Big, tough and always controversial, the man known as Diesel has been at the top of the sports-entertainment industry for two decades and has the list of friends and, more importantly, enemies to prove it.

Although he was blessed with a rare mix of size and charisma that would eventually make him a star, Diesel's career had inauspicious beginnings. First appearing in World Championship Wrestling in 1990, the big man competed under a series of failed personas, including Master Blaster Steel and Oz, a white-haired giant from The Emerald City. Things got better in 1992 when he became Vinnie Vegas, a tough-talking mobster from Sin City that helped him establish his unique mix of raw power and sharp wit.

The 320-pounder's career truly took off in 1993 when he debuted in WWE under the name of Diesel. Taking on the role of Shawn Michaels' personal bodyguard, the massive Superstar quickly made an impact, eliminating seven men in the 1994 Royal Rumble Match and winning the Intercontinental Championship within his first year. Not long after, on Nov. 26, 1994, Diesel defeated the legendary Bob Backlund in eight seconds to capture the WWE Championship. On that night, it became clear that Diesel was the most dominant man in the ring.

Big Daddy Cool would go on to hold the title for nearly a year, smashing challengers like Sycho Sid, HBK and Mabel during his lengthy reign. After losing the championship to Bret Hart at Survivor Series in 1995, Diesel would go on to battle foes like Undertaker before making a move that would forever change the state of sports-entertainment.

In the spring of 1996, Diesel, now known as Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall left WWE and invaded World Championship Wrestling. Soon joining forces with Hulk Hogan, they became known as The New World Order and were by far the hottest competitors in sports-entertainment at the time. Rude, arrogant and dangerous, the rebel group completely dominated WCW and soon had fans tuning into Monday Nitro by the millions. Teaming with Hall under the name of The Outsiders, Nash regularly held the WCW Tag Team Championships with his partner and flattened many opponents with his Jackknife Powerbomb.

Eventually, however, the massive egos of Nash and Hogan clashed, leading Nash to form his own nWo splinter group known as The Wolfpac. An impressive faction that included former World Champions "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Lex Luger and Sting, the team became huge fan favorites and helped propel Nash to the very top of WCW. This ascent was made clear at the end of '98 when the titan defeated Goldberg at Starrcade, capturing the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and breaking his opponent's legendary winning streak.

Nash won this coveted title a total of five times before World Championship Wrestling went out of business in 2001. After that, "Big Kev" spent some time away from the ring before returning to WWE at No Way Out in 2002 with his original nWo allies Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall. The group butted heads with the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock, but a series of injuries would put Nash on the shelf before the trio had the chance to make a major impact.

Upon his return, Nash entered into a rivarly with Triple H over the World Heavyweight Championship, but failed to beat his rival for the title and disappeared from WWE again soon after. It would be seven years until the WWE Universe saw the dangerous Superstar again.

That day would come on Jan. 30, 2011 at the Royal Rumble. Sporting his classic Diesel look, the behemoth made a surprising return in the biggest Royal Rumble Match in WWE history, entering at No. 32 to a thunderous response from the crowd. He emerged once again that year at SummerSlam, controversially attacking then-WWE Champion CM Punk and leaving him vulnerable to Alberto Del Rio's Money in the Bank cash-in attempt.

The circumstances of that attack and the controversy that swirled around his return to WWE forced his longtime friend Triple H to fire his Kliq cohort just seven days after signing him to a new Superstar contract. Nevertheless, "Diesel Power" lives on.