How Good Was Kevin Nash Actually?

Kevin Nash is someone who definitely makes the case that size does matter. Take his sidewalk slam, for example. It’s a move fans have seen a million times, but the sheer stature of Nash’s frame makes it feel like the ring could collapse when Big Kev drops his opponent to the mat with maximum ferocity.

The same can be said for his thunderous big knees in the corner, the height he can get on giving someone a chokeslam (one-handed or two), and the force with which he leans into his trademark big boot to the face. It’s purely down to being Godzilla-sized that Nash is hard to see as anything but a main eventer. With all respect to mid-card talent from his era and the current crop of superstars, Big Sexy flattening an ordinary-sized wrestler onto the ropes with his leapfrog body guillotine is going to send them to the local medical facility.

The jewel in Kev’s crown is his Jackknife Powerbomb finisher. Understanding how to get the audience to buy into the moment, Nash would have a litany of cool ways of selling his big finish once his opponent was between his legs and ready to go to sleep. Add in that he could throw Scott Steiner and Rey Mysterio with the same amount of brute force, and it’s a convincingly impactful finish.

That said, Nash is not a ring technician. He is all personality and an undisputed badass, but his repertoire of moves could be jotted down on one page of a notepad. From the days of Diesel to his final run in WWE, Nash came at in-ring work with the attitude of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and he famously baulked at things like bleeding in his matches.

4/10