Kevin Wacholz looked set for a successful career in WWE after debuting the Nailz character in 1992. Yet, his run with the company famously ended abruptly after he cornered and allegedly began choking Vince McMahon after being dissatisfied with his SummerSlam 92 payoff.
Wacholz would go on to claim self-defense, saying McMahon tried to sexually assault him, and the pair would sue each other, although both lawsuits ended up dropped. And now, over 30 years later, Wacholz has spoken to WrestleBinge about working for McMahon, saying he “ran into the wrong guy.“
“He owed me money. I believe if people don’t stand up for themselves, there’s nobody gonna do it. You have to do it for yourself. That’s the type of person I am. I stand up for myself, and if I don’t believe in something, I’ll let you know. I’ll air my grievances.
With him, people were afraid to talk to him. There were many many people that just wouldn’t go in and talk to him. He would run through them. He squashed a lot of people’s careers. He squashed a lot of people’s livelihoods, and people just didn’t say what was on their mind. They were afraid to talk to him. He ran into the wrong guy.”
Nailz65-year-old Wacholz started wrestling after being encouraged to by Hulk Hogan, who was impressed with his look. Subsequently, he worked for multiple territories under the names Kevin Kelly and Thor, and after eight years in the business, he signed with WWE, becoming Nailz. As mentioned above, that run wouldn’t go to plan, and he later worked for WCW with Eric Bischoff signing him to a lucrative contract worth over $100,000. However, apart from a match against Sting at Slamboree 1993, his time with the company was largely forgettable.
