WWE: Should the New Age Outlaws Make a Comeback?

“Oh, you didn’t know?”

Go ahead, finish it.  You know you can.

“Your a** better call somebody!”

See, now wasn’t that fun?

The New Age Outlaws were just flat-out cool, weren’t they?  They were rude, abrasive, reckless and over-the-top in every way.  "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad A**" Billy Gunn were the perfect tag team for the Attitude Era of WWE, and no one did it quite the way they did, not before, or since.

The funny thing is that, to be honest, this gimmick should have probably never worked.  

Jesse James was a former sidekick of Jeff Jarrett, and a would-be country singer.  James was a likeable guy, a second generation wrestler who came from some solid roots in the Armstrong family. He was as straight-laced as a character can be.

Billy Gunn was a mid-carder known as Rockabilly.  The protégé of the Honky Tonk Man, Gunn was a smiling heel who followed the lead of his mentor, who promised big things in his future.

On their own, James and Gunn were going nowhere very fast.  But, together?  Pure magic.

I have to say that like many fans, neither of these guys really stood out to me at all.  I was aware of who Jesse was, I had been a fan of his dad, Bob, and his brother, Brad, in the Mid-Atlantic territory.  I knew the guy’s pedigree, and respected his ability in the ring.  

But, his gimmick, well, let’s just say it left a lot to be desired.

As for Gunn, I did like him as a tag-team wrestler.  Even though he and his “brother” were a couple of generic babyfaces, I thought he was pretty good in the ring, and that he was fairly entertaining to watch.

But, his gimmick while working with Honky?  Yeah, let’s not talk about that.

So, when the moment came that the two men became a tag team, I not only didn’t care, I could have cared less.

But, then James started talking.  And I, like a lot of other fans who had hardly noticed him before, listened.

Cue the laughter.

The New Age Outlaws were born, not just out of a need to form a new tag team, but as a direct result of these guys being allowed to cut loose and speak their minds.  It was no-holds-barred every time they were on camera, and they shocked crowds with their vulgar language and adolescent acts.

In other words, they acted like a couple of kids and had a great time doing it.

When they joined D-Generation X, The Outlaws took their act to a whole new level.  Their style meshed extremely well with DX, and they were over to the nth degree.  Perfect in their new surroundings,  James and Gunn excelled, and left an indelible mark on WWE.

Now comes the part when the subject of this column comes into play, and a good number of you shake your heads in unison.

“Let it go, Tom.  The Attitude Era is over, it’s not coming back.”

Point taken.  I can’t argue with you on that one.

But, in this day and age of WWE nostalgia returning to TV, namely The Rock, Mick Foley, Booker T, and Stone Cold on Tough Enough, I believe the door is wide open for the Outlaws.

James has recently re-signed as an agent with WWE, and while it does not appear Gunn is tagging along in any capacity, the temptation for creative to make something happen with them may be too strong to ignore.

I am not suggesting that they be brought in on a full-time basis, however.  Both guys are veterans, and are very aware of how the business works.  Their time has come and gone, and so too has their ability to draw money.

Or has it?  Against the right opponents, under the right circumstances, and if the match is booked properly, would the New Age Outlaws on the marquee sell tickets for WWE today?  Would it even need to?

WWE is geared toward the entire presentation, and the fact is that James and Gunn do not need to be in the main event in order to spark interest from fans.

If a return does happen, it likely would be a one-shot deal, probably at a pay-per-view.  After the event, Road Dogg could go back to his job behind the scenes, and the two of them could appear sporadically from that point on.

With Triple H as the heir apparent to lead WWE into the future, and considering his past connections to both men, the time for a real DX reunion may be sooner rather than later.

The New Age Outlaws represent a moment in WWE history that will never return, a time when attitude meant everything and nothing was out of bounds.  It was a wild time for the business, and despite what happens from here, at least we will always have those memories.

“And if you’re not down with that,” well, you know the rest.