Triple H, Kevin Nash and the Kliq's Lasting Impact in WWE

The Kliq is one of the most controversial factions in the history of professional wrestling. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman came up at the same time in the WWE and earned their stripes together.

Four friends who played by their own rules, and whose shared mantra was very simple and straightforward: tear it up every night and look good doing it.

Kevin Nash’s recent return and storyline against Triple H has brought back memories of those days for many fans, and I have to say, it’s been pretty cool to see it all unfolding.

Nash, of course, initially returned to silence CM Punk, a man he felt did not deserve the spotlight that had begun to shine so brightly on him.  

He targeted Punk, and was hellbent on taking him out. The only thing standing in his way was his old friend and Kliq comrade, Triple H.

We all know what happened next.

The heat that Nash had with Punk transferred to Hunter, and now we have a main storyline on Monday Night Raw that centers around two men who helped revolutionize two wrestling companies.

WCW was doing, well, nothing until Nash and Scott Hall “invaded” the company. Along with Hulk Hogan, the New World Order put WCW on the map in a big way and brought about the ugliest feud between two promotions that wrestling fans had ever seen.

WWE, in an attempt to counter the daily barrage of attacks levied by its direct competition, decided to go edgier in its presentation.  The Attitude Era was born, and one of the Superstars who helped make it a success was Triple H. His rise to prominence as a member, then leader, of Degeneration X eventually led to his dominance as The Game.

Each man found success at the highest level of the business, and though the Monday Night War led to the demise of WCW, no one can deny the impact that both companies had on the business, and the legacy of professional wrestling.

Okay, now that the little history lesson is over, let’s get to the real question at hand. Why?
Why is Kevin Nash back in WWE, again? Why is he in this storyline to begin with? More importantly, why is he being featured in a such a major role on the company’s flagship program, when his in-ring career has not been relevant in quite some time?

You know the answer to that.

It’s the Kliq. It’s the good old days coming back once again. That’s why.

It’s a reunion tour, of sorts, and in this day and age of 90s nostalgia that is celebrated in WWE, Kevin Nash is not only the right man at the right time, he is the only man who can step forward and threaten the level that Triple H has reached as Chief Operating Officer of WWE.

Simply put, the Kliq is in da house.

Be honest, as much as fans look back on the hottest era of pro wrestling, and the Kliq who were such a big part of it, how many of us actually thought that WWE would revisit those days in such a major way?

When Nash returned at the Royal Rumble as Diesel, he had been gone from TNA for all of about 10 minutes. On its face, there did not seem to be any reason to treat his entry into that match as anything other than just a novelty for the fans’ enjoyment.But then, Vince McMahon heard the pop that Kevin got, and that was all she wrote.

Now that Nash has been “rehired” by John Laurinaitis, he is fully entrenched in the WWE ranks and is firmly established as bigtime player in WWE once again.

And meanwhile, many fans collectively groan and shake their heads in disbelief. After all, Nash is not a young man anymore. He has obviously lost a step, and his reputation as being a guy who is money first, tradition second, is always there—not exactly helping his cause with fans.

How many of you are glad to see him back? And not only back, but featured on Raw?

Again, for me, it’s cool to watch it happening, knowing the background with these two and the impact that they have had on the business.  

Plus, no one said that this was going to last forever. Perhaps this storyline is being done as one last hurrah, a way to give Nash one last WWE run while wrapping up Hunter’s in-ring career?

Triple H is only human and cannot go forever. Shawn Michaels is retired, and maybe Hunter now hears his own inner clock ticking. Is his time winding down?

As with many other angles that WWE has embarked upon over the years, perhaps the key for fans is to not look for deep meaning in Triple H versus Kevin Nash. Perhaps we should all just take this storyline on its face and understand that there is no real history that is going to be made here.

Maybe this one is all being done for old time’s sake. Maybe it’s all just for fun.

You are having fun, right?