"Smartest guy that made money" – DDP on WWE legend who helped pro wrestlers earn more (Exclusive)
WWE legend Kevin Nash played a key role in pro wrestlers earning a lot of money and is one of the smartest when it comes to money, as per DDP.
Nash and Scott Hall joined WCW from WWE in 1996, and Eric Bischoff and co. paid the two stars huge salaries. Their switch to the rival promotion paved the way for WCW to go head-to-head with WWE and beat them in the ratings war.
On the recent The Bro Show, where Diamond Dallas Page and Vince Russo paid tribute to Scott Hall, DDP explained how Hall and Nash changed the game for wrestler contracts. The Hall of Famer praised Nash for being smart:
"The reason why the contract world changed was because of Kevin Nash. Kevin Nash – I will put Kevin Nash against anyone for the smartest guy that made money, and how he made money. If I'd have listened to Kevin Nash on every move – and I listened to him a lot – but there's a couple I didn't and it probably cost me $2 million. But that is what it is because I came out on the other side and other things." (from 26:10 to 26:40)
"But Kevin, when he went in there and his contract is coming on, and he knew favored nations [clause], which means if you go to a movie script and they sign you early and you look like you get good money, and they bring somebody who's here [earns more], I make the same money he makes. If someone like Bret Hart comes in – who made ridiculous, monster guaranteed money for the 90s – they may not go that high, they'd [go half or 3/4th]." (from 26:42 to 27:25)
Vince Russo said Scott Hall and Nash's move to WCW from WWE helped wrestlers make more money than they dreamt of making.
Kevin Nash revealed it wasn't just money that made him leave WWE
6/10/96: Kevin Nash makes his WCW debut and tells us to look at the adjective. https://t.co/ar3BMwTGKF
In his interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Nash said his mind was made to leave WWE when Bret Hart refused to lose to him:
“So, in order for tit to tat, I had to have Bret beat. Bret wouldn’t take the finish. Vince caved on making Bret do the finish. When he wouldn’t do that for business, because that was right for business, that’s when I said, ‘F*** it, I’m out, I’ll take the money [from WCW], because you’re not doing what’s right.'"
Bret Hart eventually joined Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in WCW in 1997 after Vince McMahon couldn't honour his WWE contract.
Please H/T The Bro Show if you use any of the above quotes.