Thursday, 20 October 2011

Scott Hall

Scott Hall, born October 20, 1958 is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the late '90s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name. Since the late 2000s, Hall has become most well known for his much publicized battles with alcoholism and drug addiction, which he initially struggled with in the late 1990s during his time in World Championship Wrestling. He also appeared in the Insane Clown Posse movie Big Money Rustlas.
During his tenure with WCW, Hall was one of the three original members of the nWo stable (along with Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash), whose storyline involving the "invasion" of the WCW by anarchist wrestlers helped to skyrocket WCW's television ratings and reinvigorated interest in the promotion. He has held several titles over the course of his career, most notably the WWF Intercontinental Championship, which he held four times, and the WCW World Tag Team Championship, which he held seven-times.
Outside of the ring, Hall—along with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman— is a member of The Kliq, a group of wrestlers who were friends backstage.
Hall is also known for his appearances with various other wrestling promotions including the American Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He currently serves as Executive Consultant to Juggalo Championship Wrestling.




Professional wrestling career


National Wrestling Alliance



Hall began his career in 1984 in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) and soon began a feud with Dusty Rhodes. Scott Hall and his workout buddy Dan Spivey were trained in Florida mainly by Dusty Rhodes but also received training from Rick Martel and Barry Windham. When it was time for the team's debut Dusty Rhodes made a deal with Jim Crockett for the two to work in Crockett's territory based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. While wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions as part of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1984 and 1985, Hall formed a tag team with Dan Spivey, known as American Starship ("Starship Coyote" and "Starship Eagle", respectively). With their furry boots, massive stature, bright masks and Hulk Hogan-esque t-shirt ripping routine the two men were easy to spot on any card.
Initially, American Starship worked only sporadically. At first they were booked so sparingly that the two were given a job for the Charlotte Orioles (which Jim Crockett owned at the time) as part of the ground crew. When the two men did get into the ring it was with little success, the highlight of their stay in Crocket's Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling was being defeated by Arn and Ole Anderson when the rookies challenged for the NWA National Tag Team Championship. After working in MAW the duo joined Bob Geigel's NWA Central States territory based in Kansas City in 1985.
The duo had a shot at the NWA Central States Tag Team Champions Marty Janetty and "Bulldog" Bob Brown but did not manage to win the titles. Spivey’s stay in the Central States territory was short lived, according to Scott Hall Spivey did not like Kansas City. Spivey returned to the Carolinas and the recently redubbed "Jim Crockett Promotions" where he worked as "American Starship" Eagle as a jobber. Hall however stayed and got a big push and gained the respect of several big names including Nick Bockwinkel and Larry Zbyszko who went to a time limit draw with a rookie Hall, and he also developed a friendship with Curt Hennig.




American Wrestling Association


Scott Hall next moved on to the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1985, where he was named "Magnum" Scott Hall, name checking Magnum T.A., and later "Big" Scott Hall and was pushed as a babyface wrestler. Verne Gagne, the owner and promoter of the AWA, tried to push another younger superstar to the same heights as Hulk Hogan following Hogan's departure to Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Gagne had Hall use mannerisms and moves similar to Hogan.
Hall eventually formed a tag team with fellow future-superstar Curt Hennig, and together they defeated "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin and "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal for the AWA World Tag Team Championship on January 18, 1986 in an "epic" 58 minute match in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Referred to as the "Perfect Combination" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, the team gained victories over "Playboy" Buddy Rose and "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers, Konga the Barbarian and Boris Zhukov, and Bill and Scott Irwin. They eventually dropped the belts to Rose and Somers by countout (even though in all wrestling, including the AWA, belts didn't change hands on DQ's or countouts; This was never explained) on May 17, due to interference by Colonel DeBeers.After losing the title, Hall and Hennig soon parted ways, with the AWA pushing Hall into matches for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship with Stan Hansen and Rick Martel. Although Gagne wanted to put the AWA world title on Hall, he hated the cold, and recognized the sinking ship and moved on to the NWA in 1989.




NWA, WCW, and WWC


Scott Hall was brought in, under his real name, to the National Wrestling Alliance's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) territory by Jim Ross in 1989, when the NWA was beginning to focus on developing new, young superstars such as Brian Pillman and Sid Vicious. His first and only pay-per-view appearance during this time was at The Great American Bash: The Glory Days, which saw Hall participate (unsuccessfully) in a King of the Hill battle royal.[9] Scott Hall made little impact during this run and soon after he began jobbing regularly, after which he went on hiatus.
Hall made a brief stint in 1991 in the Puerto Rican promotion World Wrestling Council (WWC). On March 3, he defeated Miguel Pérez, Jr. for the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship, holding it for one month before losing the title to Super Medic III on April 20, 1991.




World Championship Wrestling


The Diamond Studd


Hall returned to the NWA in 1991, although by then the region was known as World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was named The Diamond Studd, whose gimmick was similar to Ravishing Rick Rude's with the added element of a monster big man heel, and he was managed by Diamond Dallas Page. He squashed Tommy Rich in his debut on the June 14 edition of Clash of the Champions, and he defeated Tom Zenk at The Great American Bash.
He received a significant push in his early days with WCW, but by the end of 1991 this began to fade, starting with the September 2 edition of Clash of the Champions, where Studd was defeated by Ron Simmons. At Halloween Havoc: Chamber of Horrors, the team of Studd, Abdullah the Butcher, Cactus Jack, and Big Van Vader lost to Sting, El Gigante, and the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott).[16] On the November 19 edition of Clash of the Champions, Studd lost to Zenk in a rematch from The Great American Bash.[
In 1992, he formed short-lived tag teams with Vinnie Vegas and Scotty Flamingo during his time in the Diamond Mine stable, while also teaming with members of Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance. The idea of adding him to the Dangerous Alliance fell through, however, and he left WCW shortly after.




World Wrestling Federation


Razor Ramon


Hall signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1992 and his character evolved from Scott Hall to that of Razor Ramon, a shady, but stylish Cuban American bully from Miami. The Latino-heel persona was modeled after Tony Montana and Manny Ribera (Al Pacino and Steven Bauer's characters from the movie Scarface, respectively). Hall's nickname (The Bad Guy) and catchphrase ("Say hello to The Bad Guy") derive from quotes from the movie; "Say hello to my little friend" and "Say goodnight to the bad guy".
Later in his career, Hall claimed he pitched the idea of a Scarface-like character during a meeting with Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson, as a joke. Hall quoted lines with a Cuban accent and gave ideas for vignettes (also inspired by the movie) that would involve Hall recreating several scenes, such as Ramon driving around South Florida in a convertible with a leopard-skin interior.[6] Although his pitch was taken right from the film, Hall claims McMahon and Patterson were nevertheless floored by the ideas and called Hall a "genius." Hall later learned that neither McMahon nor Patterson had ever seen or heard of the film, and thus believed that Hall was coming up with the ideas himself. Patterson and McMahon came up with the name Razor, but agreed with Hall's suggestion that "Razor" should be a nickname, and that the character needed an actual given name. Hall later asked Tito Santana for a Latino sounding name that starts with R, and when he suggested "Ramon" Hall promptly brought it back to McMahon and the name stuck.
Hall's WWF debut was preceded by his vignettes, with his in-ring debut coming on the August 8, 1992 edition of Superstars, defeating local jobber Paul Van Dow with his finishing move, the Razor's Edge (Hall had used the finisher in his run in WCW, under the name "Diamond Death Drop"). Early on, Ramon would wear large gold chain necklaces to the ring; upon handing them to an attendant at ringside he would threaten "Something happens to this, something gonna happen to you.", and then flick his toothpick at the hapless attendant.
Hall's first major angle began on the September 14 edition of Prime Time Wrestling, where Ramon interfered in a WWF Championship match between the champion Randy Savage and the challenger Ric Flair. Ramon helped Flair win the title after attacking Savage on the floor. As a result, Ramon and Savage started a feud with each other, which then went on to include the Ultimate Warrior after Warrior saved Savage from a post-match beating by Ramon. Ramon and Flair were scheduled to face the Ultimate Maniacs (Savage and Warrior) at the Survivor Series; however, Warrior was fired from the WWF prior to the event and was replaced by Flair's executive consultant, Mr. Perfect, who had made a face turn. At Survivor Series, Ramon and Flair went on to lose to Savage and Perfect after being disqualified by the referee for constantly double-teaming their opponents.
WWF Champion Bret Hart was scheduled to defend his title against the Ultimate Warrior at the Royal Rumble, but the Warrior's departure from the WWF left Hart without a challenger, and Razor Ramon replaced him. During the feud, Ramon continued his heel persona by disrespecting Hart and the Hart wrestling family. Like his previous attempts to win the AWA Championship in the late 1980s, Ramon was unable to defeat Hart at the Royal Rumble, submitting to the Sharpshooter. Ramon won a 16-man battle royal the following month after Giant González—who was not a participant in the match—entered the ring and eliminated Tatanka and El Matador. Ramon made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania IX, defeating former WWF Champion Bob Backlund with a roll-up.
Ramon defeated Tito Santana to qualify for the King of the Ring tournament in 1993, but lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual tournament winner and the man he lost to at the Royal Rumble, Bret Hart. On the May 17 edition of Monday Night Raw he had an upset loss to jobber "The Kid" (who would later gain the nickname the "1-2-3 Kid" following the upset). As a result, a small feud between himself and the 1-2-3 Kid began; it carried with him into the King of the Ring tournament; and it also began a slow face turn for Ramon, who had gained both respect for The Kid and support from the crowd. Ted DiBiase, however, did not show respect for Ramon and instead began making fun of Ramon for losing to such a small jobber. Ramon's face turn was solidified after helping the 1-2-3 Kid defeat DiBiase. The feud culminated in a match at SummerSlam, where Ramon defeated DiBiase in DiBiase's final WWF match before going to Japan.





Intercontinental Champion


On the October 4, 1993 edition of Monday Night Raw, a 20-man battle royal for the vacant WWF Intercontinental Championship was held; the last two participants would face other the following week for the title. Ramon and Rick Martel were the final two. The next week on Raw, Ramon came out on top following a Razor's Edge to win the vacant Intercontinental Championship. Ramon would go on to have successful defenses against the likes of Martel and Irwin R. Schyster (IRS). At Survivor Series, Ramon teamed with Marty Jannetty, Randy Savage, and the 1-2-3 Kid to take on the team of Martel, IRS, Adam Bomb, and Diesel. Razor, captaining his team, went on to eliminate the opposing captain, IRS, after scoring a pin following a Razor's Edge. Although he was later eliminated from the match after being counted out when IRS hit him with his briefcase, Razor's team went on to win the match, beginning a feud between the two captains. Ramon's feud with IRS culminated at Royal Rumble where he defeated IRS to retain the Intercontinental title following the Razor's Edge.
At the same time, Ramon was in the early stages of a feud with Shawn Michaels over who had the real claim to the Intercontinental champion. Michaels had been stripped of the title months before due to "inactivity" (he was actually on suspension at that time), but began appearing on television with his own version of the belt, claiming he had never been beaten for it. Their feud was showcased with Ramon defending the Intercontinental Championship against Michaels in a ladder match at WrestleMania X, where Ramon retained the championship after retrieving both belts. This match was voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Match of the Year in 1994. It was also the first WWF match to receive a five star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. On WWE.com, this match is rated as the #5 match in the top 22 matches in WrestleMania history.Ramon continued to feud with Michaels and his bodyguard Diesel and on the April 30 edition of Superstars, he dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Diesel after interference from Michaels.
Ramon went on to defeat Kwang to qualify for the King of the Ring tournament in 1994.[31] At King of the Ring, he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in the quarterfinals of the tournament and Irwin R. Schyster in the semifinals, before a loss in the finals of the tournament to his old rival Bret Hart's younger brother, Owen. At SummerSlam, Ramon (with Walter Payton in his corner) defeated Diesel to win his second WWF Intercontinental Championship after Shawn Michaels accidentally hit Diesel with Sweet Chin Music. At Survivor Series, he captained a team dubbed "The Bad Guys" consisting of himself, the 1-2-3 Kid, Davey Boy Smith, and The Headshrinkers (Fatu and Sione) against The Teamsters (Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Jeff Jarrett). Ramon ended up as the sole survivor of the match and by the end of 1994, he began a feud with Jeff Jarrett which led into the next year.




Razor Ramon in 1995
At the Royal Rumble in 1995, Ramon lost the Intercontinental Championship to Jarrett, although the match ended in controversial fashion; Jarrett had originally won the match by count-out, but demanded that the match be restarted so he could win the title. Jarrett then pinned the champion with a small package. He faced Jarrett in a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XI. Ramon won the match by disqualification after Jarrett's assistant The Roadie interfered; thus, Jarrett retained the title as a title cannot change hands by count-out or disqualification.Ramon later defeated Jarrett and Roadie at In Your House 1 in a handicap match.On May 16, Razor qualified for the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Jacob Blu. He later defeated Jarrett in a ladder match on May 19, 1995 at a live event to win his third WWF Intercontinental Championship. At that time, this was a record because Ramon was the first man to hold the Intercontinental title three times. Three days later on May 22, he lost the title back to Jarrett. (Actually, this win of the IC title was "accidental." Jarrett was booked to win the ladder match, but was legitimately injured during the match and could not prevent Razor from retrieving the title belt. To avoid breaking kayfabe, Razor had no choice but to win the match. As a result, Jarrett was booked to regain the title on the May 22 event.) On June 9, Ramon suffered a rib injury during a ladder match rematch against Jarrett. During this time, he formed a team with Savio Vega, and Vega defeated Irwin R. Schyster in the Free for All match at the pay-per-view to fill Razor's vacancy. Razor managed Vega throughout the tournament, who ultimately lost to Mabel in the finals.
Razor and Vega lost to Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo) at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks, and a Tag Team Championship match against Owen Hart and Yokozuna on the August 7 edition of Raw. Razor received an Intercontinental title ladder match against the new champion Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam, in what was considered to be their WrestleMania X rematch. Razor went on to lose the match against Michaels, and then started a feud with Dean Douglas. Ramon defeated Douglas at In Your House 4 for the Intercontinental Championship. Michaels had just forfeited the title to Douglas.
In early 1996, Ramon started a feud with newcomer Goldust, leading to an Intercontinental title match at the Royal Rumble. Ramon lost the title to Goldust after Ramon's former partner the 1-2-3 Kid (who had previously made a heel turn) cost him the match. He became a member of the WWF's off-stage The Kliq which consisted of Kevin Nash (Diesel), Paul Levesque (Hunter Hearst Helmsley), Michael Hickenbottom (Shawn Michaels), and Sean Waltman (1-2-3 Kid). Razor was originally scheduled to face Goldust in a rematch for the title at WrestleMania XII, but had been suspended by the WWF in the weeks prior due to drug abuse. He was not seen on WWF television again until April's In Your House 7 where he jobbed to Vader. Hall was also a participant in the MSG Incident. As Hall and fellow Kliq member Kevin Nash were departing for WCW, the pair along with Hickenbottom (Shawn Michaels) and Levesque (Triple H) broke kayfabe, celebrating and embracing in the ring together.




World Championship Wrestling


The Outsiders and the New World Order (1996–1998)



Hall's first appearance on May 27, 1996 on WCW television after leaving the WWF was an unannounced interview where he appeared from the crowd in street clothes, claiming to be "an outsider." He was then joined in the following weeks by Kevin Nash, the two claiming they were going to undertake a hostile takeover of WCW, slamming Eric Bischoff through the announcer's table in the process. The angle directly paralleled the real-life competition between WCW and the WWF. At the following pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach, Nash and Hall, known as The Outsiders, challenged Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage to a '3 vs. 3' match, announcing a 'mystery partner' as their third partner. The mystery partner turned out to be Hulk Hogan, and the three formed the New World Order (nWo). The stable stormed WCW, enlisting such stars as Syxx (Kliq member Sean Waltman) and The Giant.
Hall and Nash closed out 1996 with victories over Sting and Lex Luger at Hog Wild, and WCW's WarGames match at Fall Brawl. They defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) at Halloween Havoc for their first WCW World Tag Team Championship. They successfully defended the titles against The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) and Faces of Fear (The Barbarian and Meng) at World War 3, and then again defeated the Faces of Fear at Starrcade. The duo would hold the WCW World Tag Team title from February 24, 1997 to October 13, 1997, often feuding with the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott), Lex Luger and the Giant, and the Four Horsemen. Since Eric Bischoff was a member of the nWo, he used his power to return the title to the Outsiders on a technicality whenever they lost them. The Outsiders would also use the Freebird Rule to defend their title. With Nash and Syxx out with injuries, Hall used the last quarter of 1997 to focus on singles wrestling. Hall was defeated by Luger in a grudge match at Halloween Havoc via submission with Larry Zbyszko serving as the guest referee.[60] One of Hall's greatest achievements in WCW was winning the 60 man battle royal at World War 3 1997 earning a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
On the January 12, 1998 edition of Nitro, Hall and Nash defeated the Steiner Brothers for their second WCW World Tag Team Championship. Hall eventually wrestled Larry Zbyszko at Souled Out but lost by disqualification. The Outsiders lost the tag title back to the Steiners on the February 9 edition of Nitro. At SuperBrawl VIII, the Outsiders won their third WCW World Tag Team Championship by defeating the Steiner Brothers. At Uncensored, Hall got his title shot against Sting for the World Heavyweight Championship as a result of winning World War 3, and lost the match, despite interference from Dusty Rhodes. He would then be taken off TV for a short while in early 1998 in a show of power by WCW President Eric Bischoff as a way to keep Hall and Nash in check and was forced by the company to enter rehabiliation after he and Nash both showed up to the March 16, 1998 edition of Nitro heavily intoxicated. While Hall was absent, the nWo split into two warring factions. As he was still one half of the tag team champions with Kevin Nash, the thinking was that Hall would return alongside his friend in the nWo Wolfpac.




nWo Hollywood (1998)


New World Order (professional wrestling)#1998


At Slamboree, Hall returned to team with Kevin Nash in a title defense against Sting and The Giant. In a swerve, Hall turned on Nash, costing them the title and jumping sides to align himself with Hulk Hogan in nWo Hollywood. On the July 6 edition of Nitro, a returning Scott Hall was handpicked by Hogan to wrestle United States Champion Bill Goldberg. Hall lost the match, setting the stage for Hogan to be defeated later that night by Goldberg for the World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan publicly blamed Hall for the loss and Hall was seen as a weak link by the rest of the nWo, especially Scott Steiner.
On July 13, Hogan challenged Hall to a match on Nitro. Hall accepted the challenge and it looked like Hall had finally gotten sick of being ordered around by Hogan and his lackeys. However, Nash interfered during the match. As he was about to Jacknife Powerbomb Hogan and regain Hall as his friend, Hall viciously attacked Nash, proving his allegiance to Hogan and nWo Hollywood. In the following weeks, Hall mocked Nash calling himself "Medium Sexy (later "Super Sexy"), the Nash Killer." On the July 20 edition of Nitro, Hall won his fourth WCW World Tag Team Championship with The Giant, as they defeated Sting and Nash due to outside interference from Bret Hart, who was in the midst of a rivalry with Sting at the time. This title reign would come to an end at Halloween Havoc, when Rick Steiner defeated The Giant and Scott Steiner (who replaced Hall) to claim the title even after partner Buff Bagwell turned on him.
Scott Hall's character became out of control and would bring alcohol to the ring, and his behavior on TV mirrored his real-life problems with drugs and alcohol. This had him once "vomit" on Eric Bischoff, and in another vignette, Kevin Nash along with Wolfpac members Konnan and Lex Luger, followed Hall to a local bar where Hall and Nash had a physical confrontation.
Hall and Nash eventually faced each other on October 25 at Halloween Havoc. After hitting Hall with two Jackknife Powerbombs, Nash left the ring and lost the match by count-out in what was seen as an act of mercy. Hall was then ousted by nWo Hollywood after Steiner took control in Hogan's absence in late 1998. He then referred to himself as the Lone Wolf. On November 30, 1998, Hall needed a tag partner to face the team of Steiner and Horace Hogan. Initially, Hall said he would do it alone, but Kevin Nash came to the entrance and told Hall he would tag with him. Together the team, formerly known as the Outsiders, won the match. At Starrcade, Hall disguised himself as a security staff member and used a stun gun on WCW Champion Goldberg during his title match with Kevin Nash. Having not seen the interference, Kevin Nash jackknifed and covered Goldberg to become the WCW Champion and break Goldberg's winning streak.




nWo Reunion, United States Champion and World Television Champion (1999–2000)


It seemed Nash and Hall were seeing eye to eye again, and it all came to a head in January 1999 when the two nWo factions rejoined. Scott Hall feuded with Goldberg and faced him in a "Ladder Taser match" on January 19 at Souled Out. Hall lost the match when Goldberg used the taser gun on Hall. At SuperBrawl IX, Hall defeated Roddy Piper for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. Shortly after, Hall suffered a foot injury forcing him to forfeit the title. Hall would not be seen again until October 1999 when he and Kevin Nash began sitting at ringside during WCW television, proclaiming that "the band was getting back together." On the November 8 edition of Nitro, Hall defeated Goldberg, Bret Hart, and Sid Vicious in a Texas Tornado ladder match to win his second United States Heavyweight Championship. Two weeks later at Mayhem, he defeated Rick Steiner by forfeit to win the WCW World Television Championship, therefore becoming a double champion. He successfully defended both titles against Booker T later that same night.
Hall, however, vacated the TV title by throwing it into a trash can eight days later on Nitro. Hall's U.S. title was soon stripped due to a knee injury and awarded to Chris Benoit. Hall and Nash would eventually team up to defeat Bret Hart and Bill Goldberg on the December 13 edition of Nitro for their sixth WCW World Tag Team Championship as a team. Yet soon afterwards, Hall's personal problems arose again and the tag team title was stripped from the Outsiders. After the nWo returned in December 1999, Hall soon joined teammates Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, Jeff Jarrett, and Scott Steiner in what was coined "nWo 2000." As 2000 came along, Scott Hall got involved in a feud with WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sid Vicious and nWo teammate Jeff Jarrett for the WCW title. Sid pinned Hall in a match also involving Jarrett at SuperBrawl on February 20. This pay-per-view appearance was Scott Hall's last, and it ended his stint in WCW. In total, Hall won seven World Tag Team Championships, one World Television Championship and two United States Heavyweight Championships.




Extreme Championship Wrestling / New Japan Pro Wrestling



Hall wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) for a brief period. He wrestled two non-televised matches (one against Big Sal, the other against Justin Credible) on November 10 and 11. He then wrestled in Japan and also did some independent shows in the United States. When he was in New Japan Pro Wrestling, he was a part of nWo Japan/Team 2000/ArisTrisT usually tagging with Masahiro Chono, fellow WCW alumni Scott Norton or Super J/Black Scorpion/nWo Sting. The highlights of his stay in New Japan, however, were only defeats: a loss to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) Triple Crown champion Keiji Mutoh (the match was booked by New Japan, but AJPW Wada officiated) and a loss to then-rookie Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was trying to break out into the heavyweight division.



Seven years since leaving to join WCW, Hall returned to the WWF and reunited with Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan to repackage the nWo in February.
He started a feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin and they fought each other in a match at WrestleMania X8 which Austin won.The match however came under heavy critique from Austin on his return to the company in 2003, claiming the match did not meet his nor Hall's fans expectations and was disappointed it only lasted seven minutes. On the March 25 edition of Raw, Hall was drafted to the Raw brand as a result of the Brand Extension, where he feuded with Bradshaw, culminating in a match at Backlash which Hall won. Hall then continued his feud with Austin, however he then opened release talks from his contract due to personal issues stemming from a child-custody dispute with his wife.
Hall was however fired from the company after Insurrextion 2002. No official explanation has ever been released by the company nor Hall himself.




Total Nonstop Action Wrestling


All about: Kings of Wrestling


Hall worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) periodically between 2002 and 2005. He was on TNA's debut pay-per-view and later teamed up with Syxx-Pac when he made his debut in the promotion. Hall had three matches for the International Wrestling Association (IWA) in Puerto Rico in April 2003. On February 24, 2004, the Outsiders briefly reunited for Ultimate Pro Wrestling's fifth anniversary show where they lost to Tom Howard and Christopher Daniels. They also had a match in Japan in May 2004 where they lost to Naoya Ogawa and Shinya Hashimoto. Hall disappeared until late 2004, when he made his return alongside the debut of Kevin Nash, and both signed and were offered contracts as TNA prepared for their first monthly pay-per-view, Victory Road. Hall joined Nash and Jeff Jarrett in the Kings of Wrestling, a stable similar to the nWo. The Kings of Wrestling lost to Randy Savage, Jeff Hardy, and A.J. Styles at Turning Point on December 5. Hall lost to Jeff Hardy at Final Resolution on January 16, 2005 in his final TNA match of this stint.




World Wrestling Council


On July 13, Hall made his return to wrestling for the World Wrestling Council (WWC) as Razor Ramon, albeit while wearing WolfPac themed attire, in the main event of the WWC Anniversary tour at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan against Carlito. Hall was defeated after Apollo interfered on Carlito's behalf. The next night, Hall won his 2nd World Championship, the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship when he defeated Carlito and then-champion Apollo in a Three-Way Dance match in the main event of the evening. On August 4 and September 23, Hall successfully defended the title against Eddie Colón, Carlito's younger brother. On October 27, he again retained the title at WWC's Halloween Wrestling Xtravaganza by defeating Carlito's cousin Orlando "Fireblaze" Colon. In this match, Scott was managed by his friend Rico Casanova.
Scott Hall no-showed his scheduled appearances in Puerto Rico for WWC where he was scheduled to wrestle on December 14 in Ponce and December 15 in Caguas. Hall arrived late to the island Friday which is the reason why he missed the Ponce event. Although Hall was on the island on Saturday, he was affected emotionally by several family issues that had occurred earlier in the week and was unable to compete.




Return to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling


On the November 1 edition of Impact!, it was predicted by Kevin Nash that Scott Hall would be Sting's mystery partner at Genesis. On the November 8 edition of Impact!, Hall made his return to major American pro wrestling television, rebuffing the advances of Kurt Angle's wife, Karen, and then battling Kurt in his dressing room. Hall stated that he was in TNA solely to confront Nash. Hall asked Nash why he was not there to help him in his troubled past, and Nash responded that it was a result of his own nonstop partying and risk of losing his family. Hall then claimed that all was forgiven and the two embraced in the ring. He also revealed that he was not Sting's mystery partner. The reunited Outsiders and Samoa Joe then began a feud with the Angle Alliance. They were to compete together at Turning Point, but Hall no-showed the event.




Juggalo Championship Wrestling


All about: Juggalo World Order


Hall made his Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) debut on August 12, 2007 at Bloodymania, losing to the JCW Heavyweight Champion Corporal Robinson.[84] In the match, Hall took his first ever bump on thumbtacks.
On October 6, 2007, Corporal Robinson, Scott Hall, and Violent J formed the Juggalo World Order (JWO) at Evansville Invasion. At that years Hallowicked After Party, on October 31, Shaggy 2 Dope was introduced as a member of the group. After the main event of the night, special guest referee Nosawa ripped off his referee shirt to reveal that he too was a member of the JWO. At Bloodymania II, Kevin Nash teamed with Scott Hall and proclaimed himself a member of the group. The 2008 Hallowicked After Party saw the JWO induct its newest member, 2 Tuff Tony.
On November 9, the Juggalo World Order (Scott Hall, Shaggy 2 Dope, Violent J, 2 Tuff Tony, and Corporal Robinson) "invaded" Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Turning Point PPV by purchasing front row tickets to the event. They proceeded to promote their faction by flashing their JWO jerseys, before being removed from the building. The group expressed interest in "invading" WWE at its 2009 Royal Rumble PPV, but were unable due to filming commitments for Big Money Rustlas in Los Angeles. They have also shown interest in "invading" Ring Of Honor and Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Hall teamed with Kevin Nash at Great Lakes Championship Wrestling on the March 21, 2009 and faced The New Age Outlaws, in what was the first match pitting the nWo vs. DX. Nash walked out on Hall, setting up a grudge match between the two that was scheduled for June. That match never happened. Hall and Nash were supposed to team together at JCW's Bloodymania as part of team jWo with the ICP, but Nash was replaced with Sid Justice because of the Outsider split. Hall later defeated Sid in a singles match on August 22. Hall has wrestled Sid in various independent promotions throughout the latter portion of 2009.




Return to TNA Wrestling (2010)


On the January 4, 2010 three-hour Monday night live edition of Impact! Hall and Sean Waltman returned to TNA on the night Hulk Hogan made his debut for the company. Kevin Nash, Hall and Waltman quickly reformed their old-time alliance, but Hogan kept himself out of the group, claiming that times have changed. The following week the newly revived alliance was named "The Band". Hall was scheduled to team with Nash at Genesis in a match against Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm), but was replaced at the event by Sean Waltman (who was renamed Syxx-Pac). In the end Hall inadvertently cost his stable mates the match. On the following edition of Impact! Hogan, disgusted by the actions of The Band, had security remove Hall and Waltman from the Impact! Zone, since they were not under contract with the company.Despite this Hall and Syxx-Pac kept on returning to Impact! Zone for random attacks and on the February 4 edition of Impact! they turned on Nash and beat him down. At Destination X Hall and Syxx-Pac faced Nash and Eric Young in a tag team match, where the Band's TNA futures were on the line. In the end Nash turned on Young and helped the Band pick up the victory, which finally gave them contracts with the company.[95] On the March 29 edition of Impact! the Band lost a six man tag team steel cage match against Eric Young, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy. At Lockdown Hall and Nash were defeated by Team 3D in a St. Louis Street Fight. On the May 3 edition of Impact! Eric Young turned on Team 3D and joined The Band. On May 4, at the tapings of the May 13 edition of Impact!, Hall teamed with Nash, when he cashed in his "Feast or Fired" contract and defeated Matt Morgan to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Nash later named Young one third of the champions under the Freebird rule. At the June 14 tapings of Impact! The Band was stripped of the Tag Team Championship, due to Hall's legal problems. The following day it was reported that Hall had been released from his contract with TNA.




Independent circuit (2010–present)


On May 3, 2010 Hall appeared at Continental Championship Wrestling with Ricky Ortiz and Syxx-Pac. Hall and Pac escorted Ortiz to the ring for his match with Navy Seal which Ortiz won. On November 7, 2010 Hall appeared at Vintage Pro Wrestling with Ricky Ortiz using the Wolfpac theme. On January 8, 2011 Scott Hall made an appearance at I Believe in Wrestling in Orlando and talked about his health before bringing out Ricky Ortiz for his match with "Hotshot" Mike Reed.
On April 8, 2011, the day after his rumored overdose, Hall made an appearance in Massachusetts where he showed up in very poor condition even still wearing a hospital bracelet. Things were so bad for Hall that he had to be helped down to the ring and into it because he was unable to walk on his own. Hall cut a promo in the ring and would later sign autographs. The crowd seemed surprised by his appearance especially since Hall a day before guaranteed they would get their money's worth by his appearance.
On June 4, 2011, Scott Hall returned to make an appearance along side with Santana Garrett vs. Chasyn Rance, in an independent wrestling event.
On June 21, 2011 Scott Hall was sentenced to 10 days in Seminole County Jail, stemming from an arrest back in May 2010. Back in 2010, Hall was arrested after drunkenly yelling and cursing at patrons in a Florida bar. He was reportedly uncooperative with police, and was arrested for resisting arrest. Hall got sentenced to 10 days in jail, but the time ended up being reduced to 2 days for the time served.




Personal life


Hall married Dana Lee Burgio in 1990. The couple divorced in 1998, remarried in 1999, then divorced permanently in 2001. He has two children, a son, Cody Taylor (born in 1991),[106] and a daughter, Cassidy (born in 1994).
August 24, 2009, Hall began his own internet show on YouTube, Last Call with Scott Hall. Guests have included: Sid Vicious, Kevin Nash, Ricky Ortiz, Larry Zbyszko, and Sean Waltman.





Legal issues, battles with drugs/alcohol and health problems


In 1983, Hall was charged with second degree murder after shooting a man outside of a nightclub.
On October 7, 1998, Dana wrote an open letter "to anyone who cares". In the letter, she admonished World Championship Wrestling and Eric Bischoff for not only failing to rehabilitate him but coming to the point where they were exploiting, humiliating, and even enabling him to continue his self-destructive behavior. She accused WCW of allowing Hall to perform while under the influence, and taking advantage of his real addictions to drugs and alcohol for profit and ratings. She called the angle "deplorable, disgusting, and inexcusable". She pleaded with WCW to discontinue the controversial angle for the sake of Hall's two children, whom she said he had no relationship with. She ended the letter by making a desperate plea to everyone to help Scott see his problems and "put himself in God's hands". She said Hall remained a very sick man and his addictions had destroyed his marriage, his future, and his children's future.
On October 10, 2008, Hall was arrested during a roast of the Iron Sheik held at a Crowne Plaza hotel in New Jersey, in which a comedian joked, "After The Sheik and Hacksaw Jim Duggan got caught snorting coke in the parking lot, his career fell faster than Owen Hart." An enraged Hall charged at the performer and knocked down a podium, then grabbed the microphone from him and yelled about how he was disrespecting Hart. The comedian described the incident on his MySpace page, adding that he loved Hart as a wrestler and a man and believed Hart would have laughed at the joke. He also claimed that Hall was drunk at the time of the attack.
Hall was arrested on May 14, 2010, and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Authorities were called to the Hitching Post Bar in Chuluota after Hall, who had been "drinking heavily" according to a police report, "became aggressive". When authorities arrived, they found Hall yelling and cursing at the amateur wrestling personalities Marc Grabowsky, Kevin "Showtime" Van Camp, Tony "ODB" Griffin, Shawn Shiever The Beaver Retreiver, and Mark E. Nelson and other staff of the bar. Hall was told he was not allowed to return to the establishment. On his police report, Hall listed himself as an "unemployed" professional wrestler, despite having a job with TNA Wrestling, who would release Hall a month after the arrest. After his release from TNA, Hall checked into a WWE sponsored rehab. Hall checked out of the rehab facility in early October 2010. Weeks after he checked into rehab, Hall had both a defibrillator and a pacemaker implanted into his heart. He was also hospitalized twice in 2010 for double pneumonia, which affected both lungs.
Hall was the only member of The Kliq not on hand to see longtime friend, Shawn Michaels inducted to the WWE Hall Of Fame and decided to not attend any of the Wrestlemania XXVII festivities due to concerns of remaining sober in that type of atmosphere. Hall posted on his Twitter page during the Wrestlemania event, "Taker wins!" which was in reference to The Undertaker winning his match over Triple H, one of Hall's closest friends in the business.
On April 7, 2011, Hall was reportedly taken to the hospital due to drug overdose, though Hall's representative quickly responded that the info was untrue and fabricated saying that Hall was at home and doing fine that day. Hall's rep said that he was however in the hospital for low blood pressure and a change to his blood pressure medication. His rep said that Scott visits his doctor on a regular basis and is still recovering from his double pneumonia and being treated for his heart.
Hall gave an interview on April 7 discussing an appearance at an independent wrestling show for the following day, and went on to say that the fans who bought tickets would get their money's worth. He discussed his problems with his vices by saying "while alcohol and drugs are fun, when you want to quit you can't, and it hurts everyone that is close to you". Hall stated that he has been to rehab 19 times and attended thousands of AA and NA meetings, but that this time he was making an honest attempt to stay sober. Hall credited close friends such as Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and Shawn Michaels with helping him through his battles.
TMZ reported on April 9, 2011, that Hall was taken to the hospital following his appearance at an indy wrestling show in Massachusetts a day earlier. Hall was treated for cardiac issues and remained in the hospital for three days. Hall was reported to be on ten different medications, which TMZ reports led to his overdose on April 7, although his agent quickly denied that report.
Top Rope Promotions released a statement on April 11, 2011 regarding Hall's behavior and performance at their April 8 show. 31 year old owner Steve Ricard said that Hall arrived the day before the event in a wheelchair with 3 bottles of prescription pills in his possession though the following day he showed in the state he was in demanding appearance fee although he was already paid. Hall made many threats to the staff and made many demands about money and when he would perform. According to Ricard, Hall was threatening to "kill [him] if he 'screwed' Hall over."
Longtime friend, Kevin Nash commented on Hall's recent problems saying that he will always be there for Hall. Nash also claimed that Hall is not a drug addict but rather that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that Hall has been using drugs and alcohol as a crutch. Eric Bischoff, another one of Hall's close friends and former boss said he wished he knew how to help him saying he was an amazing talent and deep down a great person but his demons were killing him.
On May 8 another incident took place following a conversation with his ex-wife Dana. After a call where he reportedly came to terms with the fact he doesn't have long to live the call ended abruptly. Dana alerted the authorities and Hall allegedly got into a physical altercation with them when they arrived. Following this Dana cut off all remaining ties with Hall. Kevin Nash made a statement later that day reiterating his support for Hall.




In wrestling


Finishing moves
Hall Buster (Bulldog) – 1980s; used as a regular move thereafter
Outsider's Edge[1] (WCW / Independent circuit / TNA) Razor's Edge (WWF / independent circuit) / Diamond Death Drop[1] (WCW) (Crucifix powerbomb)
Signature moves
Abdominal stretch
Belly to back suplex, sometimes from the second rope
Chokeslam
Diving bulldog
Fallaway slam, sometimes from the second rope
Multiple slaps to the back of the opponent head
Sleeper hold
Two or three punches followed by a discus punch
Wrist-lock followed by multiple shoulder blocks
Managers
Rico Casanova
April Hunter
Kevin Nash
Diamond Dallas Page
Dusty Rhode
Louie Spicolli
Syxx
Vincent
Nicknames
"The Bad Guy"
"The Lone Wolf"
Entrance themes
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
"Bad Guy" by Jim Johnston (1992–1996)
"Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (Used while a part of the New World Order; 2002)
World Championship Wrestling
"Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (Used while a part of the New World Order; 1996–1998)
"Kevin Nash / Wolfpac Theme" by J.Hart (1998–2001)
Extreme Championship Wrestling
"Ready Or Not" by The Fugees (November 10, 2000 – November 11, 2000)
Independent circuit
"Ready Or Not" by The Fugees
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
"Marvelous Me" by Dale Oliver
"The Band Theme" by Dale Oliver (Used while part of The Band; 2010)
"Kevin Nash / Wolfpac Theme (Instrumental)" by J.Hart (Used while part of The Band; 2010)






Championships and accomplishments


American Wrestling Association
AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Curt Hennig
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Match of the Year (1994) vs. Shawn Michaels in a Ladder match at WrestleMania X
PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1992)
PWI Tag Team of the Year (1997) with Kevin Nash
PWI ranked him #7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1994
PWI ranked him #72 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
PWI ranked him #40 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Kevin Nash in 2003
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)1 – with Kevin Nash and Eric Young
United States Wrestling Association
USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Championship Wrestling
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
WCW World Tag Team Championship (7 times) – with Kevin Nash (6) and The Giant (1)
WCW World Television Championship (1 time)
WCW World War 3 (1997)
World Wrestling Council
WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Federation
WWF Intercontinental Championship (4 times)
Slammy Award for US Best Match of the Year (1996) vs. Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 1995
Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
5 Star Match (1994) vs. Shawn Michaels in Ladder Match On WrestleMania X
Match of the Year (1994) vs. Shawn Michaels in a Ladder match at WrestleMania X
1Hall defended the title with either Nash or Young under the Freebird Rule.


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