Kings of Wrestling and feuding with Jeff Jarrett (2004–2005)
Nash debuted in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling alongside the returning Scott Hall on November 7, 2004 at the inaugural monthly TNA
pay-per-view,
Victory Road, with the duo helping
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett retain his title in a
ladder match with
Jeff Hardy.
[14] In subsequent weeks, the trio identified themselves as the
Kings of Wrestlingand began
feuding with Hardy and
A.J. Styles. At
Turning Point on December 5, the Kings of Wrestling were defeated by Hardy, Styles, and Randy Savage. Hall left TNA in early 2005, and Nash and Jarrett separated after Nash made clear his desire to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Nash received a title shot against Jarrett on February 13, 2005 at
Against All Odds, but lost following interference from the debuting
Outlaw.
[14] Following the defeat, Nash joined forces with
Sean Waltman and began feuding with the newly formed
Planet Jarrett. At
Destination X on March 13, Nash lost to The Outlaw in a
First Blood matchfollowing interference from Jarrett, who struck Nash with his title belt. The rivalry between Planet Jarrett and Nash and his allies culminated in a scheduled
Lethal Lockdown match at
Lockdown on April 24 pitting Nash, Waltman, and
Diamond Dallas Page against Jarrett, The Outlaw, and "The Alpha Male"
Monty Brown. Nash, however, was removed from the card and replaced with
B.G. James after contracting a
staph infection, which left him sidelined for much of 2005.
Nash returned to TNA on October 1, 2005 on the first episode of
TNA Impact! to be aired on
Spike TV,
[14] attacking and
powerbombingJarrett. Nash went on to challenge Jarrett to a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at
Bound for Glory on October 23. In the weeks preceding the event, Nash and Jarrett had several heated confrontations, on one occasion brawling with one another and with guest referee
Tito Ortiz. On October 22, one day before Bound for Glory, Nash was hospitalized with
chest pains. At Bound for Glory, a
battle royalwas held to determine the number one contender;
Rhino won and then defeated Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Nash was later discharged from the hospital, having suffered a mild cardiac episode. He made a partial return to the ring in December 2005, wrestling several matches on a tour of
South Africa.
X Division and Paparazzi Productions (2006–2007)
Nash returned to TNA once more on the April 27, 2006 episode of
Impact!, announcing in a pre-taped segment that he would give a private interview to
Alex Shelley one week later. The interview saw Nash claim to be the most
profitable WWF World Heavyweight Champion of all time and describe the
X Division as "basically filler". Nash went on to announce that he intended to destroy the X Division in order to reassert his position within TNA. He began his campaign at
Sacrifice on May 14, powerbombing
Puma and continued his campaign on the May 19 episode of
Impact! by attacking
Chris Sabin shortly after he had defeated
Petey Williams to win the
TNA 2006 World X Cup Tournament for
Team USA. Nash continued to attack X Division wrestlers over subsequent weeks, leading to Sabin challenging him to a match at
Slammiversary. Nash's attacks were also coupled with pre-taped segments with Shelley (some appearing only on the internet website
YouTube) and his "X Division debut" on the June 15 episode of
Impact!, where Nash wrestled a comedy match against a midget Shelley dubbed a "Sabin-type wrestler". Nash defeated Sabin at Slammiversary in his second televised match in almost a year, albeit with the assistance of Shelley. Around this time, Nash and Shelley formed a stable known as Paparazzi Productions, with
Johnny Devine as a cameraman. Nash then decided to go for the X Division championship. He got penciled into a Number One Contendership match for the title against Sabin at
Hard Justice. He claimed that he had developed an 840° somersault splash that he would unveil in the match. However, over the weekend, he suffered a mysterious neck injury, supposedly while practicing it with
Tito Ortiz, and named Alex Shelley as his replacement in the match. From a wheelchair, Nash was helpless as he watched Shelley lose the match to Sabin. Nash remained out of action due to the injury, but returned prior to
Bound for Glory, and announced
The Kevin Nash Open Invitational X Division Gauntlet Battle Royal.
Austin Starrwon the match. Nash took an interest in Starr, which seemed to be at the behest of Shelley. Nash then worked with the X Division stars in a weekly segment known as the Paparazzi Championship Series (a play on the "Bowl Championship Series"). He also began continuing these skits along with
Sonjay Dutt and
Jay Lethal, in a segment called "Paparazzi Idol". Nash became a manager of sorts for Lethal, helping him adopt a gimmick where he impersonated "Macho Man" Randy Savage. At
Sacrifice, Lethal and Dutt had an altercation. Nash broke it up, but Sonjay kicked him. Sonjay apologized, and Nash forgave him. Dutt then became the "Guru" with Nash humming mantras backstage.
He then announced his intentions to begin managing
The Motor City Machineguns, but would actually next appear in the role of Dr. Nash, "psychiatrist" and adviser to
Kurt and
Karen Angle. Nash then engaged in a small program with TNA Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle, which eventually culminated in Nash aiding Angle. Nash warned the Angles about how dangerous Sting can be based on Nash's experience feuding with Sting in WCW. At
Bound for Glory, Nash interfered on Angle's behalf during his World Title defense against Sting. However, it was for naught, as Sting captured the title from Angle via
Scorpion Death Drop after fending off Nash and Angle's wife, Karen. The following Thursday on
Impact!, Nash and Angle had an altercation because Angle blamed Nash for him losing the World Title. Angle eventually attacked Nash, who retaliated by Jackknife Powerbombing Angle in the middle of the ring. The following week, Sting defended the TNA World Title against Angle in a rematch from Bound for Glory, and Nash had a ringside seat. After the match went on a bit, Angle and Sting were out of the ring and when Angle pushed Sting onto Nash, Sting turned around and knocks Nash in the face with a right hand shot, leading to Nash interfering on Angle's behalf, even though earlier he said he wasn't going to help Angle. Following the match, which Angle won, Nash offered a hand shake to Angle only to be "
flipped off" by the new champ. An enraged Nash demanded a match with Angle, but
TNA Management's public face,
Jim Cornette, instead booked Nash into a tag team match as Angle's partner against Sting and a partner of his choosing, with the stipulation being that the person gaining the pinfall or submission would be crowned the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. After a
red herring that Scott Hall was the mystery partner, it was revealed to be Booker T.
The Main Event Mafia and Legends Champion (2008–2009)
At
Final Resolution, Nash and his partner
Samoa Joe lost in a title match to
TNA World Tag Team Champions A.J. Styles and Tomko after Nash abandoned and seemingly betrayed Joe. Yet on the following Impact, when Joe stormed into Nash's locker room looking for a fight, Nash was actually able to persuade Joe into accepting his
Machiavellian mentorship. Nash lost to Kurt Angle in a one-on-one match on
Impact! with the winner qualifying for the Three Ways to Glory match at
No Surrender. On the September 11 edition of
Impact, prior to No Surrender, he seemingly parted ways with Joe on good terms. One month later, Nash returned at
Bound for Glory IV and in a
swerve, turned heel on Joe by striking him in the back with Sting's bat and helping Sting win the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On October 23, he formally joined Sting, Booker T, and Kurt Angle to create a villainous stable called
The Main Event Mafia. He explained that he never forgave Joe for his scathing comments directed at his best friend Scott Hall's no-show almost a year prior, and befriending him was all part of a long term plan to screw him out of the title. He then went on to defeat Joe at
Turning Point. Nash, however, was removed from the card for
Genesis due to a
staph infection, and was replaced by
Cute Kip. Nash returned on the January 29 edition of
Impact! when the Main Event Mafia took over the show. On
Impact! on April 23, he began an on-screen relationship with
Jenna Morasca, who subsequently began acting as his valet. At
Slammiversary, he was reunited with Joe, who became a
villain and helped Angle win the World Heavyweight Championship.
On the following edition of
Impact!, after Angle announced the death of the Main Event Mafia and turned
face, Nash also became a face as he began feuding with Eric Young and the World Elite.
[33]
Alliance with the World Elite (2009)
However, the following month at
Turning Point Nash helped World Elite members
Doug Williams and
Brutus Magnus retain their TNA World Tag Team Championship, thus once again becoming a heel.
[34] On the following edition of
Impact! Nash congratulated Young on outsmarting him at Bound for Glory and aligned himself with the World Elite, while also hinting at the return of the nWo once Hulk Hogan arrived in TNA, as when a paranoid
Mick Foley came to him for information on who Hogan would be coming with, he facetiously suggested names such as
Syxx-Pac,
Scott Steiner,
Buff Bagwell, and Scott Hall. Further suspicion was aroused to Hall’s return when Nash said that he was getting "the band" back together, hinting at an nWo return.
[35] At
Final Resolution Nash took part in the "
Feast or Fired" match and won the briefcase containing a shot at the
TNA World Tag Team Championship.
[36]
The Band (2010)
On the January 4, 2010, special live, three-hour Monday night edition of
Impact! Hogan made his debut in TNA, and Scott Hall and Sean Waltman made their return to the company to greet him. Nash, Hall and Waltman quickly reformed their alliance, but Hogan kept himself out of the group, claiming that times have changed.
[37] At
Genesis in their first match back together Nash and Syxx-Pac, who replaced Scott Hall in the match, were defeated by Beer Money, Inc.
[38] On the February 4 edition of
Impact! Hall and Syxx-Pac turned on Nash.
[39] At
Destination X Nash and Young faced Hall and Syxx-Pac in a tag team match, where the Band's TNA futures were on the line. In the end Nash turned heel after turning on Young and helping the Band pick up the victory, which finally gave them contracts with the company.
[40] On the March 29 edition of
Impact! Nash offered Young a spot in the Band, claiming that what happened in Destination X was just business and nothing personal. Young refused the offer and in the main event of the evening, teamed up with
Rob Van Dam and
Jeff Hardy to defeat the Band in a six man tag team steel cage match.
[41] Nash gained a measure of revenge on Young by defeating him in a steel cage match at
Lockdown. Later in the night, Nash replaced Syxx-Pac, who no-showed the event, and teamed up with Hall in a St. Louis Street Fight, where they were defeated by
Team 3D.
[42] On the May 3 edition of
Impact! Eric Young turned on Team 3D and joined The Band.
[43] On May 4, at the tapings of the May 13 edition of
Impact!, after TNA World Tag Team Champion
Matt Morgan had been attacked by Samoa Joe, Nash cashed in his "Feast or Fired" contract, teaming with Hall, and pinned him to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
[44] Nash later named Young one third of the champions under the
Freebird rule.
[45][46] At the June 14 tapings of the June 17 edition of
Impact! The Band was stripped of the Tag Team Championship, due to Scott Hall's legal problems.
[47][48] The following day it was reported that Hall had been released from his contract with TNA.
[49] On the June 24 edition of
Impact! Nash and Young decided to part ways, as Nash intended to go after Hogan, whom he blamed for what had happened to Hall and Waltman, and didn't want Young to get into trouble for it.
[50][51]
Alliance with Sting and Dinero, and Retirment (2010)
MUHAMMAD USMAN AWAN
