Kevin Nash

Early life

Nash was born on July 9, 1959, to a devout Christian family in southwest Detroit, Michigan. Nash's father, Robert, died of a heart attack on April 4, 1968, aged 36, when Nash was eight years old. On December 27, 1994, Nash's mother, Wanda, died after a four-year struggle against breast cancer. He attended Aquinas High School and the University of Tennessee, where he majored in psychology and minored in educational philosophy. At the University of Tennessee, Nash was a center for the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team. He remained on the team from 1977 to 1980, during which time the team made it to the NCAA Sweet 16. Following a physical altercation with head coach Don DeVoe and a series of other on-campus incidents, Nash did not play a fourth year for the Volunteers, and he attempted to transfer to Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Nash reconsidered his options and instead moved to Europe, where he played basketball professionally for various teams. His career ended just one year later in 1981 in West Germany (while playing for the Gießen 46ers) when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. With his basketball career over, Nash enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 202nd Military Police Company in Giessen, West Germany. He served in a secure NATO facility for two years, during which time he was promoted to the rank of specialist. After the Army, he worked on an assembly line at Ford Motor Company and as the floor manager of a strip club in Atlanta, Georgia. He then decided to try professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling (1990–1993)

Nash debuted in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the orange-mohawked "Steel", one half of the tag team known as the Master Blasters. He was initially partnered with Master Blaster Iron, with whom he made his debut at the Clash of the Champions XII on September 5, 1990, defeating Brad Armstrong and Tim Horner. At the following Worldwide taping on September 7, the Masters Blasters began a feud with Tim Horner and Mike Rotunda. They beat Horner and Rotunda on several house shows. On September 22, Nash's partner Master Blaster Iron was replaced by "Blade".

The reconstituted Master Blasters continued their undefeated streak in October. Meanwhile, Steel had his first singles match on September 28 by defeating Tom Zenk. At Halloween Havoc on October 27, 1990, the Blasters upended the Southern Boys and began to move up the WCW tag team ratings. Their winning streak ended on November 22, when Tom Zenk and Brian Pillman handed them their first defeat with Pillman pinning Blade. They rebounded to go on another undefeated streak by defeating the Southern Boys as well as Alan Iron Eagle and Tim Horner, and earning a NWA United States Tag Team Championship title shot against then champions the Steiner Brothers, but were defeated in two occasions. They were squashed on television in 52 seconds by the Steiners in a match that aired on Worldwide on February 2, 1991. Following this loss, their momentum dissipated as they lost to the Southern Boys and Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich, and they disbanded at the end of the month.

Nash was then rebranded as the Master Blaster in February 1991, who was pinned by Junkyard Dog on February 27. He also lost to Brian Pillman in house show matches, while appearing in tag team matches with Stan Hansen and Arn Anderson. His final match in this guise was against Pillman at a house show on May 12.

A week later, Nash reappeared under his new gimmick, having been repackaged as the silver-haired Oz, a character based on the Wizard of Oz from the 1900 children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Oz, managed by The Great Wizard, was pushed strongly for about a month, he squashed several wrestlers before losing to Ron Simmons at The Great American Bash on July 14. In reality, all plans for Oz were immediately scrapped when Nash refused to sign a $300/night guarantee as WCW was cutting costs. A decision was made to retain Nash until a new gimmick could be developed. On October 27, he lost to Bill Kazmaier at Halloween Havoc. Nash wrestled as Oz throughout the remainder of 1991 and went on a lengthy losing streak, suffering defeats by Kazmaier, Rick Steiner, Dustin Rhodes, and Arachnaman.

World Wrestling Federation (1993–1996)

In June 1993, Nash left WCW, signing a contract with the WWF at the request of Shawn Michaels. He was given the stage name of "Big Daddy Cool Diesel" ("Diesel" or "Big Daddy Cool" for short), with an alpha-male gimmick. For the role, he grew long hair, taking on the appearance and demeanor of a cocky thug from Detroit, sporting black sunglasses and leather garments. The name of Diesel, suggested by Shane McMahon, was a play on the fact that Nash was from Detroit, known famously as the "Motor City". His initial entrance music was a series of truck engine and horn noises.

Diesel started out as the bodyguard/best friend of Shawn Michaels, with the two being known as Two Dudes with Attitudes. He made his WWF debut at a house show on June 6, 1993, by assisting Michaels in defeating Marty Jannetty for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. He first appeared on television the next night on Raw, June 7, as he was introduced as Michaels's bodyguard. In January 1994, Diesel appeared at the Royal Rumble, first as one of the many wrestlers who assisted WWF Champion Yokozuna in defeating The Undertaker in their casket match and then in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating seven men in under 18 minutes of in-ring time. Diesel won the Intercontinental Championship from Razor Ramon, following interference from Michaels on the April 30, 1994 episode (taped April 13, 1994) of Superstars. The duo of Diesel and Michaels defeated The Headshrinkers to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on August 28, making Nash a double champion. However, Diesel lost the Intercontinental Championship back to Ramon the following night at SummerSlam. The alliance between Diesel and Michaels dissolved after Survivor Series, when Michaels accidentally performed a superkick on Diesel. Diesel then chased Michaels, and despite failing to catch him, the reaction from the crowd turned him babyface. However, Nash was no longer a tag team champion, as Michaels' actions resulted in the team being forced to vacate the titles.

On November 26, 1994, Diesel faced Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship he had won from Bret Hart three days prior at Survivor Series. In the match at Madison Square Garden, Diesel defeated Backlund in the first ten seconds of the bout. Diesel then promised Hart a match for his title, which they had the next month at the Royal Rumble. The match ended in a draw due to interference from several wrestlers, including Shawn Michaels. Michaels was irate about his former bodyguard having beaten him to the WWF Championship and was sufficiently motivated to win the Royal Rumble match later that evening, earning himself a title shot at WrestleMania XI.

Return to WCW (1996–2001)

After two weeks of Scott Hall returning on WCW programming and taunting announcers, wrestlers, and the company, Nash also returned alongside his friend on June 10, 1996, after Hall interrupted Eric Bischoff. The duo were known as The Outsiders, and the storyline originally pushed them as "invaders" from the WWF (which WCW eventually had to scale back due to legal concerns from the WWF). At Bash at the Beach, Hall and Nash fought the team of Lex Luger, Sting, and Randy Savage and promised to add one more man to their entourage. After Luger was taken out of the match, Hulk Hogan came out to make the save, only to turn on Savage and reveal himself as Nash and Hall's third man. Immediately after this, they began cutting promos calling themselves the New World Order (nWo). During his return, he had dyed his hair blonde. Through late 1996 and into 1997, Nash normally teamed with Hall as the Outsiders, and they held the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Nash also began to show his leadership qualities in the nWo, and became a sort of "second in command" alongside Hogan. Nash, Hall, and Sean Waltman distinguished themselves from the rest of the nWo, calling themselves the "Wolfpac" in 1997.

After a while, however, the nWo began to fight within its ranks, with Hogan and Nash battling for control. The situation came to a head on April 20, 1998, during a match between Hogan and recent nWo inductee (and rival) Randy Savage for Savage's recently won WCW World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Nash interfered on Savage's behalf and jackknifed Hogan to the mat, signaling the breakup of the nWo into two separate factions (Nash's interference was not enough to prevent Hogan from regaining his championship, thanks to Bret Hart's interference shortly thereafter). Nash became the leader of nWo Wolfpac, alongside Savage, Curt Hennig, and Konnan. Hennig, however, shortly thereafter defected over to Hogan's nWo Hollywood faction. Then, during a match between Hall, Nash, Sting and The Giant (who had recently rejoined the nWo after being kicked out two years prior), Hall turned on Nash by hitting him with his tag team title belt and leaving the ring. The Wolfpac, however, was not down for long as Lex Luger joined Nash's team. Sting would eventually become a member as well, after being recruited heavily by both sides towards the middle of 1998. After Sting won Giant's half of the tag team title at the Great American Bash that June, Nash became Sting's partner. They defended the championship until July 20, when they were defeated by Hall and The Giant. Nash then set his sights on his former partner, and the rivalry came to a head at Halloween Havoc on October 25. During the course of the match, Nash jackknifed Hall twice but, instead of pinning him, left the ring and lost via countout. In November 1998, Nash and Diamond Dallas Page became a part of a loosely organised "creative team" which also included Dusty Rhodes and Kevin Sullivan.

Return to WWF/E (2002–2003)

Following the expiration of his AOL Time Warner contract, Nash, along with Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan, were rehired by the WWF. Their rehiring was announced several weeks before their debut, with Vince McMahon claiming to have hired the nWo in order to destroy the WWF – of which Ric Flair was now a co-owner, which McMahon could not tolerate. Billed as the original nWo, Nash, Hall, and Hogan returned to the WWF at No Way Out on February 17, 2002. In the course of the evening, the nWo delivered an interview in which they claimed to have reformed, gave a six pack of beer to Stone Cold Steve Austin (which he refused), and traded insults with The Rock. They interfered in the main event of the evening, helping Chris Jericho retain his Undisputed WWF Championship against Austin. At WrestleMania X8 on March 17, Nash continually interfered in the match between Hall and Austin to the point where he was forced to return backstage. Later that night, he and Hall turned on Hogan after he had offered congratulations to The Rock for defeating him. In March, Nash suffered a biceps injury that put him out of action for several months and almost immediately upon returning, suffered a quadriceps tear in a tag match on the July 8 episode of Raw. On the July 15 episode of Raw, the nWo was officially disbanded by Vince McMahon as Eric Bischoff became Raw general manager.

After a nine-month injury, Nash returned as a face on the April 7, 2003 episode of Raw, much to the delight of both Shawn Michaels and Triple H, who were feuding with each other when Nash returned. As part of the storyline, Nash was given a choice to remain friends with either Michaels or Triple H. After Nash would not make the decision, Triple H made the decision for him and turned on him with a low blow. This led to Nash and Triple H feuding with one another. Nash teamed up with Michaels and Booker T against Triple H, Ric Flair and Chris Jericho in a six-man tag team match at Backlash on April 27 which ended with Triple H picking up the win for his team, pinning Nash after hitting him with a sledgehammer. Following Backlash, Nash was granted a shot at Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship, and the two squared off at Judgment Day on May 18 with Michaels and Flair in their respective corners. Triple H would get himself disqualified and kept the title as a result, but this did not stop Nash from attacking Triple H following the match, putting him through the announcer's table with a Jackknife Powerbomb. The next month, they fought again in a Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood on June 15 with Mick Foley as the special guest referee, but Nash lost the match.

In August, Nash feuded with Chris Jericho and was forced to cut his hair after losing a hair vs. hair match against Jericho on the August 18 episode of Raw. This was made to cover Nash having to cut his hair for his role as The Russian for the 2004 Punisher film. His last match in WWE was at SummerSlam on August 24 in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Goldberg, Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton. He was the first to be eliminated after Jericho pinned him following Sweet Chin Music from Michaels. Before leaving, however, he executed a Jackknife Powerbomb on Jericho and Orton. Nash then stepped away from in-ring action and underwent neck surgery.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2011)

Nash debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) alongside the returning Scott Hall on November 7, 2004, at the inaugural monthly TNA pay-per-view, Victory Road, with the duo helping NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett retain his title in a ladder match with Jeff Hardy. In subsequent weeks, the trio identified themselves as the Kings of Wrestling and began feuding with Hardy and A.J. Styles. At Turning Point on December 5, the Kings of Wrestling were defeated by Hardy, Styles, and Randy Savage.

Hall left TNA in early 2005, and Nash and Jarrett separated after Nash made clear his desire to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Nash received a title shot against Jarrett on February 13, 2005, at Against All Odds, but lost following interference from the debuting Outlaw. Following the defeat, Nash joined forces with Sean Waltman and began feuding with the newly formed Planet Jarrett. At Destination X on March 13, Nash lost to The Outlaw in a First Blood match following interference from Jarrett, who struck Nash with his title belt. The rivalry between Planet Jarrett and Nash and his allies culminated in a scheduled Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown on April 24 pitting Nash, Waltman, and Diamond Dallas Page against Jarrett, The Outlaw, and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown. Nash, however, was removed from the card and replaced with B.G. James after contracting a staph infection, which left him sidelined for much of 2005.

Nash returned to TNA on October 1 for the first episode of Impact! on Spike TV, attacking and powerbombing Jarrett. Nash went on to challenge Jarrett to a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory on October 23. In the weeks preceding the event, Nash and Jarrett had several heated confrontations, on one occasion brawling with one another and with guest referee Tito Ortiz. On October 22, one day before Bound for Glory, Nash was hospitalized with chest pains. At Bound for Glory, a battle royal was held to determine the number one contender; Rhino won and then defeated Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Nash was later discharged from the hospital, having suffered a mild cardiac episode. He made a partial return to the ring in December 2005, wrestling several matches on a tour of South Africa.

Nash returned to TNA once more on the April 27, 2006 episode of Impact!, announcing in a pre-taped segment that he would give a private interview to Alex Shelley one week later. The interview saw Nash claim to be the most profitable WWF World Heavyweight Champion of all time and describe the X Division as "basically filler". Nash went on to announce that he intended to destroy the X Division in order to reassert his position within TNA. He began his campaign at Sacrifice on May 14, powerbombing Puma and continued his campaign on the May 19 episode of Impact! by attacking Chris Sabin shortly after he had defeated Petey Williams to win the TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament for Team USA. Nash continued to attack X Division wrestlers over subsequent weeks, leading to Sabin challenging him to a match at Slammiversary. Nash's attacks were also coupled with pre-taped segments with Shelley (some appearing only on the internet website YouTube) and his "X Division debut" on the June 15 episode of Impact!, where Nash wrestled a comedy match against a midget Shelley dubbed a "Sabin-type wrestler". Nash defeated Sabin at Slammiversary in his second televised match in almost a year, albeit with the assistance of Shelley.

Independent circuit (2011–2018)

Nash along with Hall and Waltman made an appearance at the 2011 Gathering of the Juggalos. Nash teamed with Waltman for a win against Road Dogg and Billy Gunn.

On September 23, 2012, Nash made his debut for All Japan Pro Wrestling, teaming with Keiji Mutoh in a tag team match, where they defeated Seiya Sanada and Taiyō Kea with Nash pinning Sanada with the Jackknife Powerbomb for the win. Nash briefly signed with Global Force Wrestling as a "Legend" to help promote events and tours, making appearances at two GFW events on August 28 and 29, 2015. On August 10, 2018, Nash defeated Flex Armstrong for the Big Time Wrestling Heavyweight Championship. This would become his last match, confirming his retirement on January 5, 2020, to heal his body.

Second return to WWE (2011–present)

On January 30, 2011, at the Royal Rumble, Nash, billed as Diesel for the first time since 1996, returned to the promotion, taking part in the Royal Rumble Match. He entered the match at number 32, but was eliminated by Wade Barrett. It was announced that he had signed a five-year WWE Legends contract. On April 2, Nash, along with Sean Waltman, was on hand to celebrate the induction of Shawn Michaels into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. Triple H inducted Michaels, and after Michaels gave his speech, Nash and Waltman joined the two on stage to celebrate.

Nash, no longer billed as Diesel, returned at SummerSlam on August 14, attacking CM Punk after he became WWE Champion, which allowed Alberto Del Rio to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and win the title, thus turning heel. The following night on Raw, Nash claimed Triple H, on-screen chief operating officer of WWE, had instructed him by text to attack the winner. Punk verbally berated Nash on the microphone, so Nash attacked him the next week. He also distracted Punk in a match, making him miss out on a championship match. Nash was signed to an on-screen contract the next week by John Laurinaitis and demanded a match against Punk. After Triple H booked himself in the match against Punk instead, Nash attacked them both at a contract signing and was fired on screen. At Night of Champions on September 18, Nash interfered in their match, alongside The Miz and R-Truth. Triple H then attacked Nash with a sledgehammer before winning the match. Nash returned at Vengeance on October 23 to help The Miz and R-Truth defeat Punk and Triple H. After the match, he attacked Triple H with a Jackknife Powerbomb and attacked him again the following night with his sledgehammer, preventing him from receiving medical attention and taking him off television. The following Monday, on October 31, Laurinaitis again signed Nash to a new contract. He continued to appear on Raw SuperShow, attacking Santino Marella with a Jackknife Powerbomb and cutting promos about how Triple H was more of a boss than a friend. On the December 5 episode of Raw SuperShow, Nash competed in his first televised WWE match in eight years, defeating Santino Marella. Nash went on to face Triple H at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 18 in a ladder match with a sledgehammer hanging above the ring which he lost by pinfall after a sledgehammer shot to the face, ending the feud in the process.

In late 2012 and early 2013, Nash began appearing on WWE's developmental training show, NXT. Nash initially appeared as the guest Match Commissioner for the night, a title given to him at the request of Dusty Rhodes. After announcing this to the crowd, Nash was interrupted by Heath Slater to whom he promptly delivered his finisher, effectively turning face. Nash later again appear on the January 20 tapings of NXT to reunite with members of The Kliq, allowing him to effectively settle all issues with Triple H, embracing him once again. The reunion also turned into a reunion of D-Generation-X and Nash was awarded the title of being an honorary member of the stable. Nash then helped DX take down Damien Sandow.

Personal life

Nash and his wife Tamara married in 1988, separated in 2000, and later reconciled. Their son, Tristen, born on June 12, 1996, was a solo musician and poet. On October 20, 2022, Tristen died from cardiac arrest that had been triggered by a seizure as a result of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. He was 26 years old.

On March 2, 2016, Nash announced he will donate his brain to the CTE Center at Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation after his death.

Nash is a supporter of the Democratic Party and considers himself to be a centrist Democrat. Nash publicly supported the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign. He has been outspoken about supporting gay wrestlers.

Legal issues

In May 2011, Nash was arrested for battery by assaulting a drunk man in a parking lot of a restaurant in Florida, while he and his wife Tamara were leaving. In June 2011, it was announced by prosecutors that Nash was clear of all charges against him, stating that he was only acting in self-defense, as the drunk man was trying to flirt with Nash's wife.

On December 24, 2014, just after midnight, Nash was arrested for battery against his 18-year-old son, Tristen. Two hours later, police were called back and Tristen was arrested for battery against Nash's wife, Tamara. On January 15, 2015, prosecutors announced that Nash would not face charges. Nash's lawyer maintains that Nash was only defending his wife the night he was arrested.

Legacy

During his time as WWF Champion, Nash drew poorly and is often labeled as one of the lowest drawing champions of WWF. He has reasoned that in the mid-1990s nobody drew because professional wrestling was in a major recession due to the steroid scandal following the United States v. McMahon legal case.

Nash jumping ship to WCW in 1996 along with Scott Hall has often been cited as the main reason behind Vince McMahon's decision to start offering downside guaranteed contracts to all of his talent in order to avoid a mass exodus of his talent roster and compete with WCW. The decision proved to be a boon since it changed the salary structure for the WWF wrestlers and helped increase the pay scale for the industry. McMahon also acknowledged in 1998 that letting them defect to WCW made him start offering guaranteed contracts.

In his autobiography Controversy Creates Ca$h, former WCW President Eric Bischoff praised Kevin Nash and Scott Hall for contributing to the key elements of the nWo's feel and attitude, while others have said that many of the booking ideas that propelled WCW's rise came from Nash and Hall. Veteran wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage credited Nash for spearheading the nWo Wolfpac faction in 1998 which grew in popularity with the fans and became the company's hottest selling merchandise.

Other media

In 1991, Nash made his acting debut in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze as the genetically enhanced version of the villain, Shredder, called the Super Shredder. He also had a very minor role as a jackhammer worker in the 1998 movie Family Plan.

In 1999, Nash created and co-wrote a comic book titled Nash, set in a dystopian future and featuring himself as the primary character. Image Comics published an ashcan preview edition and two regular issues.

He was the first choice for the role of Sabretooth in X-Men, but the role ultimately went to his former tag team partner Tyler Mane. Nash appeared in a fight scene as The Russian in the 2004 film The Punisher. While filming the scene, Nash was accidentally stabbed with a real knife by actor Thomas Jane.

He made guest appearances in three different TV shows. He appeared on one episode each of The Love Boat: The Next Wave (episode "Captains Courageous") and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (episode "The Crucible") and in two episodes of Nikki as The Big Easy (episodes "Gimme Shelter" and "Stealing Nikki"). In 2009, he appeared on Fox's show Brothers, in which he came to get his stolen championship belt back. In 2012, he played a male stripper in Magic Mike and reprised the role in the 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL. In 2017, he appeared as Big Hank Cramblin on Detroiters.

In the spring of 2022, Nash launched a weekly podcast called Kliq This.

Filmography

Championships and accomplishments

Big Time Wrestling

BTW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Covey Promotions

CP World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Match of the Year (1995) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XI

Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1994)

Tag Team of the Year (1997) with Scott Hall

Wrestler of the Year (1995)

Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1995

Ranked No. 59 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA Legends Championship (2 times)

TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eric Young and Scott Hall

Feast or Fired (2009 – TNA World Tag Team Championship contract)

World Championship Wrestling

WCW World Heavyweight Championship (5 times)

WCW World Tag Team Championship (9 times) – with Scott Hall (6), Sting (1) and Diamond Dallas Page (2)