10 Reasons Why You Need To Respect Kevin Nash

'...because only two things are real in this business - the money and the miles".

CM Punk, Kevin Nash SummerSlam 2011
WWE.com

Referred to as 'poison', a 'locker-room cancer', and saddled with derivative nicknames such as 'Big Lazy' thanks to a small moveset and measured in-ring style, Kevin Nash has never been short of controversy nor derision during his twenty-five year career.

But not every bad thing you might think about the 7-footer are all as straightforward as you've been endlessly told over the years.

For every scathing negative thrown his way, there is a distinct lack of balance to argue exactly how 'Big Daddy Cool' has found so much fortune in his storied WWE, WCE & TNA tenures, and ...*gasp*...if he might actually deserve some of that.

Truthfully, Kevin Nash has given fans countless reasons to be cheerful over the years, but these are often neglected behind blind hatred.

So let's fuel WhatCulture with Diesel Power and discuss 10 Reasons Why You Need To Respect Kevin Nash...

10. He Spent A Year As WWE Champion

CM Punk, Kevin Nash SummerSlam 2011
wwe.com

Though critics denounce Diesel's 358-day reign as WWE Champion as the lowest-drawing in company history, this crude analysis ignores a number of contributing factors to the slump and negates to consider some major success stories from the run.

As company figurehead during the lowest point in company history, Diesel was required to perform under the weight of those failures every single night.

Despite this, when the cameras were rolling, Kevin Nash portrayed a charismatic and dynamic giant, mowing down a diverse mix of genuine superstars and lumbering buffoons with the same panache that would excite the greatly reduced crowds in attendance.

He also developed a reputation as a strong 'big match' performer, turning in his half of some fabulous matches on Pay-Per-View while defending champion, and developing a reputation as one of the more reliable 7-footers to ever grace the squared circle.

Above all else, despite his relative inexperience, he nobly rose to the psychological grinds and pressures of being World Champion that the likes of Eddie Guerrerro, Brock Lesnar and Shawn Michaels would all crumble under, and never received fair credit for managing his year on top with a dignified aplomb rarely achieved from many of his contemporaries.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett