Vince Russo's 10 Worst WWE Ideas
7. Mr. Ass Wins King Of The Ring
Billy Gunn was a hard worker throughout all the '90s. Whether it was his runs with the Smoking Gunns, New Age Outlaws, or his unfortunate run as The Honky-Tonk Man's protege (Rock-A-Billy, anyone?), Billy gave his all in any role, and whether it was it was his look or athleticism, he gave his all with whatever he was given. However, no amount of hard work can overcome such a ridiculous name as "Mr. Ass."
Basically, in the late '90s, Billy Gunn was given the moniker of "Badass Billy Gunn." Eventually, such a nickname was morphed into having a posterior-based gimmick. The appropriately-named "Mr. Ass" was not really received with the necessary cheers or boos, more just confusion or indifference. As a result, Billy Gunn winning the King of the Ring in 1999, rather than being treated as an all-time career accomplishment, was treated as just a matter-of-fact at the time, and a huge embarrassment nearly 20 years later.
After this achievement, "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn was ultimately buried by The Rock months later at SummerSlam, and he slid firmly into a midcard role. Regardless of his trajectory after the incident, the fact that Vince Russo thought pushing "Mr. Ass" as King of the Ring would help Billy Gunn says a lot of what Mr. Russo thinks about what actually gets over.