| The Outsiders | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Members | Kevin Nash Scott Hall |
| Name(s) | The Outsiders The Band |
| Heights | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) (Nash) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) (Hall) |
| Combined weight |
635 lb (288 kg) 350 lb (160 kg) (Nash) 285 lb (129 kg) (Hall) |
| Debut | May 27, 1996 edition of WCW Monday Nitro |
| Promotions | WCW WWF TNA ZERO1 |
The Outsiders are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. They first formed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1996, and later teamed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX.
Hall and Nash were both good friends and part of the backstage wrestling group known as "The Kliq", which was eventually used as part of their gimmick.
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The Outsiders were formed in 1996 when Hall and Nash signed with World Championship Wrestling after leaving the World Wrestling Federation. In the storyline, Hall, better known to fans at the time as Razor Ramon, led an invasion, appearing on WCW programming and insinuating that he was doing so under orders from his WWF employers and warning that he would soon be joined by others. He was joined by former WWF Champion Nash, then best known as Diesel, a week later. A lawsuit from the WWF caused Eric Bischoff to point blank ask The Outsiders if they worked for the WWF, which both emphatically denied. Their angle was the precursor to the heel turn of Hulk Hogan and the formation of the New World Order (nWo), a major wrestling storyline that dominated WCW programming for several years afterwards.
The Outsiders captured the WCW World Tag Team Championship six times, first winning them from Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) at Halloween Havoc in October 1996. They dropped the title to The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) at the 1997 Souled Out event, only to have WCW President Eric Bischoff reverse the decision on the next night's edition of WCW Monday Nitro. A near repeat of these events occurred the next month when Hall and Nash lost to the team of Lex Luger and The Giant at SuperBrawl VII, with Bischoff again abusing his power and quickly returning the titles to The Outsiders. The Outsiders became the cornerstones of the nWo and were popular with the fans despite being heels and feuding with babyfaces such as the Steiners and Lex Luger and the Giant. During promos, Hall would occasionally refer to the Outsiders as "The People's Choice" in recognition of their popularity.
In October 1997, fellow nWo and ex-Kliq member Syxx began substituting for a legitimately injured Nash, teaming with Hall to defend the titles on numerous occasions. This pairing eventually lost the title to The Steiner Brothers in on October 13, 1997. The Outsiders and Steiners traded the title back and forth at both televised and non-televised events until Scott Steiner turned on his brother, joining the nWo and giving the title to Hall and Nash.
In May 1998 The Outsiders team broke up shortly after the nWo split into two factions, with Hall choosing to join nWo Hollywood and Nash joining with The Wolfpac, a name that the Outsiders and Syxx trio originally referred to themselves as in 1997. Hall's personal problems began to affect him and while Nash was his enemy, he still showed obvious care and concern for his estranged friend. The split team faced each other once later in the year where Nash repeatedly powerbombed the inebriated Hall into unconsciousness before leaving the ring to take a countout loss. They reunited in early 1999, and stayed a team even after the nWo once again fell apart. After an aimless couple of months (Nash lost a retirement match), of just wandering around being pests to the other talent, they won the WCW World Tag Team Championship one last time in December 1999. It did not last, however, as Hall legitimately no-showed an event, the title was stripped from them, and the team was dissolved.
In 2002, with the World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation owning WCW and its trademarks, The Outsiders and Hogan reformed as the nWo in a WWF ring. The reunion was short lived as Hogan turned face at WrestleMania X8, Nash was injured, and Hall was released from WWE shortly after their arrival.
In late 2004 and early 2005, Hall and Nash teamed again, this time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as part of the Kings of Wrestling trio with fellow nWo 2000 alum Jeff Jarrett, but they were not allowed to use the name New World Order or The Outsiders, as its copyright is now owned by the WWE. In October 2004, vignettes began airing, where Nash and Hall appeared to be on different sides in the upcoming NWA World Heavyweight Championship match between Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy at Victory Road.[1][2] Hall and Nash debuted on November 7 at Victory Road interfering in the ladder match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and in the end revealed they were on the same side by both attacking Hardy with guitars. After the match, Nash cut a promo on how they were better than the entire TNA locker room and challenged anyone to oppose them. A.J. Styles accepted, but was beaten down by the new stable. Randy Savage then made his debut in TNA, entering the Impact Zone to face off with the villains.[3]
On TNA Impact! the following week, Nash proclaimed the trio of himself, Hall, and Jarrett to be called "The Kings of Wrestling".[4] Hall, Nash and Jarrett began wearing goofy Elvis-style jumpsuits and sunglasses, and wreaked havoc on multiple episodes of Impact! before being challenged and defeated by Savage, Styles and Hardy in a six-man tag team match at Turning Point.[5] After the six man tag match, Savage was next in line for a title shot (having pinned the champ, Jarrett, in the match), but in light of him leaving the company, Director of Authority Dusty Rhodes appointed a three way match at Final Resolution to achieve a number one contender to the NWA Title. The first two competitors announced were Diamond Dallas Page and Monty Brown. The third was Kevin Nash, Jarrett's ally in the KoW.
The group hit a period of friction, as Nash openly competed for the title shot at Final Resolution (losing when Page dumped him over the top rope),[6] before earning a shot at Jarrett's NWA title at Against All Odds. After the pay-per-view, where Nash was unsuccessful in his attempt at the title, the KoW parted ways.[7]
Hall resurfaced on the Impact! show prior to Genesis in 2007, teasing as Sting's partner for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship tag team match. At Turning Point, Hall and Nash were supposed to have their first tag team match together in a TNA ring since 2004, also teaming with Samoa Joe to take on the Angle Alliance but Hall was replaced in the match by Eric Young, who eventually won the match with his team. Hall told TNA Management he did not show at the event because of health problems.
On the January 4, 2010, live, three hour, Monday night edition of TNA Impact! Hall and Sean Waltman returned to TNA and quickly reformed their alliance with Kevin Nash.[8] Nash and Hall were advertised to make their return as a tag team on January 17 at Genesis, but at the event Hall was replaced by Waltman, who, teaming up with Nash went on to lose a tag team match against Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm).[9] The reunion didn't last long, as on the February 4 edition of Impact! Hall and Waltman turned on Nash.[10] However, at Destination X Nash turned on his new partner Eric Young and re-joined Hall and Syxx-Pac, who, with their victory, now had contracts with the company.[11] At Lockdown Nash and Hall made their return to tag team action in a steel cage match, where they were defeated by Team 3D.[12] On May 4, at the tapings of the May 13 edition of Impact!, after TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Morgan had been attacked by Samoa Joe, Nash cashed in his "Feast or Fired" contract, teaming with Hall, and pinned him to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[13] The Band's newest member, Eric Young, was also given a share of the Championship and the three defended the titles under the Freebird rule.[14][15] At the June 14 tapings of Impact! The Band was stripped of the Tag Team Championship due to Hall's legal problems.[16]
Hall and Nash main evented Dream Stage Entertainment's May 8, 2004 Hustle 3 pay-per-view, losing to the team of Shinya Hashimoto and Naoya Ogawa.
On August 10, 2008 Nash and Hall teamed up again as The Outsiders at Bloodymania II to defeat The Thomaselli Brothers (Brandon and Vito Thomaselli). Nash also positioned himself as a member of the Juggalo World Order, which Hall was already a part of.
On the March 21, 2009 the Outsiders teamed for Great Lakes Championship Wrestling against The New Age Outlaws in what was the first nWo vs DX match. Kevin Nash, walked out on Scott Hall, and the two were set to face off later in June.