WRESTLING NEWS
Kevin Nash's Short-Lived Wizard Of Oz Gimmick Explained
By JON ALLRED
At the 1991 WCW "SuperBrawl," Kevin Nash debuted as The Oz, straight from the movie "The Wizard of Oz," complete with a green robe adorned with various shapes and designs. Convinced the Oz gimmick was a rib to "run [him] out of the business," Kevin Nash took the advice of Kevin Sullivan, who told him, "brother, take the money."
With a bump in pay of about $50,000, Nash donned the Oz costume at "SuperBrawl" and defeated his opponent Tim Parker in 29 seconds. Several weeks later, Oz defeated Johnny Rich in 90 seconds at "Clash of Champions XV," but these wins over preliminary wrestlers were the only single-match success for Oz throughout 1991 as he never beat top WCW talent.
Ron Simmons defeated Oz in eight minutes at "The Great American Bash," while Bill Kazmaier made him tap out in four minutes at "Halloween Havoc." His last match as Oz featured him teaming with Jushin Thunder Liger to defeat Scott Norton and Hiro Saito before debuting as Vinnie Vegas a month later.