Sometimes, life doesn’t seem fair, and it’s with that in mind that we look at the tragedy and triumph of Scott Hall.
Upon his passing, we take time to remember The Bad Guy.
While that was his moniker for so long, art sometimes actually does imitate life.
But, as can often be the case, the bad guy does get a chance at redemption.
Which brings us to….
The Tragedy And Triumph Of Scott Hall: Remembering “The Bad Guy”
Quickly, the aim here is not to be a somber obituary. If you want that, they are going to be available in spades.
Hall’s life had both tragedy and triumph…and ultimately, a tragic demise.
I say tragic, but perhaps it’s not quite the best term here.
Hall had his demons.
He admittedly killed a man, before his professional wrestling career began. This was said to be in self defense, and no charges were brought-however, Hall stated he never forgot the incident.
Over much of his career, he was a bad guy, and not just The Bad Guy.
Hall had issues with drugs and alcohol, as many of his peers have had. There were also run-ins with the law.
All tragic, and all out there for us all to discuss. But most importantly, those were all in his past.
Hall reformed himself and got sober. The Hall of Famer got clean due to help received from many, including Diamond Dallas Page.
So, Hall triumphed…he beat his demons and was on the up and up.
And then tragedy returned.
Earlier in the year, Hall suffered a fall and broke his hip. The break required surgery.
Blood clots are a dangerous complication from surgical procedures. Unfortunately, Hall suffered one.
As a result of the blood clot, he suffered three heart attacks and, over the weekend, was placed on life support.
After evaluation, his family recognized that he was gone, and made the heart-wrenching decision to take the former Superstar off of life support.
Considering all Hall endured, it’s just a sad ending. But, some find it better to hold on to the great memories, so that’s where we are heading.
Scott Hall was one of the Superstars I grew up watching, so I certainly have good memories. With that in mind, here are my fondest, both of Razor Ramon and, later, Scott Hall.
Scott Hall In WrestleMania X: The Ladder Match.
This one probably doesn’t need any real explanation. I mean, you can say “the ladder match” to fans of that era, and there is little to no doubt, this is the match you mean.
Hall and Shawn Michaels battled in arguably the greatest ladder match in history. The prize for Hall when he won, was becoming the undisputed Intercontinental Champion.
There might be better ladder matches, but I am convinced-if you saw this one live, you measure all ladder matches after it against it. I do, and it remains, three decades later, the standard by which I measure all other ladder matches.
Forms The nWo.
Hall didn’t do this one alone, but the emergence of the nWo was one of the biggest wrestling happenings ever.
The group was significantly responsible for WCW dominating WWE in the Monday Night War for over a year. And, we could also say, that because of the nWo, we got the emergence of the WWE Attitude Era.
Which kind of means, in a way, that Scott Hall helped us enjoy Austin, The Rock and others. The competition created by WCW, driven by the nWo, pushed WWE.
So, thanks Scott for that.
Never Was World Champion.
OK, this one isn’t a fond memory. But it is a memory, and sort of a tragic one.
Scott Hall is certainly one of the best Intercontinental Champions ever. He worked in one of the best Intercontinental Championship matches ever.
The Hall of Famer has serious credentials. But there is one he never got.
While the bigger Kilq members had numerous title reigns-HBK, Nash and HHH all held the big belts-Hall never did.
He goes down as one of many all-time greats who, for whatever reason, were never deemed worthy of, or needing, a world championship reign.
Some Superstars could be bothered by that…some might even get upset and storm off. If it bothered Hall, I don’t recall it becoming an issue.
In WWE, he thrived in the IC title scene. When in WCW, he seemed focused on the tag titles.
So, that’s the tragedy and triumph of Scott Hall, at least as I see it.
As someone who called himself The Bad Guy…and who at times lived like one…it’s a sad ending to be sure.
However, anyone who has followed wrestling during Hall’s career no doubt has some great memories about one of the best we ever got to experience.
Hall said it best at his Hall of Fame induction:
“Bad times don’t last, but bad guys do.”
Thoughts and prayers with Scott Hall, you got this Razor ♥️#WWE pic.twitter.com/WC5ROcfgfX
— Owen @ WrestleNews365 (@365Wrestle) March 13, 2022
Rest in peace, Scott.
