WWE Hall Of Famer Kevin Nash On Long-Term Effects Of Wrestling Career, Taking Bumps
Kevin Nash wasn't a fan of Kenny Omega taking the Tiger Driver '91 from Will Ospreay at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, and is not a fan of career-threatening bumps as a whole. While speaking recently on "Kliq This," the WWE Hall of Famer discussed taking suplexes and how he's holding up after a 30-year professional wrestling career. One move he is decidedly against has become a common one, though.
"Show me the numbers of broken necks before the German Suplex became a f***ing staple in professional wrestling," Nash declared. "I don't remember any."
The list of stars who utilize the German Suplex is a long one. It's a move every superstar who has been taken to Suplex City courtesy of Brock Lesnar is familiar with. Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson showcased a few of his own on "WWE NXT" recently, and Chad Gable and GUNTHER use them as well. While Nash didn't call for an outright ban of the German Suplex, he did sound his concern over taking repetitive bumps like that, likening it to taking repeated shots to the head.
"Because it's not necessarily the one, it's like f***ing CTE," he continued. "It's the onslaught. It's the f***ing 10 years ... And then finally, you bend over to pick up a lightbulb and you're paralyzed."
Nash has previously spoken about donating his brain to the CTE Center at Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation. The Hall of Famer has dealt with his share of physical pain over the years and hasn't been shy about addressing it.
Living With Neck Injuries, and Why Leaving the Cage Defeats the Purpose
In the same podcast, Kevin Nash gave an update on the neck issues that he has been facing. He said that his condition has started to improve as more positive bloodwork results have come in, but there are days when his body simply cannot do what he wants it to.
"It's like me, like f***. I go in the gym, there are days, man, it's just like, 'Okay, I can't ... I did that movement two workouts ago, but for some reason that motherf***er's killing me today,' so I can't do that," he continued. Nash said that stem cell treatment has helped him in every aspect.
One bump Nash can't get over is Mick Foley flying off the Hell in a Cell. For one, he couldn't imagine how The Undertaker felt, who upon chokeslamming Foley initially thought he was dead. "I can't even imagine, even if it was for f***ing five seconds before he moved, how Mark must have felt up there," he added.
More than that, he doesn't believe competitors should ever leave the cage, harkening back to his own Hell in a Cell match against Triple H in 2003 with Foley as the special guest referee. "The psychology of a cage ... It's not leaving the cage, because that defeats the purpose of what the cage is," Nash declared.
On returning to the topic of CTE, Nash knows there's one thing Foley would've done differently if given the opportunity to play out his career again.
"The only thing I think that Mick would take back was when he was handcuffed and Rock hit him with those chair shots," he stated. "I think after the first or second one, Mick was out."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Kliq This" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.