Backstage Tales About Scott Hall
Sophia Bowman 
A legend gone too soon, Scott Hallmost notablywrestled both under his real name and under the ring name of Razor Ramon. A gifted in-ring performer who never held a major world title but did help introduce fans to the Ladder Match, Hall was a fan favorite, but one whose personal demons, namely substance abuse often got in the way of his career.
Scott Hall: 14 Best Matches Of His Career, Ranked
As Razor Ramon and Scott Hall, these are the wrestler's greatest hits in the ring.Unfortunately, Hall’s aforementioned demons are a huge part of his narrative, so many backstage tales about him center around that. But there are also stories about his great creative mind, so let’s take a look at all aspects of Scott Hall’s legacy — including one backstage fight.
Scott Hall’s Friendship With Curt Hennig
Kevin Nash Wasn’t His Only Close Buddy
Scott Hall & Curt Hennig Title | Reign |
AWA World Tag Team Championship | 119 Days |
Fans know that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were famously best friends, but Hall had another good friend in fellow wrestler Curt Hennig, a.k.a. Mr. Perfect. The two met in the mid-1980s while wrestling for the Midwest's American Wrestling Association, where they were paired as a tag team due to Hall’s in-ring inexperience. The two forged a strong friendship that also proved to be a bad influence on the rookie: while Hall taught Hennig about the value of nutrition, he also picked up a drug habit from his tag team partner.
The Story Behind Scott Hall’s Toothpick
It Was Inspired By A Trip To Waffle House
Scott Hall Early WCW Runs | Gimmicks |
1989 | Scott “Gator” Hall |
1991-1992 | The Diamond Studd |
In pro wrestling, the smallest thing can become an iconic gimmick, and for Scott Hall it was a simple toothpick that he held in his mouth and threw at the camera during promos. The origin of this gimmick dates back to an early run with WCW, when he was paired with Diamond Dallas Page as The Diamond Studd. After a meal at a Waffle House, both men had toothpicks in their mouths, and DDP suggested flicking them at the camera during a promo they had to shoot. During the promo, however, the toothpick fell out of DDP’s mouth while Hall successfully flicked it, establishing his gimmick.
The Story Behind Razor Ramon
Hall Based His Gimmick On Scarface
Razor Ramon WWE Run | Accomplishments |
1992-1996 | Intercontinental Champion (4x) |
Scott Hall made his debut back in 1984, but for many fans their big exposure to the legend was as Razor Ramon in WWE. A Cuban heel who touted himself as “the bad guy,” Razor was pretty much Hall doing an impression of Tony Montana from Scarface.
A Look Back On A Young Scott Hall’s Career Before He Became WWE’s Razor Ramon
Before hitting it big with a Hall of Fame gimmick in WWE, Scott Hall struggled to stand out in other promotions, including his first run with WCW.However, when he pitched the idea, both WWE boss Vince McMahon and booker Pat Patterson were completely unaware of the film, which by that point was nearly a decade old. Nevertheless, they loved the idea and signed off on it.
The Story Behind His Loss To 1-2-3 Kid
It Was One Of WWE’s Great Upset Victories
Match | Event | Date |
Razor Ramon vs. The Kid | WWE Monday Night Raw | 5/17/1993 |
Razor Ramon started off as a bad guy, but eventually proved popular enough to turn babyface, with the turn being set in motion by a surprise loss to The Kid — later known as 1-2-3 Kid and, even later, X-Pac. Scott Hall, known backstage for being willing to make jobbers look good compared to his peers was on board with the idea when WWE presented to him, and it was Pat Patterson who came up with the basic idea of the match: Razor beats the stuffing out of his opponent until The Kid gets the pinfall with one lucky maneuver.
Coming Up With Sting’s Crow Gimmick
It Was Hall That Suggested A Gimmick Change For The Stinger
Scott Hall vs. Sting Matches | Date | Winner |
WCW Monday Nitro | 2/23/1998 | No Contest |
WCW Uncensored | 3/15/1998 | Sting |
WCW Monday Nitro | 7/27/1998 | Scott Hall (Countout) |
WCW Monday Nitro | 12/6/1999 | Sting |
In 1996, Scott Hall jumped ship from WWE to WCW, setting the stage for the white-hot New World Order invasion storyline. During the subsequent 18-month angle, WCW hero Sting was the group’s main rival, but his reinvention to a dark vigilante was actually a Scott Hall suggestion. As the story goes, Hall saw Sting applying his signature “surfer” facepaint while sporting dark hair, and suggested that the babyface take some visual influence from the 1994 film The Crow as well as one of WWE’s top stars, The Undertaker. As a result, the gimmick often referred to as “Crow Sting” was born.
The Incident With The Nasty Boys
A Match Turned Into A Real Fight Both On-Screen & Backstage
Match | Event | Date |
The Outsiders vs. The Nasty Boys vs. The Faces Of Fear | WCW World War 3 | 11/24/1996 |
According to some accounts, there was tension between some of the other WCW stars and the newly arrived Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who were among the highest paid wrestlers in the company. In particular, they seemed to have tension with another tag team, The Nasty Boys, with said tensions boiling over on screen. During a three-way match with The Faces of Fear, a brawl saw Jerry Sags of the Nasty Boys working stiff and legitimately knocking one of Hall’s teeth out, resulting in Kevin Nash threatening the Boys backstage with a baseball bat. According to Hall himself, Eric Bishoff wanted to fire Sags, but Hall didn’t want to put him out of work.
Unmasking Rey Mysterio Jr.
The Controversial Decision Was Due To A Comment From Scott Hall
Match | Event | Date |
Scott Hall & Kevin Nash vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. & Konnan | WCW SuperBrawl 9 | 2/21/1999 |
Given that Rey Mysterio Jr. became one the most well-known masked luchador in American pro wrestling, in retrospect it was a bizarre decision to unmask him, which happened in WCW in 1999 at the hands of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. According to Mysterio, it was all due to a stray comment from Hall himself.
10 Things Fans Forget About An Unmasked Rey Mysterio's Time In WCW
It may seem unimaginable today, but Rey Mysterio spent years in WCW wrestling without his mask. There's a lot that fans should know about that run.One day backstage, Hall noted that Mysterio was a good-looking dude, and wondered why he even bothered wearing a mask in the ring. From there, Rey believes that that one remark eventually led WCW to book his unmasking.
Scott Hall vs. Steve Austin
The Story Behind Their Disappointing WrestleMania 18 Match
Match | Event | Date | Winner |
Steve Austin vs. Scott Hall | WWE WrestleMania 18 | 3/17/2002 | Steve Austin |
While The Rock and Hulk Hogan put on a beloved classic at WrestleMania 18, another WWE vs. nWo match on the show, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Scott Hall, proved to be a massive disappointment. On top of being a thrown-together feud, there was an issue surrounding who was going to win the match, with Hall being the initially planned victor, as he and his nWo buddies were worried about losing their credibility. To make matters worse, Austin himself was upset about the whole thing, especially considering that Hall was reportedly hungover.
Scott Hall’s Role In The Plane Ride From Hell
Hall Got Fired From WWE After The Infamous Incident
PPV | Date | Plane Ride From Hell Date |
Insurrextion | 5/4/2002 | 5/5/2002 |
One of the most infamous backstage stories of the 2000s was the Plane Ride From Hell, in which an international flight to the US from England following the Insurrextion PPV became a chaotic affair thanks to the antics of exhausted, increasingly intoxicated WWE stars. A number of incidents occurred on this flight, including a ridiculously intoxicated Scott Hall making inappropriate remarks as well as sexual advances toward flight attendants. In the aftermath, Hall was one of several wrestlers released from WWE days later for the incident.
Getting Clean With Diamond Dallas Page
DDP Was Instrumental In Getting Scott Hall To Quit Drinking In The 2010s
DDP/Diamond Studd Management Relationship | Promotion | Faction |
1991-1992 | WCW | Diamond Mine |
In 2013, Scott Hall’s health problems hit a new milestone, with heart issues being coupled with his drinking problems — and rehab stints never seemed to take. Eventually his old friend Diamond Dallas Page got in touch, inviting Hall to stay with him in his house in order to get clean. With DDP’s help Hall was able to get sober and rebuild his life, but unfortunately COVID and the ensuing lockdown resulted in Scott Hall relapsing in 2020, with Hall dying two years later at the age of 63.
