The Smoking Gunns

Infobox Wrestling team
article_name= The Smoking Gunns
type= Stable


caption= The Smoking Gunns at a WWF event in 1996.
members= Billy Gunn
Bart Gunn
names=
former_members=
debut= April 1993
disbanded= October 1996
promotions= WWF|

The Smoking Gunns was a professional wrestling tag team of kayfabe brothers Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) and Bart Gunn (Mike Polchlopek). They portrayed cowboys in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996. As a team, the Smoking Gunns won the WWF Tag Team Championship three times.

History

Polchlopek and Sopp began teaming as the Long Riders in the International Wrestling Federation. [citeweb | title = Tag Teams | work = Wrestling Information Archive | url = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/other/tagteams.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-20] Plotcheck wrestled as Brett Colt, while Sopp was known as Kip Winchester. They won the IWF World Tag Team Championship together twice before signing with the World Wrestling Federation. [citeweb | title = Kip James | work = SLAM! Sports | url = http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/kjames.html | accessdate = 2007-09-20]

The Smoking Gunns made their WWF debut in April 1993. [citeweb | title = Yearly Results: 1993 | url = http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/93.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-20] Their first pay-per-view appearance was at the King of the Ring 1993 in an eight-man tag team match. The Gunns and the Steiner Brothers scored the win over The Headshrinkers and Money Incorporated when Billy pinned Ted DiBiase. [citeweb | title = King of the Ring PPV Cards | work = Wrestling Information Archive | url = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/wwf/wwfkotr.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-20] Their next big match came at SummerSlam 1993, when they teamed up with Tatanka to defeat Bam Bam Bigelow and The Headshrinkers. [citeweb | title = SummerSlam PPV Cards | work = Wrestling Information Archive | url = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/wwf/wwfsslam.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-20]

Although they continued to wrestle as a team, they did not appear together again on a WWF pay-per-view for over a year. In the fall of 1994, the Gunns began a feud with the Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray). The Bodies attacked the Smoking Gunns and destroyed their cowboy hats. In return, the Gunns grabbed the Bodies' robes and tore off the wings.citeweb | title = Bart Gunn | url = http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Bleachers/8813/bart.html | accessdate = 2007-09-20] The teams had a series of matches at house shows, [citeweb | title = House Show Archives - 1994 | work = Wrestling Information Archive | url = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/other/hou1994.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-20] but the feud did not end with a blow off match. Instead, the teams faced off as part of a 5-on-5 elimination match at Survivor Series 1994. Billy and Bart joined forces with Lex Luger, Mabel and Adam Bomb in a loss to Ted DiBiase's team of King Kong Bundy, Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow and The Heavenly Bodies. [citeweb | title = Survivor Series PPV Cards | work = Wrestling Information Archive | url = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/wwf/wwfsursr.htmm | accessdate = 2007-09-20]

The Gunns were scheduled to compete in a tournament for the vacant tag-team title after Shawn Michaels and Diesel, the champions, began feuding. However, injuries prevented the Gunns from entering. One day after their replacements, Bob "Spark Plug" Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid, won the belts, the Gunns returned to win the title on January 23, 1995.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/3044541321215|title=The Smokin' Gunns' first reign|publisher=WWE.com|accessdate=2007-09-20] citeweb | title = WWF World Tag Team Title History | work = Wrestling Information Archive | url = http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/wwf/wwftag.htm | accessdate = 2007-09-20] At WrestleMania XI, the Gunns faced Owen Hart and a mystery partner, who was revealed to be Yokozuna. [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413212114|title=Owen Hart and Yokzuna's reign|publisher=WWE.com|accessdate=2007-09-20] [citeweb | title = Wrestler Profiles: Yokozuna | work = Online World of Wrestling | url = http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/y/yokozuna.html | accessdate = 2007-09-20] They regained the title from Hart and Yokozuna on September 25 of that year.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413212213|title=The Smokin' Gunns' second reign|publisher=WWE.com|accessdate=2007-09-20]

The Gunns held the title until February 15 1996, when Billy was forced to undergo neck surgery, and The Smoking Gunns had to forfeit their title. Billy recovered quickly, and the Gunns won their final championship three months later by defeating The Godwinns at .cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413212132|title=The Smokin' Gunns' third reign|publisher=WWE.com|accessdate=2007-09-20] Following this victory, Sunny left the Godwinns to manage the Gunns. Sunny was a heel manager and manipulated the Gunns, causing the brothers to argue. Sunny and Billy had an onscreen relationship, which bothered Bart. Although Sunny convinced the Gunns to start using heel tactics, they remained quite popular with the fans.

plit

Sunny eventually led the team to its downfall. When the Smoking Gunns lost their tag team title to Owen Hart and the British Bulldog in September 1996 at , [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/30445413212222|title=Owen Hart and British Bulldog's reign|publisher=WWE.com|accessdate=2007-09-20] Sunny left the team because she only wanted to be a manager for title holders (although she did not become Hart and Bulldog's manager). [citeweb | title = Wrestler Profiles: Tammy Lynn Sytch | work = Online World of Wrestling | url = http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/t/tammy-sytch.html | accessdate=2007-09-20] Billy, frustrated with losing both the title and Sunny, turned against Bart. Now officially a heel, he briefly feuded with his brother. After facing each other in tag-team matches, the feud culminated in a one-on-one battle. During the match, Bart accidentally injured Billy's neck, forcing Billy to take some time off and drawing their feud to an abrupt halt.

Soon after, Bart went to wrestle for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and when he returned to WWF in 1998, he was mainly involved in storylines with other NWA talent, and his opponents in the "Brawl for All" tournament, which he won. However, he was released before he could have another angle with Billy.

After the breakup, Billy was given the new gimmick of Rockabilly. It failed to catch on, however, and he became "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn and later won the Intercontinental championship, two Hardcore titles and the 1999 King of the Ring tournament, in addition to seven more tag-team titles.

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves:*"Sidewinder" (Sidewalk slam (Bart) / Diving leg drop (Billy) combination) :*Billy back body drops the opponent into the arms of Bart, who delivers a piledriver:*Back suplex / Neckbreaker slam combination:*Double Russian legsweep

*Manager:*Sunny

Championships and accomplishments

*World Wrestling Federation:*WWF Tag Team Championship (3 times):*WWF Raw Bowl Championship (Only tag team to win the Bowl) [citeweb | title = Raw Television Specials | work = WWE Millennium | url = http://www.geocities.com/wmnetwerk2/archives/raw_specials.html#Raw%20Bowl | accessdate = 2007-09-20]

References