Kevin Nash
A towering figure in wrestling's boom period who masterminded the industry-shifting nWo faction and became a pop-culture phenomenon.
Born 1959 (age 67)·American wrestler·Birthday: July 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Kevin Nash used his seven-foot frame not just as a physical weapon, but as a psychological chess piece in the theater of professional wrestling. Initially finding fame as Diesel, a dominant WWE champion in the mid-90s, his true impact came with a jump to WCW. There, as the cool, calculating outsider, he was a founding architect of the New World Order, a storyline that revolutionized the business and ignited the Monday Night Wars. Nash played the role with a laid-back, sarcastic menace that connected with audiences, making him one of the era's biggest stars. Beyond the ring, his sharp wit and understanding of the industry's politics made him a influential backstage figure, and he later enjoyed a second act as a self-aware character in TNA and a charismatic presence in films and podcasts.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Kevin was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kevin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Kevin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the WWF Championship once as Diesel, holding the title for nearly a year.
- Was a founding member of the New World Order (nWo), the most influential faction in modern wrestling history.
- Won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship five times during the company's peak popularity.
- Formed the influential backstage group 'The Kliq' with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman.
Did You Know?
He played the Russian superhero Super Shredder in the 1991 film 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'.
Before wrestling, he played college basketball at the University of Tennessee.
He and Scott Hall famously jumped from WWE to WCW on the same day in 1996.
Nash has a degree in criminal justice.
““The only thing that’s real in this business is the money and the miles.””
