When Nash arrived on the scene in 1996, few could have imagined that the man known affectionately as "Big Sexy" would be one of the most controversial stars in the history of the promotion. A master politician behind the scenes, Nash earned the reputation of someone more concerned with his own placement on the card than the betterment of the product as a whole. His labeling of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and other similar workers as "vanilla midgets" infuriated an internet fan base that believed those men were as deserving of a spot at the top of the card as the man they deemed "Big Lazy." Nash never let the negativity get to him. A sarcastic individual who has admitted to milking WCW for money, especially since the company was stupid enough to keep throwing it at him, he was living the big life. From a performance standpoint, he was never as motivated as he was during his 11 months as WWE champion while working for Vince McMahon's company. He was a bigger star than he ever was during that period, however, and was incredibly influential in the coolness of the New World Order faction. The brains behind the ordeal, Nash ensured that the small details were taken care of and thus, the success of the NWO. At the same time, his partnership with Scott Hall and rivalries with the Steiner Brothers, Sting, Lex Luger, Hulk Hogan and Goldberg captivated fans and made WCW Nitro destination programming. It was the rivalry with Goldberg that would earn him his greatest infamy. At Starrcade 1998, he challenged Goldberg for the WCW Championship and, at the same time, sought to end the phenomenon's unbeaten streak. 173 times as WCW star attempted to beat juggernaut and 173 times, they failed. Surely Nash would be the latest victim on Goldberg's path to immortality. Right? Wrong. Nash rolled into the nation's capitol, Washington, D.C., and defeated Goldberg. It is difficult to defend the booking decision, especially since Nash was in charge of creative at that point. Of course fans would look at the win as being a major ego boost, rather than the responsible booking decisions that the company needed at the time if it had any chance of mounting a comeback to WWE's left uppercut in the form of the Attitude Era. When Nash took part in the infamous "Finger Poke of Doom" angle that many consider the death blow to WCW, he cemented his legacy as one of the biggest stars in wrestling history but one of its most notorious.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
