During a recent interview with All Real Wrestling Podcast, Billy Gunn offered a blunt assessment of what he feels is missing from modern professional wrestling, particularly when it comes to connecting with the audience beyond flashy moves.

The AEW veteran explained that while the business has evolved far beyond the style of the 1980s, he believes many performers have lost sight of the fundamentals that make fans emotionally invest in a match.

“Nowadays, nobody knows how to work. They don’t know how to work in general. Working is like yes, we get it, back in the ’80s isn’t going to work now. Because they’ve taken it so far to the extreme that you have to have very good basic storytelling for me to follow along, for me to see somebody actually wrestle.”

Gunn said that simply advertising a match between two talented wrestlers is no longer enough to draw interest from a broad audience. In his view, conflict and motivation are what make fans care, not just athletic ability.

“So for me to advertise a match hey, me and you are going to wrestle. Nobody wants to see me and you wrestle because nobody understands wrestle, because there’s no conflict.”

He continued by pointing out that while hardcore wrestling fans may appreciate the technical aspects and complex sequences, most viewers do not understand the setup behind many of today’s moves.

“People just don’t want to see two people wrestle, except for people that wrestle and think they’re going to mark out for you because, one, they know the moves that you’re doing. The people do not. They know some of them, but they don’t know all the setup to everything.”

To illustrate his point, Gunn offered a simple example of storytelling that immediately creates emotional investment.

“So the really only conflict we need is, hey, how about this? We were walking down the street and you happened to slap my wife on the butt, as a light fake. So now there’s a little bit of tension there, right? So now I want to see Billy beat you up for touching his wife.”

He stressed that wrestling needs clear reasons for fans to choose sides, arguing that matches without context fail to engage the majority of viewers.

“So there has to be and again, these are all just my perceptions of what we need to do there has to be a reason for me to fight. There has to be a reason for somebody to like me and hate you, right? Just because we’re gonna wrestle how do you like, I don’t understand how you get into that. You just don’t.”

While acknowledging that some fans will always enjoy pure wrestling for its own sake, Gunn made it clear that his goal has always been mass appeal.

“Sure, there’s a handful of people that will get into that, but I don’t want you. I don’t want you. I want everybody on the planet to see me, right? Because that’s a star to me.”

Later in the conversation, Gunn reflected on the Attitude Era and how simple presentation, combined with energy, helped create unforgettable moments.

“In the Attitude Era, when I had so much energy, all I said was, ‘Hey, I got two words for you.’ That was it. But there was so much energy. It’s the same thing they all know it’s coming, so they all get ready, right?”

He noted that the crowd reaction to his catchphrase remains powerful even today.

“And then when I’m at the end and they all blow, it is so loud. To this day, it’s still loud, and it’s still not old, and people love to do it, right?”

Gunn believes the same principle can apply to in ring action if wrestlers focus more on effort and storytelling rather than just executing moves.

“It can be done the same way with wrestling moves. Everybody just doesn’t know how to work, and they’re lazy.”