Billy Gunn Reveals the Best Wrestler He’s Ever Been in the Ring With, Recalls His 2004 Match With Brock Lesnar

WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn recently joined Insight with Chris Van Vliet to discuss his career, his career highlight, facing Brock Lesnar on SmackDown in 2004, and the best wrestler he’s ever been in the ring with. Below are some highlights from Insight:

Billy Gunn on His Career Highlight

“Working with my kids. Above anything, and above all, is being able to work with my kids. I get all weird when I talk, because it was so good, and it was so, I don’t know, I can’t explain it, because you’re a parent, right? Every time they do something, it’s like, that’s the most amazing thing. Then they do something else, and you go, that’s the most amazing thing. My kids were awesome. They really were just amazing kids. Great in school, go to school, go to college, do all that stuff. But then, when Austin did it, it was one thing, and then Colton doing it, and then being able to be in the ring and work next to them while I yell at them when they’re working, and them going, Dad, stop it! There’s nothing that tops that. There really isn’t. I wish there was, but it ain’t getting better than that.”

The Best Wrestler He’s Ever Been in the Ring With

“Although Eddie probably was one of them, because even though our stuff that we did wasn’t long, him, Chris Benoit, I know that’s a no, but it’s just a fact, the intensity that he was was amazing to work with. Of course, The Headshrinkers, because they had to take us for the first year. The patience and the way that they taught us, and they never got frustrated. They just knew. The cool thing was they knew what their job was, to help new guys, and they did an awesome job. I like to say that everybody that I’ve been in the ring with is good in one way or another, because I hate picking out just one thing, because that would mean that I kind of feel like I diminish everybody else that I’ve been in there with. But the most significant, of course, would be Ron and Don Harris, because they’re the ones that got me started. Then it would have to be The Headshrinkers, because they had to teach us. And they literally taught us everything that they knew in a year, you know, that made us kind of start understanding what we were doing and understanding where we had to go, and how to put stuff together and psychology and stuff, because they were stuck with us. So that would be the most significant part of my wrestling career.”

His Match With Brock Lesnar on SmackDown in 2004

“So I do a little bit, and somebody sent it to me, and it’s not bad. It’s pretty good. The people don’t realize is that if he likes you, he would work with you, and me and him always got along. He is awesome. I’ve worked him a couple of times, I think that was one of the only times I really worked him on TV. But we would do some house shows together, and he was amazing. He really was, and he was good because he was one that would never take over either. It was kind of like he let me kind of put some stuff together, then we kind of just kind of went where he wanted to go. That’s how stuff happens. When lead guys, and I’m talking like the most experienced one of the one that thinks he’s got to control everything and call everything and not listen, is not how you have good things. It’s okay, this is the direction we’re going. It’s not working. If you have something, give it to me; let’s go. I’m super open to go there. What’s the worst? It doesn’t work either. We just go another direction. That’s the working part of what we do.”

Billy Gunn is still an active wrestler and signed to AEW and ROH, where he also works behind-the-scenes as a coach and a producer.