Boardroom breaks down how the Buffalo multi-hyphenate fell out with the popular wrestling promotion.
During Adam Page’s successful defense of the All Elite Wrestling World Championship against “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs on the “Blood & Guts” edition of AEW Dynamite last Wednesday, two homies were seen on camera, enjoying the intense “Falls Count Anywhere” battle that spilled outside the ring. The homies in question, Westside Gunn and Smoke DZA, have expressed their love and appreciation for pro wrestling on wax, referencing legendary superstars or creating projects inspired by wrestling luminaries. This connection has helped bridge the gap between wrestling and rap. Their passion for wrestling, along with their success in the hip-hop industry, has made scenes like Wednesday night’s common: pro wrestling fans purchasing front row seats to witness their favorite pastime. But Gunn’s recent social media post, where he announced that he would no longer promote anything related to WWE, turned those 34 seconds of television into a bold statement.
Hailing from the East side of Buffalo, New York, the 43-year-old Gunn has been infusing his music with pro wrestling references since the outro on the first song on his first tape. He has named tracks after everyone from Rob Van Dam and Tito Santana to WWE’s new resident GOAT, John Cena (who he’s paid homage to with two tracks, “John Bena” and “Heel Cena”). The supergroup Gunn has with his half-brother Conway the Machine is named Hall & Nash (after Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, aka the Outsiders of the famed ‘90s faction, the nWo). Gunn has also ventured into the pro wrestling industry, initially working with House of Glory wrestling before linking with DZA and turning his 4th Rope wrestling brand—which began as the brand Gunn released wrestling-inspired merch and threw events under—into a full-fledged pro wrestling promotion in November of 2024. (They recently held their ninth Heels Have Eyes show at Six Flags, Great Adventure in New Jersey, which featured the legendary Hardy Boyz, who currently hold the 4th Rope World Tag Team Championship as well as being the World Tag Team Champions at TNA.)
In the same month, Gunn and DZA could be heard weekly on AEW television whenever Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin (along with their manager MVP, who also also holds a role at 4th Rope) would hit the ring, as their record “We Hurt People” became the official theme for Lashley, Benjamin and MVP’s crew, the Hurt Syndicate. (Gunn’s infectious hook, which is really just him chanting “yo, we hurt people,” has become popular.) In 2023, Gunn announced he wanted to retire from the rap game, but continued his prolific run of releases while focusing on his pro wrestling dreams. “This has always been my retirement plan,” Gunn told The Punchline Academy back in May.
One of the keys to all of this is that Westside Gunn moves at his own pace. Gunn boasted on 2022’s “Derrick Boleman” that he’s “skipped the Grammys two years straight to watch wrestling,” and really meant it. He made sure to hit as many marquee events, from weekly AEW television to episodes of WWE’s Monday night Raw, as he could. Even going so far as to try to make their major pay-per-view events, as well. This was before artists like Drake and Lil Yachty could be spotted on WWE programming, right before WWE was sold to Endeavor and became a part of the TKO Group, which has helped grow WWE’s financials, moved its weekly Raw series to Netflix, and, in the near future, plans to bring its biggest event, WrestleMania, to Saudi Arabia. Back then, rappers in attendance weren’t being shouted out during the broadcast, but the timeline knew, and the timeline always showed Westside Gunn love for how he showed pro wrestling love. That’s why it’s been weird when pro wrestling hasn’t loved him back.
In January 2022, Gunn’s Griselda Records shared a list of cease and desist notices they received from WWE ordering the removal of several of his songs from YouTube. This was due to sampled audio from WWE shows that would have been featured on those records. (In October 2021, then-WWE announcer Greg Hamilton posted similar accusations, although the jury is still out on whether that situation was why Hamilton was released.)
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The January 2022 incident was interesting because Gunn’s December 2021 visit to WWE NXT—which included a backstage interview—has also been removed from the internet. At the time, Gunn kept moving at his dynamic pace. This included dropping his fifteenth mixtape, Still Praying, on November 1, 2024, featuring Sid Vicious (the larger-than-life former WWE Champion died the August before this tape’s release) on the cover.
Months later, as detailed in his November 8th, social media post, Gunn paid $5,000 (“for a seat plus travel, hotel etc.”) to attend the March 3, 2025 edition of WWE Raw in his hometown of Buffalo. Shortly after letting the world know where he was at (aka in his usual front row seat), an image of Gunn being thrown out of the KeyBank Center started circulating. To this day, no real reason has been given for his removal from Raw, but according to Gunn, this incident was a significant factor in his decision to no longer associate with WWE.
Another reason, as detailed in his post, is tied to his 2025 Heels Have Eyes trilogy, each featuring an image of WWF heels (the villains of a particular storyline) “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and/or his manservant, Virgil. Each release now features an image of Joshua Bishop, a 4th Rope-signed wrestler with a penchant for violence. Gunn tweeted the new cover images along with his message, indicating that he received a cease-and-desist over the cover art.
Before I even say this just know GOD IS THE GREATEST 🤲🏽
— WESTSIDEGUNN (@WESTSIDEGUNN) November 8, 2025
For YEAAAAAARS I mean NOBODY w/ 2 feet has spent the amount of $ I have supporting and pushing a brand I’ve loved since I could remember, I sat front row at EVERY BIG SHOW literally, all the good times it brought to my life… pic.twitter.com/6hjkO1eWFy
In his message, Gunn mentions the billboard he got for Heels Have Eyes 3 put up in Times Square, with DiBiase and Virgil featured in an iconic pose on the cover. This image was later appreciated and reposted by DiBiase. (It was later reported that the billboard was one of the main issues WWE had with Gunn.) “I put the billboard up that MILLION DOLLAR MAN billboard up which he loves,” Gunn wrote, “and I wanted to push him in the culture bc [sic] he deserves it and to SHOW VIRGIL love for the culture I get a letter.” What he does plan to do is not “pushing that product over there again,” which he admits saddens him because he clearly loves wrestling worldwide. Gunn, the independent underdog, has no issue moving with those who understand him and his vision.
(For the record, the cover for Gunn’s Still Praying mixtape has also been changed to an image of Jeff Hardy with his TNA and 4th Rope tag team title belts draped over his shoulders.)
Since sharing his truth, the ongoing discussion about WWE’s current state has resurfaced. Is this another instance of WWE attempting to silence an independent voice in the industry? Some believe so, thinking Gunn became a target after creating a popular theme for WWE’s competition while managing his own wrestling promotion. Others view it as a bold demonstration of how Endeavor/TKO operates with a company like WWE, which feels similar to how UFC transformed after its acquisition by Endeavor. Given the need to sell tickets and protect intellectual property, it’s not surprising that WWE took these kinds of actions. One can only hope for a world where Westside Gunn, a passionate pro wrestling fan, doesn’t have to deal with this kind of backlash, as his goal has always been to put pro wrestling in the spotlight.
Ultimately, the real lesson lies in why it pays to have your own. With 4th Rope shows booked in North Carolina, Miami alongside Art Basel, and Los Angeles in the near future, Gunn may truly be on the path to truly carving his own lane in the sport.
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