The Gunns held the title until February 15, 1996, when Billy was forced to undergo neck surgery, and The Smoking Gunns had to forfeit their title. Billy recovered quickly, and the Gunns won their final championship three months later by defeating The Godwinns at . Following this victory, Sunny left the Godwinns to manage the Gunns. Sunny was a heel manager and manipulated the Gunns, causing the brothers to argue. Sunny and Billy had an onscreen relationship, which bothered Bart. In addition to Sunny the team began to act more like heels, wrestling more aggressively, acting more arrogantly and teaming with other heels.