Kevin Nash Talks About Smacking Samoa Joe Twice Backstage In TNA, Joe's Apology

The phrase "going into business for yourself" has taken on a new meaning since CM Punk's expletive-laden rant at the All Out 2022 press scrum, where he called out "Hangman" Adam Page for going off-script during one of their promo exchanges. Kevin Nash — who knows a thing or two about wrestlers not following the script — recently recounted the story of Samoa Joe doing the same at Turning Point 2007, after Scott Hall no-showed the event due to a health issue. In his tirade, Joe would rip TNA, Nash, and Hall, and even urge Dixie Carter to fire him on live television, leading to Joe and Nash having a backstage altercation.  

Reflecting on the incident, Nash explained on "Kliq This" why it was made out to be a bigger deal than it was, "At that point, Joe and I were friends. And I understood his f—ing disappointment and frustration over the fact that Scott no-showed." Despite the rant, Nash and Joe teamed up in a six-man tag team bout later in the night. "I walked up to him and asked him, 'What the f–k was that? Was that from [Vince] Russo or yours?' He smirked and said, 'That was mine.' So I f—ing open-hand smacked him. He didn't go down, but he didn't say anything back, either, so I smacked him again. And he just looked at me." 

Nash revealed that, after Jeff Jarrett arrived on the scene to break up the potential fight, Joe apologized to the TNA locker room the next day. "Joe felt so bad about it that he went in front of all the boys and apologized — directly to me. He didn't have to do that. But he was man enough to f—ing realize that, 'I did go into business for myself.'" In conclusion, Nash says the fact that Joe did not retaliate to his smacks — and that he "did not punch" Joe — was a sign of "mutual respect" between them.