Pro wrestling legend Billy Gunn made his return to AEW television this past Saturday night on Collision, teaming up with his son, Austin Gunn, to face Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita of The Don Callis Family in tag team action after several months away from the ring.
This return follows the news that AEW canceled the scheduled live edition of Collision in Arlington, Texas, due to impending weather conditions, opting instead to tape the show in Orlando after last Wednesday’s Dynamite.
Originally, Austin Gunn was supposed to team up with Juice Robinson to take on Takeshita and Fletcher, but Robinson was ruled out due to medical issues, and Ace Austin was unable to attend due to travel issues. This situation led Billy to step in and join his son against their opponents.
Sean Ross Sapp addressed a fan’s question on the latest edition of Fightful Select Answers regarding Billy Gunn’s absence from AEW shows leading up to his recent return.
According to Sapp, Gunn had not been involved in creative plans and had not been present at AEW events for some time. He noted that the company wanted to focus on promoting younger talent, which led to Gunn being taken off television. Additionally, Sapp pointed out that there were no plans for Billy to reunite with the Acclaimed; he was only included in the match due to last-minute changes to the Collision tapings.
Although Billy Gunn has not been active in AEW, he has been wrestling regularly on the independent circuit. He also participated in a multi-man dark match before Dynamite this past Wednesday, which featured Bishop Dyer.
Saturday’s match marked Billy’s first televised bout in AEW since the Double or Nothing 2024 Pre-Show, where he teamed up with Max Caster and Anthony Bowens to defeat Toa Liona, Bishop Kaun, and Brian Cage in a Trios match. This was also his first appearance on television since the July 26th, 2025 episode of Collision.
