It looked like Billy Gunn might be gearing up for one final title run alongside The Acclaimed. Now it appears it might just have been his final run, full stop.
Whether you know him best as Billy Gunn, Mr. Ass or Daddy Ass, you have to admire Monty “Kip” Sopp for both his longevity in pro wrestling and his penchant for reinvention. Was he the greatest ring technician? Definitely not. But he was dedicated to his craft and always in tremendous shape. He was a pro’s pro who also understood the value of not taking himself too seriously.
The use of the past tense to describe him in the ring is due to what happened after Gunn and The Acclaimed — to whom he had been both a mentor and something of a mascot, considering the “scissor me Daddy Ass” phenomenon — made an unsuccessful attempt to take the AEW World Trios Championship from the House of Black.
After the match, Gunn removed his boots and left them in the ring in Newark. The crowd was a bit dismayed but also encouraging, serenading him with the “scissor me” chant as he walked back up the ramp.
The crowd chants “you still got it” as Billy Gunn leaves his boots in the ring #AEWCollision pic.twitter.com/zGaem8YyKw
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) July 23, 2023
Could it be part of a storyline of some sort? Of course. This is pro wrestling, after all.
Still, consider if you will that Gunn began his wrestling career in 1989. Yes, he is/was wrestling in his fifth decade.
If this is the end, what a ride it’s been. Just being part of DX would have been enough (and got him into the WWE Hall of Fame), but Gunn also won 11 tag team titles in WWE, was King of the Ring in 1999 and won the Intercontinental Championship.
He did some fun stuff in TNA in the 2000s, and his final act as Daddy Ass was a delightful surprise. It’s not an exaggeration to say that if you were a wrestling fan for any length of time in the the last 25 years, you appreciated this man’s efforts to entertain you.
We’re all scissoring in your honor right now, Billy, so thank you.