KEVIN NASH BACKSTAGE AT SUMMERSLAM
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – August 25, 2002 – Kevin Nash showed up at SummerSlam wearing a bulky knee brace and a big smile.
Nash, who is recovering from surgery to repair a quadriceps tendon that he tore during a July episode of RAW, said that he came mostly to see his friend Shawn Michaels return to the ring after a four-year absence.
“This could potentially be his last match ever, so I wouldn’t want to miss it,” Nash told WWE.com early in the afternoon. “I expect it to steal the show.”
When asked how he was feeling, Nash smirked and replied, “Well, I’m walking.” He took his first steps since the surgery just three days ago and continues to spend the bulk of his time rehabilitating his leg.
“I usually start around 10, go for two and a half hours, break for lunch and go back for another two and a half hours,” he said. “I usually get done at around 4:30 or 5 p.m. after doing two, two and a half hour sessions per day.”
Nash, who has undergone numerous knee surgeries over the course of his athletic career said that the torn quad surpasses the discomfort those injuries created. “It’s way more painful,” he said. “You can at least put weight on a (torn) ACL. There’s a lot of intangibles that make this a very painful injury.”
Nash spent a good deal of time catching up with several other Superstars, and commented about the recent separation between his friend Sean “X-Pac” Waltman and World Wrestling Entertainment. “Sean needed a break from the company and I think the company needed a break from Sean,” he said. “I read the Ross Report where J.R. said that Sean is one of his favorite people. Sometimes it’s just better to take a break. Everybody knows how great X-Pac is. I think he just needs to take some time and take care of some things in his personal life.”
Nash said he would not be attending RAW or SmackDown!, electing instead to get back to his rigorous rehabilitation. “Rehab’s a whole day, so I don’t have a lot of time to do anything else,” he said. “That’s not going to change until I’m ready to come back. Plus, I’ve got a little boy I have to raise.”