Kevin Nash has retired from WCW, the result of his loss to world champ Hulk Hogan at Road Wild. To steal a phrase from DDP, you love him. You hate him. But you'll never, ever forget him.
Even though the fans hated Nash more often than they loved him during his tenure with the promotion, there's one thing each and every WCW devotee should do if he/she runs into Big Sexy: Thank him. Because Kevin Nash, along with Scott Hall, was more responsible than anyone for WCW's rise to prominence over the latter half of this decade. Nash and Hall were the first wave of the nWo's invading army, capturing the interest of wrestling fans across the nation with their takeover of WCW. He was an outstanding performer with generous portions of size, power, athleticism and charisma.
Maybe Nash didn't always pursue things in an honorable fashion. But then, wrestling isn't always an honorable business. I've been friends with Nash almost since he set foot in WCW. He's been a frequent guest on WCW's internet real audio shows, giving them a lot of life as well as instant credibility. Road Wild was very upsetting for me.
Afterward, I flew to Minneapolis with Nash -- I was connecting to Pittsburgh, Nash to Phoenix -- and we sat in an airport restaurant while we awaited our flights home. You'd think that Nash would splurge on some calories since he'd no longer be wrestling, but no. He still ate healthy, ordering a salad with fat-free dressing to go along with a chicken breast. Frankly, Nash was less upset than I was. I ate like a pig. Nash emphasized that he would not wrestle with another company, saying that would violate the spirit of the "loser must retire" match. He looked forward to spending time with his wife and young son. He said that he'd be fine financially, the result of dedicated saving and shrewd investments. He talked fondly about opening a Native American museum, pointing out that he was one-quarter Native American.
"That's always been kind of a dream of mine," said Nash. "I've never really indulged that side of my heritage." Nash talked about attending Tigers baseball games in his beloved hometown of Detroit, about racing toy cars with his son, and about seeing Hall, who seems to have left WCW on his own volition. "I'll be happy," Nash said. "When I get nostalgic about pro wrestling, I'll make personal appearances. I've already had offers from all over the country. Poland, too. A lot of people don't know this, but they love me in Poland. I'll tell people I used to be a wrestler. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
I'm not worried about Nash. I'm more worried about the state of wrestling. Wrestling can't afford to lose a performer like Kevin Nash, a competitor in the prime of his career. Don't get me wrong. It's nobody's fault but Nash's. He let his ego get the better of him and agreed to the career vs. career match against Hogan. Nash and Hogan have hated each other for a long time, with the rivalry beginning when both were in the nWo. Hogan was on top of wrestling. Nash wanted his spot. For a while, it could be argued, Nash knocked Hogan off the top of the mountain.
But now Hogan has knocked Nash out of wrestling. Nash is retired. He's retired far, far too soon. He's a former world champion. A former world tag-team champion. He's the only man to beat Bill Goldberg. He shook up wrestling more than all but just a handful of performers. And now he's gone.
My friendship with Nash will survive. We'll stay in touch. I'm sure we'll bump into each other. I'll visit him in Phoenix once in a while, and I have a standing offer to work at Kevin's Native American museum if my other career choices don't work out. But WCW will never, ever be the same. I'm actually glad to see Hulkamania return. It's good to see Hogan back in red and yellow.
But it's not worth the price of Nash's departure. Kev, thanks for the memories. You came to WCW as an Outsider. Now you're really an Outsider.
