50 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever
28. Diesel Changes The Rules (November 20th, 1995)
Having brutalised Bret Hart in what first scanned as a heel turn at the Survivor Series 24 hours earlier, Diesel was expected to apologise for his actions on the subsequent Raw.
He flatly refused, instead doubling down to suggest that more of that sort of thing was in store for anybody he deemed worthy of the beating, and they could thank Vince McMahon himself for the carnage. Kevin Nash was no longer content being a corporate puppet, as the the work and shoot overlapped and intersected in a captivating fashion. This new spin on the Diesel gimmick was rooted in truth - it had been an all-time worst year for business in spite of a lot of people's best efforts, and the poor creative afforded to the Champion did nothing to help his performance in the spot. That he walked out in the middle of the match to say his piece and force a halt in proceedings that all-important strain of reality.
Ever the businessman, 'Big Daddy Cool' spied an opportunity to still sell merch in the spot, promising to still slap fives and bump fists as long as the hand was adorned by the black Diesel glove. This was more than just a nice sales stunt though - this was WWE and Nash himself allowing fans to decide if they liked him or not and follow that emotion rather than having the storylines or gimmick dictate the mood.