It seemed like a standard wrestling gimmick, and was ideal for a typical wrestling feud. Nailz, a convict who had been locked away in the Cobb County Jail, was about to be released from jail, and was on his way to the WWF. His target? Former prison guard Big Boss Man, whom Nailz claimed beat him while he was in the slammer.
Little did anyone know that what was to go on behind the scenes would be much more interesting – and even more like a wrestling storyline – than that which would take place in the ring. Indeed, it seemed that Kevin Wacholz, who played Nailz, was interested in becoming a jailbird himself!
Nailz was an intimidating presence. He gave gravelly, spit laden interviews, which sounded as though they were being run through a voice box.
In fact, this has given rise to a number of eagle eared WrestleCrap readers suggesting that the stalker in the WWF’s current storyline with Sara Undertaker is, in fact, the former felon!
Nailz wasn’t much of a technical wrestler. His repertoire consisted mainly of eye rakes…
…and chokes. In between, he would do some incredible amateur moves, like the Greco-Roman kick in the mouth and Huracan-punch to the nose.
Heck, even his finisher was a choke hold sleeper!
Nailz claimed in interviews that he was beaten by the Big Boss Man, and was put in jail unfairly.
Yes, much like the A-Team and Grizzly Addams before him, he was put “in jail for a crime he did not commit” (a story backed up by Bobby Heenan).
According to Scott Keith’s book, The Buzz on Pro Wrestling, after his run with the Boss Man, Nailz was scheduled for a series of “Electric Chair” matches with the Ultimate Warrior. Warrior, ticked abou the demotion, simply left the WWF, and Nailz was then to be transferred into a feud with the Undertaker.
However (and it’s a big however!), shortly after Survivor Series ’92, Wacholz approached Vince McMahon behind the scenes, upset about his pay off for Summer Slam ’92. The argument became heated – Wacholz physically attacked McMahon, according to some accounts throttling Vince’s neck, and scaring the living bejeebers out the owner of the WWF. He was thus black balled from wrestling for years to come.
Or would have been, has it not been for the fact that Eric Bischoff loved the story of Vince getting strangled. Bischoff actually brought Wacholz into WCW under a one year deal as “The Convict”, a gimmick which lasted a handful of matches and was then shelved forever, probably due to a WWF lawsuit claiming that the Convict character was too close to the Nailz character.
Wacholz’s only other real claim to fame was during the infamous steroid trials of the early 90’s, when he told a federal jury that he “hates Vince McMahon’s guts”.
Well, duh.
Nailz (gravelly and spitty): “I’m gonna beat you within an inch of your life and this time, I’m gonna finish the job! You’re gonna learn what it’s like to serve hard time!”
Nailz: “I was an innocent man! I was put there for crimes I did not do!”
Bobby Heenan: “Couple of parking tickets he forgot to pay, that’s all it was. Then they kept beating him and working him over.”
Vince McMahon (sarcastically): “And it was on Mother’s Day, and he was driving his mom’s car, right?”
Heenan: “No, he went into a florist’s shop to get his mom some flowers. They put the ticket on his car, the wind blew it off, and he didn’t even know he got a ticket!”