Billy and Chuck

Billy and Chuck was a professional wrestling tag team of Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo who performed in World Wrestling Entertainment from 2001 to 2002.[1] They were two-time WWE World Tag Team Champions.

Billy and Chuck
Tag team
MembersBilly[1]
Chuck[1]
Rico (manager)[1]
Name(s)Billy and Chuck
Chuck and Billy
Billed heightsBilly:
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Chuck:
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Combined
billed weight		534 lb (242 kg; 38.1 st)[2]
Billed fromHollywood, California
Debut2001[1]
Years active2001–2002

History

Near the end of the Invasion storyline, Chuck (Palumbo) was kicked out of the Alliance. In response, he defected to the WWF, where he began teaming with Billy (Gunn) in an affront to the Alliance. After the Invasion ended, the duo was turned heel.

A storyline began in which Billy and Chuck became increasingly affectionate toward each other,[2] showing evidence of a homosexual relationship.[3] The duo adopted matching red ring gear and bleached their hair with Chuck beginning to wear pigtails, although Chuck would later cut his hair short due to the bleach affecting his hair negatively. Developmental talent Rico was placed in the role of their crafty "personal stylist".[2] Billy and Chuck would win the World Tag Team Championships on two occasions,[2] and primarily feud with the APA and the Hardy Boyz.

In September 2002, Chuck proposed life partnership to Billy, and Billy accepted.[4] Their ceremony was aired on SmackDown!.[5] During the commitment ceremony, Gunn and Palumbo revealed that the ceremony was merely a publicity stunt that had gone too far, and they admitted they were strictly hetero.[5] Eric Bischoff, who had disguised himself as the priest officiating the wedding, and 3-Minute Warning from Raw then led an attack on Stephanie McMahon, the General Manager of SmackDown! who was also present at the ceremony.[5] Following this incident, Rico defected to Raw and managed 3-Minute Warning.[1] Billy and Chuck remained a team, turning face and dropping all facets of their gay-sweetheart gimmick.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which had consulted with WWE on the storyline and helped the angle secure mainstream media coverage, denounced WWE for securing GLAAD's assistance under false pretenses. "The WWE lied to us two months ago when they promised that Billy and Chuck would come out and wed on the air."[3]

Billy and Chuck's final match together occurred on SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship.[1] They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von.[6] Gunn received a shoulder injury during the match, and was taken off television.[1] The team quietly separated with Chuck going into singles competition and later the Full Blooded Italians; and Billy returned with his Mr. Ass gimmick.[1]

In a shoot interview years later, Billy Gunn stated that he had no regrets over the Billy and Chuck storyline, feeling that it was his job to perform the gimmick as presented to him, and would do it again if asked to do it.[7]

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. "Billy and Chuck Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  2. Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  3. Reynolds, R.D.; Baer, Randy (2003). WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-584-6.
  4. "WWE SmackDown! Results - September 5, 2002". Online World Of Wrestling. 2002-09-05. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  5. "WWE SmackDown! Results - September 12, 2002". Online World Of Wrestling. 2002-09-12. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  6. "WWE SmackDown! Results - October 3, 2002". Online World Of Wrestling. 2002-10-03. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Tag Team of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  9. "Billy and Chuck's first World Tag Team Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  10. "Billy and Chuck's second World Tag Team Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
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