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I watch a lot of wrestling and with that, obviously, comes a lot of wrestling shoot interview DVDs. Over the last few years, Kayfabe Commentaries has done a remarkable job of branding themselves with a number of extremely well done themes on their releases, including Guest Booker, Youshoot and my personal favorite, the Timeline series.
The Timeline series takes a subject and breaks down one specific year for a promotion. Thus far, there have been numerous volumes on WWF and several on ECW, but the most recent release Timeline 1995 for the WWF, is head and shoulders above the rest thus far in my opinion. I am sure some readers are going to hate me for writing this, but Kevin Nash gave one hell of an interview on this thing.
Nash, who became the WWF champion for the first time in 1995, does a remarkably great job with memory discussing a ton of subjects (including some stories never discussed before) of his year as champion and of a WWF that featured a combustible competitive locker room that included Bret Hart (who wanted it to be all about him), Shawn Michaels (who was competing with Nash for the top spot even though they were friends), the debuting Triple H, Scott Hall, Bam Bam Bigelow, The Undertaker and more, during a time where money was down big for the company and everyone was trying to find a solution.
Nash goes very much into detail about the creation of the "Kliq" as it became known and why they once threatened to strike, leading to Vince McMahon rushing to Indianapolis for a long conference that changed the business and the power of the wrestlers forever, why even though they were working together in the main event of Wrestlemania and were friends, that he and Michaels were fighting for the same spot, how Vince McMahon once tried to distract Nash with the news he was losing the belt with a tease of boxing Mike Tyson in Central Park, the incident and moment that made him decide he was leaving for WCW, being the WWF champion yet not being included in the videogame that was released that year, injuries, the stress of being on the road, why talents were vetted through Sean Waltman when they came in, Vince McMahon, Shawn losing his smile, the Lawrence Taylor angle headlining Wrestlemania 11 and lots more.
Sean Oliver is once again a great interviewer, asking good follow-up questions that take the topic to a deeper level. The best example of this may be when Oliver notes how Nash, Michaels, Scott Hall, etc. were all one united front, but were their wives as united, which leads to an interesting discussion on advice the late Rick Rude gave Nash on where to draw the line on how much his wife is let into the business and even where Nash shouldn't take phone calls when at home. That is followed by a story of when all the wives were together for a birthday party and the chaos that led to. It's unique insight into how much, even in the modern era, families needed to be kayfabed and why, for the good of the marriage.
Nash, who jokes about how much the smart fans hate him, comes off likeable and without a motive during the discussion, but makes it clear that while he lived in the business and it was his life 24/7 during his glory years, the business wasn't his life, pointing out the differences in mindsets between himself and someone like Shawn Michaels who was infatuated and loved pro wrestling his entire life. He talks about winning the WWE title and sitting in his hotel staring at it, wondering what the hell was next since it was the top position and there was nowhere to go but down.
Through it all, Nash comes off as someone with nothing to hide, even naming names for incidents on flights and those responsible for an incident where Nash woke up to find blood on the hotel hallway walls and a crying female with her head half shaved talking to police.
For those who lived through the era, obviously the Michaels vs. Bret Hart rivalry comes up and Nash, although admitting he and Michaels never even so much as argued, goes into the deep back and forth issues between the two, which like two great football players on rival teams, came from which of them were the best in the business. Nash gives a frank and well thought out breakdown of the issues.
Nash goes into a ton of other topics, including the deaths of those in the business and his own mortality, admitting that he ran hard and gets his heart checked out every few months. He also notes that when he goes, he doesn't want to be seen as someone on a list, pointing out that his father died of a heart attack in his 30s and "he wasn't one of the boys."
In many ways, it's a fascinating DVD and perhaps the most fascinating look into Nash as a person. Here's to hoping that when Kayfabe starts working on a WCW timeline series, they bring Nash back. Highly recommended.
WWF Timeline 1995 - Kevin Nash can be ordered at www.kayfabecommentaries.com.
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