The road life of wrestlers always fascinated me. The idea of my favorite wrestlers packed 4 deep into a car, driving all night, city to city, meanwhile trying to fit in time for the gym, tanning, food, its very interesting. They probably have hundreds of stories. Can you imagine getting into a car accident with them & Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H & HBK step out the car? 😂😂
Dude that is crazy lol, the 9 year old in me in 1995 would go crazy and probably think, is this real if I saw them get out of the car. Also as a kid I always pictured WWF guys living this perfect life outside the ring and that as people as well they didn’t have any flaws and they were perfect, I just assumed they didn’t have any problems because they were famous and on tv, until I got to adulthood realizing the reality’s everyone faces as adults even them, and it even hurt my feelings to see how much problems these guys all had from abuse, to addiction, different education levels, mental health issues, violence, stories of them growing up. You look up to them and find out it’s like these were the most screwed up people out there
It sounds like a complete nightmare. I can understand it at a small time independent type level, but there's no excuse when it gets to the WWE. Office should be taking care of travel and accommodation.
@@brianm2881 This is why I don't respect billionaires. To get that rich you have to basically step on the backs of everyone who works for you and steal their livelihood.
Even though we're adults now, or I'll assume the majority of us are, and I don't need the same sort of stimulation as a younger person would, I still can't appreciate current wrestling. There's so much lacking
I grew up watching NWO live in the late 90s as a kid. Nash was a beast. That jacknife powerbomb move was one of the cleanest moves back then. Crazy to listen to him talk about this and thinking about it now as an adult how heavy that lifestyle was. Salute and much respect to u and the crew, Kevin Nash 🫡
The wear and tear on these guys is insane. The poor or short duration sleep, the drug use, the drinking, the physical toll of wrestling. Then there is the emotional tool of being away from family...
That’s always one of the things that I think is insane. The entire life they lived was insane but I just can’t imagine doing all of that while never really getting much of any sleep.
McMahon could have sprung for a damn SUV or van. I can’t imagine these giants in a damn family Sedan driving 4-5 hours a day. Shouts out to these wrestlers.
That was in the pre-WCW days before the big paydays, limited schedule, 5-star hotels, and first class plane tickets. WWF was struggling in the early 90's
People just don't realize how taxing this business is. And NOT just on your physical body. But also emotionally and otherwise. It can be VERY rewarding but not without MUCH sacrifice along the way. So too ALL the men and women that entertain us. THANK YOU...!!!
I would love more of this either from Kev or anyone else who's willing to tell it like it is without over-glamorizing it. I find the road routine/stories really interesting.
It’s crazy that these guys were drinking, popping somas and driving a motor vehicle at the same time and there was never a car accident or nobody died.
Being a wrestler on the road 300 days a year is a grueling life… sure, you can make great money as a top guy, but for the majority of guys on the roster, it’s just an absolute grind.
Thanks for sharing these stories Kevin! I'm 55yo and loved wrestling back then, cant watch it now tho!! Congrats on the HOF Kevin, you deserve it brother!!
I remember being at Denny’s after a show with a friend. It was around 11/11:30. Shawn Michaels walked in to pick up his takeout. My friend was going to get up and ask him for an autograph before he left, and I stopped him cold and advised him not to bother him - he’s tired and just wants to pay for his food and GTFO. In the end these guys are real people that had brutal schedules. I saw it then and that’s why I wasn’t star-struck seeing someone like HBK because to me he was just another dude that wanted to pick up his food and bounce without getting hassled.
These guys might be professional athletes, but they're still people, and they put their bodies through absolute hell for the sake of our entertainment.
I have been watching this for a while now and I never usually comment but I love this channel.. Kevin Nash you have been one of my favorite wrestlers since you started and to hear you be human and tell your stories is extremely awesome .. glad to be here 😎
When I was little you and Scott and bill worked out at my dads gym and I gave you a power bar you said thanks kid I felt like the man at 11 years old lol
As someone who toured in a van with musicians. You ALWAYS bring a towel. How he never thought to bring one is insane. We would hang it in the trailer every morning after showers. Only sucked when it was winter and you had to use a cold towel.
As someone who likes as much free chilling time as possible I cannot imagine living that life I would have lasted one week MAX in the wrestling business
That lifestyle seems like it would be cool for a couple weeks, but after a while would be miserable. No wonder they needed to be obliterated outta their minds
I have a rule of thumb when dealing with hotels and motels. 1. Strip everything off of the bed and use your own blankets, pillows, and cases. 2. when you shower never dry off with there towels, bring your own towels and washcloths, and use the hotel/motel towels to soak up the water in the floor. I ended up with warts on my stomach from using towels at a motel in Jonesboro Arkansas, and had to cut them off my stomach with nail clippers and thankfully they didn't grow back. Some hotels/motels especially those where I live in Arkansas what they like to do is after someone uses the towels for example is just hang them up and dry them, so unknown to the people at the motel you are in fact drying off with a dirty used dry towel, and the motel/hotel may do this a number of times to save on the washing bill. Same applies to the covers you slept on to not be washed and the maid just remakes the bed with the same linen and multiple people get the same covers. I'm not sure if the more expensive places do this to people, but I know there are cheap crappy ones that do this to save money.
Insane but true. I’m clean 7 years, but the guys I got started with had that same mentality of taking the pills on an empty stomach so you got every ounce of the good stuff. Then you’d get super hungry and eat. The soma thing was just stupid because they’re going to work regardless of what you eat. You’re just going to end up passing out with a mouth full of food and dying. Doesn’t matter if it’s pizza or a pickle, if you take 3-4 somas at a time they work and they work fast. Those things will kill you quick cause you get a tolerance super fast and you end up taking stupid amounts.
@@MJAce85 grapefruit juice, yes. Fatty foods no. The grape fruit juice has an enzyme that can inhibits CYP3A4 causing the opiate to increase which can cause you to die. That’s a scientific fact. There’s no scientific fact that eating carb heavy food makes opiates “hit” in any sort of way. I studied addiction for almost 8 years now. Myths like that and “brand name work better than generic” get ingrained in the addicts mind because we hear it from other addicts and we’re more prone to convincing ourselves of these things because the way our mind is wired. If you tell us standing on one leg will make the pill work faster we will convince ourself it’s a fact and it’ll make it feel that way to us simply because we’ve convinced ourselves it will. I don’t mean that to demean your feelings if that’s how you felt more power to you. I’m glad you’re clean, these days with fentanyl an opiate addiction is basically a death sentence. God willing we both stay the course.
These dudes would drive long distances on pills and beer, but you might be surprised just how many average people do that as well. It's scary to realize that.
This is why I stopped giving into road rage, there’s no point. People are either too high out of their mind to even notice your honking or riding their ass, or they’re straight up crazy and will shoot you. It seems like it’s gotten worse since the pandemic too. I try to drive more defensively now and stay away from other cars.
@@mikeg2491 I don't drive at all because of how dangerous it is. It blows my mind how so many people are so nonchalant about getting in a cube of death flying 70 miles an hour, and that's even before taking into consideration all the other dopey psycho's on the road with you that you're depending on with your life
Going way back (=40+ yrs.) when they had matches at the Nassau Coliseum, the bar at the Marriot/Uniondale,N.Y. was packed with wrestlers, fans, & women who wanted to meet the guys.
Never done drugs or drank but I love hearing stories from the road. I only got to be a pro wrestler for about a year. I never really got to travel with anyone but I didn’t know anyone and they didn’t like me cuz I didn’t party
Snuka and Bradley, the best of times ! R.I.P to the best there ever was and the best there ever will be, Jimmy Snuka the best friend I ever had in my life
I think part of what allured him and Scott to WCW was less days working, so the travel wouldn't be as shitty as he describes in this video, but would include more of the "fun" that you hear about at hotel bars and such.
@@adamalberts2 I can imagine the WCW locker room had no structure at all which made wrestlers more relaxed and care free. However someone as professional as Bret wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.
@3:40 😂😂😂😂. I was ACTUALLY THINKING THIS EXACT THING RIGHT NOW!! Because I just popped a few pills and I’m holding off from eating for about an hour! , ✋🏽 Hand to God. !!😂😂😂😂 Classic that Nash was saying the exact same thing, at the same exact time!! But yes, I’ve been living and using that theory for 20 years! ✋🏽Hand to God!
And the Kliq members were in good shape. This is what baffles me about guys like Lugar or Rude who were in even better aesthetic shape. The discipline to maintain that shape while on this schedule seems impossible to me. And please no idiots reply to this comment and say Roids.
I'm assuming you don't want anyone to say "roids" because it's already implied.. I'm also assuming that you're still saying it still took serious dedication anyway...
Luger and Rude had god tier genetics that makes it easier to maintain that kind of low body fat % than majority of us normal people, and based on Nash's story everything just becomes a habit, like ordering them the egg whites and chicken breasts to make sure you get the right amounts of protein everyday, also when you're that jacked you can get away w/ working out just 3-4 days a week as long as your diet is always on point.
My two worst hotel experiences were the Red Roof Inn (previous guest's dirty underwear left beside the bed) and the Red Carpet Inn (musty, sticky carpet). Needless to say, I'll never again stay anywhere that has 'Red' on the marquee...
The only time I ever stayed at the Red Roof Inn was in Gallup, New Mexico and these 2 mexican dudes in the room next to us got into a wild, crazy fight at 2AM and beat each other to a bloody mess and broke literally every single mirror, chair, lamp, TV, night stand, you name it they broke it, one guy's ear was ripped off, the other guy's eye was half ripped out, blood everywhere, cops had to drag them out and hand cuff them to the railing and they were STILL trying to kill each other. All over these 2 teenage girls who just sat there and laughed the whole time. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep that night, but the bed was comfy!
Whats crazy is this isn't like some independent promotion or a smaller company, this was the WWF/E the biggest wrestling company in the world, insane...
I remember reading an article in an early '99 WCW Magazine where a writer spent a few days on the road with Kevin Nash. At one point, he mentioned after their wake up call, Kevin gave him five aspirin and Nash took eight and then said, “Talk about an awesome hangover cure.” As a kid, I didn't get it, but I sure did later! 😆
This is NOT what I remember. I think Nash is toning it down for his wife. Going back to mid 80s: - WWF, NWA, WCW would stay at Phila Airport Marriott/Hilton. - They would stay overnight always. - Wrestlers would go to lobby bar. Philly had a great hotel bar. - Lobby was filled with RATS. Many wrestlers would bring them to room. - Wrestlers would go back to airport (not drive).
I think it would've been a better strategy to go to a hotel after the event and sleep there and do the driving in the morning. That way you don't have to worry about getting kicked out of the hotel. Like leave the hotel around 8-9 AM the next day then do the drive. Then do the workout in the city you're working that night in the afternoon. But I guess driving at night has the advantage of you not having to worry about oversleeping and not leaving yourself enough time for the drive and there's less traffic at night.
@@devangpatel5227 I guess that and they're still too wired from working that they're in no position to go to sleep as soon as the event was over with. And if you drive in the middle of the night theres a lot less traffic to deal with. So there is positives and negatives on both sides of things now that I think about it.
@@joemckim1183 it just sounds awful, i normally sleep 5 and a half to 6 hours at night but that's at home, hearing the lifestyle the guys had and functioning on barely 5 hours sleep max is crazy
