Nash battles back: big sexy's first year of his WWE comeback has been marred by injuries, but the former NWOer vows to return—with a vengeance

Wrestling Digest, April, 2003 by Matthew Berkowitz

INJURIES HAVE HIT KEVIN NASH hard since his return to WWE a year ago. First he injured his bicep in April. Then, in his first match after recovering from the bicep tear, he suffered a torn quadricep--the same type of injury that sidelined Triple H a couple of years ago for an extended time.

Now a few months away from yet another return, Nash is planning to invade WWE with a vengeance once he is 100%.

"It took Triple H nine months. I'm at four months right now," Nash says. "It is a long process, and I have at least five more months. I think I can hopefully be back by Wrestlemania."

Nash made his long-awaited return to WWE in February 2002 alongside Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall as the NWO. During his WCW tenure, he was associated with the NWO, as well as its faction the Wolf Pac.

"To me, pro wrestling is like working in a mine. It doesn't matter if it's a coal mine or limestone mine," Nash says. "Wrestling is wrestling. You know half the guys pretty well anyway."

Hall parted ways with WWE in May, and Hogan left the NWO after Wrestlemania X-8 last March.

As the last of the original NWO members, Nash reformed the group joining X-Pac, Big Show, Booker T, and Shawn Michaels. At the time of Nash's unfortunate injury, Triple H was scripted to join the controversial faction.

"Triple H was going with us," Nash says. "He was going to join us before I left." Once Nash was injured, though, the NWO story line was abandoned.

Nash's friend Hall, who has had troubles with alcohol his entire career, has made appearances in NWA/TNA in recent months. However Hall's main focus has been living the life of a father.

"Scott is doing fine. Right now he is taking some time off. He is raising two kids. He just got custody of them," Nash says. "He feels that is more important right now than wrestling."

Hogan has not been seen on WWE television since losing to Brock Lesnar last the summer. Politics are the alleged cause of his absence, though he is expected back for one last push leading up to Wrestlemania.

"Hulk is doing some things with his book. He wasn't going to wrestle for the rest of 2002. I don't think he is going to wrestle till Mania," Nash says. "I thought they wanted him and Rock to work at Mania again. But I don't think Hogan was too crazy with the way WWE treated him at the end."

Nash is also a single father raising a young son. He splits his time at home between doing parental duties and a rigorous rehab schedule.

"My day starts when I get up at 6:45 a.m. I take my son to school. Then I go to the gym and rehab," Nash says. "I come back from rehab around 1:30 p.m. in just enough time to pick up my kid from school. We hang out until he goes to bed. Then I go to bed at 11. It is just being a dad."

Nash has also dabbled in the movie industry. He was offered the role of Sabretooth in "The X-Men" a few years ago. Previously, Nash appeared as Super Shredder in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze" and in the Leslie Nielsen comedy "Family Plan." He has also made numerous TV appearances in shows such as "Nikki," "The Love Boat: The Next Wave," and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."

"X-Men was one of those deals where the part was small. It paid $75,000, and I was making that a week in WCW. I was not going to work 16 weeks for 75 grand. It was no dialogue," Nash says. "I work to make money. I don't work to be on television."