My Mom's Basement - EPISODE 119 - AUSTIN GUNN

Episode Date: April 2, 2021

Austin Gunn joins Robbie in the Basement to discuss his debut EP, 'ALL ALONE', getting into wrestling, flipping the older brother dynamic in his family, and more. 3Chi: Use code MMB at checkout to receive 5% off at 3Chi.comYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mymomsbasement

Hey My Mom's Basement listeners, you can find our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. I'm still in the basement, I still got the quarantine setup going on, I still got the pajama shorts on, but I changed a shirt for the interview. But first, let me remind everybody about our presenting sponsor, 3Chi. 3Chi is the industry leader in Delta-8 THC products around the world. Their products are all formulated by a biochemist made in the USA with USA-grown hemp. What is it? I tell you guys every week. It's federally legal THC. It's a more functional alternative to marijuana. It gives

you that amazing buzz, a great body feel, but with a clearer head, less anxiety, less paranoia. It mixes in a lot of the CBD and then a little bit of the psychoactive element, THC, from hemp though, not marijuana. It's available online at 3chi.com. That's the number three, chi.com, and at retailers around the country right now. You must be 21 or older to purchase, but if you are, use the promo code MMB at checkout and you will receive 5% off your order. You can get your vapes, gummies, tinctures, oils, even cookies. Now they've got it all go to three chi.com promo code M M B. Yes. Nice. You just put out your first EP ever. You're not just a professional wrestler anymore. You're also a

musician. You're living the double life now. It's on Spotify. It's everywhere. Music can be found. It's called all alone. It's you and Safe Love. Am I saying that right? Yeah, you're saying it right. Yep, Safe Love. Talk to me about when music came into your life. Was it before wrestling? Was it after wrestling? When did you even come out as a musician?

Yeah, it was before wrestling for sure. So music I found was a sense of therapy for me. So I was freestyling with my friend one time because he like brought it up and was like, Hey, do you want to freestyle over the radio really quick? We're like, it's like sixth grade, ninth grade, whatever. And I was like, sure. So he tried and then I got it. And I was like, I was like, all right, I'm kind of, I was like, I'm kind of feeling this. So then I went home that night and I just started playing beats like on YouTube and stuff. I was like, all right, this is kind of fun, like whatever.

And then, yeah, ever since that day, I taught myself like when GarageBand was just coming out like the Apple computers and stuff. I was like teaching myself GarageBand, how to put together a chorus, how to write lyrics in between that, how to make my own intros with like old wrestling clips. And then it would like transfer into the beat. And was just like this is just so much fun and then um and then I started taking it a little more seriously like maybe there's something here that I could probably just like actually release songs because I was showing them to friends at the time I was like hey check out this freestyle I did or check out this song I tried to write and they're like like all right this is this is kind of good this This is kind of good. Like you should, you should release this for the boys. And I was like, I was like, all right. So then that, that just happened over the years. And then I was like,

you know what? It's time to lock in because that's when safe love started pursuing music like full time. And I was like, damn, I hate seeing him. Like, I love, like I love seeing him release this music, but I hate sitting back and not doing it for myself as well. so that's when we both were like you know what do you want to do an album together we all always talked about it and then we just sat down for eight months and just knocked it out one one song at a time was the quarantine kind of like perfect timing for this did you i think the quarantine was perfect timing because like i like we didn't

we weren't well actually we were still traveling for wrestling but i had a lot more free time when i was at home to like call him and be like all right all right what do we need to do for the album since i have so much time and a break from wrestling a little bit i was like how do we get this done and i thought it was the perfect timing the perfect setup and it it was just awesome to see it finally come out to be able to like look up on apple music and like, see my name and his name and then have like a full album cover and the whole thing. Yeah. Yeah.

I think it was like a bucket feeling kind of thing or a bucket list type of thing. And just, I wanted to at least just get something out there. Yeah. Because the freestyles that I came out with on Instagram and Twitter, those were getting like good traction. I was like, dude, we might have something here. Let's, let's put something out. Bro, you sampled from the top rope, sampled my voice in some of the freestyle. That was like an honor. I kept that, that voice memo for years, for years. That's amazing. Because you interviewed my dad and I was like, this is a perfect clip. And I was like, I need the right, like the right home for it. And I finally found it. I thought it worked

out great. I loved it. I thought it was like, I geeked out for it, kind of. You talked about taking music a little more seriously at some point. You went from, okay, I'm doing freestyles with my friends, kind of showing with my friends, and then actually releasing some or putting them out to your friends. How old were you when you started doing that? About six, seven years. I'm 26 now, so probably when I was like 19 20 and then when do you just when do you start taking wrestling super seriously and being like oh my god I'm getting into this and this might be in 2017 in 2017 because the deal was with my mom and dad I had to graduate from college I needed a degree first before I even stepped into the ring full time. I was dabbling with it a little bit.

And I was, when I had free time from lacrosse and from college, I would go meet my dad at the gym and only have like two hours of practice or like hitting the ropes or whatever. And I was like, dude, I want to do this full time. And he goes, no, you can't do it until that day you graduate. So I was like, okay. So I think it was kind of like a trial period of like, do you really want to do this? And I was like, yes, absolutely. So he was like letting me like nibble at it a little bit, but he would not train me fully. Um, and a

hundred percent until I graduated. So the day I graduated, I called him and I met him at the gym the next day and he beat me up for like three hours. And I was like, I love this dude. I just love it. So in 2017, right when I graduated from college is when I really started taking it like full time. This is what I want to do. And I saw on your Wikipedia page, it said that you were trained by your dad and the Dudleys. Is that true? Yeah, I went to Bubba and Devon's 3D Academy. It was close to our house, like 40 minutes. So that's where he would coach. My dad would coach there every Wednesday. So when I started taking it really

seriously, I would go there every Wednesday and just start doing that. So I wasn't training Monday through Friday or anything like that. I was training every Wednesday, like fully. And then I would, yeah, I would just train in the gym when I wasn't training for wrestling. But every Wednesday like fully and then I would yeah I would just train in the gym um when I wasn't training for wrestling but every Wednesday was wrestling class did you take to it very quickly I assume because I mean we see you on tv now and like not to like suck your dick over here but like you seem like you're you've been wrestling for years which now you have been but you seem ahead of your time i feel like um yeah that's something i i it's like an internal thing it's it's nothing you go into and be like yeah i'm picking this shit up fuck y'all like i'm i'm better than no it wasn't like that it was like internally i can say

this now like internally i was like it's like dude i was looking around at class and i was like these people have been in here for two three years and like I'm just picking this up like this in the first two months I was like I know I'm a second generation I know I've been in around like the my entire life I've been surrounded by wrestling but I just internally I was just like damn man I'm bypassing a lot of people that shouldn't I should not be bypassing right now um but I but I just kept it inside and I worked hard and and the thing I always tell people is like you know I always like Russell Westbrook says this a lot he goes he goes when I'm in the game I'm not your friend ever ever but when like like bell to bell is basically or whistle to whistle

I'm not your friend I'm trying to beat you in every aspect of the game after we can go get a beer or whatever we can become like friends again I think that that mentality is stuck with me because when I'm in the ring or whenever whenever I'm in practice I internally just want to beat you at everything whether it's my dad doing something whether it's the new rookie that's trying to prove himself or whether it's just somebody that's been in there and that thinks they're on the same level as me. It's like internally, I just want to beat you at everything. I want to do an arm drag better than you want to do like basic roles better than you, everything. So I think that's the mindset I've had since day one. And I still have that mindset. And that now that Colton trains with us,

it's like even more fire. It's like, I want to be better than my older brother at every single thing and show him that like, like you better step it up or whatever. But yeah. Dude, I was going to ask what that dynamic is like, because your older brother started training a few years after you. So I assume you're showing him the ropes in a lot of ways. And it's like, you sort of take that older brother dynamic now. It's so strange. Like your older brother is always the one that leads the way in life.

And you look up to him and you're like, he sets the tone and then whatever. But this is actually kind of reversed because he did his own thing and went to California at first. And he stuck there for about three or four years in Santa Monica while I was doing the wrestling thing because I always compare us like we're yin and yang in the best way and I'm more of a risk taker if I want to do something I don't think about it I just go ahead and do it if I feel it here I just want to do it and that's what wrestling was it's like I knew I'd regret it if I didn't try it at least once and I didn't't want to as a kid, like watching your dad being like, man,

like, yeah, it's just like, yeah, absolutely. My mom also was a really big influence because I've always wanted to be an actor and I loved entertaining. And I'm just like, I'm all over the place. Just crazy. I might be annoying at times, but I'm just, I just want to entertain people, make people laugh. And my mom just mentioned it one day and was like you you should consider at least trying this because I think you'd do whatever you want and they were supportive and they they want they wanted me to do anything I

wanted it doesn't matter they didn't force me to do anything but I was just like yeah I might be good at this so I didn't want to be 40 years old and then look back and be like, damn, I had the opportunity to carry on the gun legacy and I never did. But now I'm in it. So, like, I'm glad I took that risk. But Colton's more of a planner. Like, he doesn't. He needs to have his. He's 30 years ahead.

Like, already knows, like, everything that's going to happen. But he was sitting up in California. He didn't tell us, but he went to Rikishi's school one day and didn't tell us anything because he saw us doing it and he was like something in here he was like always thinking of promos and always always thinking about like the storylines we could have and always would call us with ideas and i knew me and dad knew like he was kind of getting an inch like an itch for it but we didn't know he went to rikishi's school one day and just went through training one day and then called us the next day and goes, Hey,

I think I actually want to do this or give it a try. So dad was like, all right, if you actually want to take this serious and do it, then I'm going to do it just like I did with Austin. And I need to have supervision over you for at least the first six months or a year. I'll let you train with other people, but I need to make sure your basics are right first, which is ideal. Yeah, so we flew back home, actually drove from California,

spent two weeks at the school training, and then went back to California, packed all of his stuff and came home and now we live together. So it's just nuts. You hear stories sometimes of people that want to be comedians. They won't tell their friends and they'll go to like an open mic night. And it's sort of the same thing, like going to that training session,

not telling you guys, did he tell Rikishi like who he was? Did Rikishi know who he was? Oh, Rikishi has known us since. I was going to say, I would assume, right? Yeah. So Rikishi was a speaker too. And now all he had to do was call Rikishi just got the secret too, yeah. And now – All he had to do was call Rikishi and it was just like that.

What's it like being able to like wrestle with him on television? It's wild. It's nuts, dude. It's like I always tell people like – Bro, you guys got your ass kicked by Shaq on television. Yeah, dude. Shaq ruined us. Ruined us. Literally. All right, so the story about that. I'm, oh, ruined us. Ruined us.

Literally. All right, so the story about that, I'm going to change topics here. But the story behind that is, like, I thought I'd have to help him with a few things. But when he came out of the tunnel, I was like, we have no choice. If this guy wants to, like, kill us, this guy will destroy us no matter what. So he came over, and I hit him with the chair in the back, and he turned around, and I went to, like, bend over the rail. And before I even thought about the thing that I had to do, he grabbed me.

Boom! Hit me in the back. I took a tumble. My face hit the guardrail because I flipped over so fast. I look up, and Shaq was only supposed to chop Colton. So he was only supposed to grab him, bang, whatever. And then we go away. Dude, before I knew it, Shaq picked up Colton. He's eight feet up in the air, slams him on the mat. I'm looking over at Colton. I huddle around Colton. I'm like, dude, that was nuts. He goes, you're bleeding.

So I felt something. I'm bleeding from my face. I look at him. He just got smashed from nine feet up in the air. And I was like, dude, that was sick. A Hall of Fame basketball player, Shaquille O'Neal, just beat us up. And I'll tell you what. So two things about that. I was there that night to do the segment with Brandon Walker with the Jericho MJF thing.

The first thing, you were walking around with a steel chair backstage. And at one point, I was just like, bro, what Brandon Walker with the Jericho MJF thing the first thing you were walking around with a steel chair backstage and at one point I was just like bro what's up with the steel chair why are you walking around with a steel chair three hours before the show starts and you just you kayfabe me you're like I don't know I don't know I was like I don't know man because only Cody told me that like at the beginning of the day second thing I watched that match in gorilla with everybody you guys got like some of the biggest pops just by like shack like dominating everyone's like oh oh my god oh like it was you know the the pops of horror basically and hoping you guys were okay but everyone's going crazy for that backstage it was one of the coolest parts of the whole

experience was watching that backstage with everybody because it was an awesome match. I mean, they killed it. Dude, they did so well. Yeah. Jay did so well. Shaq did so well. But I was – I didn't know that second part, by the way. I didn't know everybody was watching it in the back.

Everyone. Oh, yeah. They were a huge, like, crowd. Yeah. Yeah, that's super sick. But I was actually – so colton is experiencing a lot of things uh for the first time and i have to realize that sometimes so during the pandemic era he hasn't gotten that feel of a live crowd yet other than the pay-per-view and stuff but like

he hasn't um he hasn't gotten this uh the feeling of like a live crowd yet so during that match while i'm bleeding while he just got hit nine feet up in the air i'm looking at him and the place was going ballistic and i haven't felt that that energy since the pandemic era so i look at him and i go i go dude just close your eyes and feel this energy. This is what a match is supposed to feel like. This is just nuts. Yeah. He goes, dude, this is crazy. We were behind the guardrail and the noise of the crowd way up in the bleachers were coming over the guardrail and just being like ringside in the crowd like the wrestlers.

It was just nuts. It was just a really cool experience to be a part of. It was a show where for once you weren't making the most noise there was yeah exactly i didn't have to hide the night off i guess yeah and that's been what a what a strange thing that's been for you i would imagine you're told go out there and make noise right you start making noise and now everyone loves like austin gunn the crowd guy not everybody not everybody i've seen some tweets that are like, dude, shut this kid up. And I'm like, whatever. Like, what do you want me to do?

I mean, you want people to be quiet at a wrestling show? What is this? Yeah, you want me to just sit there like this and just be like, oh. No, I love the gun club in the corner, especially when Billy gets out there, you guys, in the little bandanas. I love it. Yeah, that's great.

Yeah, that started in Atlanta because I just looked at dad and I was like, I was injured at the time because I got injured in my debut. And then we had six months of recovery time. But I think the next month. Oh, sorry. Oh, okay. I'm back. You're good.

All right. So I had six months of recovery time. So the next month I was like, dude, what do I do? What do I invest my time in? I was like, I can't wrestle. So we were in Atlanta shooting for AEW, and this was when the pandemic first started. I was like, dude, dad, let's just go out there and just have some fun and just like support the guys, get them some noise. So that started in Atlanta.

And now nine, 10 months later, I'm still doing it. So- Losing your voice every Wednesday night. Yeah, I tried to take a break one time and I was like, dude, I don't know if I can do this tonight, being loud for two hours, screaming my head off. And I was sitting in the back

and Tony Khan was like, where is the gun club? Get them out there now. The crowd needs noise. So, I mean, now it's just a a hundred percent sure thing that we have to go out there every night. Now we have a designated spot, like everything. I love that. Before we get you out of here, give me your goals in 2021 for music and wrestling. Give me at least one for each. All right. One for each. I think for music, I. Give me at least one for each. All right.

One for each. I think for music, I want to come out with like a five song EP of just like, like real shit. Just not lovey dovey. Not like all alone. Not like in my feelings type thing. I listened to it by the way.

I really enjoyed it. I listened to the entire EP. Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. I think my next project is cutthroat type stuff, like very attack, like second generation, cocky attitude, kind of like my come up, but also like, hey, I'm in it. I'm in it now. Like, what's up? So I think five song EP next, but solo. I don't want any features, nothing. I just want track after track after track of just hard hitting,

like hard, like freestyle kind of stuff. Goals for wrestling. I think to keep having fun with dad, enjoying this moment with dad that me and Colton have. And I also think in the future, I think me and Colton to hold the belts for sure. I think that that will be a cool moment that will happen. A second generation tag team. Yeah. A second generation tag team holding the belts. But that's, yeah.

Yeah. Just keep having fun with the gun club though. This is so fun to like wrestle with dad, but he's not going to be able to wrestle forever. So I think just having this moment right now, just live in the moment and enjoy it. I love it, man. I love that you're able to like realize that and appreciate it while you have it as well. Yeah. The EP, everyone check it out all alone on everywhere. You could get music, Spotify, Apple music, wherever. I'm looking forward to the next cutthroat project as well. I'll be there for it. And we can get you back on my mom's basement for it. Let's go. My mom's basement.