As a coach, Billy Gunn remains a vital part of AEW behind the scenes, and he also remains active as an in-ring competitor. Though he’s 58 years old, the WWE Hall of Famer is often renowned for his physical condition.
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Gunn described how AEW is like his Lazarus pit, as it makes him feel young. He stated that he’s enjoying his work with the company, and the ability to work with his sons, Austin and Colten, are an important element of this happiness.
“I’ve had a great career, and now I’m working for a company that makes me feel young,” said Gunn. “As long as I can still do this at a level that I’m happy with, I’ll keep doing it. It takes a lot of work to stay in the right condition, but it’s all worth it. I owe a lot of it to my kids, too—they keep me young. I still enjoy what I do.”
Speaking of his sons, Gunn shared his thoughts on their growth in AEW. The duo is still young, and Gunn noted that they still need experience. But he noted that Austin and Colten are working with Shawn Spears and Tyler Breeze at their wrestling school, so he’s confident they’ll eventually take the next step in their progression.
“Colten and Austin feed off each other, too, and they’re brothers,” said Gunn. “They love to be in competition, and they have a great relationship. We all work really good together.
“They need experience. They need to work with guys that are better than they are. They’re around Shawn Spears and Tyler Breeze’s school all the time, and they work very hard at what they do. So for them to reach the next level, they have to work with people better than them. And they’ll do that soon, it’s just a process. You don’t want it all to happen super fast, because then nothing sinks in. It takes time, and that’s how it happened with me, too. It takes experience and time.”
Gunn regularly competes on AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation, but he’ll be in the spotlight on November 19 when he faces Darby Allin in a singles match on AEW Rampage. The veteran praised Allin for the way he always gives it his all. Still, the leader of the Gunn Club made it clear that the fan-favorite star hasn’t faced someone like him before, and Allin will learn that the hard way on Friday.
“Darby’s willing to lay it all on the line,” said Gunn. “There are no reservations to him. You get everything he has every single time. He said on Dynamite he wants the biggest and baddest, and he’s going to get every bit of that against me on Rampage. He’s never met a trainwreck like me before. I’m not built for flipping and diving—I am built to beat people up.”
WrestleZone will have full coverage of AEW Rampage when it airs Friday at 10 p.m. EST.
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