19. Success, Bust or In-Between: Kevin Nash

[It's Damn Real!]

Most of you know the series by now, I'd hope, but for those of you who don't, here's the run down:

• Former talents of TNA are to be critiqued regarding their work with TNA, and only their work with TNA for the basis of these polls.
• Any work from the performer that was not done during his/her tenure during TNA should not factor into your vote.
• You can vote them either a Success, a Bust or In Between if you don't feel they deserve either extreme.

In addition to your vote, I'd like to know why you feel the way you do. Why was this particular character a success, a bust or in between?

Next in the series is Kevin Nash.

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Kevin Nash
Years with TNA: 6 (2004-2010)
Number of titles runs: TNA Legends Championship (x2), TNA World Tag Team Championship (x1)

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Notable Feuds:
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• Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Randy Savage via Kings of Wrestling (2004)
• Jeff Jarrett (2005)
• Planet Jarrett via Sean Waltman (2005)
• The X Division/Chris Sabing (2006)
• Alex Shelley via Austin Starr (Austin Aries) (2006)
• Sting & Booker T via Kurt Angle (2007)
• Samoa Joe (2008)
• AJ Styles (2009)
• Eric Young via The World Elite (2009)
• The Band (Scott Hall & Syxx-Pac) (2010)
• Eric Young (2010)
• Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff (2010)

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Other Accomplishments:
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• Debuted in TNA in 2004 alongside Scott Hall at Victory Road.
• Established "Paparazzi Productions" with Alex Shelley and Austin Starr.
• Gave berth to Jay Lethal's "Macho Man" gimmick, as well as Sonjay Dutt's "Guru" gimmick.
• Was a founding member of the Main Event Mafia.
• Was a founding member of The Band.
• Was managed by Jenna Morasca.

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Previous Polls:
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• Christian Cage – 87.72% Success, 12.28% In Between, 0% Bust
• Booker T – 46.43% Bust, 33.93% In Between, 19.64% Success
• Petey Williams – 52.50% In Between, 35.00% Success, 12.50% Bust
• Gail Kim – 61.54% Success, 19.23% In Between, 19.23% Bust
• Senshi – 66.67% Success, 28.57% In Between, 4.76% Bust
• Monty Brown – 54.05% Bust, 27.03% In Between, 18.92% Success
• Awesome Kong – 82.61% Success, 13.04% Bust, 4.35% In Between
• Christopher Daniels – 68.97% Success, 20.69% In Between, 10.34% Bust
• Consequences Creed – 80.77% Bust, 19.23% In Between, 0.00% Success
• Sheik Abdul Bashir – 44.00% In Between, 44.00% Bust, 12.00% Success
• The Naturals – 48.00% Bust, 28.00% Success, 24.00% In Between
• Traci Brooks – 61.29% Bust, 25.81% In Between, 12.90% Success
• Johnny Devine – 79.31% Bust, 17.24% In Between, 3.45% Success
• "The Franchise" Shane Douglas – 35.90% Success, 35.90% Bust, 28.21%% In Between
• Sabu – 43.59% Success, 33.3% Bust, 23.08% In Between
• Homicide – 62.50% In Between, 21.88% Success, 15.63% Bust
• Jay Lethal – 52.38% In Between, 38.10% Success, 9.52% Bust
• Matt Hardy – 67.02% Bust, 26.60% In Between, 6.38% Success

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Nash IMO is an unequivocal and resounding success. When TNA needed strong veteran leadership and veteran vision, Nash was there to step in at almost every single turn.

What he did for Dutt, Lethal, Shelley, Sabin, Aries, etc. was fantastic, and though he was much older and much more limited in terms of what he could do in the ring, he simply added so much credibility to a company in it's early television state just by being there.

I've always been a huge Nash mark, so take this with as large a grain of salt as you need, but Nash did wonders for TNA, and frankly, TNA did wonders for Kevin Nash, too. This was easily one of the most successful [veteran] relationships in the company's history.

 

[WRESTLING_GENIUS]

I Really didnt pay attentio to Nash in TNA but I do know enough that he was an absolute success in TNA.. As you saidhe won 2 Legends championships and had an impact on the landscape and direction for TNA's talent. His greatest success to me personally was what he did with Lethal turning him into "Black Machismo"not only did it help the career of Lethal but it also gave Nash credibility backstge wise to create good characters... So IMO Sucess again I really dont follow TNA's product but i payed attention enough to know Nash was doing his thing in TNA as he has done everywhere else he goes......

 

[Dr.Shades]

I say success. Nash was nothing special in the ring during his time in TNA but he still brought us some memrable moments and helped compensate for the poor mic skills of others. I know he was slated to win the NWA title from jarrett but it was given to rhino for some reason but I feel Nash's success in TNA is mostly because they didn't make him a world champion. That would have brought all eyes onto his limited ring skills.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

Nash was never really anything special in the ring, but in TNA he didn't need to be.

He brought credibility to the younger talent, and had a feud with most notably Samoa Joe that was in my opinion very well done. People can say that he sucks in the ring or he is too limited, but again he is a 7-foot-tall legend, there is not really much he needs to do in the ring. I voted success because although his name didn't draw as much as Hogan's did, he stuck loyal to TNA for many years. His dedication to helping a nearly unknown company at the time of his arrival there grow to be the second largest wrestling promotion in the world. He may never be remembered as the "Man that made TNA" as that will go to Sting, but his efforts shouldn't go unnoticed. When it was time to move on he did and left a company that was based in an asylum in 2003, an improving show on Spike TV.

 

[Kiefer-Zeus]

Im one of teh more bigger Nash marks and to be honest i think it was defo a success as he had some good matches and helped the younger talent get over!"

 

[Karilas]

I voted success for two reasons, no, three reasons, shit, I'd better start typing before I think of any more...

1. I'm a Nash mark, but I loved his character in TNA, he played the grizzled veteran to a tee, he may not have given us any five star matches, but he was always memorable.

2. Black Machismo. This needs no explanation.

3. The OP just made me start downloading Victory Road 2004. No I don't feel bad about it, I forked over a subscription for TNA's shitty video vault for ages and their service was dreadful. Well, it was okay for a while, had a decent selection of the weekly PPVs, but then it had a few refurbs, lost half the content, they kept taking money off me despite my having deliberately not set up an ongoing subscription. Bit of a blag, really.

• "The Franchise" Shane Douglas – 35.90% Success, 35.90% Bust, 28.21%% In Between

Holy Colossus-dung!, I never realised just how divided the people could be over Shane Douglas.

 

[Remix]

I loved Paparazzi Productions, everything about it was made of awesome. I especially love what he did for Alex Shelley. Paparazzi Productions couldn't have happened without Nash and therefore he was nothing less than a complete success

And that's Bob Backlund certified.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I don't know how you could vote anything besides Nash being an overwhelming success in TNA.

Its always great to have a veteran like Nash in any locker room as he has nothing but advice to give to the younger generation. I thought he did a lot of good during his time in TNA. I loved what he did when he was working with the X-Division especially his hand in the birth of "Black Machismo" and I also enjoyed what he did with Alex Shelley and the "Paparazzi" cam.

You also have to consider that he was also a main player during TNA especially during his Main Event Mafia days. When they were on the show they pretty much ran it and were the main storyline for an entire year. One of my favorite Nash moments was when he did commentary on iMPACT while a member of the MEM. He didn't have great matches but you always knew Kevin Nash was there no matter what role he was in, during his 6 years in TNA he stayed relevant pretty much the entire time and for that alone he is a success.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

IDR, these threads are among my favorite in the forums. Now that's he's officially back under employment of the WWE (in some capacity anyways) you should consider doing one for Mick Foley. I'd also love to see one on Desmond Wolfe, now that he's apparently "retired" from professional wrestling at the age of 33. His time in TNA was short, but possibly effective. Food for thought? Anyways, on to Kevin Nash...

The debut of Kevin Nash in TNA was NOT exciting because of Nash specifically. Let's be honest, the first thing he did upon entering the company was hit the ring, aid Jeff Jarrett, and make a joke about the size of his penis. His promo was stale and we'd heard it ALL before a dozen times. It was the brawl that followed, culminating in the return of Randy Savage that made this moment truly great. It was then that I thought WCW was really coming back to life in the form of TNA Wrestling. So in a way, Nash's debut got me re-invigorated about their very young product. But I repeat that it had very little to do with Nash.

And that would be a trend that followed throughout his career. State promos and lackluster delivery that was only saved by a decent opponent or the shock value of the actual angle. On screen I thought Nash brought very little to the TNA table. Especially when you look at the last year of his work. As soon as Scott Hall got involved again, it was over. They rehashed the nWo..sort of, and the crowd didn't give a single damn. I've just never been a huge fan of Nash is all, and I think he had a lot to do with tanking WCW. BUT, as the rules go, I can't let that all play into my decision.

I gave Nash the "success" in the poll. Why would I do that after bashing most of his time in TNA? Because there were a few gems, most of which you already recognized above. Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt among the best two, and every once in awhile there was an angle or a match worth watching because he was in it. But I gave him the green light, because more than anything TNA needed a veteran presence that could teach youngsters about the wrestling business and bring some style to the product. I'm sure many will disagree, but I think Nash did that.

Here's another thing that's very telling about Nash's time in TNA. Look at the amount of title reigns he had in almost seven years with the company. Three, all in the later years, none of which were very long. Now look at his accomplishments in WCW within almost the same amount of time. Five World title reigns, and nine tag team title reigns! Look at his title wins in WWF/E in almost half that time. WWF Champion, IC Champion, Tag Team Champion. Now, what that tells me is that Nash learned how to take a backseat. He learned how to put guys over, and probably realized that he didn't need to be a WOrld Champion in TNA to get a paycheck or better the company. I can't obviously say for certain that Nash gained a bit of humility, but it seems to me that is what happened. Either that, or there was somebody backstage keeping a very tight, and intelligent control over the reigns. It's a bit curious to see that as soon as Hogan hit the company, Nash started getting belts around his waste. Curious, eh?

That's all speculation, of course, but the bottom line is that Nash put a lot more people over in TNA than he ever did in WWE or WCW. He brought a veteran face to the company, and ushered in a lot of other talent. So yes, I hesitantly give Kevin Nash the "success" for his time in TNA Wrestling.

 

[Notorious718]

Wow, haven't seen one of these threads in awhile. I haven't seen much of Nash's work in TNA prior to the Main Event Mafia angle mostly due to me not becoming a weekly TNA viewer until just before Samoa Joe's world title reign but based on what I've seen, I'll say success. As others have said, the man brought credibility and interest to those he was involved with on the roster. The most notable example of this for me is Samoa Joe. I was so sucked into his on-screen role as Joe's grizzly veteran mentor that had it not been for his association with Joe, I probably would've never given much thought to Joe. I really enjoyed their interactions and more often than not, I found myself questioning Nash's true loyalties when he found himself potentially turning on Joe (which he eventually did in the end). I thought it made for some good television personally. He was extremely limited in terms of in-ring ability (specifically mobility) but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the man. Many people bring up Alex Shelley... I haven't seen their work together so I'll actually have to look that stuff up. Overall, I say that the work I've seen from Nash is a success. And this is coming from someone who is far from a Nash mark.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm going with "in between". Nash brought credibility and a well known name to TNA's roster. He helped some guys out like Samoa Joe and was involved in some notable factions such as The Main Event Mafia or THE BAND (TNA's ripoff of the nWo). Nash also picked up a couple of titles along the way. With all of that one would think he was a success. Not quite. That was just the good. There is also the bad. Nash can be argued as a failure rather than a success due to the fact that he did not have a single memorable match in TNA that I can think of. All of them ranged from mediocre to awful. Part of that is because of him not being able to do much in the ring anymore, but still. The bad cancels out a large chunk of the good, making him an "in between" for his TNA run in my opinion.