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New Age Outlaws

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The James Gang - Kip James and B.G. James.

The New Age Outlaws were a professional wrestling tag team in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE), consisting of "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, or simply Mr. Ass.

As members of the second incarnation of the professional wrestling stable D-Generation X (D-X), the New Age Outlaws became extremely over in the late 1990s, with Road Dogg claiming that the duo sold out the 20,000 capacity arena Madison Square Garden on 47 consecutive occasions. [1] In the same time period, the New Age Outlaws had the third highest merchandise sales in the WWF after Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. [2]

The New Age Outlaws were characterised by their frequently vulgar and violent performances. They were perhaps best known for their lengthy entrance routine, which began with Jesse James uttering the words "Oh, you didn't know? Yo' ass better call somebody!" and culminated in Billy Gunn delivering the controversial D-X catchphrase, "...And if you ain't down with that, we got two words for ya - suck it!".

The pair are now known as The James Gang, and work for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the names B.G. James and Kip James respectivley.

Career

World Wrestling Federation

The Outlaws first formed on a 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night when struggling superstars Billy Gunn and "Road Dogg" Jesse James, then known as Rock-a-Billy and "The Real Double J" Jesse James respectivley, ended a feud between them and teamed up.

On a later edition of Monday Night Raw, Jesse James walked out to the ring following a loss by Rock-A-Billy and asked him to turn on his manager The Honky Tonk Man and team with him. Rock-A-Billy answered by smashing a guitar on Honky Tonk Man's head and telling James he was in. [3]

Rock-A-Billy redubbed himself "Badd Ass" Billy Gun and Jesse James rechristened himself The Road Dogg. The team made an immediate impact on the WWF tag team scene with blatant attacks against other tag teams and, not having an entrance theme, walking out to the ring with only Road Dogg making a rant against their opponents over the PA system. The team became known for pulling wins out of nowhere via cheating and use of weapons.

By the end of 1997, they had defeated the Legion of Doom for the WWF Tag Team Titles. Not only did the team win the titles that night, but they also got their "Outlaws" nickname when they "stole" the win and then ran to a waiting car, prompting RAW announcer Jim Ross to liken them to outlaws leaving a robbery. The name stuck and the New Age Outlaws quickly became one of the most hated team in the WWF. During their feud with LOD, the Outlaws joined D-Generation X in assaulting the legendary tag team on an episode of Monday Night RAW.

At the 1998 Royal Rumble the New Age Outlaws retained their titles against the Legion of Doom. Shortly thereafter, they began a feud with [[Mick Foley, first fighting him as Dude Love, then as Mankind and finally Cactus Jack. When it became apparent he needed help dealing with the Outlaws Foley brought in Chainsaw Charlie.

This feud was highlighted by the Outlaws locking Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie in a dumpster and sending it off the entrance ramp on to the concrete floor, causing Jim Ross to utter one of his most famous lines "Those men have families!"

At WrestleMania XIV, the New Age Outlaws lost the titles to Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie in a Dumpster Match. However, the next night on RAW with the aid of Triple H and X-Pac, the Outlaws regained the titles and officially joined DX.

Joining DX switched The Outlaws from heels to tweeners, and they feuded with many different tag teams over the course of 1998. Their immense popularity was part of what helped the WWF challenge World Championship Wrestling for ratings supremacy during the Monday Night Wars.

They lost the tag titles to Kane and Mankind in the summer of 1998, only to regain the titles from that same team at SummerSlam in a handicap match (Kane no-showed).

In late 1998 Vince McMahon's Corporation tried to tempt the Outlaws away from DX and failed which led to the Outlaws losing the titles to Corporation members Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man.

Break up

As 1999 started, the Outlaws slowly began to drift apart with each man striving for singles gold. Road Dogg began to move towards the Hardcore Title while Billy Gunn began to challenge for the Intercontinental Championship (ironically, during the course of these challenges, Road Dogg won the IC title and Gunn won the Hardcore title). As 1999 continued and the team was officially no more Gunn won the 1999 King of the Ring tournament and eventually turned heel.

During the Fall of 1999 the Outlaws reunited, first as faces, but then as heels when they rejoined the reformed (and now solidly heel) DX.

Early 2000 saw the final end of the Outlaws when Billy Gunn received a serious arm injury during a match with The Dudley Boyz. Gunn exited DX after "losing his cool" and getting into a fight with all DX members.

Road Dogg would then team with fellow DX member X-Pac; however, this new team was not accepted by fans as a worthy replacement to the Outlaws.

This marked the end of a tag team. They would tag one last time, along with Triple H and Chyna, on a November edition of Raw Is War in a one-off DX reunion to take on the Radicalz. After this both Gunn and Road Dogg went their separate ways with Gunn eventually dropping his "Mr. Ass" gimmick and Road Dogg teaming with new WWF superstar K-Kwik.

Road Dogg was released from his WWF contract in late 2000.

Billy Gunn was released from his WWF/WWE contract in 2004 after 10 years with the company.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

"Road Dogg" Jesse James debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on September 18, 2002 under his birth name, B.G. James. In July 2003, he formed a stable with Konnan and Ron "The Truth" Killings (formerly K-Kwik in WWF) known as the 3Live Kru (3LK). The trio went on to become fan favorites and eventually won the NWA World Tag Team Championship on two occasions.

Billy Gunn debuted in TNA at Against All Odds 2005 on February 13, interfering in the NWA World Heavyweight Championship bout between Jeff Jarrett and the challenging Kevin Nash. Gunn struck Nash with a chair, but he was able to kick out of Jarrett's subsequent pin attempt. After Gunn seized the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt in order to strike Nash with, B.G. James ran to the ring and wrestled it away from him.

B.G. James and Gunn, now renamed The Outlaw, came into conflict once more on April 24th, at Lockdown 2005, when Jarrett, The Outlaw and Monty Brown faced "Diamond" Dallas Page, Sean Waltman and B.G. James (who was replacing an injured Kevin Nash) in a Lethal Lockdown match. Page, Waltman and James were victorious, although during the match James and The Outlaw refrained from fighting one another.

Through October and November 2005, "The Outlaw" (now using the name Kip James) helped 3LK numerous times during their feud with Team Canada. Although he was obviously helping the Kru at every turn, Konnan refused to trust Kip.

On the November 26 episode of TNA iMPACT!, and even though Konnan had his doubts, 3LK inducted Kip into the group and renamed themselves the 4Live Kru. However, at Turning Point 2005, Konnan turned on the group, eventually forming his own group (Latin American Exchange) with Apolo and Homicide. Ron "The Truth" Killings went out on his own afterward, leaving only Kip and BG together.

On January 14, 2006 Kip James and BG James, now calling themselves The James Gang announced that they had reunited in the face of Konnan and his new group after LAX attacked BG's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. Their official in-ring reunion took place the next night at Final Resolution, where they defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (Elix Skipper and David Young).

Their feud with LAX continued and included several more appearances by "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, including an Arm Wrestling Match between Konnan and the 67 year old Armstrong.

In May 2006 The James Gang began a feud with Team 3D over which of them was the greatest tag team. The James Gang picked up a victory over Team 3D at Sacrifice 2006 after Kip used a pipe on Brother Devon. They met again at Slammiversary, with Team 3D picking up the win this time.

With the teams standing at 1-1 (and Brother Runt returning to in-ring action), Team 3D challenged The James Gang to find themselves a partner and face them (Brother Runt included) in a 6-man tag match at Victory Road. Whereas Team 3D expected them to get someone from their family (such as "Bullet" Bob Armstrong), the James Gang "made a deal with the devil" and paid James Mitchell to have Abyss team up with them instead. Humorously, on the episode of TNA iMPACT! where they joined Abyss, the crowd chanted "D-X Rejects!" The James Gang and Abyss would win that no-disqualification 6-man tag match after Abyss Black Hole Slammed Brother Runt onto a table and got the pin.

Introduction

The New Age Outlaws are perhaps best-known for their vocal introduction before each match. The "champions of the world" and "New Age Outlaws" phrases would be dragged out for effect. The words varied depending on the title status of the wrestlers.

The speech by "Road Dogg" was said over a guitar piece entitled "Oh You Didn't Know?", which was composed by Jim Johnston and was featured on the 1998 WWF CD WWF The Music, Vol. 3 and the 2002 CD Anthology. A rap version of the song, performed by Bad Azz and Techniec and entitled "You Ain't Hard", was featured on the 2000 WWF CD Aggression.

WWF

Road Dogg: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. D-Generation X (or the WWF), proudly brings to you, its ("soon-to-be" if they weren't already, or "former and future") WWF Tag Team Champions of the Worrrrrrrrrrld! The Road Dogg Jesse James! The Bad Ass Billy Gunn! The New! Age! Outlaws!
Billy Gunn: And if you ain't down with that, we got two words for ya—SUCK IT!

This intro became a trademark, and often times the crowd would chant along the entire bit. In one memorable instance at the 1998 Survivor Series, the entire "script" was written out on fan signs and held by over 100 people. If one of the members came out alone, say for a singles match, then they would instead say "one half of its" (soon-to-be) World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions, or replace the Tag Team title with the singles belt they either held or were fighting for.

TNA

BG James: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. Total Non-Stop Action, proudly brings to you, its ("soon-to-be" if they weren't already) NWA Tag Team Champions of the World! He's that K-To-I-To-The-Pizzel and I'm that B-to-the-G-To-The-Jizzel! You got catch us if you want us to hang 'cause together we are The James Gang.
Kip James: Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt..!

Championships and accomplishments

Defeated The Slackers on February 26, 2006 in Dundalk, Maryland, USA.
Lost to Danny Doring and Danny Jaxx in a four way tag team match on March 26, 2006 in Dundalk, Maryland, USA.
  • PWI ranked the New Age Outlaws # 43 of the 100 best tag teams of the PWI Years in 2003.
  • PWI Tag Team of the Year Award (1998)
Defeated the Legion of Doom on November 24, 1997 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA.
Lost to Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie on March 29, 1998 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA at WrestleMania XIV.
  • WWF World Tag Team Championship (2)
Defeated Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie on March 30, 1998 in Albany, New York, USA in a steel cage match.
Lost to Mankind and Kane on July 13, 1998 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA.
  • WWF World Tag Team Championship (3)
Defeated Mankind on August 30, 1998 in New York City, New York, USA at SummerSlam 1998 in a handicap match.
Lost to Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man on December 14, 1998 in Tacoma, Washington, USA.
  • WWF World Tag Team Championship (4)
Defeated the Rock 'n' Sock Connection on September 21, 1999 in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Lost to the Rock 'n' Sock Connection on October 12, 1999 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
  • WWF World Tag Team Championship (5)
Defeated Mankind and Al Snow on November 8, 1999 in State College, Pennsylvania, USA.
Lost to the Dudley Boyz on February 27, 2000 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA at No Way Out 2000.

References

  1. ^ A recap of the May 11, 2006 episode of TNA iMPACT!, during which B.G. James claimed to have sold out Madison Square Garden on 47 consecutive occasions.
  2. ^ The original text of an interview on WWF.com in which the interviewer references the sales of New Age Outlaws merchandise.
  3. ^ The career highlights of the New Age Outlaws
  4. ^ The history of the WWF World Tag Team Championship (WWE.com)
  5. ^ The history of the WWF World Tag Team Championship (Solie's title histories)
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