Billy Gunn | |
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Billy Gunn in 2014
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Birth name | Monty Kip Sopp |
Born |
Orlando, Florida, United States |
November 1, 1963
Alma mater | Sam Houston State University |
Spouse(s) |
Tina Tinnell (m. 1990; div. 2002) Paula Sopp (m. 2009) |
Children | 2 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Billy Billy G Billy Gunn Cute Kip KIP Kip Gunn Kip James Kip Montana Kip Sopp Kip Winchester Mr. Ass The G-Man The New Age Outlaw The Outlaw Rockabilly The Kipper |
Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Billed weight | 260 lb (120 kg) |
Billed from |
Austin, Texas Orlando, Florida |
Trained by | Jerry Gray |
Debut | 1985 |
Monty Kip Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler and former professional bull rider. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough, and was a trainer in its developmental branch, NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009.
Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is a total 11-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring winner.
After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his mid-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for four years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation in 1993.