Remembering Scott Hall
When it was announced Monday that Scott Hall had passed away, it sent shockwaves through the professional wrestling world.
Hall had been put on life support after suffering three heart attacks following hip surgery.
It would take a month蘑菇视频 worth of columns to fully touch on Hall蘑菇视频 career, but let蘑菇视频 take a cliff notes look.
He debuted in 1984 as American Starship Coyote in the NWA and headed to the AWA in 1985 where he wrestled under his real name.
While in the AWA, Hall wrestled on a card at the Monongahela Aquatorium on Aug. 17, 1986, where he pinned Doug Somers.
Next was Hall蘑菇视频 first run in WCW, but it was forgettable where he wrestled as Scott 鈥淕ator鈥� Hall.
After stops in Japan, Germany, and Puerto Rico, he returned to WCW in 1991 where he floundered in midcard purgatory under the moniker of The Diamond Studd.
Hall made his WWE debut in 1992 as Razor Ramon and instantly became a top star.
During his four-year WWE run, he would win the Intercontinental title four times and be given the nickname 鈥淭he Bad Guy.鈥�
While with WWE, Hall had memorable matches with Bret Hart and 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman) among others, but the two matches his WWE run is most remembered for were his pair of ladder matches with Shawn Michaels.
The first took place 28 years ago today (March 20, 1994) at WrestleMania X and it stole the show. In fact, one of the best matches in Mania history, Owen Hart versus his brother Bret, opened the show and isn鈥檛 spoken about much because of how good the Razor versus Michaels ladder match was.
Watching it now, there have been dozens of better ladder matches, but that specific match laid the foundation for all ladder matches.
The Michaels and Razor ladder rematch took place in Pittsburgh at SummerSlam 95, and many fans feel it was better than the first.
Razor, Michaels, Kid, Diesel (Kevin Nash) and Triple H were known as The Kliq backstage in WWE and became so powerful that they had Vince McMahon蘑菇视频 ear.
Hall knew how to play politics, and when he and Diesel left for WCW, it changed the wrestling world.
He showed up first, followed weeks later by Nash, in what appeared to be an attempted takeover by WWE.
It laid birth to the nWo and the hottest era in pro wrestling history.
In fact, it can say Hall蘑菇视频 appearance on the May 27, 1996, episode of WCW Monday Nitro may have given birth to WWE蘑菇视频 Attitude Era.
How, you ask?
Hall, Nash and eventually Hulk Hogan became 鈥渃ool鈥� bad guys and the nWo versus WCW storyline brought an anti-establishment approach that fans bought into hook, line and sinker.
While some will say Stone Cold Steve Austin brought on the Attitude Era, and while his rise began at the same time as the nWo, it took longer for Austin to gain traction with fans and the eye of the mainstream public.
Had Hall and Nash not made being bad cool and anti-authority the thing to be, chances are Austin never explodes to the stratosphere he took the pro wrestling business to in the late-1990s with his feud with Mr. McMahon.
Hall would eventually return to WWE after McMahon bought WCW, and Hall faced Austin at WrestleMania X-8.
While he was never about wins and losses, Hall knew how to make sure he was protected and always seemed to keep the right company.
However, the one battle that it took Hall far too long to win was with his addiction to drugs.
He made it to the age of 63, but many are surprised he lived as long as he did.
Hall had demons since his childhood, and the 2011 E:60 piece on ESPN on him went more in-depth.
鈥淚 should have been dead 100 times,鈥� Hall said on the show before repeating himself. 鈥淚 should have been dead 100 times.鈥�
When I watched Hall say that in 2011, the first thing I thought of was Mickey Mantle making a comment about not taking care of himself because he thought he would die young and how he would have taken better care of himself had he known he would live as long as he did.
With Hall蘑菇视频 childhood and life being public knowledge, chances are he lived life under the same mantra.
Hall is easily one of the top performers to never hold the WWE championship, and I include him on the short list with Ted DiBiase, Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect.
As Mike Johnson wrote about Hall in his excellent piece this week at www.pwinsiderelite.com, 鈥淲hen Hall was ON, he was in the top percentage of any talent form his era.鈥�
However, it was when Hall was off that hampered him and his demons took their toll on him.
Between the physical issues he went through in his career and the mental health issues Hall fought, his life can be looked at one to provide hope to many while others may say 鈥渨hat if鈥� about his career.
On top of his stellar in-ring career form bell to bell, Hall was also known for his many legendary catchphrases.
The last one he used in front of the entire pro wrestling world was at his 2014 WWE Hall of Fame induction (he has been inducted twice, one as a solo star and the other as a member of the nWo).
鈥淗ard work pays off, dreams come true. Bad times don鈥檛 last, but bad guys do,鈥� he said.
Ans while he prepares for his next match in the 鈥済reat ring in the sky,鈥� this specific 鈥淏ad Guy鈥� will continue to live on and will indeed last in the heart and minds of every fan that was lucky enough to see him perform.
Big E has broken neck
Last Friday on Smackdown, Big E suffered a broken neck when he came down on his head and neck after Ridge Holland hit him with an overhead belly-to-back suplex outside of the ring.
Fortunately for E, he does not need surgery after fracturing his C-1 and C-6 vertebrae and did not suffer any damage to his spinal cord.
This Day in History
In 1981, Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan at a WWF house show in Altoona, Pa.
This week蘑菇视频 question
If Brock can鈥檛 end Roman蘑菇视频 reign as the Universal champion at WrestleMania 38, who do you see as the one to do it? Donnie Tylka.
What a great question! If WWE has Reigns win, there really isn鈥檛 anyone at a level yet who could be considered as an equal to him.
Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre might be considered. If Reigns does retain WWE needs to build someone up quick as Reigns has gone through just about everyone who would be considered credible.
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