The Gunns have reflected on one of the most memorable entrances of their AEW run: walking into a hostile New York crowd to 50 Cent’s “Many Men” just before defending the AEW Tag Team Championships against FTR on the April 5, 2023 edition of AEW Dynamite.
Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn entered that night’s title match as the reigning champions, with Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler standing across the ring. FTR ultimately defeated The Gunns, ending their championship reign, but the challengers were not the only team to leave a strong impression. Before the bell rang, Austin and Colten received a major presentation boost when “Many Men” played over the arena speakers for their entrance.
For a wrestling audience, licensed music can quickly become part of a defining moment. The song choice was particularly notable because it arrived in New York, where the crowd was already firmly against the then-heel champions. The Gunns now say the entrance was not part of a long-planned rollout. Instead, it came together only a short time before the live broadcast began.
A gym conversation turned into an AEW Dynamite entrance
Speaking with Tony Schiavone on What Happened When, Colten Gunn explained that the idea began while he and his brother were heading to the gym and listening to older 50 Cent music.
For more background on this topic, read Mystery Wrestling Sets U.S. Debut at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on November 28.
“We were on the way to the gym and were listening to old 50 Cent,” Colten said. “We were like, ‘What if we could come out to this song?’ ‘Why can’t we?’ We asked, pushed for it, and we somehow got it about 30 minutes before we went live.”
That tight timetable makes the moment stand out even more. Entrance music is typically a central part of a performer’s identity, and major licensed tracks require clearance and coordination before they can be used on a televised wrestling show. In this instance, The Gunns had the song secured shortly before they were set to appear live in front of the New York audience.
The team did not regard it as a casual request. Austin described how strongly he and Colten felt that “Many Men” would provide the perfect backdrop for their match and for the specific atmosphere they expected in the building.
“That was a hill we were willing to die [on],” Austin said. “We were like, ‘We don’t want anything. I promise we’ll never ask for anything else. Just please get us this entrance.’”
The request reflected a clear understanding of what the crowd response could add to the segment. The Gunns were not looking to make the audience like them. They wanted the opposite reaction, while also giving fans a song recognizable enough to create a loud, conflicted, and memorable response.
New York’s reaction made the gamble worthwhile
At the time, Austin and Colten were among AEW’s most prominent antagonists in the tag team division. Their title reign and their issues with FTR had put them in a featured position, but they knew they would not receive a warm welcome in New York. Austin said that dynamic was precisely why he believed the entrance would work.
“We were in New York, people hated us at the time,” Austin said. “We just thought it would be such a cool me and Colten moment because everyone else hated us in that arena, but me and Colten were like, ‘This is our thing. We think it’s cool.’”
The appeal was not simply the chance to use a famous song. It was the contrast between the brothers enjoying the moment and the fans reacting negatively to the wrestlers while embracing the music. For a heel act, that kind of reaction can be especially effective: the audience is engaged, noisy, and aware that the performers are using something the crowd wants for themselves.
Austin recalled that the reaction delivered exactly that mixture. As soon as the lights went down and the audience recognized the track, the fans made their feelings toward The Gunns clear, even as they sang along.
“When the lights go down and they realize what song it is, I’ve never seen so many people flip me off and sing the song at the same time,” Austin said. “They love the song and were almost jealous that we had it. It’s so cool flexing.”
That image sums up why the entrance has remained a talking point. It was not a routine walk to the ring with a different song. It was a brief, high-profile piece of presentation that heightened the division between The Gunns and an audience that was eager to see FTR take the championships.
The match marked the end of The Gunns’ AEW Tag Team Title reign
The timing of the entrance also gave it added significance in retrospect. The April 5, 2023 match was a title defense for Austin and Colten, and FTR defeated them to become AEW Tag Team Champions. Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler entered as the established fan favorites, while The Gunns had built their reign around their swagger, their willingness to antagonize opponents, and their confidence that they belonged at the top of AEW’s tag ranks.
Because FTR won the match, “Many Men” became associated with a single night rather than a lasting alteration to The Gunns’ presentation. It was a spotlight moment before a major championship loss, one that allowed Austin and Colten to make a statement even though they did not leave with the titles.
The Gunns have not used “Many Men” again since that entrance. That limited use has arguably helped preserve the moment. Had it become a regular theme, it may have been remembered as a production change or a recurring part of their act. Instead, it remains tied to a particular match, a particular crowd, and the unusual circumstances that saw the music clearance come through around 30 minutes before the show went live.
A showcase of The Gunns’ approach to presentation
The story also offers a look at how Austin and Colten approach character work. Much of The Gunns’ on-screen identity has been built around confidence, entitlement, and a willingness to provoke a reaction. Their push for the 50 Cent song was rooted in those same instincts. They saw a chance to do something that would feel big to them, irritate the people who disliked them, and make their entrance impossible to ignore.
In professional wrestling, entrances often establish the emotional tone before the match starts. A wrestler can use music, lighting, timing, body language, and the crowd’s own expectations to shape a segment without saying a word. The Gunns’ “Many Men” entrance worked because it created competing emotions in the arena. Fans could enjoy the track while still directing their hostility toward the champions using it.
It also gave the brothers a moment that belonged specifically to them. Austin described it as something that felt personal amid an arena full of people who were against them. Even within a major title program involving FTR, the entrance gave The Gunns a distinctive memory from the night.
The Gunns remain part of the Bang Bang Gang
Since that 2023 championship match, Austin and Colten have continued to be key pieces of AEW’s tag team landscape. They remain with the company as members of the Bang Bang Gang, alongside Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Ace Austin.
The group has provided another setting for The Gunns to display the personality that made their New York entrance click. Whether positioned around tag team competition, faction business, or the wider profile of the Bang Bang Gang, Austin and Colten have continued to lean into the brash energy that helped define their earlier title run.
Still, the 50 Cent entrance occupies its own place in their AEW history. It was a one-night choice, secured at the last possible moment, attached to a championship defense against FTR, and performed in front of a crowd that responded with both appreciation for the music and open contempt for the men walking out to it.
For The Gunns, that contradiction was the point. They did not need New York to cheer them. They only needed the building to react — and with “Many Men” playing, they got exactly the response they wanted.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.