10 Things Untold Raygun Breaking Badly Left Out
10 Things Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly Left Out
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most interesting details that “Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly” glanced over or outright omitted.
Impact on the Breakdancing Community
As the documentary notes, skepticism was already circulating when it was announced that breaking would become an official competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics. So, it’s not entirely surprising that social media gravitated toward the most poorly received performance. While you could argue that Rachael “Raygun” Gunn at least brought global attention to the breakdancing community, many felt the negative press overshadowed those who actually became Olympic champions. B-Girl Ami Yuasa from Japan and B-Boy Philip Kim from Canada both won gold, but their achievements generated significantly fewer headlines. Breakdancing’s presence at the Olympics seemed to legitimize it as a serious discipline. For some professional breakers, though, Gunn’s performance made a mockery of their craft and did more harm than good to the community.
Raygun Wasn’t the Only Breakdancer Who Bombed
Raygun became the easiest target for criticism, ranking last among the sixteen B-Girls who competed. However, fellow Australian Jeffrey “J Attack” Dunne didn’t receive the same levels of scrutiny, despite also finishing last in the B-Boys competition. While Dunne didn’t win any rounds, he managed to walk away with two points overall. That’s slightly better than Gunn, who got zero points. Still, it’s not as if there was a wide margin between their scores. Dunne’s outfit was also fairly similar to Gunn’s, but one went viral for coming in last, while the other was mostly overlooked. Maybe you could chalk this up to sexism, or perhaps Gunn’s performance was seen as more fascinatingly bad. Either way, Gunn wasn’t the only Aussie who fell short.
The Petition Was Taken Down
“Breaking Bradly” briefly mentions that a petition was created to have Raygun investigated at the height of the online discourse. However, the documentary doesn’t get into specifics about the Change.org petition, entitled “Hold Raygun Rachel Gunn & Anna Mears Accountable for Unethical Conduct Olympic Selection.” Meares, whose surname was misspelled on the petition, was Team Australia’s Chef de Mission. Meares thus shared the animosity directed at Gunn, although much of this was based on conspiracy theories that were proven false. Nevertheless, the petition demanded a public apology “for misleading the Australian public and attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes.” Before the petition was taken down, it garnered over 55,000 signatures, showing how far the misinformation had spread.
Raygun’s Other Defenders
We see in the documentary that various people supported Gunn during her darkest hour, including music business giant Richard Branson. Several other notable names came to Gunn’s defense. Among them was the aforementioned Anna Meares, who called those criticizing Gunn “trolls and keyboard warriors.” Chief Executive of the Australian Olympic Committee Matt Carroll dismissed the petition directed at Gunn, saying it “has stirred up public hatred without any factual basis. It’s appalling.” Many of Gunn’s fellow Aussie Olympians also spoke in her defense, including swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook, canoeist Jess Fox, and cyclist Matthew Glaetzer, who all won medals that year. Gunn eventually found that for all the haters out there, she wasn’t alone, with some genuinely enjoying her routine.
Why Raygun Left Her University Job
It comes up a few times that Gunn worked at a university, although the documentary doesn’t delve deep into her academic background. Gunn finished her bachelor’s degree at the Macquarie University Faculty of Arts, where she also received her PhD in cultural studies. Her thesis actually centered on breakdancing, exploring its gender norms from a B-Girl perspective in a largely B-Boy-dominated field. Gunn was employed at Macquarie from 2017 to 2026. As Gunn mentions in “Breaking Badly,” she left her university job. As for why, Gunn expressed concern about the state of higher education in the country, saying, “I’m very worried for my colleagues. I don’t think that things are getting better for them.” It also might be because new opportunities have come Gunn’s way.
Raygun’s New Career
While “Breaking Badly” leaves Gunn on a positive note, it’s unclear what exactly is next for her. As it turns out, quite a lot! Not long after leaving her university job, she launched Raygunofficial.com. It primarily spotlights Gunn’s new career path as a public speaker, offering her services for panels, workshops, brand collaborations, charity fundraisers, and other events. The site also chronicles Gunn’s academic achievements. As of writing, the site is just on the verge of introducing a shop. So, expect plenty of Raygun swag in the foreseeable future. Gunn remains active on social media as well. You can even book her on Cameo for roughly $70. Her Instagram reads that she’s “embracing the chaos.” Sounds like the chaos is proving lucrative too.
Cultural Appropriation Accusations
Some might argue that a white person breaking is cultural appropriation, seeing how African Americans and Puerto Ricans created the dance style in the Bronx during the 70s. Of course, this is a nuanced debate that doesn’t just apply to Raygun. She was more specifically targeted for one of her signature moves: the Kangaroo. Gunn says in the documentary that she wanted to celebrate Australia. While the Kangaroo pose she turned into a meme reflects Australia’s most famous marsupial, the move is traced to Australian Aboriginal culture. As such, there was backlash when news broke that Gunn was seeking to own the kangaroo dance. Those reports proved somewhat misleading, although the controversy contributed to a wider discussion, with some linking Gunn to phrases like “Columbus-ing.”
Trademarking Silhouette
Contrary to some reports, Gunn didn’t exactly try to trademark the Kangaroo dance as her property. Gunn clarified that she aimed to trademark her name, along with the kangaroo silhouette pose of herself. Gunn explained that the market was flooded with unofficial Raygun merch she wasn’t seeing any income from. Gunn also claimed that other parties were “trying to trademark [her] name and image for commercial purposes.” She’s seemingly taken control of her brand, as the mouse cursor on Raygunofficial.com is her kangaroo silhouette pose. However, she’s reportedly struggled to trademark the nickname “Raygun.” Although an application was filed, the trademark office issued an adverse report, stalling the process. Even so, Gunn has been particular with how the “Raygun” name is used.
“Raygun: The Musical”
Raygun has inspired memes, merch, and, believe it or not, a stage musical. “Raygun: The Musical” was the brainchild of Steph Broadbridge, an Australian stand-up. Seeing some of the other parodies directed at Raygun as “mean,” Broadbridge’s musical came from a more sincere place, wanting to tell an inspiring Australian story. Despite this, Gunn’s legal team took action against the musical, which cancelled its first preview at the eleventh hour. This wasn’t the final curtain, though. Broadbridge revised the show as “Breaking: The Musical,” telling the story of “Spraygun.” This might’ve been a blessing in disguise. Broadbridge felt the legal dispute not only resulted in a more broadly appealing story, but it seemed to bring the musical more attention.
Retirement from Competitive Breakdancing
Gunn makes it clear in “Breaking Badly” that her dancing days aren’t in the past. She’s reiterated this across numerous interviews, as well as on her Instagram page. Yet, there is one aspect of breakdancing Gunn has reportedly left behind: the competition. In November 2024, Gunn appeared on “The Jimmy and Nath Show.” Gunn mentioned that although she initially had plans to continue competing, the Olympics changed that. While Gunn didn’t retire from dancing live on the air, she said she wouldn’t compete anymore. We still wouldn’t be all that surprised if Gunn became a “Dancing with the Stars” contestant down the line. Whether or not Gunn returns to competitive breaking someday, it’s safe to assume that it won’t be on the Olympic stage.
Did you watch “Raygun: Breaking Badly?” Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
