Which WWE Champion Refused To Take A Powerbomb “Ever Again”?
One night in Madison Square Garden changed everything...
Bruce Prichard revealed on his 'Something To Wrestle With' podcast that Bob Backlund once told him he'd never take Diesel's Jackknife Powerbomb finisher "ever again".
The former WWE Champion wasn't happy with the way Kevin Nash let him go in mid-air during their short squash inside the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden on 26 November 1994. Backstage after the match, he ranted to Prichard that Diesel would never get the opportunity to put that move on him again.
Bob was fuming.
He'd hurt his tailbone on the landing (something that probably wasn't helped by the notoriously stiff WWF rings of the time), and thought it was a little too dangerous. To be fair, Backlund didn't have much to worry about; he was a transitional champion by '94, and only won the belt so Bret Hart wouldn't have to do the job himself. He was moved out of the main event scene shortly afterwards.
Backlund's short title reign also meant Diesel had someone to maul at MSG and look like an absolute monster against. The job was done, but Bob was less-than-thrilled by the Jackknife finisher.
Nash had a tendency to release victims instead of driving them down safely to the canvas.