Bart Gunn Shoot Interview

One of the most infamous moments in WWE history came when Bart Gunn legit knocked out “Dr. Death” Steve Williams in the Brawl For All toughman tournament in 1998. Gunn, now going as Mike Barton, stopped by the RF VIDEO offices for a no holds barred shoot interview that covers his entire career, including the Steve Williams knockout and its after effects. This is one story NO ONE has ever heard before and one you will not want to miss! Barton discussed his entire career starting from his early days in Florida and how he met up with Kip James, previously known as Billy Gunn. Bart describes how the Smoking Gunns got into the WWE and talked about all the major tag teams they worked with in New York. The Road Warriors, the Steiner Brothers, the Public Enemy, Yokozuna and Owen Hart, Scott Hall and the 1,2,3 Kid, and many more are covered in this exclusive one-of-a-kind shoot. Learn all about the New Generation era of WWE from one of the larger tag team wrestlers of the time! What was it like working with Bob Holly in the ill-fated New Midnight Express? How was it working with Sunny? What was the attitude in the WWE locker room when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash left for WCW? Barton covers all of those stories and many more in depth in this three hour shoot. After Barton was all but blackballed from American wrestling following his loss to Butterbean at WrestleMania, he went over to Japan and we were able to get one good story after another about All Japan, New Japan and Barton’s foray into the growing world of MMA with K1 and Pride. This is one shoot that is super intense and will make even the most hardcore fan tap out! Were you a fan growing up Did you play sports in high school How did your prior sports experiences help you in wrestling How did you get started What was the hardest thing about training Memories of your first match How did you meet Billy Gunn At what point did you guys start teaming up in IWF Did you know right away you had something special Did you know right away that tag team wrestling would be your forte’ At what point did you get interest from Titan Did you get any interest from WCW What was the initial contact like How soon did you wind up in the WWF Do you remember meeting Vince for the first time and initial impressions Was there any heat on you guys for being so green, yet getting signed How were you mentally when you first went up there, was it a negative that you were signed after only being a pro for a year What do you remember about your debut at King of the Ring How did the Steiners treat you guys Who did you bond with up there from the start Did anyone intentionally work really stiff with you guys in the beginning Initial memories of Hulk Hogan (I think that was his last show) Initial impressions of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels Memories of matches with Well Dunn Memories of Lex Luger in and out of the ring Does it bother you that Maxx Payne brought a camera on the road around this time and is now trying to sell it as a movie Memories of getting your first tag belts, did it mean something to you or was it business Memories of matches with the Bruise Brothers (Blu Brothers) Memories of matches with Owen and Yoko Any good rib or road stories involving those guys Memories of matches with 123 Kid and Razor Memories of your match with Public Enemy Did the locker room have it out for them How did you react and what did you think when the WWF started bringing in ECW for those angles How did you react to being managed by Sunny Was there ever anything that went on with you two outside the ring Were there problems with you and Candido over jealousy Memories of your matches with the Bodydonnas Any funny stories about ribs involving the slop during your series with the Godwinns Who was more the captain of calling the matches between you and Billy Did you two ever have a problem with something one or the other did or wanted to do What do you remember about the politics of the Clique during this time Thoughts on the Clique strike (He may not have been on the road tho with his neck injury) Thoughts on some of Shawn’s infamous temper tantrum during that time period DO you think the Clique went too far with their ribs on some people, including crapping peoples food (Sunny) Memories of matches with Owen and Davey Boy Memories of Survivor Series 96 when you and Billy worked against each other as part of the elimination match Whos idea was it to split you guys up Were you nervous or excited What were you told the plans would be for you when you guys split Memories of when Austin started taking off as a star Memories of Brian Pillman Were you frustrated that you saw Billy getting more of a push early on Memories teaming with Brian Armstrong at King of the Ring 97 What do you remember about the first fight between Shawn and Bret when Bret ripped Shawns hair out Were you surprised at how things went down with Bret at SS 97 Memories of Hunter during this time of DX How did things change in the WWF when Kevin and Scott left How did the Midnight Express gimmick come about Thoughts on Bob Holly Do you think being associated with the NWA hurt Memories of matches with the Road Warriors How did Bob differ from Billy as a partner Memories of matches with Rock N Roll Express Whos idea was it to end the gimmick Thoughts on Vince Russo Did he ever come up with any crazy ideas for you that you never did How were you approached to do Brawl For All What were your thoughts going in Was it hard to train for something like that with the road schedule How realistic did you think your chances were Did you watch UFC at the time or any other MMA Was it hard to fight Bob since you guys had traveled together Were you intimidated to fight Steve Williams Steve Williams claims the tournament was set up to push him, do you agree What was your strategy going in Of the 4 matches, which was the most difficult for you Were you surprised at how easy a certain guy was to beat Did you notice a different kind of respect from the locker room after the tournament How did Vince react when you knocked out Doc Could the Brawl for All work today When you went to All Japan before Wrestlemania, did Vince have a problem with that How did you wind up in All Japan Initial impressions of Mrs. Baba Initial impressions of Johnny Ace How did you like the style change from WWF Thoughts of the Real World tournament and memories of matches with Kobashi and Akiyama After Brawl for All were you told you would get a push and if so, what ideas did they have for you How were you approached for the Butterbean fight How did your training differ for that as compared to the tournament Memories of the fight In retrospect, do you think it was a no win situation How did your time in the WWF come to an end Were you bitter after putting your career on the line with Brawl for All What was a tougher schedule , All Japan or WWF Are you surprised at Billy’s success with Brian after you left Memories of working Vader in All Japan Did ECW or WCW ever try to contact you Did any of the Japanese test you early on Thoughts on Kawada Thoughts on Misawa Do you think it was underhanded of Misawa to steal everyone and start NOAH Memories of teaming with Jim Steele Memories of wrestling Doc at the Tokyo Dome Memories of teaming with Chono Memories of working New Japan shows What are the differences in how each company are run Memories of your G1 finals with Tenzan and Kojima Memories of wrestling Kronik How come you stopped working regularly in Japan Whats the Japanese wrestling landscape like today Who was ur fav partner Did MMA kill the pro wrestling business in Japan What do you think about the success of MMA in Japan How were you first contacted about fighting in MMA Memories and thoughts on fighting in Pride How big is a Pride event compared to a Wrestlemania Thoughts on your first MMA fight against Wes Cabbage Have you ever talked with Vince about coming back into the WWE What are your thoughts on the current US scene Can Japan ever get back to where they were before in terms of wrestling success Why do you think you had more success in Japan than America What is wrong with the indys today Thoughts on John Laurenitus’ rise to power in the WWE How do you think Brock Lesnar or Kurt Angle would do in MMA How will the PRIDE sale affect the landscape of MMA in Japan How come your run in TNA was so short Are you surprised that Flair and Hogan are still active wrestlers Is there anyone that made it that surprised you and is there anyone who didn’t make it who you thought would Do you still watch wrestling What are your thoughts on all of the deaths of the past few years and which in particular hit you hardest Favorite Ribs Advice for young guys How important has tape studying been to your career Thoughts on newsletters and the internet Do you want to write a book Any regrets