Kevin Nash had a blunt assessment of WrestleMania 42 weekend on Kliq This, describing the entire experience as feeling “soulless” and accusing TKO leadership of failing to show appreciation for the legends who built WWE.
“It Felt Kind Of Soulless”
Nash explained his takeaway from his time at WrestleMania 42 weekend.
“I felt, and maybe because I was running on fumes, but it felt kind of soulless.”
TKO’s Lack Of Respect For Legends
Nash made it clear his issue is not with the in-ring product but with how TKO treats the talent that built the company under Vince McMahon.
“I’m not stupid and I’m not naive, and I understand that the bottom line is that is a business. Once it left Vince’s hands, no matter if you love Vince or don’t love Vince, from the boys’ standpoint, if you had a relationship with Vince and you were a guy that pushed those numbers, a Michaels, a Triple H, a Steve, a Taker, if you were a guy that pushed those numbers, you had a relationship that was gold.”
He continued by saying that respect is no longer there.
“Now, I don’t think that they look at Steve and Taker as the same way. I’m talking about TKO, or as we now refer to it, The Adjustment Bureau, whatever they want to call themselves. They just don’t show the appreciation.”
Nash Compares TKO Leadership To An Inexperienced Wartime President
Nash used a striking metaphor to describe what he sees as TKO’s lack of institutional knowledge.
“It’s almost kind of like having a president that has no experience in warfare, that just doesn’t kind of get it.”
A Successful Business At The Cost Of Soul
Earlier in the episode, Nash reviewed a graph showing WWE’s gross revenue from 1984 to 2025, noting that the company has been almost recession-proof and inflation-proof under TKO. WWE’s 2025 gross revenue hit $1.7 billion, up from $1.4 billion in 2024.
But Nash made clear the business success doesn’t paper over what he sees as the cultural cost.
“Why would they be any different than the rest of society?”
Context
WrestleMania 42 took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18 and 19, 2026. Cody Rhodes successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton on Night One. CM Punk defeated Roman Reigns on Night Two. Nash worked the Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas during the weekend.
The TKO Group Holdings merger between WWE and UFC closed in September 2023. Nash has been increasingly critical of the new corporate structure on his podcast, often contrasting it with the McMahon-era relationship between management and talent. WWE legends Steve Austin and The Undertaker have made selective WWE appearances during the TKO era.
Listen to the full episode of Kliq This on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
