Billy Gunn was asked to name the best people he’s ever been in the ring with during his appearance on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast, and his answer included Eddie Guerrero, the Head Shrinkers, the Harris Brothers, and a name Gunn acknowledged was controversial before he said it — Chris Benoit.
Gunn’s Answer
Gunn paused before including Benoit on the list and made clear he understood how the answer would land.
“Probably, although Eddie probably was one of them, because he was even though our stuff that we did wasn’t long. Him, Chris Benoit, I know that’s a no, but it’s just a fact, the intensity that he was was amazing to work with.”
Gunn also named two teams he worked with early in his career as among the most impactful.
“And of course, Sam and Jr, the Head Shrinkers, because they had to take us for the first year we were there. You know, the patience and the way that they taught us, and they never got frustrated. They just they knew what their job was, which was to help new guys. And they did an awesome job.”
Gunn On The Origin Of His Career
Gunn cited the Harris Brothers, Ron and Don Harris, as the most significant figures in his overall wrestling journey.
“I like to say that everybody that I’ve been in the ring with is good in one way or another. But the most significant, the most significant, of course, would be Ron and Don Harris, because they’re the ones that got me started. And then it would have to be the Head Shrinkers, because they had to teach us, and they literally taught us everything that they knew in a year. That made us kind of start understanding what we were doing and understanding where we had to go and how to put stuff together, and psychology and stuff, because they were stuck with us.”
Gunn On Working With Eddie Guerrero
Gunn shared a specific memory from his Intercontinental Championship win over Eddie Guerrero, and how Guerrero guided him through a spot Gunn was nervous about.
“There’s one thing where I press him over my head and he goes, ‘drop your left hand.’ And I went, ‘no,’ like I didn’t understand. I knew exactly what was saying, but I didn’t wasn’t comprehending, like, I’m not going to let you go and land on your head. I’m just not. And he goes, ‘let your left hand go.’ He’s like, starting to get mad at me, so I just let my left hand go. And he never moves. He stays right there. And I went, ‘oh, this is awesome. He’s making me look like a million bucks right now.’ But he was just like, there’s nothing that you have to worry about, like nothing. It just flows.”
Gunn said Guerrero’s ability to read a match in real time was what stood out most.
“He just had this knack of just going wherever we needed to go. It’s not that we sat and talked about a bunch of stuff. It’s just I knew my position in that match, and I just had to listen.”
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