Billy Gunn (Credits: Ringside News)
Billy Gunn was never supposed to be an AEW regular. In fact, when the WWE Hall of Famer first signed with the company, his talent contract called for just 12 wrestling dates for the entire year. But as Gunn himself revealed to Inside The Ropes, things quickly went sideways from that plan.
Speaking to Inside The Ropes, Gunn explained that his original AEW role was meant to be mostly behind the scenes. He held separate talent and employee contracts, with the bulk of his work centered around producing and coaching rather than getting back inside the ring every week.
Just a Few Dates — Then “Lo and Behold”
Gunn was not completely closing the door on wrestling, though. He told Tony Khan he would be available whenever AEW needed him, which is why the company kept a smaller talent deal in place alongside his regular employee contract. “Yeah. So, my contract, I had 12 dates a year. Like, I really wasn’t going to wrestle, but I told Tony, ‘If you need me to, I’ll do some here and there.'”
“So, we put in — like, I still had a talent contract and an employee contract because I was mostly just producing, coaching and whatever else. And then the talent one was little because I was just going to, you know, if I even filled those dates.”
Working Both Shows — “About to Fall Apart”
That arrangement did not exactly go according to plan. Instead of occasionally throwing on his gear for one of those 12 dates, Gunn suddenly found himself being used much more regularly. “And then, lo and behold — oh, they cracked me out, and then I’m working both shows. I’m working all the time, about to fall apart.”
Gunn went from somebody AEW expected to use sparingly in the ring to working across both shows while still handling his responsibilities behind the scenes. What started as a dozen potential wrestling dates quickly turned into a much bigger in-ring role than he originally signed up for — and his willingness to step in whenever Tony Khan needed him ended up making those occasional appearances a regular part of his AEW run.
Also Read: Billy Gunn Calls Out Modern Wrestlers for How They Handle Backstage Drama
Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
