Kevin Nash has named Steve Austin as the most popular wrestler he witnessed during his career, with the WWE Hall of Famer reaching the conclusion after watching a Billie Eilish documentary.
Speaking on Kliq This, Kevin Nash explained that he watched the documentary twice while travelling, initially after his son recommended it. The second viewing prompted Nash to consider the connection Eilish has with her audience and how it compares with the relationship between professional wrestlers and their fans.
Nash described Eilish’s concerts as a safe environment for fans who may feel as though they do not fit into wider society, with her music creating a particularly strong emotional connection. That led Nash to consider the wrestlers he had seen generate the biggest reactions during his own career.
“There are so many guys in our business that have thought at one time or another, like I’m so over, and they’ve had these moments,” Nash said.
For Nash, however, nobody surpassed Austin.
“Personally myself, the most over person that I saw in my career was Steve. When the glass broke, that pop was always there.”
Kevin Nash Explains Why Steve Austin Connected With WWE Fans
Kevin Nash believes Steve Austin’s ability to connect with ordinary wrestling fans was a major reason for his extraordinary popularity during WWE’s Attitude Era.
“I think because he was that everyman kind of a guy, he was so easy to relate to, for so much of that wrestling community, especially in ’97.”
Nash stopped short of saying Austin’s connection with wrestling audiences was identical to what he witnessed from Eilish’s fans.
“Steve would be probably the closest,” Nash said. “And I don’t mean this in any disrespect to Steve or Steve’s overness, but when you watch Billie Eilish, and she’s singing, and everyone in a 20,000-seat arena is singing with her, they’re crying with the same emotion.”
Nash believes the distinction lies in the type of relationship involved. Wrestling fans were responding to Austin and the character he portrayed, while he viewed the emotional connection between Eilish and her audience differently.
Austin’s rise during 1997 and 1998 helped establish him as WWE’s biggest star during one of the most significant periods in company history.
He won consecutive Royal Rumble matches in 1997 and 1998 before defeating Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 14. WWE subsequently ended WCW’s 83-week winning streak in the Monday night television ratings.
Nash knew Austin personally during their wrestling careers and recalled travelling with him before both became major stars.
