The New Age Outlaws were one of the most revered tag teams in WWE history, but Road Dogg claims he and Billy Gunn weren’t initially friends outside the ring.
Formed in October 1997, The New Age Outlaws are regarded as one of professional wrestling’s greatest tandems, with six WWE tag team title reigns to their name. Consisting of Road Dogg and Billy Gunn, the duo oozed charisma, which naturally made them perfect for the famed D-Generation X faction.
Despite this, Road Dogg claims he wasn’t initially friends with ‘The Bad Ass’ during their time in the Hall of Fame group. The former Intercontinental Champion spoke of how different their respective lives were, which prolonged their eventual friendship.
Speaking on the debut episode of his Oh…You Didn’t Know? podcast, Road Dogg opened up about this early relationship with Gunn (h/t Wrestling Inc.):
“The first night we roomed together, he woke up and I was peeing in the air conditioner. Right, wrong, or indifferent, that’s exactly what I was doing. I had a little too much, partied too much and that was the story of my life for a bit, to tell the truth. That was our first night in a hotel room together and it was the last night in a hotel room together for a really long time.
We’re two different human beings. I just figured we butted heads a lot, he has this thing where he works out, it’s his whole life, it’s a lifestyle for him to go to the gym.”
Continuing, Road Dogg explained how his and Billy Gunn’s relationship grew into what it is today, with the pair now being close friends:
“Our friendship now, second to none, we literally grew up together. We’ve literally grown from then to now in our relationship and I mean we’ve been through everything, ups and downs, and all arounds. We got sober together, I spent this whole weekend with him, our relationship couldn’t be better. I have probably three really good friends in the industry and he’s one of them.”
Winning their first set of World Tag Team Championships a month after forming, The New Age Outlaws enjoyed acclaimed feuds with the likes of The Legion of Doom, and Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie, the latter of which saw the two teams contest a Dumpster Match at WrestleMania XIV.
Although they also enjoyed stints in IMPACT Wrestling and on the independent circuit, The New Age Outlaws ultimately returned to WWE. They would win their sixth and final set of championships at the 2014 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and would wrestle their last match as a team at the following year’s Rumble, where they were defeated by The Ascension.
Road Dogg was released by WWE, where he worked as a producer and SmackDown head writer, in January of this year. Billy Gunn, meanwhile, currently serves as a coach for All Elite Wrestling, where he also performs in The Gunn Club alongside his real-life sons Austin and Colten.