As noted, The Outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, were the most recent guests on “Legends with JBL”, which you can watch in full via the WWE Network. Below are some interview highlights:
On Hall’s Mindset Going Into His Last WWE Match Before Going to WCW:
Hall: I remember rolling out of Madison Square Garden because my contract was up. So I started the next day, and thinking, you know, riding with my buddies, we did the “Curtain Call,” which was Shawn’s idea. It morphed into this huge heat-sinking thing but I remember driving out of there thinking, wow, I will never be at Madison Square Garden again. I may never be in front of a sold out crowd again. When I left the ring after I put Triple H over, the fans were chanting, “You Sold Out,” and I was going, yep, I did. I already had my name chanted around the world. I went to Vince and asked for more money, and he said no. So, I went out to get the most guaranteed money on a contract. At first I was leaving, I was showing Kevin my “favored nation” (Favored Nation: If another superstar gets more money than you, then your salary is raised to reflect the increased amount that the other superstar receives). Initially he wasn’t going to go, but it was like, oh I was so happy Kevin was going to go there with me, but I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when we were going to go over there.
On Asking Vince for More Money Before Leaving for WCW:
Hall: I was never a mark about winning or losing. I was always in the business like it’s a team sport. I considered myself the Tito Santana of my era. Upper-middle babyface. By that time, when you went through me you had Diesel, then you had Shawn. But, I was that guy, if you had a match through me and if you got through me then you went up, and if not, you go down. I was a babyface. They kept chanting my name; and at that time it was a private company. I went to Vince and said, “Hey boss, is it my ring work, my mic skills, is there anything else I need to do? He said, “No, you’re doing great.” I said to him that I was curious because my pay has plateaued, but I realize at that time to Vince, if you make more, it is coming out of his pocket, you know, so I said, listen, I’m no mathematician, but I do look at the merchandise statements, if we move to the decimal places a little bit, will the McMahon family notice because the Hall family would. He said, nope, I’m not going to do it. I asked for the same pay as Shawn and Undertaker and he said no, I’m not going to do it. I knew I was going to meet with Vince, I said, ok, if a fan buys a Razor shirt, since that is their money, can I have more of that? No, he replied. I still want to work for you, but can I go to Japan and work like 10-12 weeks a year and get some of their money? He goes, well, I’m not going to say no, but if I let you go down there I’m going to need you here, and I went, ok, like ouch. I saw my opportunities closing.
Nash: I left on the 6th of June and my son was born June 12th. We’ve done the “starving artist,” so now I want to get paid. I got into this business to get paid. I’m a Detroit kid, that is what you do. You are brought up with that blue-collar mentality.
On Larry Zbyszko Helping with Hall’s Debut in WCW:
Hall: To me, the only reason why it worked was because people really believed Vince sent us there because they were doing the slogan of, “Where the Big Boys Play.” Whenever somebody would leave and go to WWE it would show Sting beating them and the slogan would come back up, “Where the Big Boys Play.” The night I debuted and went through the crowd, I give major props to Larry Zbyszko. He helped me out a lot during the AWA days, and he was the one, because at the time, Bischoff wanted me to come out to music and come out through the ring isle, and I would have done it and said to him, “Whatever you want brother.” Zbyszko said, “No, no, he has to come through the crowd. He doesn’t work here.” That’s what to me what made it work. So, when he goes to the ring, he doesn’t beat the other guys up, he just goes on the mic and everyone stops working because it becomes a shoot.
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