This past weekend, Scott Hall suffered three heart attacks as a result of a blood clot that occurred during hip surgery.
Things have sadly taken a turn for the worse, as Hall will be taken off life support soon, and the wrestling world will lose yet another brother from the industry.
Entering the business in 1984, Hall made a name for himself with his flashy persona and by oozing machismo, earning his nickname as ‘The Bad Guy.’
In a celebration of Hall’s incredible career, here are ten of the most defining moments from his storied time in the ring:
10: The WWF says hello to the Bad Guy
After stints in the NWA, AWA, WCW and New Japan, Hall eventually came to the WWF in 1992, and was quickly thrust to the top of the card.
As ‘Razor Ramon’ the Cuban-American bully based on Tony Montana from Scarface, Hall would make his on-screen debut on the August 8 episode of Superstars defeating Paul Van Dale (best known these days as the father of WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Carmella.)
It was just a month later that he’d interfere in the WWF Championship match between Randy Savage and Ric Flair, establishing an alliance with Flair and giving the Nature Boy his second WWF Title win.
With the company losing the likes of Hulk Hogan, Sid and the Ultimate Warrior, Razor Ramon was a blessing to the WWF thanks to his personality and in-ring work.
Not bad for someone who pitched the gimmick to Vince McMahon as a joke.
9: 1-2-3!
In January 1993, WWF launched their newest project ‘Monday Night Raw,’ and Hall became a hit amongst fans on a weekly basis.
On the May 17, episode, Hall faced a young jobber by the name of Sean Waltman, who had tried each week to make a name for himself.
Going by ‘The Lightning Kid’ on this night, fans expected Ramon to squash the much smaller opponent, but it was a surprise pinfall victory for Waltman that shocked the fan.
This pin would give the Kid his new name ‘The 1-2-3 Kid,’ and it showed that in an industry known for egos, Hall was never afraid to put over other stars.
That night may be best remembered for the Shawn Michaels Vs. Marty Jannetty classic over the Intercontinental title, but Kid’s underdog victory, thanks to Hall, remains one of the biggest feel-good moments in wrestling history.
8: Gold on his neck and on his waist
Five months after the loss to the Kid, it was clear that this defeat had not damaged Hall’s persona.
Razor Ramon remained one of the best-booked Superstars around, and less than a year after his debut, the Bad Guy tasted championship gold.
On the October 11, 1993 Raw, Ramon defeated Rick Martel for the Intercontinental Championship, a week after the pair qualified to compete for the vacated title by being the last two in a battle royal.
This would mark the first of four reigns with the title, a record at the time, and cemented that Razor Ramon was a force to be reckoned with.
7: The Ladder Match
By 1994, Ramon’s cool-guy persona had proven to be too popular with fans for him to stay heel, and heading into WrestleMania 10, he was arguably the second biggest babyface, only behind Bret Hart.
After winning the IC title, Hall feuded with Shawn Michaels, who had been stripped of the gold (setting up the October 1993 battle royal), with HBK declaring he was still the rightful champion.
Settling the score in the first ladder match in WrestleMania history, the pair had one of wrestling’s most acclaimed bouts, which was the first WWE match to get 5 stars from Dave Meltzer.
It was Hall who would emerge victorious in the bout which was voted Match of the Year 1994 by PWI.
Sure, the image of Michaels gracefully splashing Hall from the top of the ladder may be what most fans remember, but the match went to Hall, who cemented his legacy on the grandest stage of them all.
6: “You don’t know why I’m here.”
In early 1996, Scott Hall’s contract with the WWF ended and he chose not to re-sign.
After the infamous curtain call inside MSG, where the Kliq showed faces and heels celebrating together, Hall signed with WCW and made an impact from the get-go.
Debuting on the May 27 edition of Nitro, Hall showing up was treated as a shoot, and at a time where fans weren’t as smart to the backstage workings of wrestling, many thought it was real.
Promising to bring more stars with him, Hall would recruit Kevin Nash as The Outsiders, which later became the NWO when Hulk Hogan joined that July.
The NWO, a stable of cool heels, revolutionized the wrestling world, and the effects of which can still be felt today, and it all started with Scott Hall.
5: Drinking problems
This editorial has been called the most influential moments of his career, and for good or bad, Hall’s substance abuse problems influenced his time in the ring.
In late 1998, WCW had the tasteless idea to have Hall’s character be a drunk who would stumble to the ring with a beer in the hand, often vomiting on live television.
This cringe-inducing angle is made even worse when you realise that Hall was dealing with very real alcohol problems at the time and the last thing he should’ve been doing is wrestling.
Instead, WCW took a man in need of help and poked fun at his real life problems, enabling issues that would haunt the Bad Guy for the rest of his life.
4: Hall SHOCKS Goldberg’s world
Long before Brock Lesnar became the 1 in 21-1 at WrestleMania 30, Kevin Nash broke the infamous streak of Goldberg but had some serious help.
Facing the powerhouse at Starrcade 1998, Nash would’ve become another victim had Hall not interfered, leveling Goldberg with a stun gun after disguising as a member of security.
Ever since then, fans have lambasted WCW officials for having Goldberg’s incredible winning streak (which would only be eclipsed 20 years later by Asuka) end this way.
Sure, it may have been a bad decision, but it happened, and Hall can take credit for one of WCW’s most pivotal moments.
3: Going Extreme
In February 2000, Hall would have his last match in WCW, losing to Sycho Sid at that year’s Superbrawl.
It’d be nearly a year before Hall would wrestle again, but in November, he briefly joined ECW, having two non-televised matches with the company.
Losing to Big Sal on November 10 and then teaming with Jerry Lynn to defeat Justin Credible and Rhino the following night, Hall’s career in ECW was short, to say the least.
With that said, the fact he was willing to come to the company was big, as even in their last few months, ECW could still work with some of wrestling’s biggest stars.
2: NWO 2.0
With WCW and ECW gone, there was no other major promotion left for Hall other than the WWF, which he returned to in February 2002.
Part of Vince McMahon’s plan to kill the WWF (it’s a long story) Hall returned alongside Nash and Hogan as a new version of the NWO.
What followed was five months of a group who, to be fair, was a shadow of the group which had dominated WCW programming for years.
At least Hall was able to have a WrestleMania match with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin during his return, and how many people get to say they tangled with the Rattlesnake on the biggest show of the year?
1: The Hall of Fame
Leaving the WWE in 2002, Hall would bounce from promotion to promotion (including two stints in TNA) but would find his way home in 2014.
Announced as part of that year’s star-studded Hall of Fame, Hall was set to be inducted along the likes of the Ultimate Warrior, Lita, Paul Bearer and Jake Roberts.
After years of problems, both before and during his time as a wrestler, the image of Hall, decked in a dazzlingly white suit was something that warmed the hearts of fans.
Hall rightly thanked Diamond Dallas Page in his speech, as it had been the wrestler turned yoga enthusiast who had helped Hall get his life back on track when things had seemed darkest.
This would be the first of two inductions for Hall, who would be inducted a second time as part of the 2020 class for his work in the NWO.
And now, even with Hall’s life coming to an end, there’s one quote from his first induction that remains poignant, and the line I choose to end this editorial on.
“Bad times don’t last, but bad guys do.”
