Author: Imagine being trapped on an overseas flight with the WWF roster in the ‘90s. Kevin Nash lived it, and thankfully, he remembers everything. In this breakdown, Nash explains the cardinal rule: "Never Fall Asleep on a Flight!" – detailing the ruthless pranks that followed. He then connects those pranks to potentially serious consequences, hinting that Savio Vega’s retaliation may have cost him his job. Beyond the backstage politics, Nash shares mind-boggling tales of Yokozuna’s sheer size, Undertaker’s impenetrable aura, and the wild atmosphere that defined their travels.
Kevin Nash: "Never Fall Asleep on a Flight!"
In an interview with Kayfabe Commentaries, Kevin Nash described why it was never smart for wrestlers to fall asleep on a flight. Nash also implied why Savio Vega was fired from WWE in 1998 while opening up about Yokozuna, the Undertaker, and more.
"If you fall asleep on an overseas flight, you were f***ed!"
Kevin Nash paints a vivid picture of what was expected if this happened when traveling with the WWE circus in the ’90s.
"Minimum, you were going to have a shaving cream turban, have a missing eyebrow, and have your sunglasses superglued to your face. You were going to also have a sharpie Hitler mustache if you didn’t have a mustache."
Simply put, "You were going to get f***ed with!"
The Implied Reason Savio Vega Was Fired from the WWF
Nash continued, "I remember when Savio Vega cut Scott [Hall] and Shawn [Michael] ’s hair. He took a little piece of the mullet! I don’t think Shawn or Scott fell asleep on a plane after that. Savio didn’t either. I don’t think he was around much longer after that. I think he was pretty much, ‘Adios, amigos!’
"Scott brought him in as his buddy from Puerto Rico. I don’t give a f*** what [Shawn or Scott] did to [Savio], you don’t f***ing do that (cut someone else’s hair). I guess he didn’t know what the food chain was…"
Coach vs. First Class
Many wrestlers used to opt for a coach seat over first-class. Even big men like the Undertaker and Yokozuna used to sit in the back of the plane. For one, it stopped arguments over the pecking order. As Kevin Nash once said, “Just ask The Hardy Boys what happens when you take a first-class seat over a veteran!”
Not only was sitting in coach a way to avoid Wrestlers’ Court for some, but for others, sitting in the back of the plane was just more comfortable.
DID YOU KNOW? In 1999, when The Hardy Boyz won their first WWE Tag Team Championships, as a reward, Michael Hayes upgraded their seats to first class on a flight, unaware veteran Kane (Glen Jacobs) had already booked the same seats. When Kane arrived late due to travel delays, he was forced to sit in coach while the rookies kept their upgraded spots. This breach of locker room hierarchy landed Matt and Jeff in Wrestlers’ Court, WWE’s infamous backstage "tribunal" led by The Undertaker as judge and JBL as prosecutor.
"Nobody flies first class," Kevin Nash explained. "I’m flying to India, and I’ve got Yoko on one side of me and Taker on the other. [Yoko] just took two seats [to fit in the back]. Even when he [was champion], he would never like sitting in first class because it was uncomfortable for him. It was amazing when Yoko would sit down because his a** was so big!"
Nash continued, "When I was driving, and he was sitting next to me in a Town Car, he was like this much taller than me sitting because his butt gave him a boost. It was amazing! I would be talking to Yoko like this [bends back and looks up] in the car, and I’m a 7-foot guy!"
"No-Sell" Undertaker
"I remember one time when we went to Israel, it was the same thing. We were twenty days on the road, and we would go to Israel for like six days.
"Taker’s got the broken ribs and the f***ing flak jacket, and he’s still doing the no-sell thing where he doesn’t sell anything, so when you worked with him, he would just blow you out because he would always come right back up, sit up and never sell anything.
"Scott was the first guy in a dark match to grab a hold. They were switching around tapes, or they were trying to rib him or whatever, but Scott must have thrown around 900 punches. Taker would come back up and do his s***, and finally, Scott just said,’ F*** this,’ and grabbed him into a hold. All of a sudden [from that moment on], you could put him in a hold."
Despite sharing a locker room each night together, wrestlers didn’t see each other much, aside from the gym, diner, or occasionally a gentlemen’s club. It was on the European tours where they all came together.
The Craziness of WWE European Tours
"When you were on the European trips," Kevin Nash began, "you were on the bus together, and that’s when it just [became like high school again].
"The thing was, over there, everybody was like spending $25 a day in just tanning beds because there was nothing to do, so everybody looked like they’ve just been to Club Med! Everybody had a million-dollar- or what we used to call a 550 Deutsche Mark tan!
"I mean, we’re just f***ing golden, but man, if you were to peel that off, you would be left with just f***ing gray skeletons."
"I remember one time, Kid [Sean Waltman] came on, we were in Hamburg, and it was the first night. Kid walked into the locker room; he unzips his bag and puts this big f***ing jar of pills on the table. He goes, ‘They’re Phenobarbitals, I don’t know what they do!’
"So everybody is looking at the thing, and we’re looking at him, this was when we were desperate and doing everything.
"I came up with the conclusion of, ‘Well, each one of them has 325mg of caffeine, so no matter what, they’re probably taking 4 or 5 in order for them to pick you up!’ And that was the whole thing with the boys. It wasn’t like you being the guinea pig. It was just like [everyone’s hands up, pop some and fly].
"[I don’t remember what the Phenobarbitals felt like.] When you have so much other s*** in you, it was like rainbow stew! I don’t know. It was just one of those things."
"Doing It For the 16 Guys in the Back"
"I remember another time, Kid just vanished. He worked his match; he vanished. He’d get on the bus and sleep. It was like, ‘Dude, what are you doing?’
"He was like, ‘Don’t smart anybody up, but I found a doctor in London who gave me some liquid Codeine.’
"I was like, ‘How’s that?’
"He picks up his shirt, and he’s got abs. He had a six-pack of abs, and he goes, ‘All I’ve been drinking is water!’ (laughs)
"He goes to the ring that night, he’s halfway down, and he takes his f***ing gimmicks off his f***ing shoulders, rolls his f***ing shirt down and [flexes his muscles], and he turns [towards us] because we’re all at the curtain watching him.
"That was the thing. F*** 12,000 people! You’re only entertaining those 16 guys back there. That’s what we always made references to when we were in the nWo. 4 people got it! I mean, we didn’t give a ***. It was just those four people at home, laughing and going, ‘Oh, I get that!’
"Other people would be going, ‘What does that mean?’"
Whether or not the incident described by Kevin Nash in this story played a role in Savio leaving WWE is up for debate. Savio Vega shot back and reached out to us, wanting us to share his side of the story. You can read what Savio had to say about Nash’s accusations above here!
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"Evan Ginzburg’s stories are a love letter to wrestling, filled with heart, humor, and history. A must-read for any true fan." — Keith Elliot Greenberg
Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets is the latest book from Pro Wrestling Stories Senior Editor Evan Ginzburg. 100 unforgettable stories—from sharing a flight on 9/11 with a WWE Hall of Famer to untold moments in wrestling history. A page-turner for fans of the ring and beyond. Grab your copy today! For signed editions, click here.
"Evan Ginzburg’s stories are a love letter to wrestling, filled with heart, humor, and history. A must-read for any true fan." — Keith Elliot Greenberg
Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets is the latest book from Pro Wrestling Stories Senior Editor Evan Ginzburg. 100 unforgettable stories—from sharing a flight on 9/11 with a WWE Hall of Famer to untold moments in wrestling history. A page-turner for fans of the ring and beyond. Grab your copy today! For signed editions, click here.
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