Which Billy Gunn gimmick was his best?

[CM Steel]

Monty Sopp aka Billy Gunn is now a head trainer at WWE's NXT performence center in Florida. And he is now involved in a storyline in NXT as a trainer. But during Billy's stint as a full-time wrestler in the WWF/E from back in the day. Which Billy Gunn gimmick was his best? Let's take a look down memory lane shall we?...

1. "Smoking Gun" Billy Gunn
2. Rockabilly
3. Bad Ass/Mr. Ass Billy Gunn
4. "The 1" Billy Gunn
5. Billy (of Billy & Chuck)

Billy Gunn is one of the most underrated wrestlers in WWE history. He's won many title's except for the big one.

-Former various-time tag team champion
-Former HARDCORE champion
-Former IC champion
-Winner of the 1999 King of the Ring torney

I met Billy Gunn once at a photo signing at a mall in Hayward, California in early 2001. I still can't believe that I paid $25 for a picture with him. And I still have that photo til this day.

But in your own opinion. Which Billy Gunn gimmick was his best?

 

[Agent_of_Anarchy]

There's really one choice here and the polls are showing that so far.

Billy was incredibly over in 98/99 (even without Road Dogg) and was seemingly on the verge of a main event push. He won King of the Ring and worked Summerslam against The Rock, but his push kind of fizzled after that. With so many talented and over wrestlers at the time I think he went about as far as he could have.

A special nod to Billy & Chuck though, as those two guys turned what could have been a horrible gimmick into one the most entertaining tag teams of the year, and they did it by committing to the gimmick. The angle was pretty much ruined with the wedding.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Jesus! Billy Gunn really did have a number of gimmicks, didn't he!

I couldn't tell who was who when The Smoking Gunns were together. I knew one was Billy, I knew one was Bart. I knew they were both shit. That's about it.

Most people will vote for "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn. I can see where they're coming from. He wasn't a bad ass at all. His gimmick was better suited to any number of wrestlers at the time, but he did his fair share when with Road Dogg. His fair share as in people cared about his hot tags and he said "Suck It" with enthusiasm. However I can't vote for somebody who The Rock couldn't get over. The Rock in 1999 no less!

Billy & Chuck weren't around for a long time, but for two months at the end of 2002, I was actually curious about Billy Gunn. I vote them.

 

[berlinbrawler]

LOL. This is kind of like asking which of Ed Leslie's gimmicks was the best. Or the least terrible.

But I went with Mr. Ass. It fit right in with the times. Unlike, say, Rockabilly.

And I never could quite figure out "the one." Which one? That one? One who?

 

[CM Steel]

LOL. This is kind of like asking which of Ed Leslie's gimmicks was the best. Or the least terrible.

But I went with Mr. Ass. It fit right in with the times. Unlike, say, Rockabilly.

And I never could quite figure out "the one." Which one? That one? One who?

"The 1" Billy Gunn came about after "Billy G." lost his nickname after a loss to the Right to Cencer heel faction. Enter "The 1" Billy Gunn. At that time he defeated the late Eddie Guerrero for the IC title on Smackdown (free TV). A title that he was long over due winning! And his only reign lasted a month when he lost the IC strap to the late Chris Benoit at the end of the year 2000.

To it's credit, "The 1" gimmick was a spin off of the Mr. Ass gimmick okay?

 

[fenderjapan]

Mr. Ass is my choice.

I'd like to throw some cred into the hat for "Billy & Chuck" Billy though. Only because that angle got some mainstream attention, what with the gay marriage thing (that didn't end up happening). It was profitable for Billy and the wwe.

 

[berlinbrawler]

"The 1" Billy Gunn came about after "Billy G." lost his nickname after a loss to the Right to Cencer heel faction. Enter "The 1" Billy Gunn. At that time he defeated the late Eddie Guerrero for the IC title on Smackdown (free TV). A title that he was long over due winning! And his only reign lasted a month when he lost the IC strap to the late Chris Benoit at the end of the year 2000.

To it's credit, "The 1" gimmick was a spin off of the Mr. Ass gimmick okay?

Yea, I remember that business with the Right to Censor taking exception to the name and making him give it up. I get that part.
What I don't get is how "The 1" is the logical-consequence-gimmick after you are forced to abdicate your ass-nickname.
"The 1." Who is he? Neo from the Matrix? Why not the, say, 42? "The 42" Billy Gunn. Like a race car.
Okay, fiiiine, I know what it means. "The 1," just like in "The chosen one" (boy did that nickname ever pay off for any wrestler who donned it). Yea, yea. It's still a lame nickname.

Stone Cold. The Hitman. The Viper. The rated R Superstar. ... The 1.

 

[jameyt2003]

From what I have seen from Billy Gunn, of course it as has to be "IM AN ASS MAN!". The theme song alone rocked the bells and his Feud with Rock was pretty damn good. Afterwards I would say as apart of Billy and Chuck for the exposure they gave WWE with the gay wedding angle. That was mentioned on CNN, MSNBC, ESPN and FOX the day before it aired.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Billy as part of the Billy & Chuck team by a mile.

That gimmick did more for Billy than even winning King of the Ring did. It drew mainstream attention, and the tag team itself is one of the best I personally have ever seen. As Mr. Ass, all he really did was moon people and do crotch chops when the situation called for it. It really didn't do much for him and even The Rock couldn't help him get further with that gimmick.

It takes nothing to act like a member of DX. It takes true commitment to go on news stations and act like you're in a gay engagement when you're a straight man.

 

[Goldie]

This was a bit of a no brainer! The only persona where Billy was over was during his time in the NAO.... and was fortunate that Road Doggs popularity rubbed off on him.

There was moderate success in teh tag divisions as the Smoking Gunns, though the tag roster wasn't strong at the time.... and most of his other gimmicks bombed... Rockabilly,The One, the Gay tagteam.

Come to think of it... Billy Gunn was like a cat with 9 levels, lasting so long in the WWE (12 years?) when he was only over from 1998-2000

 

[THTRobtaylor]

With this week's "Country RAW" you know Rockabilly and Jesse Jammes are gonna make an appearance. It's a no brainer.

In terms of his best - it was Bad Ass Billy as part of DX, the character clicked with the public and it showed his work well being paired with the more limited but more charismatic Road Dogg.

Second I'd actually go for Smokin Gunn's Billy, particularly when he was "with" Sunny in the story. More really could have been done with that I think.

 

[HBsam31]

Definitely Mr. Ass for me, but I could see why people would argue for Billy and Chuck. Mr. Ass could only ever get over with the Road Dogg. When he broke off on his own and won KOTR it just didn't work as someone already mentioned that The Rock couldn't even get him over. Billy and Chuck got them a lot of attention, and definitely made them known, but when I think of Billy Gunn I think of Mr. Ass so it had to be my choice.