Who benefited from the New Age Outlaws the most?

[CM Steel]

Brian Armstrong & Monty Sopp were two wrestler's who were trapped in the WWF mid-card in 1997. But WWF creative writers put the two together as a tag team heading into the WWF/E attitude era. For the first few month's they were both indie's among the WWF demographic at that time. And then the night after Wrestlemania 14, they joined D-Generation X faction. Where they found major success!

In early '99 they both took turns competing for the IC & HARDCORE title's. Before splitting up for a short while before getting back together as the New Age Outlaws. But who benefited from the sucess of the New Age Outlaws the most, Road Dogg or Billy Gunn?

Your opinion?

 

[B.Ware]

I'd say they're pretty equal. Their careers have pretty much mirrored each other. Billy was the more successful before the Outlaws but RD was the main man during the Outlaws gimmick. After Road Dogg joined TNA and Billy's run with Chuck ended they were both reunited in TNA. The James Gang's feud with 3D was great and The Voodoo Kin Mafia was one of my favorite TNA gimmicks at the time. I'd say they're both on par as far as fame goes and they're both equally respected.

 

[Sinclair101]

equal imo, neither wrestler really out did the other, but the real winners of The New Age Outlaws were D-Generation X, imo the group would never have gotten to the fame it did without Billy and Dogg.

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

They were tag champs before even joining DX. They feuded with the original LOD. I think they helped HHH become who he was the most. They helped take DX to another level.

 

[Last Man Standing]

Gotta go with Road Dogg. Cause let's be honest here.... He was always average in the ring at best. He didn't give a nice arm drag, or a beautiful dropkick, or even a flashy finisher.

But being part of the NAO/DX game his personality a chance to shine. It game him mic time that he normally wouldn't have been given. His whole persona was his mouth. And quiet frankly it worked.




Side Note: I'll be damned if I didn't love "With My Baby Tonight"

 

[Wald]

Honest answer: Triple H.

The New Age Outlaws were the most popular thing of the Triple H led DX by a distance, helped to get them over as faces massively. Without them Trips and X-Pac probably stay heel and aren't anything other than a midcard act.

For the team itself I'd say equal

 

[rzombie1988]

Armstrong. Gunn had the look atleast.

 

[Workrate]

Road Dogg.

While Road Dogg was always very obviously head and shoulders above Billy Gunn on the mic, he wasn't anywhere near him in pretty much any other important wrestling measurable. He wasn't as talented in the ring, he didn't have a look, he didn't have the athleticism, and to the point of the question: he didn't have the success.

The thing with Billy Gunn is, he'd already had a successful career before the New Age Outlaws. He won the Tag Team Championship three times as half of the Smokin' Gunns, whereas Road Dogg was playing second fiddle to Jeff Jarrett and running around with the Honky Tonk Man.

Really though, I think distinguishing one from the other is splitting hairs. Gunn benefited more, but this is one situation where the team certainly came before the individual. Today, both guys are legends within the WWE. Separately, even though Gunn had three championship reigns, neither guy had done anything to preserve any kind of legacy. Hell, we may well see D-Generation X inducted into the Hall of Fame one day, and for that to happen, the New Age Outlaws would have to be included as a tag team. Individually, neither guy had the resume prior to forming a team to even think that might some day be a remote possibility.

 

[theBec2101]

I think if it wasn’t for them teaming up they would not have been as big. BG wasn’t really doing much in singles and the whole Jeff Jarrett thing was horrible and after that he wasn’t doing much either. I thought they were great together before DX and I think that’s what HHH wanted and needed to make DX work after HBK had left.

 

[jsd1980]

At the time NAO were formed Billy Gunn definitely had a bigger chance at a singles career. Had that team not been formed I can easily see the Real Double J being one step away from the future endeavored list.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

Let's see - pre-NAO, Road Dogg was a lackey of J-E-Double F J-A-Double R - E - Double T. He was the Roadie, who turned out to actually write the song "With my Baby Tonight", that Jarrett claimed to have written (really compelling story line....yawn). Meanwhile, Billy Gunn was one half of The Smoking Gunns, a fairly successful tag team that had just broken up. Striking out on his own, Gunn got saddled with the Honkytonk Man as his protege, and repackaged as "Rockabilly". It was god-awful. During that time, Rockabilly and the newly-named "Outlaw Jesse James" were embroiled in a forgettable mini-feud over who best qualified for Honkytonk Man's managerial services. They decided that neither of them really wanted his services, and disposed of him with a guitar shot to the head. From there they teamed up and eventually took on Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie, making them the most notorious tag team of the time. Their stock rose dramatically, to the point of getting into DX. I'd say both of these guys benefited equally from their run as the New Age Outlaws. They would have floundered in the mid-cards as single wrestlers, and eventually would have disappeared altogether.

 

[Kingofwrestling16]

I think that the New Age Outlaws helped both of them. They both came out on top in my opionion. They both were hilarious and both still got it at from what i saw at the
1000th raw epsiode. I just wish they came back maybe as mentors or even wrestlers.

 

[asiatic7]

I don't think either one benefited from being "Down with that!!", but it seemed like WWE was going to push Billy Gunn. He won King Of The Ring and was receiving a push, debuted new entrance music, "The One",he feuded with the Rock in the summer of 1999 for a short while and then his career stalled. I really don't remember why... You almost forget that he was in a successful tag team with Bart Gunn, that's how good New Age Outlaws were. I always thought Roaddogg was more entertaining on the mic and in the ring. I was more excited about a Roaddogg singles career, but they didn't get behind him.

New Age Outlaws was one of my top three favorite teams of all time. I think they needed each other because the chemistry between them was amazing and they just didn't cut it as singles wrestlers. That was the reason they got together anyway. Their singles careers were going nowhere. Billy Gunn had Honkytonk Man as a manager after the Smoking Gunns fell apart. Billy feuded with Bart for a while and no one really cared and that Rock-A-Billy gimmick could have buried him. Roaddogg said to him, "Me and you, I smell money!", boy was he right! Billy cracked Honky Tonk over the head with a guitar and the rest is history...

 

[EastCoastFan]

I'd say it was about even. Billy Gunn was already established from The Smoking Gunns and Road Dogg from his stint as Jeff Jarrett's sidekick, the Roadie. I'd say both of them benefitted more from being part of D-Generation X than from just being the New Age Outlaws.

 

[whoopin' ass]

absolute truth? triple h. look at his career vs either of them. was his career really that much better than billy gunn's when the outlaws joined d-x? at the point where hbk retired and hhh took over d-x, hhh was not a main eventer nor a world champ. it was being in charge of d-x that lead him to the title. they tried single's stuff with both billy gunn and road dogg but for whatever reason it never caught on. outside of the outlaws, neither of them had a stellar career. but without the outlaws, hhh would never have been as successful as he was.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Easily Road Dogg!
HE IS CURRENTLY EMPLOYED BY WWE! Not to mention he was basically a nobody before that and never had a great look. Every catchphrase or claim to fame for him is in DX. I don't think I can think of a single Road Dogg moment besides an average hardcore title match without DX or Gunn by his side. Everything Jesse James is, is because of DX!

Billy was already one half of the Smokin Guns. Not to mention with his look & athleticism, Billy later became a low level main eventer and atleast competed for world title gold. I would almost argue that the Outlaws almost HURT Gunn's carrer and that he may have been more without it. Finally to top it all off, Gunn was VERY much remebered for Billy & Chuck and the wedding they had together.

 

[ccotreau1]

I would say The Road Dogg Jesse James, because like people said before, leading up to them joining forces, Billy Gunn was a success with Bart Gunn, winning tag team gold multiple times. What had Road Dogg done to the point him and Billy were teamed together, not as much.

 

[gers09]

both altho Gun did have a beautiful dropkick (one of the best av seen) and was better in the ring over dogg. I think he would of still got lost in the pack just like dogg his rockabilly persona just wasn't working tbh if it wan't for new age outlaws they both would of been future endeavored. As for Dogg while not as good a wrestler as gun he was going nowhere either for both of them new age outlaws was the bets thing to happen to them

 

[HBsam31]

I have to agree that it benefited them both equal. Both of their gimmicks before NAO were laughable. Billy Gunn was a former tag champ with the Smoking Guns, but he was going no where as a singles star. It wasn't long after they formed the team that they blew up. Neither on of them on their own would have reached that type of success.

 

[GameOver]

Both had singles talent but Billy Gunn was the most to benefit as far as air time and being pushed singly, Road Dogg had his run as singles champ then he was quickly pushed back into Tag Team with the man that would become R-Truth.

for me Road Dogg was a good rapper and had charisma and was more likeable
but Billy had the look, the attitude, the in ring talent and was far better in that era. and who can forget Billy and Chuck almost leading to the only gay marriage on WWF/E television

 

[Kliq69]

Road Dogg easily. Billy was already a multiple time tag champ and was well liked by several higher ups. They pushed his athleticism much like they did Mr Perfects. Road Dogg was jerking curtains and doing dark match jobs before the NAO. The storyline with Rock-A-Billy and HTM was his first real gig since he was the Roadie and then "The Real Double J". At the time RD was not as well liked by a certain nameless group, while Billy was a hanger-on. Kind of like Aldo he was a guy the group didn't mind around but was not part of the core five.

When the NAO was formed, RD went from lifelong jobber/sideshow (Santino) to a tag team specialist and solid midcarder (kofi) while Billy was already there before that. No matter who he teamed with or didn't team with he was going to get the shot at the upper midcard like his KOTR crown, feud with the Rock, etc. He ended up not fitting there and dropped back down to another championship caliber tag team in billy and chuck.

He won titles and was consistently in feuds both before and after nao while RD had less success both before and after NAO than Billy. RD's career highlights are almost all while with NAO but Billy has numerous accolades before, during, and after NAO.

Billy
WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times)
WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
WWE World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2)
King of the Ring (1999)

RD
WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)
WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times)

All of RD's titles came while in the NAO.... Billy had 6 titles and the KOTR crown, plus the highly promoted feud with the Rock without RD. Billy won as many tag titles without RD as he did with him, won singles accolades after, and so it becomes obvious that while Billy might have reached arguably the height of his career while with RD, he had a very successful career outside of RD. Forget the name and just focus on the stats without RD. 5 tag titles, 1 Hardcore, 1 IC, 1 KOTR, second biggest match at summerslam with the Rock beneath Austin, HHH, Foley with Ventura as ref. That's a solid career. Maybe not HOF worthy but respectable.

Through this examination it has been made undeniable that while Road Dogg needed Billy for any kind of success, Billy found plenty of success without Rodd Dogg. That being the case, the verdict must be that Road Dogg benefited much more from the tag team than Billy.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Well, if you look at the conclusion of it all...

Road Dogg. Jesse James.

I don't hear stories about him getting involved with 20 year old psychopaths, or getting DUI's. Billy Gunn, had so many opportunities thrown at him. He had a decent feud with The Rock, and still had nothing.

Oh yea, and the people who said Triple H benefited the most... That answer is a negative. The New Age outlaws benefited more then Triple H. Triple H was already established and got a good rub from Shawn Michaels.

 

[satchmokilnt]

as many others have said. It was neither of the new age outlaws, but rather triple h/dx. i do believe triple h and the dx faction rode the coattails of the immense popularity road dogg and billy gunn garnered during the era of which i shant say. History points to triple h basically boosting his character various times on the backs of who is popular at the time. very smart of the man.