Kevin Nash effectively retired following WWE TLC match against Triple H

Last night (Dec. 18, 2011) at WWE TLC, Kevin Nash, the former WWF and WCW world champion, may have wrestled for the final time against Triple H in a ladder match.

Multiple outlets are reporting that within WWE, last night was considered Nash's retirement match. And that would jive with what he tweeted shortly after the show ended.

"Thanks Paul, nice to end it with someone I love."

If this is indeed the end of the line, and you can never (e..e..e..ever) say never in this business, Nash went out with a pretty damn good match to cap off what was undoubtedly one of the most memorable careers of any pro wrestler ever.

"Big Sexy," as they used to call him in his younger days, had little to offer in terms of workrate or talent inside the ring. You'll never hear anyone accuse this man of being too technical. Hell, he could barely execute a proper sidewalk slam. But he got the most out of his limited abilities, and his natural charisma, coupled with a smooth delivery on the mic, led him to great things at various stages of his career.

Realistically, it's entirely possible the nWo never would have happened had it not been for Nash defecting to WCW back in 1996 for a bigger payday and a better spot on the roster. Sure, he was just as bad (or maybe worse) than Hulk Hogan when it came to backstage dealings and playing politics, but that's part of the game. As Triple H mentioned on Raw a few weeks ago, in this business you can either make friends or make money.

Nash chose the latter. And he made a lot of it.

All things come to an end, though, and Nash had been hanging on for a decade too long. He probably should have put the boots away when WCW folded. Instead, he floundered from WWE to TNA to the Indie's and back to WWE.

At least he got a blowoff match against one of the only friends he still has, right?

As I mentioned earlier, Nash and Trips crafted a great story in the ring last night. However, knowing what we do now, that this may have been the last time Nash ever wrestles a match (at least in WWE), I would have rather they done a traditional retirement build. This wasn't a situation where the winning wrestler needed the rub. There was nothing to be gained from "The Game" winning the way he did. They just as easily could have admitted that this was the end for Nash and let the fans decide how they felt about it.

Of course, they did that with Ric Flair and now he's off embarrassing himself in TNA. The only other guy who might get that treatment is Triple H himself, who is likely on his way out following WrestleMania 28.

Either way, Nash is done and that's that. Most of the commentary I saw here on Cageside agreed with my sentiments, that he had a good match last night but at 52-years-old and with a broken down body and no drawing power, it's time to hang 'em up.

And now he is.

Feel free to treat this as the Kevin Nash memorial thread. He'll certainly always be near and dear to my heart as a pro wrestling fan. That quote in the upper right corner of the front page is from Nash himself. Share your favorite (or not least favorite) memories on the former leader of the Wolfpac.