Billy Gunn is still running strong in the professional wrestling business.
Within the vast sea of stars in All Elite Wrestling are a number of multi-decade in-ring veterans. Some of those names have over 25 years of experience in the wrestling business, including Sting, Jeff Jarrett, Chris Jericho, Christian Cage, and Billy Gunn. During a recent appearance on Sportskeeda Wrestling, Billy Gunn explained what motivates him and other performers to be “lifers” in the wrestling industry.
“It’s the passion that you have for this business, right?” Gunn began. “I look at it this way, if I’m still going to go out there and little bitty lip shorts and high heel white boots, I might want to look kind of good. So, I don’t want to look like a slob when I go out there and wear that because that just isn’t Billy Gunn. That just isn’t him. And as for the other guys, I think it’s the same. It’s just a passion, and we’re still doing this. Why can I not be in shape? If we’re all going to do this, we have to be in the best shape that we that we can possibly be and just to make sure that we take care of ourselves, to make sure that we don’t get hurt and everything that goes with this.”
“I think we’re just older and we have more our health and fitness and nutrition is more a part of our lives now. When I was younger, that wasn’t even close to being a part of my life. I just think that’s what it is, we’re just we’re older now and we kind of have our heads on kind of a little bit straighter. And I really think that’s all it is. It’s nothing spectacular. It’s just a way of life.”
“I know for me, my life is consumed with my fitness and nutrition because I finally realized how important that is because back in the day, it was just, ‘Okay, you just eat, you go in the gym, lift heavy things and your muscles get big.’ That’s about as far as I thought about it,” Gunn said. “Now, it’s so much more in depth. I’ve done bodybuilding shows just to see what the other side is, see how the dieting is, see how that lifestyle is. It’s a whole different level. If you’re that in tune with your body and know I can change my body any way that I want, just with food, it is something — for me, it’s amazing and it’s a lot of fun and I love doing stuff like that.
In addition to performing as an in-ring talent, Gunn also serves as a backstage coach in AEW. With this role, Gunn likes to lead by example. “There’s nothing that these kids can ask me or tell me that I literally haven’t been through. And I think, not that it makes me great, it just makes when they ask me, and I tell them they know I [didn’t just] read it from a book or pulling it out of thin air somehow. I’ve lived every aspect of this life. And if I can just give it back or help somebody not make those mistakes that I’ve made,” Gunn said.
“That’s what I do with my boys, even The Acclaimed and my real-life ass boys (Austin & Colten). It’s also life. Everything doesn’t surround wrestling. Yes, that’s our way of life. That’s what we do for a living but it’s not our life, right? Life is life. Especially in this business, if you’re not careful, there’s a lot of things that you’re going to have to dodge and be very smart about it. And that’s where I come in. I can’t do it for them, but I can give them pretty good life lessons or life advice.”
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