All Elite Wrestling star and WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn recently appeared on the “No Holds Barred” podcast with the Toronto Sun’s Rob Wong and Postmedia wrestling writer Jan Murphy. During the interview, Gunn reflected on his career and discussed the legacy of the D-Generation X faction.
Gunn, whose real name is Monty Kip Sopp, began his World Wrestling Federation career in 1993 as one half of The Smoking Gunns alongside Bart Gunn. Following the dissolution of that team, he formed the New Age Outlaws with “Road Dogg” Jesse James. The duo achieved significant popularity and championship success, eventually aligning with Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac to form the second iteration of D-Generation X following WrestleMania XIV in 1998.
The group became a central component of WWE’s “Attitude Era,” engaging in high-profile storylines, including an on-screen “invasion” of World Championship Wrestling’s Monday Nitro broadcast. The New Age Outlaws captured the WWE Tag Team Championship on six occasions.
In 2019, WWE recognized the faction’s impact by inducting D-Generation X into the WWE Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, during WrestleMania 35 weekend. The inducted members included Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Billy Gunn.
Gunn discussed what the Hall of Fame induction meant to him and his place in wrestling history.
“It’s amazing just to go into the Hall of Fame with those guys, because we did some iconic stuff,” Gunn stated. “I’m just truly lucky, because as long as wrestling is around, or is doing its wrestling thing, I will always be remembered because we did, D-Generation X was probably, in my opinion, because I’m the one doing this… is the best faction of all time, because we just did some great iconic stuff. We did stuff that nobody else thought of or wanted to do.”
Gunn noted that the induction ceremony allowed the group to authentically present their characters one final time on a WWE platform.
“The Hall of Fame was fun because it was just about all of us getting to do our thing, shooting my little water rocket that went nowhere, and just having that thing together again,” Gunn recalled. “Because when we’re all together, we don’t have to think about it. We’re just what it is. We’re degenerates, and we like to act like that in front of people.”
Despite his WWE Hall of Fame status, Gunn has remained active in the professional wrestling industry outside of WWE. He joined All Elite Wrestling during its inception in 2019, initially serving as a backstage producer and coach before transitioning back into an on-screen talent. He currently works alongside Max Caster and Anthony Bowens as part of The Acclaimed, a trio that previously held the AEW World Trios Championship.
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