Iv noticed since the new age outlaws started working TV again everytime there segment is on the announcers make a handful of references to how billy gun doesent look like he has "aged" a bit......is this some kind of rib? I mean honestly he does look like he's aged a lot but still looks fine for his age....I don't understand why they keep going back to this.
What's with WWE announcers always talking about Billy Guns looks?
- Thread starter Slbrey
- Start date
Well for a guy in his what, early 50s, he is in sensational shape. Have a look at 95% of the guys his age still involved in in-ring activity, he has them well covered. Imagine if Sting had taken better care of his physique....WWE would have signed him already and be keen to showcase him in Wrestlemania XXX, if not last year. Sure it does get stale, but he doesnt have much else going for him, so accentuating his positives is smart by the commentators, who are fed their lines by Vince, to bang on about how well he looks at his mature age.
Ok but it's also kinda insulting to our intelligence....back in the attitude era the guy would be in traditional gear and yes he was in great shape...now he's at a point where he's wearing T-Shirts in the ring (there's a reason for that)...he also has lost like 5 inchs of his hairline since 2002.
I guess my gripe isn't with billy gunn because truth be told if the announcers didnt ride on the ageless thing I prob would think to myself "Wow Billy looks great for his age and can still go in the ring" but it's the fact that they try to ram it down our throats that makes me wanna dissect it more and point out that he obviously has aged and it shows.
I guess my gripe isn't with billy gunn because truth be told if the announcers didnt ride on the ageless thing I prob would think to myself "Wow Billy looks great for his age and can still go in the ring" but it's the fact that they try to ram it down our throats that makes me wanna dissect it more and point out that he obviously has aged and it shows.
ZUMBOdriver
Occasional Pre-Show
I'm with you OP. It's got to be some kind of rib. They also use the same tired joke about him not remembering his one line every week. I hope they are amusing themselves. Not me
Nate DaMac
Fuck erbody but me
Because he looks fucking phenomenal for a 50 year old man. Sure, it's not natural at all, but when you compare him to guys younger than him like Taker, Kane, and Big Show, not only does he look better but he still has a better motor. Shit, he's like six years older than Road Dogg and he looks way better.
They mention it to put the Outlaws over, make it seem like it isn't weird that these two guys who peaked 15 years ago can still go with the younger guys.
They mention it to put the Outlaws over, make it seem like it isn't weird that these two guys who peaked 15 years ago can still go with the younger guys.
fenderjapan
Pre-Show Stalwart
I don't think its a rib. I think its rare to see guys in his kind of shape (both in terms of his build and his in-ring ability) at the age of 50. He looks like he could convincingly kick the crap out of guys half his age.
His hairline has receded, but as far as the t-shirt goes, hes worked recently without it and looked pretty damned good. Better than a lot of guys who work without shirts nowadays.
His hairline has receded, but as far as the t-shirt goes, hes worked recently without it and looked pretty damned good. Better than a lot of guys who work without shirts nowadays.
You actually listen to the shit that comes out of the mouths of the corporate puppets JBL, Cole and Lawler. Everything they say is fed lines that they make worse, they barely talk about the wrestling that is going on in front of them and never call moves they just try and bury matches by doing everything but talk about whats going on in the ring. If you watch a UFC event do you heard Rogan calling a guy with a beard a troll or do you hear him talking about the looks of veteran no you hear him calling the action going on in front of him, if he sees a head kick he tells you theres a head kick. WWE need to sack Cole, Lawler and JBL and get fresh talent in whose focus is what goes on in the ring and have them tell you the technical terms for the move we see. I know JBL, Cole and Lawler could do that but I have had enough of hearing them
Nate DaMac
Fuck erbody but me
Why do you insist on outing yourself as a ****** at every turn?
Why do people want the commentators to name wrestling moves? When you think of classic matches, do you remember that JR called that leg whip perfectly? No. It isn't their job to just sit there and call out wrestling moves, their job is to sell the story of the match and create memorable sound bites. You're a stupid cliche smark, seriously. You have yet to formulate your own opinion on anything. Quit getting your opinions from 4 year old Youtube comments.
enviousdominous
Behold my diction
I think at a certain point, during matches and segments, those involved as talkers occasionally find themselves stuck with not a whole lot to comment on. It's not like there isn't something going on or something interesting to be observed, they just have a brain dump and have to say something for the sake of saying anything.
Maybe Vince fed "Remark on how good Billy looks for his age" to Michael Cole once, and it stuck in his mind so he just blurts it out when he's struggling for a filler comment.
I remember when HHH and Stephanie were in the angle with Big Show. Stephanie threatened to *gasp* sell The Big Show's house! This became a recurring threat on part of Stephanie and HHH. Anytime there was a segment where Big Show appeared to be resenting his bosses, or even turned and betrayed their trust, HHH or Steph would blurt out that they're going to sell his house.
When Randy Orton despicably slugged John Cena's dear old papa a few times off camera, the commentators were quick to speculate that maybe John Cena's dad would press charges. Later on in the night John claimed that his pep pep had told him that Randy Orton hits like a *gasp* girl. Making that kind of assertion would clearly throw out any probability of a successful case against Randy Orton for his heinous act. So, the commentators would often quip something fucking stupid like "Well he's just lucky that John Cena's dad didn't press charges!" I think it's a little late for charges to be pressed, but whatever.
Maybe Vince fed "Remark on how good Billy looks for his age" to Michael Cole once, and it stuck in his mind so he just blurts it out when he's struggling for a filler comment.
I remember when HHH and Stephanie were in the angle with Big Show. Stephanie threatened to *gasp* sell The Big Show's house! This became a recurring threat on part of Stephanie and HHH. Anytime there was a segment where Big Show appeared to be resenting his bosses, or even turned and betrayed their trust, HHH or Steph would blurt out that they're going to sell his house.
When Randy Orton despicably slugged John Cena's dear old papa a few times off camera, the commentators were quick to speculate that maybe John Cena's dad would press charges. Later on in the night John claimed that his pep pep had told him that Randy Orton hits like a *gasp* girl. Making that kind of assertion would clearly throw out any probability of a successful case against Randy Orton for his heinous act. So, the commentators would often quip something fucking stupid like "Well he's just lucky that John Cena's dad didn't press charges!" I think it's a little late for charges to be pressed, but whatever.
I'd be inclined to agree, but too often they don't sell the match or the story though. Too many times they banter needlessly with each other and are simply trying to entertain themselves. I don't know why, if it's lack of enthusiasm or if it's the difficulty with calling a show when you're being overproduced via headset but if it's not a main event feud they tend to not be bothered. It's not lack of ability though. For all the stick he gets Michael Cole used to be a good play-by-play guy and showed real passion and excitement when he called matches. Personally, I don't think a three man booth helps.
One thing that I noticed in the Rumble when Rhodes immediately went after Sandow was that (unless I missed it?) not one of them made even a passing reference to the relatively recent Rhodes/Sandow feud or their history as friends and tag partners. It's those sort of little things that make the difference, not calling every single move right. But how many great soundbites or great calls can you recall in recent memory?
OP, it's a simple way of putting over a 50-odd year old guy and a subtle way of justifying his place on the card despite that age.
Because it's really amazing to see a guy in his early 50's still in such great shape and his look has never really changed at all. Atleast his hair is still growing. Billy Gunn is a great in-ring veteran! If I had a wrestling promotion with a developement center I would want Billy Gunn to be one if not the head trainer of my D-League promotion too. Billy Gunn should be an ideal of a wrestling veteran who still continues to keep in great shape post his or her prime. I was honored to meet Billy Gunn back in 2001 at my local mall for an autograph signing and got to get my picture taken with him.
But really Billy Gunn deserves a big pat on the back for what he is doing in the WWE and for himself.
But really Billy Gunn deserves a big pat on the back for what he is doing in the WWE and for himself.
Ol'Canucklehead
Pre-Show Stalwart
I wonder how long some people have been watching wrestling. They are clearly not joking or taking a jab at Gunn. They are doing what announcers do and are trying to legitimize how a tag team at their ages are believably the champions. Getting them over. He is in very good shape so it's no stretch. Don't over think it. That's all it is.
I know what you mean, it's the exact thing same thing with Sheamus, every week Jerry Lawler reminds us all that Sheamus is actually that white. We get the message by now, Sheamus is whiter then the rest of the wrestlers, lets move on and get over it.
Imagine what would happen if Jerry kept reminding us that Kofi Kingston is actually that black.
Imagine what would happen if Jerry kept reminding us that Kofi Kingston is actually that black.
Well to answer you question iv been watching wrestling since about 1985 and it's not a off the wall idea that commentators may say things as a rib on a particular person...I will make note of the Lillian Garcia "horse around" comments which are always reffering to her having a longer face...it could very well be possible that billy gunn is dateing or married to a much younger female in real life or is maybe going through a mid life crisis I dunno it's just odd they mention it everytime they are in the ring and purposely find way to Segway into it "they forgot to tag CM punk just like billy forgot to age!" "Billy gunn must own a time machine he doesent look like he's aged at all since 1999".
THTRobtaylor
Once & Future Wrestlezone Columnist
There are a lot of factors to this, some of it may be the rib, some of it may be that he is a trainer on NXT so it's a way of sending a message to the talent there to "keep it clean" when it comes to what you put in to your body. He would wear a T-Shirt cos they want to sell them... pure and simple, if he's wearing the shirt people will buy it. He's hardly in the Ric Flair/Last Nitro situation to have needed it. By his last match Flair was clearly old, but he was in great shape and that too was a major part of the commentary of his matches.
It's VERY important to note Gunn was part of the post "roid scandal" WWF when he came in, so while he may have potentially partaken a bit during the DX days to improve his physique, most of the time he was plain old Smokin' Billy Gunn he didn't have that look at all, he was part of a locker room tested and fired/suspended if they screwed up for those first few years. With guys like Dustin, Billy, Regal to a lesser extent they messed with these things far less than "recreational substances"... guys like Sean Waltman have clearly over indulged, guys like Billy may have partaken, but generally if booze is your poison, you come out far better and Billy, like JBL, Simmons and Taker were part of that "drinking culture" as opposed to the drugs culture in the WWF mid 90's...
Gimmick wise there is an element of "growing old disgracefully" to it as well in Gunn's case, that he's still alluding to his "suck it" line and playing up to the old images of B.A. Billy and Mr. Ass somewhat so that is something they're gonna put over in the commentary that he is older than most of the roster but still "raising hell". Just as they would if it were Stone Cold...
Sometimes people just age well and when wrestlers do it's pretty rare but also valuable and worth putting over as an example to kids, their folks and aspiring wrestlers.
Guys like the Rock, Jericho are in their 40's and you don't imagine them aging much between now and 50. Their schedules are light in the ring but they still train as if their next match is tomorrow. It reminds me of Dennis Stamp on Beyond The Mat, a guy who clearly had no real career to speak of but for his age was in phenomenal shape and he said..."You never know when someone's gonna call..."
Taker is not aging well at all, that may be down to the beatings over the years but it's more down to the not keeping in "great shape" a full time schedule demands... most near 50 year olds could manage to look half good for one or two nights a year, but Taker even struggles with that now. He knows Vince isn't gonna call without serious lead time, he knows that his opponent will go to his for 2 weeks and they will design the match... the other 8 months or so of the year he could be getting seriously fat for all we know.
Jake looked better than he ever has since he left the WWF and it'll be interesting if Hall is put in the HOF (guess they figure do it while he's half lucid and DDP will be there to keep both he and Jake in line) what condition he shows up in... he can't fail but to be the opposite end of the Billy coin really... some people are gonna be stunned he is younger than Jake and a similar age to Gunn. Even Lawler doesn't really look his age, maybe a bit closer now the heart attack hit... hell Vince is only now starting to look like his age and for the same reason as a lot of the others... once he's off screen he doesn't NEED to train as hard as before... when he was showing up in the tank top vests and doing covers of magazines, he had to look good (and very likely juice) now it'd be about fitness and general well being as he's covered in a suit all the time... he's always gonna be a "big guy" but once the intensity and exercise stop, you start aging quicker as it's the body's way of healing.
One guy who looked in AMAZING shape last year when he showed up was Bob Backlund... For a guy his age he was very impressive although it was a short appearance. I was even hoping he'd get a US title match against Cesaro or something. If that really is what the CM Punk/D Bry kind of lifestyle can do for guys then it was a big advert to the younger guys, but in a small understated way.
In terms of how they are putting over ring work it's not much different to what they have done with Goldust in recent months and with Regal for the last several years of his career. Once someone hits their mid 40's if they are "aging like wine" then it is something to be praised somewhat as it's not easy to keep at a level or improve that level once you hit that age, either in terms of physicality or appearance. Look at Shawn, now look at Billy Gunn... Shawn is suffering for his years of drug abuse and those 4 years of inactivity during his prime that he arguably didn't need to take off... the superlatives would flow if he came back and was able to go but they would have a hard time calling him a Boy Toy now though or even the Heartbreak Kid is somewhat wrong...
It's VERY important to note Gunn was part of the post "roid scandal" WWF when he came in, so while he may have potentially partaken a bit during the DX days to improve his physique, most of the time he was plain old Smokin' Billy Gunn he didn't have that look at all, he was part of a locker room tested and fired/suspended if they screwed up for those first few years. With guys like Dustin, Billy, Regal to a lesser extent they messed with these things far less than "recreational substances"... guys like Sean Waltman have clearly over indulged, guys like Billy may have partaken, but generally if booze is your poison, you come out far better and Billy, like JBL, Simmons and Taker were part of that "drinking culture" as opposed to the drugs culture in the WWF mid 90's...
Gimmick wise there is an element of "growing old disgracefully" to it as well in Gunn's case, that he's still alluding to his "suck it" line and playing up to the old images of B.A. Billy and Mr. Ass somewhat so that is something they're gonna put over in the commentary that he is older than most of the roster but still "raising hell". Just as they would if it were Stone Cold...
Sometimes people just age well and when wrestlers do it's pretty rare but also valuable and worth putting over as an example to kids, their folks and aspiring wrestlers.
Guys like the Rock, Jericho are in their 40's and you don't imagine them aging much between now and 50. Their schedules are light in the ring but they still train as if their next match is tomorrow. It reminds me of Dennis Stamp on Beyond The Mat, a guy who clearly had no real career to speak of but for his age was in phenomenal shape and he said..."You never know when someone's gonna call..."
Taker is not aging well at all, that may be down to the beatings over the years but it's more down to the not keeping in "great shape" a full time schedule demands... most near 50 year olds could manage to look half good for one or two nights a year, but Taker even struggles with that now. He knows Vince isn't gonna call without serious lead time, he knows that his opponent will go to his for 2 weeks and they will design the match... the other 8 months or so of the year he could be getting seriously fat for all we know.
Jake looked better than he ever has since he left the WWF and it'll be interesting if Hall is put in the HOF (guess they figure do it while he's half lucid and DDP will be there to keep both he and Jake in line) what condition he shows up in... he can't fail but to be the opposite end of the Billy coin really... some people are gonna be stunned he is younger than Jake and a similar age to Gunn. Even Lawler doesn't really look his age, maybe a bit closer now the heart attack hit... hell Vince is only now starting to look like his age and for the same reason as a lot of the others... once he's off screen he doesn't NEED to train as hard as before... when he was showing up in the tank top vests and doing covers of magazines, he had to look good (and very likely juice) now it'd be about fitness and general well being as he's covered in a suit all the time... he's always gonna be a "big guy" but once the intensity and exercise stop, you start aging quicker as it's the body's way of healing.
One guy who looked in AMAZING shape last year when he showed up was Bob Backlund... For a guy his age he was very impressive although it was a short appearance. I was even hoping he'd get a US title match against Cesaro or something. If that really is what the CM Punk/D Bry kind of lifestyle can do for guys then it was a big advert to the younger guys, but in a small understated way.
In terms of how they are putting over ring work it's not much different to what they have done with Goldust in recent months and with Regal for the last several years of his career. Once someone hits their mid 40's if they are "aging like wine" then it is something to be praised somewhat as it's not easy to keep at a level or improve that level once you hit that age, either in terms of physicality or appearance. Look at Shawn, now look at Billy Gunn... Shawn is suffering for his years of drug abuse and those 4 years of inactivity during his prime that he arguably didn't need to take off... the superlatives would flow if he came back and was able to go but they would have a hard time calling him a Boy Toy now though or even the Heartbreak Kid is somewhat wrong...
Honkey_Kong
Championship Contender
You guys do know that they changed the rules for the wellness policy so that the talent can, under the care of a medical doctor, but on HRT. If you're keeping your testosterone and growth hormone levels to that of an 18 year old, you're going to age at a much slower rate than somebody who doesn't use those.
That being said, Billy Gunn doesn't look like he's on any sort of gear (he may be on HRT as I am guessing a good part of the roster is also). He's considerably smaller than he was in his prime or even a few years ago when he was in TNA.
If you lift heavy and eat big (and clean), you'll look a lot better than you would if you don't. It looks strange to see somebody like Billy Gunn, because most people are not dedicated to training/dieting. They just let themselves go without a care. But there is a fountain of youth and it's at Gold's.
That being said, Billy Gunn doesn't look like he's on any sort of gear (he may be on HRT as I am guessing a good part of the roster is also). He's considerably smaller than he was in his prime or even a few years ago when he was in TNA.
If you lift heavy and eat big (and clean), you'll look a lot better than you would if you don't. It looks strange to see somebody like Billy Gunn, because most people are not dedicated to training/dieting. They just let themselves go without a care. But there is a fountain of youth and it's at Gold's.
boywithbluehanger
I have to poop.
Just look at the link below from 14 years ago. THIS is why they continue to praise Billy Gunn's looks. He in no way looks like he's 14 YEARS OLDER than he did in the Attitude Era. He's aging very well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi27_jKHino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi27_jKHino
