No Criticism of Kevin Nash Here

Kevin Nash has had an interesting wrestling career.  He has been involved in some of the greatest angles.  He has been a multiple time champion.  Unfortunately, he has also been criticized for various reasons (such as backstage politics and laziness).
I don't know the inside scoop, but I can tell you he seems like a straight up guy to me.  He is always really cool in person and I have met him several times under many different circumstances.  He goes out of his way to give his fans what they want.
For some odd reason, JayHawk and I decided we wanted the big man to put us in headlocks.  He obliged.  Be careful what you ask for, but hindsight is 20/20.  It seemed like a good idea.  Fortunately, Big Kev kept it a loose lock and didn't snap our necks.  Seriously, I do think Kev could have put a hurtin' on us if he wanted.
Kev also is patient and willing to talk about himself, wrestling and his friends in wrestling.
He has enough detractors out there (really too many), but I am not one of them.  Kev is okay in my opinion!

JayHawk Evans, Kevin Nash and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2010.

Big Kev, Big Hass and Johngy

I have met Kevin Nash several times, but my friend Hass had never met the big man. When we were at the Wizard World Con, I brought the big man (Hass) to the big man (Kevin).
Hass is younger than me, so Nash probably fits his era of watching wrestling more than mine. I really enjoyed watching Hass interact with the wrestlers, including Nash. I have attended so many of these shows, but it is always fun to watch friends have fun at them, too.
Nash said all was good and that Scott Hall had just gone into rehab. Hall and Nash are tight outside of the ring. Hall has had a lot of problems and Nash has always stuck by his friend. We hope and pray that one day, Hall will be appearing alongside Nash at these shows and that his problems will be behind him.

Hass, Kevin Nash and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2010.

Oz? Vinnie Vegas? Diesel? Kevin Nash!

It seems that every time I meet Kevin Nash, he looks different. It also seems that each time I meet him, he is in a new phase of his wrestling career.
I first met Nash at the Brian Pillman Memorial Show in 2000. Nash was in his second stint in WCW and was perhaps at his popularity peak. His hair was long and he also appeared to have been recovering from a rough night.
I met him again at the first Wrestler Reunion in 2005. Nash was now in TNA wrestling and sporting a new short hair cut. I got my first glimpse of a funny, relaxed Nash.
Thanks to Klinger Promotions, I met Nash again a couple years ago. Nash had regrown his hair, which was gray-white by now. He was pretty quite, but the room was not conducive to a whole lot of intimate talk. I have since met Nash a few more times and he seems to be ever-changing. It's kind of funny.
I have to admit, Nash has grown on me. He has his detractors, but he has accomplished a lot in wrestling and nobody can deny that. Last time I met Nash, he gladly put me in a headlock for a photo (hmm, maybe he just doesn't like me).

Kevin Nash and me in Elgin, IL-early 2008.

Big Kevin Nash

Before wrestling, Kevin Nash was a good basketball player for the University of Tennessee, helping them reach the Sweet 16 once. Nash briefly played pro ball in Europe, but a torn ACL ended his career.
He eventually found his way into pro wrestling. He has bounced from WCW to WWF to WCW to WWE to TNA, always finding himself at the top of the card. He has enjoyed great success (winning 18 titles).
He was a founding member of the NWO, a groundbreaking group (and angle). Unfortunately, this soured as it was overplayed and became repetitive. Currently, he is a member of the Main Event Mafia, a stable of wrestlers in TNA.
When I met Nash for the first time at the Pillman Memorial Show, he appeared to be a bit 'woozy'. Maybe the wrestlers had a big night out the previous evening.
I have met Nash several times since then and he has always been very friendly. He is open and honest about his career and wrestling in general.

Kevin Nash and me in Cincinnati, OH-May 2000.

Friendly Encounters

This is another in a series of meetings of my friends and celebs.

I met Laura Hofman at the 2009 Motor City Comic Con. Laura and Kevin Nash created a bit of a scene when he scooped her up and held her in his arms for a snapshot. That type of stuff generally will catch your eye at these type shows.
Hofman had Nash's shirt from his role as The Russian in The Punisher. She had purchased it from a movie prop company and brought it for Nash to sign (which he gladly did). The lift was just an extra bonus.
Of course, being the intrepid reporter that I pretend to be, I had to ask Hofman to share this experience here on Johngy's Beat. Hofman was gracious enough to send over the pics and her story.

Laura Hofman and Kevin Nash in Novi (MI)-May 2009.