ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Sweating, straining and of course laughing and joking, Kevin Nash is in rehab to repair his left quadricep. In a cruel twist of fate, the injury, suffered on 8 July in Philadelphia, was his first match back after a three-month rehab stint following bicep surgery. Despite this lay-off, Nash is as determined as ever. He wants to return for the Royal Rumble 2003, at 100 percent, so he spends four or five hours a day, five days a week, at the Health South Rehabilitation Centre, in Birmingham, Alabama. On Saturdays and Sundays, it's only two hours a day. In his first sit-down interview following his injury, Nash spoke with former WCW Magazine editor Ross Forman. Nash talked about his rehab, his return and why it's great to see Eric Bischoff back at the WWE.

Ross Forman: You've had 21 surgeries, including 14 on your knees, but have said this was the most painful. Rehab is nothing to Kevin Nash.

Kevin Nash: My job now, is to come back as soon as possible, but at 100 percent. They're counting on me coming back. There's no way I would let an injury stop my career. You have to know in your heart and mind that you're going to come back, and stay positive. This is a real slow-progress rehab, because of the nature of the surgery.

Ross: It's been rumored that you will retire and never wrestle again. Is that true?

Kevin: Absolutely not. It's just that, when you've had surgically-repaired limbs to the point where I have, you're not as mobile as you once were. How lazy am I? Just as the guys at the South Rehab Centre. Or ask the guys who train with me in the gym. I always wonder what kind of pro wrestler I would have been, if I hadn't had 13 knee operations before my first match.

Ross: It must have been depressing going down in your first match after bicep surgery, especially since you weren't expecting to work Raw.

Kevin: People might say that to blow a quad on the first night back after a three-month bicep injury, has got to drive you crazy. Well, I always say "everything happens for a reason." Maybe the reason here, is to determine how much I want to continue my career. Well, being in Birmingham, away from my family and basically living a spartan existence, shows my dedication. Thank God, I've got Hunter, so when I hit a wall (in rehab), I can always call him and he can tell me what to expect, when, how, etc. It's nice to have a barometer to guide/gauge where I'm at. That said, I'm in good spirits. A month after surgery, I was driving.

Ross: Have you watched a video tape of your injury?

Kevin: No. I'm sure if JFK had survived, he wouldn't have wanted to watch the Zapruta Film (an 8mm film of John Kennedy's assassination). No one wants to see themselves in pain. The injury felt like a gun shot. It hurt. It amazes me that Hunter was able to continue his match with a tear like he had. There's no way I could've continued. That says a lot about him. As I've said before, if you're into pain, I recommend tearing a quad tendon.

Ross: You do your rehab with other pro athletes, such as Jon Lieber of the Chicago Cubs and many NFL Europe players. Does that help?

Kevin: When we had the Power Plant at WCW, it was always nice watching the young guys trying to make a name. There's the same camaraderie here, there are a bunch of athletes here trying to get back to what they do best, be it a baseball pitcher, a football player, whatever.

Ross: You do rehab, not ironically, below a signed poster of Triple H. Why?

Kevin: Seems like Hunter and I are like two passing ships in the night; it just always happens to be at the Health South Center. We've been best friends for almost ten years and have always stayed in close contact. Looking back on his injury, I now feel like a bad friend as I never realized what he was going through.

Ross: When might you return to the ring?

Kevin: My goal is to come back for the Royal Rumble. That's what I'm shooting for. It's an easy storyline fixed. Conditioning-wise, I just hope I'd be at the late end of the draw, perhaps 29 or 30. You have to set goals. That's what I've done. I aim to be at 100 percent, in better shape than I was or ever was before. After that, I'd like to be involved in a major angle at Wrestlemania. In a perfect world, I'd like to be doing something with Hunter- with or against him. I'd also like Shawn Michaels involved; I thought we had some magic when we were back together. Rock is also someone I'd like to work with, and also Hulk. There's a lot of great talent in that locker room.

Ross: How about Brock Lesnar?

Kevin: He's great. Usually, guys with shooter (real wrestling) backgrounds have a hard time adjusting because they're trained not to be on their backs. Kurt Angle set the standard for overcoming that. Brock has followed suit. He's strong, talented and has a great look. He's over.

Ross: Mention Brock and that immediately leads to Bill Goldberg. What are your thoughts on him?

Kevin: I like Bill and he definitely has a lot of talent. Bill also has a lot of money and I don't know if his desire to be back in the business is there. I know part of Bill misses it, but at the same time, I know part of Bill hates it, for what it gives you- no peace. At times, the attention really bothered him. We don't talk as often as I talk with some of the guys, but when I got hurt, he called me within 24 hours and I thought that was special.

Ross: What would you say in a "Dear Fans:" letter?

Kevin: I know there are a lot of people in this industry that do not like me. They can have their opinion. At the same time, there are a lot of people that do like me. And for those people, that's one of the reasons I'm trying to come back. I have a great, loyal fan-base; they mean an awful lot to me.