In the 2011 WWE Royal Rumble match, Kevin Nash, who appeared in his Diesel persona, entered as No. 32 in the 40-man bout.
Diesel lasted for 2 minutes and 45 seconds before getting eliminated by Wade Barrett.
On a recent edition of his “Kliq This” podcast, Nash recalled the intense physicality of the match, particularly the pounding he received from Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. He said,
“Those two guys pounded me like I owed them money. And the whole f***in’ place is chanting ‘Diesel, Diesel.’ And I mean, they’re just relentlessly just f***in’ chewing me alive. And I’m thinking, like… you know what, man? I’m too old to f***in’, like, fight from underneath. I’m just, like– I’ll just take the beating. I’m getting eliminated here in a minute.”
In a recent interview with WhatCulture, former WWE Superstar Shelton Benjamin spoke highly of Billy Gunn’s athletic abilities, referring to the 60-year-old veteran as the most accomplished athlete to have pursued a career in professional wrestling.
Benjamin said, “Every time people say that, it’s flattering ring because I look at all the greats that have come down. Great athletes like Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat and Macho Man (Randy Savage). To me, I think the greatest athlete to ever enter pro wrestling is Billy Gunn. Billy Gunn…have you seen him? To this day, he can out-bump anyone and out-work anyone. I can’t think of a better athlete. I think he’s number one and I’m number two. Shoutout to Billy Gunn. You are the friggin’ man. He’s the Hulk. We made this analogy one time about Billy Gunn. ‘When you see Billy Gunn on TV, it’s like seeing David Banner. It’s when you meet him in person that you realize he’s the Hulk.’ That’s how ripped Bully Gunn is. He’s a monster of a man.”
