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Throughout the 1990s, Kevin Nash made his mark in the professional wrestling world as one of the biggest names both in WWE and eventually in WCW. However, he likely wouldn’t have reached the point of WWE Hall of Fame status without a gimmick that would change his fortunes for the better. The “Diesel” gimmick was Kevin Nash’s train to stardom, with it completely changing the trajectory of his wrestling career, and catapulting him to not just main event status, but to legendary status too. When Nash joined WWE in 1993, they made a wonderful creative decision by making him Diesel.
Kevin Nash’s First Year As Diesel Was A Huge Success
In the early 1990s, Kevin Nash worked for WCW, with his size being something which stood out instantly, giving him a bit of a head start on everyone else. He was still a rookie in WCW, and didn’t do too much of note despite several attempts at repackaging him. Under the roles of “Steel”, “Oz”, and “Vinnie Vegas”, WCW just couldn’t make anything stick with Nash. His lack of success in WCW led to him making a change, showing up in WWE.
WWE struck gold at the very first attempt for Nash, giving him the gimmick of “Big Daddy Cool Diesel”, in which he was an arrogant biker-type of character, who retained an air of cockiness and coolness wherever he went, despite being a heel. He was also made to be Shawn Michaels’ bodyguard, with the pair becoming a fantastic act at the time. Michaels’ cocky demeanor played off Nash perfectly, especially since he was much smaller, using Nash to his advantage.
In addition to a great character, with Nash putting on a wonderful performance as Diesel, his booking was great too. When it came to singles matches, Nash wasn’t pinned or submitted for over a year, making him feel like a dominant force. In addition, he put in a terrific showing at the 1994 Royal Rumble, eliminating seven men from the match. He would go undefeated in singles action from there, which would lead him to Intercontinental Championship glory. During this time, he and Michaels would also win the WWE Tag Team Titles too. WWE committed with Nash, with him draped in gold after just a year in the promotion.
Diesel’s Popularity Led Him To Winning The WWE Championship
Over time, Nash’s coolness, coupled with Michaels’ unlikability, led to a very natural face turn for Nash. A few months after his first loss against Razor Ramon for the IC Title, he would turn on Michaels due to the pair losing some matches, chasing him out the arena to a huge reaction. Nash looked like a star under the Diesel persona after spending not too long in the company, with Vince McMahon viewing him as a prime candidate to fill the gaping top babyface hole left by Hulk Hogan.
Nash would then win the WWE Championship out of nowhere, defeating Bob Backlund in seconds to capture the gold, which was a huge shock. He would then find himself feuding with Shawn Michaels, a natural progression given their bad blood. Michaels would win the Royal Rumble before going on to battle Nash at WrestleMania 11. The pair had the match of the night, and managed to successfully pull off a smaller heel vs larger babyface dynamic in a great way.
Due To The Diesel Gimmick, Kevin Nash Was A Defined Star In Professional Wrestling
After WrestleMania, things started going a little downhill, as the overall interest in the WWE product was on the decline, with Diesel’s long title reign not gaining viewership. Feuds against the likes of the British Bulldog, King Mabel, and Sycho Sid were nothing special, with several poor main events taking place throughout 1995. At Survivor Series 1995, Nash would drop the WWE Title to Bret Hart, finally taking the weight of the company from his shoulders after a year-long reign as WWE Champion.
Despite some terrible booking and poor feuds, Nash’s time as Diesel had turned him into a defined star and recognizable name, especially following a dominant time as champion. The next year would see him feud with The Undertaker and then turn heel to once again to battle Michaels, before his WWE contract had come to a close, leading him to make his way to WCW. When he arrived, even under the name of Kevin Nash, he was a star due to his time as Diesel, which no doubt aided the drawing power of he and Scott Hall as they became “The Outsiders” in WCW, before helping to form the iconic nWo faction alongside Hulk Hogan. Through a great presentation early on, in addition to winning a lot and gaining gold, “Diesel” became a major name.