Sizing Up Kevin Nash

I have seen and written about Kevin Nash many times, but I am always taken a little aback at how big he really is.  "Big Sexy" is really a big dude.

The picture below puts things in a little perspective.  Earlier this year, Resistance Pro wrestler Tommy Else joined Johngy's Beat for C2E2.  Tommy is a big guy.  He's probably about 6'1" and about 190 pounds of muscle.  Next to Big Kev, Tommy doesn't look so big (and I look pretty scrawny).

Kev is certainly not in quite as good shape as he was in his wrestling prime, but I still wouldn't mess with him.  He's one of those guys who exudes strength.  I sincerely believe it would have been pretty easy for him to wrap his hands around our heads and bang them together, if he had chosen.  There wouldn't have been much we could have done to prevent it either.

Fortunately that was not in Kev's plans.  It wouldn't have looked good to the rest of the people waiting to meet him if he injured the first two guys (especially since one was a big guy, too).

Thank you Kev for always being nice at these cons.  Either way though, you know I will always look up to you.

Tommy Else, Kevin Nash and me in Chicago, IL-April 2015.

Friendly Encounters: David Herro (and Kevin Nash) Meet Johnny Bench

Friendly Encounters is a weekly series about friends who have met celebrities.

David Herro isn't just a fiend.  As his shirt proclaims, he is a "#SuperFriend."  His shirt doesn't lie either.  David has been a friend of Johngy's Beat for several years.
There aren't many wrestling shows or promoters who can get me to drive 100 miles to see a show.  David and his Great Lakes Championship Wrestling is a rarity indeed.
Every December, Herro puts on "Blizzard Brawl" and this December 5, will be another great GLCW event.  Chyna is a special guest this year.  She joins such wrestling stars as Al Snow, Abyss, Scotty 2 Hotty and many others.  I am also looking forward to seeing Melanie Cruise, one of the best independent women wrestlers today.
At a recent convention, David was accompanied by #SuperFriend Kevin Nash, when they met Johnny Bench, baseball Hall of Famer.  Bench was "the man" when I was growing up.  He was the best and the coolest.  The picture below represents quite an assemblage of talent.  More important, it represents three good dudes.
I hope you make plans to attend Blizzard Brawl.  Johnny Bench won't be there (or maybe he will), but Johngy will be!

Kevin Nash, Johnny Bench and David Herro in Louisville, KY-August 2015.

Big Sexy Kevin Nash Is Big Friendly

Kevin Nash can be a bit of a polarizing character in wrestling.  As I have written previously, while he has his detractors, there is no denying his impact on the world of pro wrestling.

I don't claim to know Nash personally.  I do know him a bit better than the average fan and he knows me.  That comes from seeing him, interviewing him and talking to him on many occasions.

I can honestly say, that even after over a dozen encounters, I have never had a bad experience with Nash.  He is always fun and willing to talk in an interview or just as guys talking.  He was great when I introduced my friends' kids to him at a Resistance Pro event.

Some might argue that he has to be friendly at such conventions or events.  Not true.  While it is smart to be friendly, it is not mandatory and as I stated, Nash is friendly even in a casual setting (ie when he is not selling his merchandise).

I think Nash does his own thing.  I think he pleases himself.  He has accomplished a lot in wrestling by doing things his way.  You don't have to like him, but you should respect him.  I applaud Nash for this.

Others take space criticizing him for any number of "offenses," but hopefully I helped offset some of the negative with a little positive on Big Sexy.

Kevin Nash, Matt Parker and me in Chicago, IL-April 2014.

Kevin Nash and Old Friends Invade Resistance Pro Wrestling

Resistance Pro Wrestling recently held their second anniversary show called "Caress of Steel" at Amundsen High School in Chicago.  This was a fantastic show on so many levels, not the least of which for me was having a bunch of my friends in attendance for the first time.

Louie brought Peter, Christopher and Andrew, Andrew brought Steve, Jason brought himself and Jodie brought Danny and her friend and her kid.  All of them were seeing their first R Pro show and all of them really enjoyed the night and will be returning.

This wouldn't be a JohngysBeat.com post if I did not highlight one picture...

Wow.  That is a lot of Johngy in the front row.  Thanks to Mike Vinikour for capturing this scene.

I was really amped about the night.  The R Pro show alone would have been fun.  Celebrating their second anniversary added to the fun.  Television cameras jacked it higher.  All of these made it exciting, but my friends made it really personally memorable.

Kevin Nash is an excellent choice to represent the night.  Nash is a future Hall of Famer.  I can't say Kevin and I are friends, but we go back about 12 years and we are certainly friendly.  I am sure if the night was a bit less crazy, I would have gotten another interview with the big guy.

Interview or not, the night was fantastic.  It was the kind of night where you don't sleep even when you are dead-tired and in bed.  I have had many of these nights with R Pro.  Now, I have had a night like this with my friends at R Pro.

Andrew Agos, Jason Fleigel, Louie Atsaves, Kevin Nash, me and Matt Parker in Chicago, IL-November 2013.

Friendly Encounters: Michael Bradley Meets Kevin Nash

This is a weekly series about friends who have met celebrities.

I met Michael Bradley through Resistance Pro Wrestling.  (Chalk up another good thing attributed to R Pro).    later, I saw him as a guest on the T3 podcast and I was amazed to see a man of his size do a kip-up.  Clearly, the man was athletic.
Over the last couple years, I have seen Michael work very hard at...well, just about everything.  He has done some in-ring training.  He has appeared on several wrestling shows, most notably R Pro's events.  He works at various conventions.  Michael seems to be everywhere.
He also has dropped some weight and looks to be making a run at a potential run as a wrestler.  He has the athleticism already (as witness with the aforementioned kip up).  He has the attitude, charisma and look.  Why not?  Plus he is a good guy.
At last year's Wizard World, Michael met Kevin Nash.  Somehow Michael or other R Pro people got Nash to don the R Pro shirt.  That is definitely cool.  I have my own collection of JohngysBeat.com shirt-wearers, but I have yet to get Nash, but I digress.
I like seeing people like Michael with other celebrities.  Michael works with these people, but still likes to meet them and get pictures.  Some day, Nash might even say he had a picture with Michael.  Fortunately, I already have a few pictures with Michael.

Michael Bradley and Kevin Nash in Rosemont, IL-August 2012.

On the Beat with Kevin Nash at Wizard World 2012

As official video bloggers at the recent Wizard World convention, Matt and I scored a bunch of interviews.  One of our better ones waqs not even planned.
We were wrapping up the first day of work, when Matt saw Kevin Nash at his booth.  We walked over to him and he greeted me by name.  With this type of recognition, how could I not ask for an interview?
I was pretty surpised that Nash remembered my name even though I have met and talked to him several times over the years.  Recognizing my face is one thing, knowing my name is another.
The interview doesn't really break new ground.  It served Wizard World much better as a promo to drive people to Nash's booth (which was our job).  Still, it displays some of Nash's humor and charisma.
After you watch this interview, head over to KevinNash.net to learn all about big Kev and to get his updates.  If you ever have the chance to meet him, you should definitely do it.

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.