Rob Van Dam isn’t convinced Kevin Nash deserves all the criticism that’s been coming his way. After Scott Hall’s ex-wife recently questioned whether Nash should even call Hall his best friend, RVD weighed in and admitted he doesn’t know enough to judge the more serious allegations—but he does think people are missing the bigger picture.
Speaking on his 1 Of A Kind podcast, RVD said he wasn’t interested in attacking Dana Hall or pretending he knew exactly what happened behind the scenes. When the conversation turned to her claims that Nash had crossed personal boundaries, RVD stressed that he couldn’t verify any of it one way or the other.
“I don’t really want to say anything to attack her… it’s just, you know, there’s people like that… vibrational incompatibility. Let me just leave it at that. I thought it sounded like she was suggesting that there was like a pass made, something like that… But then in the post-interview comments it seemed they mention it or imply that there was some different line crossed. I don’t know, and I don’t… no reason to believe it, no reason to doubt it.”
What RVD did take away from the interview was something much different. In his eyes, Dana’s biggest issue seemed to be her belief that Nash promised to be there for Scott Hall’s son, Cody, after Scott passed away, but never lived up to that promise.
“I heard her saying that Kevin… I guess Kevy said that he would be there for the son… Cody… and then her claim is that he hasn’t been there. That’s what I got out of the whole show, was that most of her complaint was that Kevin said he was going to be around for Cody and he hasn’t been.”
That’s where RVD started defending Nash. He pointed out that not long after Scott Hall died, Nash went through a devastating loss of his own when his son, Tristen, passed away. From RVD’s perspective, it’s impossible to ignore how much that could have changed Nash’s life. RVD said that alone is enough reason to give Nash some grace instead of assuming the worst.
“Dude lost his own f****** son. I just want to state the obvious. I can totally imagine him saying, ‘Hey, you know, I’m going to be there… give me a call if you need some manly advice. You need an uncle, something.’ But then he… his own f****** kid died.
Can’t you… wouldn’t you cut Kevin some slack based on the fact that he lost his own son Tristen and however he’s been dealing with that whole process might not include going and seeing his best friend’s son? Sometimes it’s okay to be selfish. Sometimes you have to be.”
The part RVD disagreed with most was the suggestion that Nash shouldn’t keep referring to Scott Hall as his best friend. He said he simply doesn’t believe what happened afterwards automatically changes what their friendship meant.
“She’s saying that he’s… ‘Quit claiming you were best friends because you weren’t. Otherwise, you would be acting differently than you do right now.’ And that doesn’t… I can’t get behind that.”
RVD then spoke from personal experience, explaining that wrestling has unfortunately forced him to deal with the deaths of many friends over the years. He said everyone wants to help a wrestler’s family after a tragedy, but figuring out exactly what that means isn’t always as simple as people think.
“Who knows what the right thing to do is when you lose someone that you love and then you’re around their family? We’ve certainly had a lot of practice at it. I’ve been to a lot of funerals myself. Sometimes after one of my friends dies… I’m going to do whatever I can to help her out. But what does that really mean, though? Are you really going to do whatever you can? Where do you draw the line? Where are you too selfish? Where are you being a good friend, a good brother?”
RVD made it clear he wasn’t trying to dismiss Dana Hall’s feelings or claim he knows everything that happened. He simply doesn’t think those circumstances erase the friendship Kevin Nash and Scott Hall shared.
“I just think that was a really relevant thing to talk about when it comes to someone saying that Kevin wasn’t… Scott’s best friend. He probably was.”
RVD isn’t saying Kevin Nash handled every situation perfectly. His point is that life became a lot more complicated after Scott Hall’s death, especially once Nash lost his own son. From his perspective, that’s enough reason not to rush to rewrite the history of one of wrestling’s closest friendships.
What do you think? Do you agree with RVD that Kevin Nash deserves more grace, or do you understand why Dana Hall feels differently? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
