In pro wrestling, if you can get fans to react to you, you’re usually doing something right. The Gunns are showing they’ve taken that mind set to heart even early in their careers.
Austin and Colten are bona fide second generation wrestlers as the sons of WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW coach and manager Billy Gunn. As the culmination of a long-running storyline where they were friends with and then rivals of The Acclaimed — who Billy Gunn sided with when forced to make a decision — The Gunns shocked many by beating Max Caster and Anthony Bowens for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
Instead of a chorus of boos, the crowd reaction in that instant was one of stunned silence. And then, yes, boos. On the latest episode of the Under the Ring podcast, recorded just before The Gunns defend their titles against The Acclaimed and two other teams at Revolution, Austin Gunn told host Phil Strum why that moment was so fulfilling.
“When I was pinning Bowens, 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring, and that crowd went silent, and I looked at their faces and they were just like … We ripped their hearts out,” Austin Gunn said. “America’s top team, AEW’s top tag team that everybody loved.”
“It was the best feeling in the world,” he added, noting that it was validation that despite criticism on social media, they were doing things right.
Be sure to listen to the entire interview above to get more insight from The Gunns on:
- How their work ethic has defined them during their first few years in the business
- Their different paths into pro wrestling — including Austin working as a second-grade teacher before he decided to make the jump
- The unusual dynamic where older brother Colten, who started wrestling later, is learning things from Austin
- The added pressure that comes with being second generation performers
- How their experience in the “crowd” at Daily’s Place during the pandemic helped prepare them and connect them with the fans even before they were regulars on AEW TV
Under the Ring drops new episodes every Monday, with Strum calling upon his longtime love for and coverage of pro wrestling to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included IWGP Women’s Champion Mercedes Moné, AEW executive and wrestler Jeff Jarrett, and longtime WWE official Jimmy Korderas.
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.