September 2nd 2005 Recap of The Wrestling Epicenter Interview with Kip James Kip James' first WWE run was as a part of the Southern style tag team, "The Smoking Guns." Kip played the role of Billy Gunn, a name that would become synonymous with his entire career. Kip's tag team partner in the Smoking Guns, Bart Gunn, did not last long in the WWE after the team split up. Kip says, "The split was good for me, bad for him." When asked why Kip went to have a run stretching over a decade and Bart did not last quite as long, Billy explains that while Bart is a great and tough guy, "I think I just had the entertainment side if it down better than Bart did." Bart did achieve success in Japan but Kip seemed to fit in the WWE better because, as Kip explained, "Here, it's more about charisma and presence. When one uses the word "charisma," one often thinks of "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" Elvis Presley. Wrestling's #1 Elvis impersonator The Honkytonk Man, managed Kip for a time with a character known simply as "Rockabilly," a character based off the popular 50's and 60's style of music that was used on TV in the mid 90's. "That went nowhere fast. That didn't even have a chance to go up. It was just straight down," explains Kip. He goes on to explain that the company put little to no thought into the concept of that character saying, "How do you get into something that nobody put any thought into or gave a crap about?" But silly gimmicks aside, Kip was about to begin a run that has to be far and away his most successful to date. Kip and BG James, then "Road Dogg," formed a tag team known as the New Age Outlaws. Kip explains how that team came to be, "They really weren't doing anything with either of us so they kind of put us together as a rib on us. But, the rib was on them because there was just great chemistry there." When asked about Shawn Michaels and Triple H possibly wanting the New Age Outlaws in Degeneration X, Kip says, "No, they didn't want us in DX because they didn't think we were going to get over. But then, as they let us do our own things, we just shot through the roof." Through the success of the New Age Outlaws, they tried a few experiments putting the Outlaws and DX on the same side in beating down the legendary Road Warriors. Once the audience showed the strength of the Outlaws, Kip and BG became part of perhaps the most vulgar yet revolutionary faction in the history of wrestling. When asked about his opinion of Triple H, Kip laughs because he knew the question was coming. "When he first started, he had no spot so of course he was humble. But as he got in that Kliq and he started getting more power, all of a sudden he's invincible and untouchable." Kip continues, "He's what holds people back, it's not talent. He gets threatened by guys that are better than him. He's just evil. That's what he is. But, that's okay because bad things happen to bad people." Kip wasn't always this against Triple H. When they were riding high in DX, they managed to get along well enough. But, they were very different. "We went out there to please the people. We didn't care about pleasing the office because that will happen anyway as long as we put butts in seats. But, he was in Vince's ear jocking for position." There were fun times shared by Triple H and Kip. Kip remembers fondly driving to the competitor World Championship Wrestling event in a tank. "That's the kind of thing that made DX so popular," says Kip. In 1999, most thought Kip was well on his way to being the next big singles star after winning the King of the Ring tournament and getting over as a heel. But, they turned him face and damaged his push. Kip likens this situation to Lex Luger when they had him riding the Lex Express. "People wouldn't buy it because he didn't have any talent! Nothing against Lex, he just wasn't into it. But when someone has talent and is getting over but isn't who they want to get over, they put the ka bash on it. It's all bull crap. It's all politics and Hunter." Continuing on the backstage atmosphere of the WWE, "The writers they have don't know wrestling for some reason and what they do know they read in a comic book somewhere. They don't get it." "That was all a mistake. Usually when Road Dogg came out and spoke, people took it as gospel. He's so amazing at everything he does. He had a live mic and he was pissed off about something. He said you'll call me Mr. Road Dogg and you'll call him Mr. Ass. The next night, there was all kinds of signs everywhere." Kip laughs saying he joked with BG saying, "Thanks, now nobody will ever look at me the same." But, the "Mr. Ass" character was easy and fun for Kip to play. Another fun character for Kip was the homosexual character he played along side Chuck Palumbo which was a tag team known simply as Billy and Chuck. "When we started, we were like male strippers who everybody thinks are gay but they're not. They just think they're God's gift to women. But they took it a step further and we went with it. And, they way we did it and with Vince's TV, people bought it" says Kip. In case you're wondering, Kip explains how playing something totally different from who you are can be a lot of fun So, is he actually gay? "No, I'm not," says Kip laughing. Many wondered why "Mr. Ass" became "The One" at one point in time. Kip explains the change by saying, "All of a sudden, Mr. Ass wasn't TV friendly anymore because they had to keep bleeping it for the weekend shows. I think it took something away from me." The reason Kip was released, on his Birthday no less, was because creative didn't have anything for him. Kip ponders why a lot of the guys get released when the writers can't come up with anything for them. He feels if the writers can't come up with stuff, maybe they should get their release instead. When Kip left the WWE, he wasn't impressed with the locker room. "Everybody's miserable there and they make it that way." But, Kip's departure from the WWE is far from the end of his career as he has made his presence felt in the promotion ready to hit Spike TV on October 1, Total Nonstop Action. What is that locker room like compared to that of the WWE? "Night and day! There are no egos and everybody works their butt off," says Kip. Kip feels there is a place for a company like TNA in the modern wrestling scene because there needs to be options. And, many already know that TNA is a healthy option. But, are we ready for a restart of the Monday Night Wars? "I don't know about that." Kip feels TNA may need more time to compete but feels the company is moving in the right direction right now and should be a popular and healthy alternative to the WWE once they emerge on Spike. Though gone from the WWE, they still make their presence felt in Kip's life threatening lawsuits to sue over the names Kip uses. Since Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, Kip was called "The Outlaw" at one time as a play on the New Age Outlaws which he thought TNA purchased the rights to. But, since that fell through, Kip has taken the last name of former tag partner "Road Dogg" BG James and is now Kip James. Kip and BG are going to hash it out in the weeks to come in Total Nonstop Action due to BG's actions at the recent Sacrifice pay per view. Be sure to tune in to Spike TV when the New Age Outlaws explode before your eyes!