WWE Hall of Famer and AEW star Billy Gunn recently sat down with Chris Van Vliet at Insight to discuss his mentality on age in wrestling, as he continues to be active at 60 years old. He also discussed who he wants to face in his retirement match when that time comes.
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Billy Gunn began his wrestling career in 1989 and is still at it at 60 years old. However, age hasn’t seemed to be a factor for him and his continuing wrestling career in AEW. Most wrestlers in their 50s have a clear decline in their physique, but Gunn is in better shape than half the roster in their 30s. He is in better shape now than he was in the ‘90s.
Billy Gunn Discusses His Mindset About Age and Retirement From Wrestling
While speaking to INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Billy Gunn spoke at length about age not being a limiting factor in his career at this point. He revealed that his longevity is based on his mentality and outworking everyone else. He stated the following:
“I have a different mindset than most people. It’s just not an option, it’s just, it’s not in my DNA, it’s not in my thought process to not be me or to not work harder or not to be better than I was yesterday. I don’t age doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m going to get older, it doesn’t matter; that doesn’t mean because I get older that my life stops and I stop doing the things that I love.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Gunn continues to push himself and his body. He brings up how five or six years ago he decided he wanted to get into bodybuilding. He sought out some of the best people in his area to help him prepare for bodybuilding competitions. Gunn’s training for bodybuilding competitions helped him in his wrestling career because he has kept up that level of his physique. He learned about his body and what he needed to do to stay at a high level and retain his muscle mass.
However, Gunn admits that even though he works hard to stay in good shape it isn’t all based on his work ethic. He admits that he is blessed by good genetics which makes it easier to maintain his current physique than it would be for anyone else. He continued:
“I get a little shaky when I get outside of my comfortability. I’m not a dieter, I am very good with my food now but I’ve been super lucky because my genetics and my metabolism stuff has always allowed me [to be fit] As long as I’m close to eating good, I’m okay. But once I realize about competing, that’s a whole different animal.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Gunn admits that even though bodybuilding started as a hobby and something which was something he could do outside of wrestling it has become much more. He fully admits it has become an obsession for him. Even though Gunn still loves wrestling and admits that he is still having so much fun in the ring when he gets to wrestle it has to end at some point. For many wrestlers, it is very clear when they should hang up their boots and retire. Gunn hasn’t shown any of that in his work in the ring yet.Â
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Gunn does have an opponent in mind when he does decide to have his final match. It is none other than someone who just challenged for the AEW World Championship and one of the hottest wrestlers in AEW, Will Ospreay. He admits that he is such a big fan that it would be a dream to have Ospreay retire him. Billy Gunn said on the reigning AEW International Champion:
“I don’t know what it is about that kid I love him, I tell everybody that’s my retirement match. When I retire it’s me and Will and he just said on some media scrum that he’s in AEW to retire me. Like his work really isn’t me right? It’s so opposite of me, but I love him, he’s good, he’s very energetic, just the stuff he does is amazing. He’s so athletic and can do so much stuff, but he has charisma with it and he and he’s very good at that and I don’t know. I just love that kid.”
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Ospreay just challenged Swerve Strickland’s AEW World Championship at AEW Forbidden Door in a losing effort last Sunday. His style is very acrobatic with a lot of flips. It is a very different style from Gunn. Gunn’s fear of a potential match is that he won’t be able to keep up with Ospreay and the match will not live up to the hype.
Would you like to see Billy Gunn vs. Will Ospreay? Would you like to see that be Gunn’s retirement match? If not Ospreay, then who would you like to see Gunn face in his final match? Let us know on social media if you think AEW should put the AEW World Championship on Gunn.
SOURCE: Wrestling Inc., INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Wrestling Inc.
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