Booboo Stewart interviews Kevin Nash

15 MINUTES WITH BOOBOO FEATURING KEVIN NASH

 

Boo: Hi Kevin. Thanks you for taking the time to spend 15 Minutes here with me on TNAWrestling.com.

Kevin: Hey buddy, my pleasure.

Boo: So you have been wrestling for quite sometime--when did you start?

Kevin: Well, my first match was in 1990, but I had trained for about year before that. I trained down in Georgia before there was any Power Plant or developmental schools. I learned to wrestle in a Quonset hut under the tutelage of “The Assassin” Jody Hamilton. I lucked out because I basically got signed to go to camp and went straight to WCW.

Boo: So you have been wrestling for over 20 years, how much longer do you see yourself in the ring?

Kevin: I am one injury away from another rehab stint, but then I am sure I would come back again haha. Right now, I feel better than I have in about 5 or 6 years. I’ve lost a ton of weight and feel great. I don’t see myself stopping right now. I would stop when it stops being fun. I still get nervous when I haven’t wrestled in a while, but once I get going, I’m back into it. The other week on iMPACT!, I wrestled Jeff Jarrett in my first TV match in months and the next day, I felt great and really cared about what I do out there.

Boo: You are one of the best known wrestlers of all time--could you ever have imagined being this successful?

Kevin: To be honest, no. I remember when I was standing in Madison Square Garden and handed the Heavyweight Championship after defeating Bob Backlund and all I could think is you have got to be kidding me. I was only given about a months notice when Vince called me during an overseas tour and told me to come to his house in Connecticut to talk. He sat me down and told me that they wanted to run with me. I had only been working there for a little over a year at that point. Truth be told, I thought I would be playing pro ball.

Boo: Who would you say is the most influential wrestler of all time?

Kevin: To me as a wrestler, the first guy that took me under his wing was Rick Rude. He taught me and was the first guy I watched that looked at it from an entertainment standpoint. He mastered the art of getting the fans to laugh and then boo him. All I could think when watching him was, “wow that’s how it’s done.” I was also a huge Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania fan. While we are only a few years apart in age, I always enjoyed watching him. If you are asking who the most influential wrestler of all times is to the business as a whole, I would say it’s not necessarily a single wrestler. Hulk and Hulkamania started it and the Monday Night Wars made wrestling even bigger. The Hulkamania era, the nWo (with Hulk turning into a bad guy), and the WWF Attitude era (DX, Austin, Rock) is really what made wrestling. The way I see it, WCW built a saturn rocket and right before we took off, Vince kicked us out and took off.

Boo: What are some of your other hobbies outside the ring?

Kevin: Weightlifting and body building. I’m also a huge NBA fan. My team is the Los Angeles Lakers and it’s been that way since Chamberlain; I didn’t just jump aboard like others.

Boo: If you could have a pro career in any sport (other than wrestling) what would it be?

Kevin: Without a doubt, basketball. I grew up in a neighborhood where you played whatever sport was in season; we played everything. I lived on a block full of kids with enough for 9 on 9 baseball games in Suburban Southside Detroit. I started playing basketball in 8th grade and also played football since 6th grade. Then, as I got taller and thinner during freshman year of high school, I got moved up to varsity basketball and started the last 5 games that season. Almost immediately I received letters from Big Ten schools that summer so I knew that was the avenue I was going to go. I ended up playing basketball through junior year of college, started 2 of the 3 years at University of Tennessee. I also played 3 ½ seasons overseas professional ball after college.

Boo: Do you have aspirations of becoming (more) involved in the film business?

Kevin: As you know I have been in several major movies already including The Punisher, The Longest Yard, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, so yea. I’m actually in the process of shooting a short with my own company in conjunction with 386 Films coming up. This is so I can show I can act besides getting handed a hatchet every time I get an audition. I thought my role in The Longest Yard would work, but it didn’t.

Boo: What would be your dream match?

Kevin: I think I’ve wrestled everyone I could have dreamt of except for Andre the Giant and that would have been brutal; me as the Master Blaster against Andre in his last year.

Boo: Do you have any suggestions for aspiring wrestlers?

Kevin: I would say go to college. But at the same time, live your dream. If you want it, do it. If someone in a dunce hat can be World Champion, anything can happen.

Boo: Would you let your son get into wrestling?

Kevin: Only if we sedated my wife. I would, but my wife wouldn’t allow it. He’s more into music and basketball now anyways. He’s currently a freshman, but you never know, like father like son.

Boo: Also, before we finish up, we do a thing called “Five with Fivel” where my sister throws 5 random topics at you to see what your thoughts are--so here you go.

Steak or Seafood - Steak

Dogs or Cats - Dogs

Hunting – Well, I love to shoot guns. Hunting is pretty sweet. I don’t do it, but I think when I retire its something I might want to do, go out and kill stuff. I love the taste of all that type of meats like deer. Eat what you kill.

Soccer – A poor man’s Ambien. It puts me to sleep. There’s a reason it’s not popular in America.

Jennifer Aniston – Perfect.

Boo: Thanks for your time--do you have anything else you want your fans to know?

Kevin: My wife is a huge fan of the Twilight series. She loves the books and loves the movies. And yes, I have seen the first 2 movies because of her and enjoyed them. Obviously I still need to see the 3rd one. Take care.

The best way to keep up with me is to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mammarazzi1

Stay tuned for my next interview coming soon and be sure to watch TNA iMPACT! on Thursday Nights at 9 PM ET/PT on Spike TV followed immediately by ReAction at 11 PM ET/PT. I know I will be!

Thank you Boo Boo Stewart , at TNA Wrestling 

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