it takes to get there? Or was he always jealous of Jesse�s ability to entertain the crowd with the microphone, something that Billy Gunn has been labeled a failure at.

The man who has held tag team gold on six different occasions had for six years relied on sheer athletic ability to get noticed. According to most within the Federation, Billy Gunn is the finest athlete on the roster. Billy himself will tell anyone just how good he is. When he was finally able to display his charisma as a member of the Outlaws, Gunn�s stock shot through the roof. With an ego as large as Billy�s, one word of praise really goes a long way. Billy�s head swelled with every bit of praise the Outlaw team received. Yeah, but can he �cut a promo� or talk on the microphone? Billy�s good, but not as good as the Road Dogg.

You see, Billy Gunn hates to lose at anything. From a pickup game of basketball to the Federation Tag Team Championships, Gunn would do anything it takes to win. His supporters say he is a born leader and not satisfied simply following the pack. He wants to prove that he is the fastest runner, the highest jumper, whatever. Just as long as he can win...

So, with that desire to win at all costs and do everything better than everyone else maybe Billy Gunn broke up the New Age Outlaws - in effect blowing up DX in the process because he could never outshine the Road Dogg on the microphone? I know it sounds crazy, but the desire to be the best borders on an obsessive-compulsive disorder for Billy. Would he really go so far as to destroy the most successful tag team in history because he couldn�t compete with the Road Dogg on the stick?

If asked why he broke up the Outlaws, Billy will say that it was because he was tired of �carrying� his partner. What if he was tired of living in the enormous talent shadow cast by his charismatic partner? Was it tough playing �second fiddle� to perhaps the greatest walker and talker in the business? Denials all the way from Billy Gunn, of course, who would immediately point to the fact that talking never won them one single match. It was his skill and physical ability that always got the job done.

To someone who has never been a team player, Billy Gunn has no way of recognizing the value of his partner. Road Dogg, however, learned the value of teamwork growing up as a member of the famous Armstrong wrestling family. Mess with one and mess with them all. Also, Road Dogg�s stint in the U.S. Marine Corps taught him the value of teamwork during the Persian Gulf War.

Billy Gunn always says, �I did this,� or �I did that.� Sure, it�s a clich�, but there is no �I� in team - and now there is no more team in Billy Gunn�s future. It�s all for himself, all the glory, all the fame. The same kid who hated to pass and scoffed at team awards in college will now be solo in his singular pursuit of Federation greatness.

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