5 Reasons Kevin Nash’s Best Character Was Diesel In WWE (& 5 Why It Was Himself In WCW)
Whether you loved him in WWE or WCW, Kevin Nash is considered one of the best big men in professional wrestling. In WWE, he made a name for himself as Big Daddy Cool Diesel, a former bodyguard of Shawn Michaels, who turned into a dominant main-eventer and WWE Champion.
RELATED: 5 Of Kevin Nash's Best Matches In WWE (& 5 In WCW)
In WCW, Kevin Nash was one of the founding fathers of the New World Order, a faction that changed the landscape of professional wrestling. His cool, laid back, demeanor would be his trademark, but when the bell rang, Nash did what he needed to do to get the job done. Both characters had their strengths and faults, but only one of them can best represent Big Sexy.
10 Diesel: Not Defeated By A Finger Poke
While the Finger Poke Of Doom will always be debated if it was the moment when WCW started to go downhill, the record books will forever show that Kevin Nash was defeated by being poked in the chest by Hollywood Hogan. Throughout his career in WWE, Diesel was never squashed. Before he left to create the nWo, Diesel's winning percentage was 65% compared to 57% in WCW, and none of his losses came from another wrestler using only their index finger to defeat him.
9 Nash: Commissioner Of WCW
While Kevin Nash played the role of booker behind the scenes, he also played one in front of the camera. Big Sexy would earn the title of Commissioner Of WCW by defeating Terry Funk, who held the position for two weeks. Nash would rule over the company for slightly longer at about a month before The Natural Born Thrillers, a team he was mentoring, turned on him, and took the title away from him. While Diesel had friends in powerful positions, he never had the stroke that Big Sexy had.
8 Diesel: Had Pamela Anderson As A Valet At WrestleMania
Anyone who went through adolescence in the 90s will remember Pamela Anderson. She was a hidden poster in most young boy's bedrooms and one of the reasons that Baywatch was so popular. When she showed up on the arm of Big Daddy Cool at WrestleMania XI, it elevated Diesel's profile. After he retained his WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels, he then left with Anderson on one arm, and Jenny McCarthy on the other, while fans everywhere, tipped their hat to Diesel as a sign of respect.
7 Nash: Defeated Goldberg First
As Goldberg's legendary streak continued, fans began to wonder who would be the man to defeat him finally. They got their answer at Starrcade 1998 when Kevin Nash went one on one with Goldberg.
RELATED: 5 Winning Streaks That Ended Terribly (& 5 With Great Endings)
Unlike most of Goldberg's 173 previous bouts, this match went back and forth with Kevin Nash getting in plenty of offense. It all broke down when Disco Inferno and Bam Bam Bigelow came out to interfere and distract Goldberg long enough for Scott Hall to attack him with a stun gun. The weapon was enough to put Goldberg down for the three-count and give Nash the honor of being the man to end the streak.
6 Diesel: Won The WWE Title In Eight Seconds
While Bob Backlund holds a record for one of the longest title reigns in WWE history, he also owns one for the shortest WWE Title matches. After a classic battle with Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1994, Backlund would take his title to Madison Square Garden and lose it to Big Daddy Cool in eight seconds. It only took one Jackknife Powerbomb to finish Backlund that was so devastating, he crawled to the backstage area. The match demonstrated the dominance of Diesel and how quickly he could finish opponents.
5 Nash: Nine-Time WCW Tag Team Champion
Big Daddy Diesel held the Tag Team Championships twice in WWE. But it was in WCW where he established himself as one of the greatest tag team wrestlers. Kevin Nash would win the gold with his buddy Scott Hall six times. He would also have two reigns with DDP, and one with Sting as members of the Wolfpac. Harlem Heat has the record with 10 title reigns, but Nash was only one short of tying one of the greatest teams in WCW, which shows his impact on the division.
4 Diesel: Triple Crown Winner
When Diesel defeated Bob Backlund in eight seconds, he became the third Triple Crown Champion in WWE history. To hold this prestigious title, an individual must win the WWE Championship, the Tag Team titles, and a secondary belt.
RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Became Triple Crown Winners In The Fastest Time
Diesel won all three in the one year, which neither of the previous winners had accomplished and is also something that no other male wrestler has ever done since. It's also something that Kevin Nash wasn't able to achieve during his entire time in WCW.
3 Nash: Five-Time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
While he's not considered a Triple Crown Champion in WCW, Kevin Nash held the World Heavyweight Championship more times than the WWE Title. Fans might not have agreed with some of his title runs, but he was consistently in the main event whether he held the title or not. Big Sexy often competed against the likes of Sting, Lex Luger, and The Giant. Even though some of his title runs might not have been as prominent as the ones in WWE, Nash was consistently considered one of the main event stars of WCW.
2 Diesel: Member Of The Kliq
The Kliq has a reputation for being one of the most influential groups behind the scenes of WWE. Even today, Triple H and Shawn Michaels hold powerful positions within the organization and have a major say over individual's careers. Diesel might not have had the same stroke as Helmsley or Michaels, but because he was associated with them, it helped elevate his position on the roster. It's hard to say if Diesel would have made it on his own without The Kliq, but no doubt being a member of the group helped his career significantly.
1 Nash: Leader Of The nWo
There's no question that the nWo is considered one of the greatest factions in the history of wrestling, and that it's well known that Kevin Nash played a major role in the group's success. But as the group expanded and Hollywood Hogan began taking breaks from the ring, Big Sexy would be the one to step up. He also founded the popular spin-off faction, The Wolfpac. With his second Hall Of Fame induction coming as part of the nWo, it shows the impact that Kevin Nash had on the wrestling business.
