Kevin Nash Reveals Why He Turned Down Ready to Rumble Movie Role Despite Big Opportunity

Kevin Nash had no interest in stepping onto a movie set for Ready to Rumble—and now he’s explained exactly why.

During Kliq This #183: F** NEW YEARS*, a fan question brought up the WCW-produced 2000 film Ready to Rumble, noting that Diamond Dallas Page was reportedly offered $100,000 less than Nash, even though Nash ultimately didn’t appear in the movie. That prompted Big Kev to finally explain why he turned it down—and it came down to money and common sense. According to Nash, he was initially offered the role and made it clear to producers that he’d only do it for a premium payday.

“I turned it down when it was offered to me the first time. Like, they came to me as the choice and I told them how much I wanted — and it was astronomical,” Nash said.

After some back and forth, WCW came back with a lower offer—but Nash quickly realized he’d make more money just showing up to work on Nitro for a few weeks rather than filming a feature-length movie.

“So the difference was: you could do Ready to Rumble and make, say, a couple hundred thousand, or you could not do Ready to Rumble and just do Nitros over the course of, like, fin’ 12 weeks,”* he explained. “I’m thinking, f, man — I’ll go home.”*

Sean Oliver replied, “Of course you did.” And Nash added with a smirk, “I’d already done Sabrina that year, so I already qualified for my SAG. So I was good.”

So while other WCW stars signed on for the campy 2000 comedy, Nash made the easier call—stay home, get paid more, and skip a film he clearly had no personal interest in doing. In typical fashion, he wasn’t about to put himself through the hassle of a movie set when the Nitro paychecks were easier and better.

Nash’s decision perfectly reflects his pragmatic approach to the business: get paid, protect your body, and never waste time for a weaker check.

Are you surprised Nash turned down Ready to Rumble for that reason? Do you think the movie would’ve been different with him in it? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear your take.

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