10 Wrestlers Who Couldn't Survive Without WWE's Attitude Era

7. Billy Gunn

The sole reason Billy Gunn was put in a tag-team with the Road Dogg in 1997 was because the WWF creative team literally had no other ideas for either man. Throughout most of that year, the pair had actually been feuding against one another, but the rivalry was so drab that management called a halt to proceedings. In fairness to the wrestlers, the characters they had been given were pedestrian and dull. Road Dogg was a cheap knock-off of Jeff Jarrett's 'Double J' gimmick, whereas Gunn had the dubious honour of going by the name 'Rockabilly'. Managed by The Honky Tonk Man, it was clear that nobody involved was inspired by what was going on. The entire thing was awful, and was even a step down from Gunn's prior role as one half of The Smoking Gunns. The New Age Outlaws tag-team was a last ditch attempt for Gunn to find a way to get over. For years, he had been considered a real prospect, mainly due to his size and clean-cut look. By 1997, officials wanted something more from the guy, and morphing into 'Bad Ass' Billy Gunn was just the ticket. Without that successful switch, there's a decent chance the WWF would have given up on Gunn long before he joined D-Generation X.