WWE Reportedly Passed On Booking Billy Gunn Over Tony Khan Request

Billy Gunn's absence from the 25th anniversary of D-Generation X on "WWE Raw" a couple of weeks ago could have gone a different way. However, according to a new report, a breakdown in negotiations between WWE and AEW over the terms of a Gunn appearance is what led to him staying off the show. 

Although Gunn was not part of the marketing push for DX appearance, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that there were "meaningful talks" between Gunn's current and former employers. AEW President Tony Khan has previously allowed wrestlers under contract to make appearances at WWE events and on broadcasts –- including Gunn appearing for DX's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2019; this time though, he had a specific condition that needed to be met. 

According to WON, "Khan agreed to let him do the show, but on the air they would have to mention he's from AEW, or that AEW allowed him to appear or some wording, but there had to be one mention that in some form he works for AEW." WWE held out with a definitive answer to Khan's request until the last minute before ultimately rejecting it, keeping "Daddy Ass" at home for the night. 

Gunn's name has not been mentioned in association with WWE since the Hall of Fame ceremony, but the DX reunion on "Raw" at least acknowledged him in passing. During the classic New Age Outlaws introduction, Road Dogg offered a modified version, allowing the crowd to fill in the blanks of "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn's name without saying it himself. In addition, Corey Graves' commentary noted the missing Gunn with the wisecrack "The other guy's doing something with office equipment these days, I'm not sure" — a riff on the popular "Scissor Me, Daddy Ass" mantra of AEW's Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed, who have had Gunn as their cornerman in recent time.