AEW star Billy Gunn recently discussed how he has been able to keep wrestling for nearly 35 years. Billy Gunn began his wrestling career in 1989. He spent much of his WWF/WWE, and he’s currently part of the AEW roster. Not to mention, he’s also 60 years old and still a top star and regularly competing on television and pay-per-view.
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It’s incredibly rare for someone to continue to wrestle well into their 60s at such a high level and on a big stage. Billy Gunn recently sat down for an interview with The A2theK Wrestling Show, and he spoke about why he thinks he has been able to remain an active wrestler for so long and his looming retirement.
Billy Gunn Reveals the Secret to His Career Longevity
According to the WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW Trios Champion with The Acclaimed, Gunn revealed there isn’t some magic secret to why he’s been able to continue wrestling as long as he has for his career. Gunn stated following to A2theK:
“I wish I had a secret I could tell [about how I’ve been able to perform at this level for so long]. I don’t you know. I just focus more on me staying healthy, I guess. Luckily for me, I’ve never really done any crazy stuff other than bumping a lot. It has its wear and tear, but I really focus a lot on my training and my food and all that.
“I have great people around me. So as long as I’m going to do this, I want to make sure that I can perform at the level that makes me happy, because if I don’t, then I just want to walk away. Although my kids and wife will say different, I’m walking away.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
In 2019 Gunn joined a young upstart promotion called AEW. In the last several years, the company has continued to grow. Many of Gunn’s peers have taken on a backstage role in wrestling with few to no in-ring appearances. However, they don’t call Gunn “Badass” for nothing. Gunn has remained active as a top star in AEW. Even at 60 years old, Gunn is not showing any signs of slowing down.
Gunn is not only an active wrestler, but he also works behind the scenes to help younger talent. This includes coaching wrestlers in AEW and producing as well. He admits that he is always willing to help younger talent and help things make sense or at least try.
When Gunn isn’t helping the younger talent or wrestling in AEW, he also does training at a well-known wrestling school. Twice a week, Gunn coaches over at Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall’s wrestling academy, The Nightmare Factory.
Gunn doesn’t seem to be thinking about retiring anytime soon. He still has a lot left in the tank before he considers that topic. However, the question of his retirement match has come up, and who he will face in his final match while speaking to A2theK.
He has two choices for his final match in his mind. While his sons Austin and Colten Gunn want to be his retirement match, Gunn joked about wanting to wrestle newly signed AEW star, Will Ospreay, in his final match. Also, since Gunn spent most of his career competing in the tag team division. He was asked if he thinks his sons will follow in his footsteps and remain in the tag division as well. Gunn said about Austin and Colten, who are currently part of Bullet Club Gold:
“I feel either one of them [Austin and Colten] could go singles, but they have no aspirations to do that. Kind of like me. I never had any aspirations to have a singles run. I just don’t like that dynamic. It just was never me. It just feels almost feels foreign to me. I’m very much in control of stuff, so I like the more chaos, the better it is for me.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Gunn’s sons, The Gunns, have been able to carry on their father’s legacy. They are former AEW World Tag Team champions and created a nice little space for themselves in the company. They competed against MJF and Samoa Joe last month at AEW Full Gear 2023 in a losing effort.
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What have you thought of Billy Gunn’s work in AEW? Do you think it is up to par with his work with DX in WWF? Have you noticed age creeping into his in-ring work? Do you think his sons have what it takes to carry on his legacy or do they still have a ways to go? Should they remain a team or go solo? Do you think either or both could have a solid singles run? Do you think Colten or Austin has a better chance as a singles competitor? Let us know who you would like to see be Billy Gunn’s retirement match. Let us know your thoughts on The Illuminerdi’s social media.
SOURCE: The A2theK Wrestling Show, Wrestling Inc.
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