On the last Fair to Flair podcast, we talked about why they brought in Kevin Nash. We came to the conclusion that Nash is here to make every single wrestling fan know that we should cheer for CM Punk.
Punk is a divisive character. Because he has such strong characteristics — and because those same characteristics fuelled his villainy for the past three years — it can be difficult for some to cheer him. I’m not talking about the smarktard audience who will never be pleased with anything — I mean people who literally cheer and boo for things based on plot and character action. They slowly segued Punk into a hero. They began with Cena, who comes with his own built-in split audience. But then, who to move him to? HHH? There’s still a large part of the audience that likes and respect him. In fact, if you look up and down at the important characters in WWE, a lot of them have split audiences. Very few guys on Raw are universally loved or hated by 100% of WWE’s audience.
Kevin Nash does not have a split audience.
Fans of character don’t like Nash because he’s always been out for himself, and always appeared just a little too cool for school. This made him an ineffective hero and a laughable villain.
Wrestling fans don’t like him because he hasn’t had a good match since 1996.
Fans of movements don’t like him because outside of the first six months of the nWo, he’s never contributed anything terribly positive to any plot that didn’t involve humour.
It’s impossible to sympathize with Kevin Nash. He’s made a career out of hanging with his buddies, signing comically large contracts, and laughing in the face of wrestling’s secrets and traditions. Even people who support Nash know better than to think he’ll ever “put someone over” or “job” if he can help it.
Last night, when they baited and switched with Nash’s “car accident”, I actually rolled my eyes. There it is, I thought. That’s how they’ll suddenly write Nash off, just like old times. But then it hit me: they know that we know Nash has a history of ducking out. They know what the entire audience thinks of Kevin Nash. They know we all think it’s a bad idea to bring him in, because there isn’t any possible way this story can end with a) CM Punk looking great, and b) bigger business. And that’s entirely why they brought him in.
Do you remember what I said a few weeks ago?
How to build trust with a wrestling audience
Step 1: Promise something utterly implausible and delightful.
Step 2: Deliver.
It’s generally bad money to bet on Nash. But having him around CM Punk makes Punk a hero by default, and it also boosts his credibility. A year ago, Punk couldn’t beat The Big Show. Today? He’s made fools of HHH, John Cena, and now Nash. If Nash leaves mid-story, it only makes Punk seem more authentic, more honest. If Nash stays, then I have no doubt his singular job is to make Punk look like a king. Nash himself said “I don’t work here. I don’t have to put him over.” Do the math. If he does work there, what does he have to do?
I’m not saying it’s likely. I’m not saying Nash making things better is ever going to happen. I’m in fact saying that it’s implausible and delightful. But lately, WWE has been in the business of improving Step 2. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt.
K Sawyer Paul is an author and publisher living in Toronto. He tweets and tumbls. In the wrestling world he is known for This is Sports Entertainment and International Object.
Edited by TH.
