The legendary Scott Hall has had one of the most complex careers of any professional wrestler in history. He's enjoyed massive success, made an abundance of money, and been as influential as any other performer from his era. Unfortunately, Hall has also fought a long difficult battle with sobriety, which has negatively affected his professional career on several different occasions.
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Despite the obvious low points in his past, Hall has undoubtedly left his mark on the sport. From his humble beginnings as "Big" Scott Hall to his game-changing portrayal of the iconic Razor Ramon, Hall has covered the full spectrum of a professional wrestling career.
Updated March 30, 2022 by Danny Djeljosevic: In mid-March of 2022, word got out that Scott Hall was put on life support due to complications from hip surgery, and the legend sadly died days later at the age of 63. A Hall of Famer and decorated champion as both a singles and a tag team competitor, Hall was beloved by fans for his charisma and in-ring skills, while fellow wrestlers praised him for his great “mind for the business,” as they say. The influential Hall enjoyed a 26-year career and countless accomplishments, so it only makes sense to go back and take another look at Hall’s career, adding in some versions of “The Bad Guy” that slipped through the cracks the first time around.
10 TNA
Perhaps Hall's lowest lows came during his time on the TNA roster. Hall arrived in TNA in 2002 after being fired by WWE over his worsening substance abuse issues. As if it hadn't been evident enough during his final WWE run, Hall was a shell of himself by the time he arrived in TNA. "The Bad Guy" who once captivated millions of fans on a weekly basis had been beaten down by years of drug and alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, Hall's condition would only worsen during his time in TNA.
Hall's TNA runs are remembered more for his antics outside of the ring than anything he did inside. During his time with the promotion, Hall was notorious for no-showing events and unlike his time with WWE and WCW, he provided little in the form of creative ideas. In 2010, TNA ownership parted ways with Hall for the final time after he was arrested for disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest just two days before their Sacrifice pay-per-view. Hall's final TNA run and the three years that followed are arguably the lowest points of his pro wrestling career.
9 * Scott “Gator” Hall
Given his career highs with the company in the late 1990s, it’s understandable if fans were completely unaware of Scott Hall’s five-month run for WCW in 1989, which followed his departure from the American Wrestling Association. There, Hall was presented as Scott “Gator” Hall, complete with a hype video of Hall hanging around in a swamp and poking at alligators with a stick. Hall only made a handful of televised appearances, mostly suffering losses to stars like Terry Funk, Great Muta, and the Samoan Swat Team, but he did manage to take part in a battle royal at the Great American Bash pay-per-view.
8 * American Starship Coyote
Scott Hall made his pro wrestling debut in October of 1984, wrestling for Jim Crockett’s NWA-affiliated Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, which would later become World Championship Wrestling. Presented as a tag team specialist, Hall was paired with training partner Dan Spivey (later known as WWE’s Waylon Mercy) as the tag team American Starship, with Hall becoming American Starship Coyote and Spivey becoming American Starship Eagle. American Starship’s run together would last less than a year through MACW and Kansas-based Central States Wrestling, with the duo capturing no titles in the process. Eventually, the two would go their separate ways, with Hall moving on to the AWA.
7 * Scott Hall in NJPW
Over the course of his career, Scott Hall did several tours with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, during which he wrestled nearly 200 matches. Highlights include a random tag team match alongside The Undertaker (as “Punisher Dice Morgan”), bouts with names like Antonio Inoki and Riki Choshu, teaming with Masahiro Chono and Kevin Nash as the nWo, and scoring 13 points in the 1987 G1 Climax.
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While Hall failed to capture any belts in New Japan, he did enjoy a main event title shot in his final bout, back in October of 2001, challenging Keiji Mutoh (a.k.a. The Great Muta) for All Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Triple Crown Championship. The match proved to be a surprisingly solid outing given that Hall’s in-ring skills were on the decline by this point.
6 Scott Hall In The AWA
In 1985, after a year of cutting his teeth in Championship Wrestling from Florida, Scott Hall arrived in the AWA. He was originally dubbed "Magnum" Scott Hall, a blatant rip-off of "Magnum" T.A., but would later be known as "Big" Scott Hall. Hall's first incarnation was rough around the edges but his potential was obvious. So obvious in fact, that AWA owner Verne Gagne wanted to build him up to be the promotion's next big star.
Hall's greatest AWA success came in 1986 when he and tag team partner, Curt Hennig defeated Jimmy Garvin and Steve Regal for the AWA World Tag Team Championships. Hall's relationship with Curt Hennig would be his most valuable asset from his AWA days. Hall credits Hennig for helping mold the early years of his career. Despite Verne Gagne's desire to push Hall to the top of the card, Hall would depart the AWA for the greener pastures of WCW in 1989.
5 nWo In WWE
When WWE purchased WCW in 2001, many fans expected an abundance of dream matches right off the bat but that wouldn't be the case. Most of WCW's established names had guaranteed contracts that paid them to stay at home. In 2002, those contracts ended, and the incorporation of WCW's biggest stars into WWE began. Perhaps WWE's biggest addition was the nWo. The group that had changed the landscape of professional wrestling arrived in WWE with much hype. Unfortunately for Hall, he was no longer the same performer that had been the catalyst for the nWo just six years prior.
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Despite that, Hall was immediately slotted into a WrestleMania program with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. On paper, it seemed like a great pairing, but things quickly went south. During the build-up to the match, Hall was doused with beer. The problem was that unbeknownst to the WWE producers, Hall had begun taking Antabuse to aid in his struggles with alcoholism. The angle caused Hall to become very ill. The feud and match with Austin was ultimately a disappointment. Hall wrestled his last match for WWE on May 6, 2002, before being released by WWE due to his substance abuse issues.
4 The Diamond Studd
Before there was Razor Ramon, there was The Diamond Studd. After departing the AWA in 1989, Hall decided to make several drastic changes to his appearance. He straightened and slicked back his hair, shaved his mustache, and replaced it with a permanent stubble. Hall would make his way to WCW where he would be paired with Diamond Dallas Page and dubbed "The Diamond Studd."
Unfortunately for Hall and WCW, nobody in the promotion had the foresight to push The Diamond Studd very far. Hall's initial run in WCW wasn't a total waste though. Despite not being recognized as a star, he laid down a lot of the groundwork that would eventually be incorporated into Razor Ramon.
3 Hall of Famer Scott Hall
In 2013, Scott Hall seemed to finally hit rock bottom. After years of battling his substance abuse issues, Hall was beginning to spiral even further into its clutches. Friends and fans alike were genuinely concerned about Hall, who had recently appeared at an independent wrestling show where he had to be carried in and out of the ring. Luckily for Hall, his longtime friend Diamond Dallas Page came to his rescue. Page, who had recently developed his wildly successful DDP Yoga program, was in the process of helping Jake "The Snake" Roberts battle similar issues. Page invited Hall to join him and Roberts.
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Hall joined Roberts as DDP Yoga success stories. Under Page's guidance, Hall was able to get in shape, overcome his substance abuse issues, and regain control of his life. So much so that Hall was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014 and again in 2020 as a member of the nWo. Hall has managed to stay sober and is now enjoying the perks that come with his Hall of Fame status.
2 Scott Hall In WCW
It's easy to overlook just how important Scott Hall was to the paradigm shift that took place in professional wrestling during the '90s. After an uber-successful run as Razor Ramon in WWE, Hall made the jump to WCW in 1996. On Memorial Day 1996, Hall shook the wrestling world to its core when he showed up on WCW Monday Nitro, hopped the security railing, and uttered the legendary words "You know who I am. But you don't know why I'm here."
Hall's initial appearance would lead to the creation of The Outsiders with Kevin Nash and eventually the nWo with Nash and Hogan. Furthermore, Hall is credited with recommending Sting's character change from Surfer to Crow. Unfortunately, the end of Hall's WCW career was unceremonial, as he was let go in 2000.
1 Razor Ramon
Few performers were skilled and lucky enough to achieve the kind of success that Scott Hall did as Razor Ramon. During the '90s, Razor was a staple atop the WWE card. After entering the company in 1993 and feuding with "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Razor was an instant main event star. Initially booked as a heel, Razor would take an unorthodox route to becoming a babyface. After being upset by The 1-2-3 Kid, Razor would side with The Kid against "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Razor would remain a babyface until he left WWE in 1996.
The highlight of Razor's WWE run was undoubtedly WrestleMania X where he defeated Shawn Michaels in a ladder match to become the undisputed WWE Intercontinental Champion. Razor inexplicably never reached the summit of the WWE mountain. He is considered by many to be one fo the greatest wrestlers to never hold a World Championship.
NEXT: 5 Reasons Scott Hall Was Best In WCW (& 5 Reasons He Was Best As Razor Ramon In WWE)
