Colten Gunn

Colten Gunn
Gunn in 2022
Birth nameColten Sopp[1]
Born (1991-05-18) May 18, 1991 (age 33)[1]
Orlando, Florida, U.S.[2]
Alma materFlorida State University
Parent(s)Billy Gunn (father)[3]
FamilyAustin Gunn (brother)[3]
Professional wrestling career
Billed weight222 lb (101 kg)[2]
Billed fromOrlando, Florida
Trained byBilly Gunn[2]
DebutNovember 11, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-11-11)[4]

Colten Sopp (born May 18, 1991), better known by the ring name Colten Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is in a tag team with his brother Austin as The Gunns, and is a member of the Bang Bang Gang stable. Gunn is a former one-time AEW World Tag Team Champion, one-time AEW World Trios Champion, and one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion. Sopp is a second-generation professional wrestler, being the son of professional wrestler Monty Sopp, better known as Billy Gunn.

Early life

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Sopp attended Florida State University, graduating in 2013. Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, he worked in the construction industry in Southern California.[5]

Professional wrestling career

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All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2020–present)

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Gunn Club (2020–2022)

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See also: Gunn Club and Nightmare Family

Sopp was trained to wrestle by his father, Billy Gunn. On June 17, 2020, he appeared with the Jacksonville, Florida-based promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), accompanying his father to ringside for his match against MJF on AEW Dynamite and being confronted by Friedman's bodyguard Wardlow.[6][7] Later that month, Sopp's father filed a trademark for "Colten Gunn".[8] On episode #53 of the web television show AEW Dark, which aired on September 22, Sopp accompanied his father and his brother to ringside for a tag team match.[9]

Sopp made his professional wrestling debut with AEW on November 11, 2020 as "Colten Gunn", teaming with his father and his brother Austin (as "Gunn Club") to defeat BSHP King, Joey O'Riley, and Sean Maluta in a six-man tag team match.[1] The match was broadcast on episode #62 of AEW Dark on November 17, 2020.[4] He returned in the following weeks, teaming with his father and brother in further six-man tag team matches and tag team matches.[10][11][12] As part of Gunn Club, Gunn became a member of Cody Rhodes' Nightmare Family stable. On the March 3, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite, Gunn Club were at ringside for a tag team match pitting Rhodes and Red Velvet against Shaquille O'Neal and Jade Cargill; during the match, Austin Gunn attacked O'Neal at ringside, prompting him to beat down Austin and Colten.[13] Gunn wrestled his first match on pay-per-view at Revolution on March 7, 2021, competing alongside Austin in a "casino" tag team battle royal.[14] Throughout the remainder of 2021, Gunn primarily teamed with his father in tag team bouts on AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation.[15] Gunn wrestled his first match on AEW Dynamite on August 25, 2021, teaming with his father and brother to defeat The Factory in a six-man tag team match.[16]

On the September 1, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite, the Gunn Club turned heel by attacking Paul Wight.[17] In November 2021, the Gunn Club began a short feud with Darby Allin and Sting that saw Colten sustain his first defeat on the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite when he was pinned by Sting;[18][19] this loss also marked the end of the Gunn Club's undefeated streak in AEW.[20] On February 9, 2022, in a match which would air two days later on AEW Rampage, Colten and Austin Gunn wrestled for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, losing to reigning champions Jurassic Express.[21] In May 2022, the Gunn Club formed an alliance with the Acclaimed which lasted until July 2022 when the Gunn Club turned on the Acclaimed; on the August 3, 2022 episode of Dynamite, the Acclaimed defeated the Gunn Club in a dumpster match.[22][23]

The Firm (2022–2023)

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On the August 17, 2022 episode of Dynamite, Colten and Austin turned on their father, aligning themselves with Stokely Hathaway;[24] the following week, Colten defeated his father in a singles match following a low blow.[25] In September 2022, the Gunns formed a new stable, "the Firm", with Hathaway, MJF, Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty, and W. Morrissey.[26][27] The following month, the Firm attacked MJF after he fired Hathaway.[28] On the February 8, 2023 episode of Dynamite, the Gunns defeated the Acclaimed to win their first AEW World Tag Team Championship.[29] At Revolution in March 2023, the Gunns successfully defended their titles in a four way match against the Acclaimed, Danhausen and Orange Cassidy, and Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.[30] On the April 5, 2023 episode of Dynamite, the Gunns lost the AEW World Tag Team Championship to FTR in a title versus career match.[30] The Firm formally disbanded in May 2023 after losing a match dubbed "Firm Deletion".[31]

Bullet Club Gold / Bang Bang Gang (2023–present)

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See also: Bullet Club Gold and Bang Bang Gang

In June 2023, the Gunns joined Bullet Club Gold alongside Jay White and Juice Robinson.[32] On the January 17, 2024 episode of Dynamite, the Gunns and White defeated Mogul Embassy to win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.[33] In the same month, the Gunns and White joined forces with the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to form a new stable, the "Bang Bang Scissor Gang".[34] At Revolution in March 2024, the Bang Bang Scissor Gang defeated Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh, Willie Mack, and Private Party in a 12-man tag team match.[33] Later that month, the Bang Bang Scissor Gang disbanded after White and the Gunns attacked the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn.[34] On April 5 at Supercard of Honor, Colten made his Ring of Honor (ROH) debut, teaming with Austin and White to retain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship against Monstersauce (Lance Archer and Alex Zayne) and Minoru Suzuki.[33] At Dynasty on April 21, 2024, Bullet Club Gold defeated AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed in a winner takes all championship unification match to unify the titles as the Unified World Trios Championship.[35][36] During this time, Bullet Club Gold was renamed the "Bang Bang Gang".[37] On the June 5 Rampage tapings, a returning Robinson wrestled his first match since his return, teaming with the Gunns to win a trios match. After the match, White announced that he was giving Robinson a share of the Unified Trios Championship held by White and the Gunns, thus invoking the Freebird Rule.[38] However, on the July 13 episode of Collision, interim AEW Executive Vice President Christopher Daniels overruled this and stripped the Bang Bang Gang of the Unified World Trios Championship.[39] On the following week, the Gunns and Robinson lost to Christian Cage, Killswitch, and Nick Wayne in a match for the vacant AEW World Trios Championship.[40]

Independent circuit (2021–present)

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Gunn made his independent circuit debut in September 2021, appearing with Battleground Championship Wrestling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[15] In October 2021, the Gunn Club participated in "Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea Triple Whammy", a professional wrestling event held aboard the Norwegian Jewel.[15] In March 2022 on New South Wrestling's "Resurrection" pay-per-view, Gunn won his first title, teaming with Austin Gunn to defeat TME for the NSW Tag Team Championship. The Gunn Club lost the titles to the Bad News Boyz later that month.[41]

Professional wrestling style and persona

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Gunn's finisher is the Colt 45, a butterfly neckbreaker.[10] He previously used a leg drop bulldog, also called the Colt 45; adopted from his father Billy Gunn, who named it the Fame-Ass-Er.[42][43] Gunn and his brother Austin/his father also use the 3:10 to Yuma as a double-team maneuver: a back body drop by Colton into a neckbreaker by Austin/Billy.[44][45]

Personal life

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Sopp is the son of professional wrestler Monty Sopp, known as Billy Gunn. His brother Austin Sopp is also a professional wrestler.[3]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Colten Gunn". ProFightDB.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Kreikenbohm, Philip (January 2021). "Colten Gunn". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Hetrick, Luke (April 4, 2020). "Gunn Club carries on wrestling family's legacy". News 13. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Klyn, Parker (November 17, 2020). "AEW Dark results: Evans vs. Daniels, Britt Baker segment debut". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  5. ^ PG, Andy (May 24, 2021). "AEW Elevation: May 24, 2021". BlogOfDoom.com. Retrieved May 25, 2021. Then Colten wanted to try it to [sic], as he gave up being a Southern Cal construction worker to step into the ring.
  6. ^ AEW staff (June 18, 2020). "AEW Dynamite results for June 17, 2020". AllEliteWrestling.com. All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved January 20, 2021. MJF (with Wardlow) vs. Billy, leader of The Gunn Club (accompanied by Austin & Colten Gunn).
  7. ^ Renner, Ethan (June 17, 2020). "AEW Dynamite live results: tag titles, TNT Championship on the line". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020. Wardlow went after Austin and Colten on the floor.
  8. ^ Lee, Joseph (June 29, 2020). "Billy Gunn files for trademarks for 'Sons of a Gunn' and 'Colten Gunn'". 411Mania.com. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Klyn, Parker (September 22, 2020). "AEW Dark results: Kingston vs. Pillman Jr., Carter vs. Johnson". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Klyn, Parker (December 22, 2020). "AEW Dark results: Miro vs. Sonny Kiss, SCU makes a big decision". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved December 23, 2020. He followed it up with the Colt .45 (a double underhook swinging suplex) for the victory.
  11. ^ Klyn, Parker (December 8, 2020). "AEW Dark results: Varsity Blondes vs. Dark Order's Cabana and Reynolds". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Klyn, Parker (December 1, 2020). "AEW Dark results: Jurassic Express vs. Dark Order vs. Janela and Kiss". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  13. ^ Klyn, Parker (March 3, 2021). "AEW Dynamite live results: Shaq & Jade Cargill vs. Cody & Red Velvet". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021. Cargill provoked Cody into knocking Shaq off the apron, where he was met with a chair shot from Austin Gunn. Shaq ran wild on the Nightmare Family, including both Gunn children...
  14. ^ Nason, Josh (March 7, 2021). "Pac & Rey Fenix win casino tag team royale at AEW Revolution". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c Kreikenbohm, Philip (2021). "Colten Gunn - matches - 2021". Cagematch.net. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  16. ^ Klyn, Parker (August 25, 2021). "AEW Dynamite live results: CM Punk's Dynamite debut". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Klyn, Parker (September 1, 2021). "AEW Dynamite live results: 100th episode". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  18. ^ Collins, Joseph (November 19, 2021). "AEW Rampage live results: Cole & Fish vs. Jurassic Express". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  19. ^ Klyn, Parker (December 1, 2021). "AEW Dynamite live results: Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  20. ^ DeFelice, Robert (December 2, 2021). "Sting and Darby break Gunn Club's streak, Lee Moriarty tests CM Punk, Danielson wins". Fightful.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  21. ^ Rose, Bryan (February 10, 2022). "AEW Rampage spoilers from Atlantic City, New Jersey". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  22. ^ Klyn, Parker (July 6, 2022). "AEW Dynamite live results: Jon Moxley vs. Brody King Interim World title match". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  23. ^ Klyn, Parker (August 3, 2022). "AEW Dynamite live results: Chris Jericho vs. Wheeler Yuta". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  24. ^ Klyn, Parker (August 17, 2022). "AEW Dynamite live results: Game of Thrones 'House of the Dragon' episode". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  25. ^ Klyn, Parker (August 24, 2022). "AEW Dynamite live results: CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley undisputed title match". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  26. ^ Nason, Josh (September 5, 2022). "MJF returns, CM Punk regains AEW World title at All Out". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  27. ^ Howard, Ryan (September 14, 2022). "AEW Dynamite live results: Grand Slam Tournament of Champions semifinals". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  28. ^ Howard, Ryan (October 26, 2022). "AEW Dynamite live results: Jon Moxley vs. Penta El Zero Miedo World title match". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  29. ^ a b Renner, Ethan (February 8, 2023). "The Gunns crowned AEW Tag Team Champions on Dynamite". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  30. ^ a b Kreikenbohm, Philip (2023). "Colten Gunn - matches - 2023". Cagematch.net. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  31. ^ Clark, Ryan (May 6, 2023). "Team Hardy defeats the Firm in 'Firm Deletion match' on AEW Rampage". EWrestlingNews.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  32. ^ Rose, Bryan (July 1, 2023). "The Gunns officially join Bullet Club Gold on AEW Collision". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  33. ^ a b c Kreikenbohm, Philip (2024). "Colten Gunn - matches - 2024". Cagematch.net. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  34. ^ a b Applegate, C. J. (March 13, 2024). "Bang Bang Scissor Gang implodes on 3/13 AEW Dynamite: Big Business". WrestleZone.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  35. ^ a b c "Bullet Club Gold are the Unified World Trios Champions". AllEliteWrestling.com. April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  36. ^ Miller, Haley (April 21, 2024). "Bullet Club Gold become the inaugural Unified World Trios Champions at AEW Dynasty". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  37. ^ Tessier, Colin (May 23, 2024). "Bang Bang Gang vs. Death Triangle set for AEW Double or Nothing". Yahoo.com. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  38. ^ "AEW Rampage results for June 7, 2024". AllEliteWrestling.com. AEW staff. June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  39. ^ Powell, Jason (July 13, 2024). "AEW Collision results (7/13)". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  40. ^ Murphy, Don (July 20, 2024). "AEW Collision results (7/20)". ProWrestling.net. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  41. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (2022). "Colten Gunn - matches - 2022". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  42. ^ Klyn, Parker (November 24, 2020). "AEW Dark results: Dark Order vs. Janela/Kiss vs. Chaos Project". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020. Colten hit his version of the Fameasser (called the Colt .45) for his first pinfall victory.
  43. ^ Moynahan, Patrick (November 25, 2020). "11/24 AEW Dark TV report". PWTorch.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020. Colten followed it up with a Colt 45 (Fameasser) for the win.
  44. ^ Collins, Joseph (January 20, 2021). "AEW Dark results: Lucha Bros, Acclaimed, Top Flight, Private Party". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021. Colton (sic) and Austin finished Morales with the 3:10 to Zuma, basically a backdrop into a neckbreaker.
  45. ^ Collins, Joseph (February 2, 2021). "AEW Dark results: SCU vs. Chaos Project, Rey Fenix vs. KC Navarro". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  46. ^ "AEW World Tag Team Championship history". AllEliteWrestling.com. All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  47. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 2022). "NSW Resurrection". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
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