10 Failed WWE Wrestlers Who Became Cult Classics
9. Diesel
It took Kevin Nash sitting down for about 400 shoot interviews and your writer putting him over in just about the same number of articles, but the court of public opinion may finally be coming to a fairer verdict on 'Big Daddy Cool's WWE contributions.
The Network has been a gift for filling in many fan blanks, and it's deep within the company archives where the fun and function of his divisive WWE Championship reign can be found. Unfortunately for the seven-footer, most things can be proved with statistics, and for decades the horrendous box office and buy rate figures posted against Nash's 1995 run were enough to fuel an entire generation of fans more than happy to go along with CM Punk's on-screen snark and the prevailing sense of disrespect for his finest works.
Matches with and without the WWE Championship against Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels and Jeff Jarrett proved his worth as a performer that could pull his weight given an opponent willing to do a touch more of the heavy lifting. The Diesel gimmick was the coolest f*cking thing on the show until Vince McMahon Vince McMahon'ed it, too.
Nash effectively invented the tweener role when he tore that portrayal to shreds too - Eric Bischoff knew as much when he paid handsomely for his services several months later.