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Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida) is an American professional wrestler, best known as "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn (also spelled as "Badd Ass") from his years in the World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James and on the independent circuit as The G-Man.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

When Sopp first arrived in World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), he was teamed with his storyline brother, Bart Gunn, as The Smokin' Gunns. The Gunns would have appreciable success as a tag team, winning the tag team championship three times and feuding with the likes of Owen Hart & Yokozuna and the Godwinns before separating in late 1996.

After feuding briefly with his brother, Sopp struggled to make an impact in the WWF and languished in unpopular gimmicks like "Rockabilly," the new protege of the Honky Tonk Man. The WWE management team finally found a new avenue for Sopp when they teamed him with another struggling singles wrestler, the "Road Dogg" Jesse James to form The New Age Outlaws. The New Age Outlaws, with Sopp now being called "Bad Ass Billy Gunn", were in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar and egotistical loud-mouths. Throughout late 1997 and the whole of 1998, the Outlaws would dominate the WWF Tag Team division. In fact, some would say that they may have been one of the most popular tag teams in the company's history (Next to The Hart Foundation and The Legion of Doom).

In the aftermath of WrestleMania XIV, The Outlaws joined the Triple H-led D-Generation X. The Outlaws fit the DX role perfectly and helped elevate the group to superstardom. In 1999, The Outlaws separated and even feuded with each other (with Sopp alligned with Chyna and Triple H and Road Dogg aligned with X-Pac) over the DX name. In June 1999, Billy Gunn won the King of the Ring tournament defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane and X-Pac. This was arguably the height of Gunn's popularity which brought a push to main event status but his failure to get over with the fans prevented him from receiving a top Championship match. The Outlaws reunited in late 1999 and in early 2000, after suffering a serious arm injury in a match with The Dudley Boyz, Billy Gunn was kicked out of DX for "losing his cool." Sopp then took some much needed time off to tend to his arm injury before returning later in the year.

After returning Sopp teamed with Chyna and dropped the Mr. Ass gimmick after losing a series of battles against the Right to Censor. Soon afterwards, Sopp would rename himself "The One" Billy Gunn and won the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Hardcore Championship. Afterwards he continued wrestling as a mid card attraction.

Sopp would later join with Chuck Palumbo in an ambiguously gay duo gimmick called Billy and Chuck and would later gain a manager and "stylist" in Rico. In the late summer of 2002, Billy & Chuck became the most-talked-about duo in the WWE when Chuck proposed to Billy asking him to be his "partner for life." They had a marriage ceremony on the 2002 season premiere of SmackDown! However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and both characters disavowed their on-screen homosexuality as the "preacher" was revealed to be Eric Bischoff who summoned Three Minute Warning to beat them up accompanied by Rico who got upset that his tag team gave up their gimmick and turned on them.

Afterwards, Sopp took a few months off because of a shoulder injury. After he returned he reprised the "Mr. Ass" gimmick with Torrie Wilson as his manager. He then started a feud with Jamie Noble that ended with Sopp losing a match to Noble with the stipulation that Noble would sleep with Torrie. After the match he started a tag team with Noble until taking time off again because of shoulder injury. After he returned he started a tag team with Hardcore Holly that led to moderate success.

On November 1, 2004, Sopp along with A-Train and Test were released by the WWE. At the time of his release, he was one of the most tenured wrestlers with the company, lagging only behind The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.

In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of the WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there".

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling with no name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark) at the Against All Odds PPV, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp then, using the name The New Age Outlaw, formed a stable with Jarrett and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett, using the name The Outlaw, a take off of his WWE tag team, New Age Outlaws with B.G. James (then "The Road Dogg" Jesse James.)

Sopp began a campaign to make B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Sopp. On July 17 at No Surrender 2005 he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the James family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Sopp attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron "The Truth" Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Sopp and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted B.G. James unwilling to take sides. Sopp's efforts ultimately proved futile as James, appointed guest referee in a final match between Brown and Sopp and Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice on August 14, attacked him, enabling the 3Live Kru to defeat Sopp and Brown.

On September 11, 2005 at Unbreakable, Sopp teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners, with Brown unhappy at the series of losses the feud with the 3Live Kru had produced and Sopp irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match.

On the October 8, 2005 episode of iMPACT! on Spike TV, Sopp rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Sopp saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound For Glory on October 23; though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained sceptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Sopp took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well before being sent away from ringside by the referees.

On the November 26, 2005 episode of iMPACT!, B.G. brought James and the 3Live Kru to ringside, then asked Killings and Konnan whether James could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their assent, and the "Four Live Kru" was born. However, at TNA Turning Point 2005, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Homicide and Apolo. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang.

Independent circuit

During his time in TNA Kip James would also become available to make appearances in independent promotions. The most notable of which would be his appearance in the United Kingdom when on the 13th of January 2006 it was confirmed that in the month of February Kip James would be coming to Varsity Pro Wrestling. James would be appearing at VPW shows on February 17th and 18th in Horndean, Hampshire and Exeter, Devon respectively. Later James would send in his own comments on his appearance;

"This is my first independent trip to the UK and I gotta say I'm really looking forward to it. I've heard a lot of good things about Varsity Pro Wrestling, but jesus knows if they're looking for someone to push around, they chose the wrong guy. I've made peoples careers and I've ended people's careers. I got no problem what so ever with getting the job done, and if they don't already know, when I'm finished they will know first hand, I'm Kip James, bitch."

Kip James (who came to the ring with the Mr. Ass attire to the "Ass Man" theme from his WWF/E days) competed in the main event of both VPW shows that weekend facing two of its top stars, Chris Andrews and The UK Kid. He also appeared earlier in each show to interrupt promos by its top heel stars, first Phil Powers and the next day The UK Kid, who would go on about how British wrestlers are better than Americans until Kip James would come out and tell each one to shut the hell up and get into a small shoving matches.

However, a recent incident between Kip and B.G. would be posted on the internet in late May 2006 where Kip and B.G. would berate famed wrestling journalist Bill Apter for his constant rumor spreading about the business and known infamy as one of the known breakers of kayfabe. Kip would go on to say that he personally didn't like Apter and tried to leave the interview quickly. B.G. would then act as if he was sincere until he would shout "Fuck You!" to Apter. This was later revealed as a work, with Kip James' girlfriend confirming on his official site that they are all friends and it was just a joke.

Wrestling facts

  • Finishing and signature moves

  • Managers

  • Nicknames
  • "Bad Ass"
  • "Mr. Ass"
  • "The One"

Championships and accomplishments

  • IWF (Florida)
  • 2-time IWF Tag Team Champion (with Brett Colt/aka Bart Gunn)

  • World Pro Wrestling
  • 1-time WPW Heavyweight Champion

  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him # 231 of the 500 best singles wrestler of the PWI Years in 2003.
  • PWI ranked him # 43 of the best tag teams of the PWI Years, with The Road Dogg, in 2003.
  • PWI Tag Team of the Year Award, with The Road Dogg (1998)
  • PWI Tag Team of the Year Award, with Chuck Palumbo (2002)

Championship succession

WWF Intercontinental Championship Preceded by:
Eddie Guerrero First Succeeded by:
Chris Benoit WWF Hardcore Championship Preceded by:
Al Snow First Succeeded by:
Hardcore Holly Preceded by:
Raven Second Succeeded by:
Raven WWF World Tag Team Championship Preceded by:
1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly First, with Bart Gunn Succeeded by:
Owen Hart and Yokozuna Preceded by:
Owen Hart and Yokozuna Second, with Bart Gunn Succeeded by:
Forfeit (after injury to Sopp) Preceded by:
Henry O. Godwinn and Phinneas I. Godwinn Third, with Bart Gunn Succeeded by:
Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith Preceded by:
The Legion of Doom Fourth, with Road Dogg Jesse James Succeeded by:
Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie Preceded by:
Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie Fifth, with Road Dogg Jesse James Succeeded by:
Kane and Mankind Preceded by:
Mankind and Kane Sixth, with Road Dogg Jesse James Succeeded by:
Ken Shamrock and The Big Boss Man Preceded by:
The Rock 'n' Sock Connection Seventh, with Road Dogg Jesse James Succeeded by:
The Rock 'n' Sock Connection Preceded by:
Mankind and Al Snow Eighth, with Road Dogg Jesse James Succeeded by:
Dudley Boyz Preceded by:
Tazz and Spike Dudley Ninth, with Chuck Succeeded by:
Rico and Rikishi Preceded by:
Rico and Rikishi Tenth, with Chuck Succeeded by:
Hollywood Hogan and Edge King of the Ring winners Preceded by:
Ken Shamrock First Followed by:
Kurt Angle

Acting career

Sopp appeared in an episode of Sabrina The Teenage Witch as a wrestler that Sabrina Spellman was obliged to wrestle in order to let her cat's daughter marry her fiance who was the son of Sopp's character

External links

1963 births | American professional wrestlers | D-Generation X | Living people | Orlandoans

Monty Sopp | モンティ・ソップ

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Monty Sopp".

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