25 Most OUT OF POCKET WWE Attitude Era Moments

12. The Best Wrestling Joke Ever?

The Rock Billy Gunn
WWE

Even if you’re not a believer in the big man, you’re probably aware of God’s work. He’s one of the first things you learn about. 

God, quite famously, is omnipotent. He’s all-powerful. He’s also omnipresent, meaning he’s everywhere all at once. And, this is key here, he’s omniscient. He knows everything. He knows the meaning of life, every secret of the universe, and who raised the briefcase at King Of The Ring 1999. 

Ahead of SummerSlam, the Rock cut a promo on his pay-per-view opponent Billy Gunn. In it, the Rock adopted Gunn’s voice in a desperate prayer to God. “My name’s Billy, and I just won King Of The Ring,” “Billy” pleaded. “But there’s one problem - everybody still thinks that I absolutely suck!” 

This was great enough. It ruined the art of the promo for two decades, because everybody tried to be as funny, but it was probably worth it. But then, the ultimate punchline: Rock, adopting the voice of God, said “Bob…”“But my name’s Billy!”

“It doesn’t matter what your name is!” 

That right there is the best wrestling joke ever, because the idea was that Billy Gunn was so irrelevant that the omniscient Lord above didn’t even know who he was. That was more brutal than an unprotected chair shot. Ken Shamrock got off easy!

The Rock was so out-of-this-world phenomenal that he delivered one of the greatest TV moments of the year on Sunday Night Heat. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!