Polchlopek and Sopp began teaming as the "Long Riders" in the International Wrestling Federation out of Orlando, Florida (not to be confused with the similarly-named promotion run by Killer Kowalski).[2] Polchlopek wrestled as Brett Colt, while Sopp was known as Kip Winchester. They won the IWF World Tag Team Championship together twice before signing with the World Wrestling Federation.[3]
From their debut until January 1994, they would fire blanks in the arena with real guns, but then they received complaints from families that they were scaring children, which caused them to stop firing guns in the arenas.
Although they continued to wrestle as a team, they did not appear together again on a WWF pay-per-view for over a year. In the fall of 1994, the Gunns began a feud with the Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray). The Bodies attacked the Smoking Gunns and destroyed their cowboy hats. In return, the Gunns grabbed the Bodies' robes and tore off the wings.[7] The teams had a series of matches at house shows,[8] but the feud did not end with a blow off match. Instead, the teams faced off as part of a 5-on-5 elimination match at the 1994 Survivor Series. Billy and Bart became a part of Guts and Glory (Lex Luger, Mabel, and Adam Bomb) in a loss to Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Team (King Kong Bundy, Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, and The Heavenly Bodies).[9]
Tag Team Champions (1995–1996)
Bart Gunn in his cowboy attire
The Gunns were scheduled to compete in a tournament for the vacant Tag Team Championship after Shawn Michaels and Diesel, the champions, began feuding. Injuries prevented the Gunns from entering, however.[7] One day after their replacements, Bob "Spark Plug" Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid, won the belts, the Gunns returned to win the title on January 23, 1995 episode of Monday Night Raw.[10][11] By 1995, Billy and Bart both shaved their mustaches and cut their long hair off. Gunns successfully defended the titles against Holly and Kid, The New Headshrinkers, Heavenly Bodies, and Men on a Mission. At WrestleMania XI, the Gunns faced Owen Hart and a mystery partner, who was revealed to be Yokozuna and lost the belts.[12][13] Smokin' Gunns received a rematch for the titles against Owen Hart and Yokozuna at the inaugural In Your House event, but failed to win. Gunns would then briefly feud with The Blu Brothers, defeating them at SummerSlam.
On the September 25 episode of Raw, Gunns regained the Tag Team Championship from Hart and Yokozuna, beginning their second tag title reign.[11][14] Gunns enjoyed a lengthy title reign, defeating challengers like Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid at In Your House 4, and The Bodydonnas at the 1996 Royal Rumble. On February 15, 1996, the Smoking Gunns forfeited the titles when Billy was forced to undergo neck surgery.[11][14]
Billy recovered quickly, the Gunns won their final championship three months later by defeating The Godwinns at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog.[11][15] Following this victory, Sunny left the Godwinns to manage the Gunns later the team was called "Sunny and her Gunns".[15] Sunny was a heel manager, which led to Gunns turning villains as they wrestled more aggressively, acting more arrogantly and teaming with other heels.
Sunny left the team because she only wanted to be a manager for title holders (although she did not become Hart and Bulldog's manager).[16] Billy, frustrated with losing both the title and Sunny, began having miscommunications with Bart. Gunns failed to regain the Tag Team Championship from Owen Hart and British Bulldog in a rematch at In Your House 11: Buried Alive. On the October 27 episode of Superstars, Billy eventually turned against Bart by walking out of a match against New Rockers. Bart, still managed to win the match. This led Gunns to implode and feud with each other.
Billy and Bart competed in opposing teams in a Survivor Series elimination match at the Survivor Series' Free for All. Following that, on the December 16 episode of Raw, the two competed in a match. During the match, Bart hit Billy with a botched hangman on the top rope that gave Billy a neck injury. It was then rumored that at WrestleMania 13, the Gunns were supposed to face against each other but the match did not happen. The two former partners had a decisive match on the June 9, 1997 episode of Raw is War, where Billy, who had changed his character to "Rockabilly", defeated Bart.
Aftermath
Soon after, Bart went to wrestle for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and when he returned to WWF in 1998, he was mainly involved in storylines with other NWA talent, and his opponents in the Brawl for All tournament, which he won. At Wrestlemania XV he lost to Butterbean in a boxing match. At the 1998 King of the Ring, Billy and Bart faced each other in a tag team match between the Midnight Express and the New Age Outlaws with the Outlaws winning. Bart was released in April 1999, before he could have another angle with Billy.
