WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has worked with the best in professional wrestling across his decades-long career, from his time with Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall in the nWo in WCW, to his runs in WWE, that cemented his status as a legend. 

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Nash recently spoke on his “Kliq This” podcast about some of those he faced in the ring and how many of them worked “stiff,” meaning putting a bit more force into their offense than maybe necessary, to make a move look realistic for the audience, but often resulting in pain or real injury to the wrestler taking the move. Nash and his co-host were initially talking about how he enjoyed working with Goldberg, and Nash implied he didn’t mind working with guys who were known to work stiff, including Hall, one of his best friends.

“Bret [Hart] was stiff. That’s why his s*** looked good, because he was stiff,” Nash said. “Shawn was still as f***. Shawn Michaels was stiff. Scott [Hall] was stiff. If you were Scott’s friend and they told Scott to hit you with something, be ready for a concussion and stitches, or a combination of both. The more friend you were, the harder he was going to hit you with whatever he was hitting you with.”

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Several legends of the business have been accused of being stiff in the ring, including the likes of Goldberg and Vader, while the APA too had stiff encounters with other tag teams in WWE. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Kliq This” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Since AEW’s inception in 2019, there has been a belief that the company’s long-term goal is to compete with WWE. However, many performers within AEW argue that their purpose is to create an alternative for people who seek a different style of professional wrestling. Former WWE star Mercedes Mone was asked about AEW trying to reach WWE’s success, but the TBS Champion believes the company’s focus is in a much different place.

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“I feel like it’s always going to be a weird competition, but it’s just AEW’s only been around for five years. WWE has been around for 30 plus. I don’t know what kind of gap you can close with such a big gap of who’s been around for so long,” she told “The Breakfast Club.” “I think AEW just has to keep on being its own brand and being AEW and being ‘where the best wrestle’ — that’s our slogan and that’s where legit the greatest wrestlers are signed there, the best performers are signed there, and you get to see that every week on TBS and TNT. We have the greatest performers from all over the world and I think that’s just what makes us different.”

AEW boss Tony Khan claims there is a war between his company and WWE, and he’s been open about wanting to catch up with the rival promotion. The AEW CEO also compared WWE to Harvey Weinstein, indicating that there is no love lost between the wrestling companies.

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Elsewhere, Mone commented on her relationship with Vince McMahon and addressed why she left WWE. She explained that there were many personal reasons for her departure, but she didn’t appreciate the way McMahon spoke to her, which affected how she felt about staying with the company. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Breakfast Club” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Scott Hall was one of the most successful stars on WCW programming when he returned for a second run, from 1996 to 2000, and played a major role in the Monday Night Wars as a member of the NWO. But, then WCW President Eric Bischoff was apprehensive about signing him from WWE.

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During his run in WWE as Razor Ramon, Hall became one of the most decorated Intercontinental Champions in history and feuded with some of the best the company had to offer such as Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Come 1996, Hall and Kevin Nash made the jump from WWE to WCW, but Bischoff stated on the “83 Weeks” podcast that he was hesitant to hire “The Bad Guy.”

“I was so afraid because of the things that I had heard and read about Scott. That he was going to come in and disrupt, which was an incredible, cool vibe in the locker room on May 27, 1996,” said Bischoff. “When Scott was coming in to make the show, I could have arranged for him to get a ride to the arena, but I wanted to drive down to the arena with Scott myself. I wanted that one-on-one time to, number one, get to know Scott a little bit, but let him know that one of the things I want to see is him be successful and us be successful, but I also want to maintain the vibe in the locker room, and I had that conversation with Scott.”

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Bischoff explained there was frustration rising among talent backstage when he first arrived in WCW and compared that lack of direction to AEW’s atmosphere behind the scenes today.

Since departing from WWE in November 2021, Swerve Strickland has been a regular fixture on All Elite Wrestling, most recently inking a contract reportedly spanning five-years in length. During an appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” Strickland noted that WWE, at some undisclosed point, reached out to his representation to inquire about his “availability” to potentially return there. Ultimately, though, he opted to stick with AEW.

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“I’m happy with building AEW,” Strickland replied when asked if he’d consider returning to WWE in the future. “I’m happy with building myself in AEW. AEW has given me something that I don’t think WWE could ever give me. I’m really proud of that. I wave the flag proudly because Tony Khan didn’t take a chance on me, he knew what he wanted from me.”

“[Tony] put me in the position and he was like, ‘Now grow.’ I’m like ‘What avenues do I have to grow?’ He was like ‘Whatever you want.’ There were no parameters; there was no red tape. I learned how to become a true businessman on top of just a professional wrestler. That’s why the ‘Mogul’ persona is truly personified in AEW. It literally let me be my best self as a man and a professional.”

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In two-and-a-half years with AEW, Strickland has notably captured the AEW Tag Team and World Championships. The latter reign came to an end at the hands of Bryan Danielson at AEW All In on August 25. After that, Strickland pivoted his focus to former rival “Hangman” Adam Page, whom he later lost to in an Lights Out Steel Cage Match at AEW All Out. Strickland has been absent from AEW programming since then, though his on-screen manager Prince Nana did appear on last week’s episode of “AEW Dynamite.” 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Breakfast Club” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Hurricane Helene has damaged multiple areas of the United States over the past few days, and TNA Wrestling was forced to cancel its scheduled television tapings in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The tapings were originally slated for September 27 and 28 respectively, and were supposed to be moved to September 30 and October 1 once the storm had passed. However, the decision to scrap the tapings altogether was made.

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Fightful Select has been able to provide more details on the cancellation. TNA had put a lot of effort into promoting the tapings, as they were going to serve as the build-up to the Bound For Glory pay-per-view on October 26, which is the company’s biggest show of the year. Some of the staff that had already made their way to Spartanburg also had a rough time as the power in their hotel went out, which led to many of them charging their devices in their cars as there were no vacancies in the other hotels in the local area. The power had also been cut in the venue TNA was set to use, which was the nail in the coffin for the promotion’s chances of potentially holding any sort of event over the weekend.

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As for what TNA will do about programming, Fightful was told that there had been rumblings of running Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, next week. Skyway Studios was where TNA held their events during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the 2021 Slammiversary pay-per-view. TNA won’t have time to produce any new content for the episode of “TNA Impact” that is set to air on October 3, and the word floating around the company is that the company will air a “best of Bound For Glory” show in its place.