Kayfabe Timeline WCW 1997: Kevin Nash

Written by: Brian Bayless

This interview was released on April 19th, 2016

It is hosted by Sean Oliver

The interviews runs at three hours and six minutes long

JANUARY

Nash is asked about the incident at a show in Shreveport, LA in which Scott Hall and Jerry Sags began shooting on each other in the ring. He starts off by saying he hates to bury a friend but Sean Waltman was supposed to run in but the cue got messed up then said Waltman was blind. He then talks about Sags getting hit with a chair that Hall tossed and the match was getting rough as Nash said that Meng & The Barbarian were involved in the match and started to lay into him. Nash then said he saw that Hall was pouring blood from his mouth and nose then he went over to grab the announcers table and everyone took off. After that, Nash said he was in the locker room and grabbed a bat then swung it above the Nasty Boys heads as he wanted to kill them but Hall told Nash not to do anything because Sags thought he was in the right. Nash then talks about Knobbs coming up to him and saying they have been friends for a long time and its between Knobbs & Sags as Nash told him it wasnt then at Nitro the night after that, Eric Bischoff was going to fire the Nasty Boys but Hall said no. Nash then said before this, Hall hit Sags with a chair another time and when Sags said his neck hurt, JJ Dillon blew it off and told him to go out and work anyway. Nash then talks about how he was a dumb motherfucker in his lawsuit as he put Hall and himself in that and if Sags decided to just sue the company, Nash would have been a witness and could testify about that but instead, as Nash puts it, Sags did not work for three years and ended up with a $12 settlement as he jokes how well played Sags handled that situation.

Randy Savage returned to Nitro on January 20th after a brief holdout. Nash put over how much talent they had on the roster so when one guy went down or away for a bit, they were missed but they had so many guys to chose from to fill the slots. Nash then gloats about how happy he is people bit on his “vanilla midget” comment because you put guys like Dean Malenko and the Ultimo Dragon in a match that can fill three segments and they should be doing that to open the show instead of a 25 minute segment telling us what we will be seeing on the show. When asked, Nash said that Savage was political and tells a story of how Savage once told him “never take yourself out of the game” as Nash talks about how he would always tell guys what they would make so they would ask for more and that would raise his margin. Sean asked if Bret Hart helped him with that as Nash said “of course” then tells people who badmouth Bret to go fuck themselves as he loves him. He also does not understand how people have a problem with him and people never take in the fact that his dad was Stu Hart and how badly that would hinder your socialization process. Nash then asks how many guys in the business had a dungeon at the house were guys were screaming from and you should give him a little leeway from that alone.

Sean asks about Dean Malenko and if he was a “vanilla midget.” Nash talks about Dean had a shirt that read “the eyes have it” and on the shirt the eyes were green but Dean’s actual eye color was brown. Nash said he likes Dean and how he was great, dry humor but they never let him speak and only had him go out and wrestle. Nash then puts over the European style of chain wrestling and how Dean made it interesting as he had a certain pizzazz while guys today make it look like Cirque de Soleil tumbling instead of looking like a shoot or telling a story. Nash is asked about the cruiserweight division and said it was really good television.

He talks about the first time he met Chris Jericho. It was in Dalton, GA and they all started together at the same TV taping. They were there at noon as Nash laughs about Barry Windham being the agent and showing up two hours late then talks about how Jericho had a good sense of humor and “got it” as he called him smart and that he knew how to get over.

On the “Souled Out” PPV, Nash talks about the nWo was like James Bond and instead of going somewhere cool they ended up in Cedar Rapids, IA. He believed they should have been in Las Vegas. Nash then runs down all the things that made the PPV a failure.

When asked about losing the tag team titles to the Steiners at the PPV, Nash said that he didnt put up a fuss about losing them on the show and said he looked at the booking sheet and the whole thing looked like a disaster and thought that maybe there was some sort of plan to all of this and could not imagine the company “shit the bed” like they did. He then puts over the Steiners for being tough and is thankful they are friends as they knew each other from the gym in Detroit before they even wrestled.

FEBRUARY

On February 3rd, WWF Monday Night RAW expanded to two hours. Nash said they all knew it was a matter of time before it happened and how people do not know that Vince made that whole decision out of his own pocket instead of Bischoff who had the backing of Ted Turner. Nash then talks about how the WWE always out-produced WCW. Nash then recalls a story on a plane where Bischoff said he was going to put Vince McMahon out of business as Hulk Hogan immediately chimed in that will never happen.

Jeff Jarrett became a member of the Four Horsemen. Nash said that at this point, they were great workers but for some reason the company always wanted to take a group of gus and make them “regionally acceptable” to the South then talks about how WCW could never shake the Southern stigma as they kept trying to relive the past as he mocks the Horsemen pose.

On Randy Savage joining the nWo, Nash said he always loved him and thought he would work as a member of the group. He then added that Savage is a top 5 all-time wrestler.

MARCH

At the Uncensored PPV, Sting finally comes from the rafters and attacks the nWo. When asked, Nash said he knew it would be a hot feud when Sting made his allegiance clear. Nash said you knew it was coming but they did a great job at building suspense and made the attack seem epic. Nash said Sting is one of the best human beings in the business and always a nice guy then talks about his reported lack of passion never bothered him as its not like you wake up one day when you are six years old and suddenly want to be in the wrestling business. Nash said it wasnt until he was in his 20’s watching a WWF show at the Joe Louis Arena when he saw the packed house and how much the stars were making and thought it seemed like something he wanted to try.

Nash is now asked about the MTV Spring Break incident where he was on stage with Scott Hall and Sean Waltman when they jumped off to grab a guy who threw something at them. He tells the story and starts off by saying he got hit in the head with a rock and talked about they had giant syringes filled with paint that they would spray at the contestants who lost. However, Waltman decided to spray the crowd and covered them in blue paint and after that, a guy threw a rock that hit Nash at the head. Nash said he looked around and one guy took off as Nash jokes how he was “crippled as fuck” as he jumped off the stage and caught up to the guy and was about to punch him but it turned out he was just a young kid so Nash told the police that just arrived to arrest him. Nash then said the kid and his father tried to sue him with some ambulance chaser lawyer, who thought he had a great case, but did not even know that the kid was arrested and served community service. Nash then laughs as he settled for $1 and had to send a letter, which he wrote in red crayon. Nash also laughs as he recalls the host, Ed Lover, say “way to keep it real, big man” as he was running after the kid.

He is now asked about his tension between Kevin Sullivan. Nash said he felt it was time for a hostile takeover and that Sullivan was using jealously rather than common sense when it came to booking. Nash then talks about how they never went to the office about that because no matter how they were booked, Nitro was live and Hall and himself could get their heat on the mic. He talks about the business being a work and the only thing that matters, according to Lou Albano, are the money and the miles. Sean asks about the rumor of a special meeting being held after the March 30th Nitro as Nash said that was true as there were many special meetings between Sullivan, Bischoff, and himself.

APRIL

Nash is asked how the foreign wrestlers fit into the locker room. He said there was always someone like Rey Mysterio or Konnan who could speak English and translate for the Mexican wrestlers.

He talks about Gene Okerlund and jokes how he’s having a double scotch while waiting for a kidney tramsplant. Nash then tells a story of flying back from WrestleMania one year with Okerlund as they drank the whole flight. He made a call when they got off then met at the open gate and drank and told stories until there connecting flights. Nash said no one was slurring and a drink every 30 minutes is in moderation. Nash tells another drinking story involving Chris Jericho, Hulk Hogan, and himself. He goes off track for a bit then tells the story as he was on the plane after the Hogan birthday RAW. Jericho asked Nash if he drinking as Nash said he was not because he was getting in shape for “Magic Mike.” Jericho then told Nash that vodka had zero calories and ordered a double, as did Hogan. Nash ordered one too then said they drank all the vodka on the plane. Jericho passed out drunk and missed his connecting flight as Nash’s friend told him that he was walking on a tilt and the only thing keeping him up was the suitcase he was rolling.

MAY

WCW toured Japan as part of New Japan Pro Wrestling. When asked about the experience, Nash said he loved the people and the culture over there and wished he was younger so he could work there today.

He is asked about Alex Wright. Nash said he was a good looking kid but got stuck with the dancing gimmick right out of the gate. Nash cracks me up as he mocks WCW officials by telling Wright “Look, the Oz costume is just too big but we have something equally as shitty for you.” Nash said that ruined him and he was talented.

On if he got along with Ric Flair outside of the ring, Nash said he did and puts over how Flair tells great wrestling stories from the territory days and how he is a huge sports fan and great to talk with about that too. Nash said there was heat between Flair and Bischoff but didnt feel any towards himself.

JUNE

On June 9th, Nash got into a fight with Roddy Piper backstage. He talks about how they were having a tag match and sat down with Piper before the match to go over it but when it happened, Piper did not go with the plan. Nash talks about how he laid into them during the match and said you do that until the other person starts going with the plan. After the match, Nash said that Piper was running his mouth about him in Hogan’s locker room so he went down there and ended up hitting him once and that was that.

Raven (Scott Levy) debuted on the June 30th Nitro. Nash said that Scott Levy easily works in a heel persona because a lot of people do not like him. Nash talks about how he gets Levy and really likes him, noting he is a high IQ guy and loves how he got the Raven gimmick over.

Curt Hennig also made his debut on that June 30th Nitro. Nash talks about Hennig breaking Scott Hall and Shawn Michaels into the business and he taught them the heels are to make the babyface look great. Nash recalls watching Hennig’s “Saturday Night Main Event” and how Hennig made Hogan look great.

JULY

Dennis Rodman made his wrestling debut on the Bash at the Beach show. Nash said he was cool and at this point was with Carmen Electra and said he made the transition in the ring. Sean asks for a Rodman story and Nash said at this show, Rodman had his tour bus. Nash said he was offered a “gift close to his heart” as he didnt want to say anything to get people in trouble but did not partake.

AUGUST

Lex Luger won the WCW World Title on August 4th. Nash said they pushed for that as Luger was hot at that time. He then added Sting was pissed because no one was supposed to beat Hogan until he did. Nash said the plan was for Hogan to win it back at Road Wild.

On the Road Wild show, held at a biker rally, Nash said the boss (Bischoff) drove bikes and along with ten other guys, their main concerns was the pilgrimage to the rally. He said it was brutal and talked about how the door to their hotel room was a sliding door and that they had steel storage containers with plastic chairs and port-a-johns as a locker room.

Arn Anderson retired on August 25th Nitro. Nash said everyone knew Arn was retiring and goes back to his first WCW run and how much he learned from him on a daily basis as Nash said he was brilliant in all the little nuances to make something good become great.

SEPTEMBER

On September 1st, the nWo spoofed Arn Anderson’s retirement speech from the previous week. Nash said it was his idea and that the Horsemen all knew about it and thought it was funny until those guys called home and their wives told them they all looked stupid and Arn’s wife told him it made him look like a stupid drunk. Nash said it was “retribution heat” from the wives. Nash said he asked Arn for his cooler before the segment and that was what he used for the segment. Nash talks about Arn walked up to him in the hotel afterwards, with five beers in his hand, and asked Nash why they did that. Nash talks about how it was like the “curtain call” in that Vince okayed it but the boys in the back freaked out about kayfabe and Triple H ended up getting his head cut off as a result.

Curt Hennig turned on the Horsemen to join the nWo. Nash said the turn was done great and it was effective.

Bill Goldberg makes his TV debut by beating Hugh Morrus. Nash said that Goldberg traveled with Hall and himself at the beginning. When asked, Nash said he was huge and jacked and effective in what he could do. On the streak, Nash said how a guy can be 11-0 one week then 23-0 the next and jokes that no one was counting but him and he was really 52-0 when he ended the streak. Nash said that there was no resentment at the start because he was not making any money yet but once they gave him Barry Bloom’s number, he started to make a lot more. In the ring, Nash said he could be stiff with his punches but he never hit him in the nose or face and when he picked you up, he landed you flat and that is all Nash asks.

Hector Garza beat Scott Hall on the September 22nd episode of Nitro. When asked why he did not get over afterwards, Nash compared him to Al Perez in a guy who should have got over but never did. Sean goes back to Hall and his willingness to put over young guys as Nash said he is one of the smartest guys in the business and loves it as well and said despite his fuck-ups and the political correctness of the WWE, they should put him in the Performance Center to teach the next generation or at the very least, fly him in once a month.

OCTOBER

Brian Pillman was found dead on October 5th in his hotel room. Nash said there was no one who did not like Pillman. He then said became a floodgate as after that, it seemed like a wrestler died every three weeks. He talks about the accident that wrecked his ankle did him in and notes they used to talk on the phone.

He is asked about the Hulk Hogan vs. Roddy Piper cage match at Halloween Havoc. Nash sarcastically calls it a “barn-burner” and when asked if these guys knew it was horrible, Nash said he hopes so. Nash talks about working a ladder match against HHH and had not worked a match in over a year and jokes about how putting him in a ladder match at age 53 is a great idea but Nash said in your mind, you think you can still do it but afterwards you watch it and see you are gassed and too beat up to do it anymore. Nash then notes when you head to Walgreens, most 50 year olds are limping and they probably work a desk job. Nash said it depends on the pay day and how bad you are physically in what makes you come back. Nash said at this point, he is done and more important to be able to lift than one more match.

NOVEMBER

Rick Rude appeared on both Nitro and WWF RAW on November 17th. When asked how they got him from the WWF, Nash said he did not know but laughs how he had a beard on RAW and was clean-shaven on Nitro.

DECEMBER

Bret Hart arrives to WCW on the December 15th edition of Nitro. Nash said he was a huge fan of Hart and was excited for him coming into the company. When asked, Nash said they never discussed the “Montreal Screwjob.”

The nWo did a hostile takeover of Nitro on December 22nd and for the first time in a long time, an hour of RAW beat an hour of Nitro in the ratings. Nash is asked about the ratings drop and said that they thought the takeover would be enough but not there was little thought into everything else.

Sting returns to WCW for Starrcade. Nash is asked how it turned out and said that Sting went over but he would have probably had it take place in a cage and never would have let what took place happen, as he didnt think it made sense and should have stressed it as one on one and the cage and getting color would have made it more epic. When asked about the Nick Patrick slow count, Nash said you never know if it was a double-cross or not but said he never liked his count anyway as it was always slow and when your comeback is based off of a false finish, you want a fast count.

On the title being held up on Nitro the following day, Nash said a that point you would go to the ring for the main event and not have a finish because shit was so unorganized then jokes how they gave him the book. He did say there was no animosity he witnessed between Hogan and Sting but did think that Sting felt he was going to get dicked over at some point.

The interview wraps up with Nash being asked how he rates this point in his career. Nash said he rates June 1996-June 1997 as the best point of his career but by the end of the year the product was still good.

Final Thoughts: This was a good interview. Nash was funny here and at his best making jokes throughout but he did show some insight here as well. There was not a ton of new stuff here that Nash hasn’t said before but Oliver and Nash have fantastic chemistry together and that alone makes it enjoyable.

I thought Nash’s 1995 Timeline was better but this was still good. I do recommend it.