WWE legend says he left after Bret Hart refused to lose against him
Kevin Nash has explained why Bret Hart’s refusal to lose against him ultimately led to his decision to leave WWE for WCW.
In 1996, Nash (known as Diesel in WWE) joined WCW after his contract with Vince McMahon’s company expired. In one of his final storylines, he lost against then-WWE Champion Bret Hart in a Steel Cage match at WWE In Your House 6.
Speaking on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show, Nash recalled how The Undertaker defeated Hart via disqualification at the 1996 Royal Rumble. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer wanted to win in similar fashion at WWE In Your House, but Hart disagreed with the finish.
“I just wanted to stick Bret and have him beat because ‘Taker had Bret beat and I screwed him at the Rumble and flipped him off and walked away,” Nash said. “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. And 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.’”
Nash clarified that he was happy in WWE toward the end of his initial three-year run with the company. However, following his WWE Championship storyline with Hart, he felt WCW’s offer of a guaranteed contract was too good to turn down.
Kevin Nash’s opinion of Bret Hart
Kevin Nash and Bret Hart worked together on various storylines in WWE and WCW throughout the 1990s.
Although his WWE exit was partly down to Hart, Nash only had positive things to say about his former in-ring rival.
“I always knew that Bret was that guy that always had that ‘in case of emergency, break glass,’” Nash added. “Oh yes [Bret Hart was smart], I won’t utter a bad word about Bret. He made me. He made sure I looked great.”
Kevin Nash and Bret Hart are both two-time WWE Hall of Famers. Nash joined the Hall of Fame classes of 2015 (individual) and 2020 (nWo), while Hart was inducted in 2006 (individual) and 2019 (Hart Foundation).
Please credit Broken Skull Sessions and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.