Gunn thinks he can be ‘a little rough on the outside’ when it comes to his coaching.
Since the beginning of All Elite Wrestling, Billy Gunn has been a part of the company and he’s currently featured on-screen with sons Austin and Colten Gunn along with The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster).
In addition to his on-screen role, Gunn coaches backstage and he spoke about his position on episode ten of ‘Oh…You Didn’t Know with Road Dogg Brian James and Ryan Katz’. Gunn is enjoying the coaching role but feels that talents want praise with no critique or criticism attached to it concerning their performances.
Billy: I think right now, I’m having fun coaching. The thing is, I think I’m just — maybe just a little rough on the outside and it’s not — I don’t think people know how to take me because I’m very, what is the word?… I don’t do this job to — I have a passion, I love this job. I love this job, I love what I do, I love helping people, I love — I feel I have a wealth of knowledge. I don’t know everything, but I know some things and I know things that work and don’t work and I think that’s kind of where I’m at. I’m like, I’m not here to pet you, I’m not here to, you know — I’m here to make you better. If you’ll listen to me, I will make you better, I promise you that… I think these younger kids don’t understand where I’m coming from. I’m not like — yeah, I’ll be your friend and stuff but let me be your coach first and it’s not that I’m trying to tear you down. I’m not here to do that. I’m here to make you better so, you need to… I don’t know how to say this without just completely being a jerk… I feel they just want me to go, ‘Oh, you’re really good. You’re really good.’ Nothing you just did was good. Let’s structure what you can do to make it good. You’re just literally going out there and just unloading your gun at nothing.
I am when they get me to that point [Billy said about how hard he coaches in AEW and if it’s similar to how he was on Tough Enough]. I’m not that from the get-go. But when I tell you the same thing two or three times, I really don’t wanna say it twice the same way. But I will because maybe you just can’t hear it [the other] times I told you. But I am — when you saw me on Tough Enough, yeah, I was at my breaking point and I was over people not listening. I did Tough Enough and it was — it’s a show. Okay, it’s a show but you’re coming into what I do for a living. It’s not fake, it’s not — you know, you’re not just coming in here to win $250 grand and a chance for a contract. You have to earn it. I did it, you [Road Dogg] did it.
Austin and Colten joined the show to chat about their careers and what they’ve done in AEW so far. Austin shared that when it comes to promos, Shawn Spears is their go-to guy and he helps them in a variety of ways in that department.
Austin: [Shawn] Spears helps us so much with promos and what feeling to kind of grasp at during this time in the promo or how to gauge an audience and capture them so, he’s our go-to guy for promos. I think he’s brilliant at it and he helps me with verbiage and wording…
Caster and The Gunn Club teamed up on the Road Rager edition of AEW Rampage and scored a win over Bear Bronson, Bear Boulder and Leon Ruffin.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit the ‘Oh…You Didn’t Know’ podcast with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
