Scott Hall began his career in 1984 after meeting Barry Windham in a supermarket looking at steaks. He was then teamed with Dan Spivey, and both were trained further by Dusty Rhodes in Florida. They were given spots in Jim Crockett Promotions, and came out as the American Starship. Spivey was the Eagle, and Scott Hall was known as the Coyote. They didn't get many matches early on, except for a match against then champions Ole and Arn Anderson. At the time they worked for the Charlotte Orioles cleaning and brought out the tarp during rain delays[3]. They first worked NWA North Carolina, but eventually moved to NWA Kansas City where they had some matches against Marty Jannetty and Bulldog Bob Brown for their regional tag team championships.
American Wrestling Association (1986-1989)
Eventually Scott Hall moved to the AWA, where they saw a lot of potential, and began pushing him as a character similar to their lost star Hulk Hogan. Verne Gagne was still very angry at Hogan leaving his promotion, and felt he could push another younger superstar to the same heights. Gagne even had Hall grow a handlebar mustache and use similar moves to Hulk Hogan, who was burning up the world for Vince McMahon of the WWF. Eventually they began to team him with their other young future superstar, Curt Hennig. "Big" Scott Hall teamed up with Curt Hennig to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship by defeating "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin & "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal on January 18, 1986 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The "Perfect Combination," as they were dubbed by a Pro Wrestling Illustrated article, had many hard fought matches against Buddy Rose & Doug Somers during this time. They eventually lost the belts to "Playboy" Rose and "Pretty Boy" Somers by countout on May 17, 1986 due to interference by Colonel DeBeers. Although they pushed Hall into world title matches with Stan Hansen and Rick Martel, he eventually lost his push and moved on to the NWA in 1989.
National Wrestling Alliance (1989)
Scott Hall first appeared in the NWA in 1989. He was brought in during the summer by Jim Ross when the NWA was beginning to focus on creating new, young superstars such as Brian Pillman and Sid Vicious. After a while though, he began jobbing and went on hiatus.
He returned in 1991 in another "youth" revival in WCW, which included Stunning Steve Austin and PN News; this time he was the Diamond Studd, whose gimmick was similar to Ravishing Rick Rude's. He was managed by Diamond Dallas Page, and they would bring in women from the audience during his television matches. He received a push, but by the end of 1991 that had fizzled. In 1992, he began teaming with members of Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance. However, the idea of adding him to the stable fell through. Soon after, Hall left for the WWF.
World Wrestling Federation (1992-1996)
Hall debuted in the WWF as Razor Ramon, a Cuban-American from Miami, who was modeled after Tony Montana and Manny Ray, Al Pacino and Steven Bauer's characters from the movieScarface. Hall's nickname as Ramon, The Bad Guy and catchphrase "Say hello to the bad guy" are references to two quotes Pacino says in the film, "Say hello to my little friend" and "say goodnight to the bad guy".
In a later shoot interview, Hall says he came up with the idea of a Scarface-like character on a whim during a meeting with Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson. Hall quoted lines from the movie with a Cuban accent and brought up ideas for vignettes (also inspired by the movie) that would involve him driving around South Florida in a convertible with a leopard-skin interior. Hall recalls that despite the fact that he was quoting lines and lifting ideas directly from the film, McMahon and Patterson were still floored by the ideas, and called Hall a "genius". It wasn't until later that Hall found out that neither McMahon nor Patterson had ever seen or heard of the Scarface movie, thus they believed that Hall was inventing a new wrestling character on the spot.
On the September 1 edition of Prime Time Wrestling aired on September 14, Razor 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. Ramon and Savage started a feud with each other. Ultimate Warrior was also involved in the match when he attacked Ramon who was beating up Savage after the match . Flair and Ramon were scheduled to face the Ultimate Maniacs (Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior) at Survivor Series 1992 but Warrior was fired from the company and was replaced by Flair's executive consultant, Mr. Perfect who had turned face. Ramon made his PPV debut at Survivor Series 1992 where he teamed with Flair, losing to Savage and Perfect by disqualification.
WWF Champion Bret Hart was scheduled to defend the WWF Championship against Ultimate Warrior at Royal Rumble 1993 but Warrior left before the match could occur. Razor Ramon replaced Warrior. In this feud, Ramon insulted Bret and all of his family members. The two had a match at Royal Rumble 1993 for the WWF Championship which Ramon went on to lose after Hart forced him to submit with the Sharpshooter. Ramon made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania IX defeating the legendary former WWF Champion Bob Backlund with a roll-up. On the May 17, 1993 edition of Monday Night RAW he lost an upset match to the jobber 1-2-3 Kid which started a feud between the two. Ramon defeated Tito Santana to qualify for the 1993 King of the Ring tournament. At King of the Ring 1993, he was eliminated from the tournament by Bret Hart.
Soon after, Razor's popularity soared and he eventually turnedface and started a feud with Ted DiBiase. He defeated DiBiase at SummerSlam 1993 following a Razor's Edge in DiBiase's last wrestling match. On September 27 edition of Monday Night RAW, Razor captured his first piece of WWF gold - the WWF Intercontinental Championship when he co-won a 20-man battle royal along with Rick Martel for the vacant title. The next week, the two faced each other to determine the new champion; Razor defeated Martel following a Razor's Edge to win the vacant title. Razor Ramon started a rivalry with Irwin R. Schyster (IRS) over the title.
At Survivor Series 1993, he teamed with Marty Jannetty, Randy Savage, and 1-2-3 Kid against the team of Adam Bomb, Rick Martel, Diesel, and Irwin R. Schyster. Razor was the captain of his team. He went on to eliminate his rival IRS after pinning him following a Razor's Edge. He was eliminated by the match through countout when IRS hit him with the briefcase but Razor's team went on to win the match.
File:WMXmichaels.jpgRazor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship
As 1994 came along, Razor Ramon continued to feud with IRS, defeating him at the Royal Rumble following the Razor's Edge. At the same time, Razor was in the early stages of a feud with Shawn Michaels, over who was the real Intercontinental champion. This culminated in a feud which lead to WrestleMania X. At the event, they both had a match where Razor defended the Intercontinental Championship against Shawn Michaels. There were two belts in this match because Michaels believed he was still the champion though he was stripped of the belt months earlier. Razor retained the title after retrieving both the belts. This match is considered to be a classic and was voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Match of the Year 1994. It was also the first WWF match to receive a five star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Razor Ramon would continue to feud with Shawn Michaels and his protege Diesel. On April 13, 1994 taping of Superstars, he lost the Intercontinental Championship to Diesel with interference from Shawn Michaels. Razor Ramon defeated Kwang to qualify for the 1994 King of the Ring tournament. At King of the Ring 1994, he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in the quarterfinals and Irwin R. Schyster in the semifinals before losing to Owen Hart in the finals of the tournament. At SummerSlam 1994, Razor won his second Intercontinental Championship from Diesel after Shawn Michaels accidentally hit Diesel a Sweet Chin Music. At Survivor Series 1994, he captained a team dubbed "The Bad Guys" consisting of himself, 1-2-3 Kid, Davey Boy Smith, and The Headshrinkers against Shawn Michaels' team "The Teamsters" consisting of Michaels, Diesel, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Jeff Jarrett. Razor's team went on to win the match. By the end of 1994, Razor began feuding with Jeff Jarrett, that lead into the next year.
At Royal Rumble 1995, Razor lost the Intercontinental Championship to Jarrett in a controversial match. Jarrett had originally won the match by countout but the match was re-started and then Jarrett pinned him with a small package. Razor would form a tag team with his friend The 1-2-3 Kid. Razor faced Jarrett in a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XI. Razor won the match by disqualification after Jarrett's assistant The Roadie interfered thus Jarrett retained the title because a title cannot change hands by countout or disqualification. Razor defeated Jarrett and Roadie at In Your House 1 in a handicap match.
On May 161995, Razor qualified for the 1995 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Jacob Blu. He would later defeat Jeff Jarrett in a ladder match on May 19 to win his third Intercontinental Championship. This made Razor Ramon the first-ever wrestler to hold the Intercontinental title three times. Three days later on May 22, he lost the title to Jarrett back. Razor formed a tag team with Savio Vega. On June 9, Razor suffered a rib injury during a ladder match for the Intercontinental title against Jarrett. Savio Vega defeated Irwin R. Schyster in a match prior to King of the Ring 1995 to fill Razor's vacancy. Razor managed Vega throughout the tournament in every match. Razor and Vega would lose to Men on a Mission at In Your House 2.
Razor Ramon received an Intercontinental title ladder match against Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam 1995, in what was considered to be their WrestleMania X rematch. Razor went on to lose the match against Michaels. He then started a feud with Dean Douglas whom he defeated at In Your House 4, to become the new Intercontinental Champion for a fourth and final time; Douglas had defeated Shawn Michaels for the title and just after the match, he was defeated by Razor. Razor became the first-ever wrestler to hold the Intercontinental title for four times which was then a record. At Survivor Series 1995, he was part of a Wild Card match where he teamed with Yokozuna, Owen Hart and Dean Douglas in a losing effort against Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, Davey Boy Smith and Sycho Sid.
In 1996, Hall became a member of WWF's infamous off-stage Kliq which consisted of Kevin Nash (Diesel), Paul Levesque (Triple H), Michael Hickenbottom (Shawn Michaels), and Sean Waltman (1-2-3 Kid/Syxx/X-Pac). At Royal Rumble 1996, he lost the Intercontinental title to Goldust when his former partner 1-2-3 Kid interfered. Razor was originally scheduled to face Goldust in a rematch 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 April1996's In Your House 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 Shawn Michaels and Triple H broke kayfabe, celebrating and embracing in the ring together. This was relevant as Hall was feuding with Triple H and Michaels was feuding with Nash earlier that same night.
Hall's first appearance on WCW television after leaving the WWF was an unannounced interview where he appeared 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. The storyline directly paralleled the real-life competition between the WCW and WWF. At the following pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach 1996, The Outsiders, along with a mystery partner, took on Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage. The mystery partner turned out to be Hulk Hogan, and the three formed the nWo, or New World Order. The stable stormed WCW, enlisting such stars as Syxx (Kliq member, Sean Waltman), The Giant, and Buff Bagwell. The group took off in popularity and dominated WCW television for years to come.
Scott Hall would team up with close friend Kevin Nash (former WWE Champion) as the Outsiders. Together they would hold the WCW tag-team titles on numerous occasions throughout 1997, often feuding with the Steiner Brothers. One of Scott Hall's greatest achievements in WCW was winning the 60 man battle royal at World War 3 on November 23, 1997. In doing so, he earned a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Title. He would then go on to feud with Larry Zbyszko in late 1997.
Hall eventually wrestled Zbyszko at Souled Out on January 24, 1998. He lost the match by disqualification. At WCW Uncensored on March 15, 1998, Hall got his title shot against Sting and lost the match. Scott Hall would then disappear for a short while in early 1998 while the nWo split into two warring factions. Still one half of the tag team champions with Kevin Nash, the thought was that Hall would return alongside his friend in the nWo Wolfpac.
On May 17, 1998, at Slamboree, Scott Hall did return to team with Kevin Nash in a title defense against Sting and the Giant. In a shocking moment, Hall turned on Nash, costing them the titles and jumping sides to align himself with Hulk Hogan in nWo Hollywood. Hall would later regain the championships with the Giant several weeks later, as they defeated Sting and Nash (whom Sting, who had recently joined the Wolfpac, had chosen to be his tag team partner after defeating the Giant, who had joined nWo Hollywood after the tag title match was signed, in a match for control of the tag team belts) due to outside interference from Bret Hart, who was in the midst of a rivalry with Sting at the time.
Scott Hall would become 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. He ducked Kevin Nash throughout the summer, but the two former friends eventually faced each other on October 25, 1998 at Halloween Havoc. After powerbombing Hall twice, Nash left the ring and lost the match by count-out in what was seen as an act of mercy for his best friend. Scott Hall would then be ousted by nWo Hollywood after Scott Steiner took control in Hogan's absence in late 1998. He would then refer to himself as the Lone Wolf, and was still as popular as ever amongst fans. On December 27, 1998, at Starrcade, Scott Hall disguised himself as a security staff member and used a stun gun on WCW champion Goldberg during his title match with Kevin Nash. Not seeing the interference, Kevin Nash jackknifed and covered Goldberg to become the WCW champion and break Goldberg's impressive winning streak.
It seemed the two 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 Tazer Match" at WCW Souled Out. Hall lost the match when Goldberg used the tazer gun on Hall. Scott Hall would then go on to feud with Roddy Piper, and defeated him for the WCW United States Title on February 21, 1999 at SuperBrawl IX. 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 November 8, 1999, Scott Hall defeated Bill Goldberg, Bret Hart, and Sid Vicious in a Texas Tornado Ladder Match to regain the United States Title. However, the title was soon stripped due to a knee injury and awarded to Chris Benoit. Hall & Nash would eventually team up to defeat WCW Tag-Team Champions Bret Hart and Bill Goldberg on December 13, 1999. But soon afterwards, Scott Hall's personal problems arose again and the tag team titles were stripped from the Outsiders. After the nWo returned in December 1999, Scott Hall soon joined team mates Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, Jeff Jarrett, and Scott Steiner in what was coined "nWo 2000."
In the early months of 2000, Scott Hall would get involved in a feud with WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sid Vicious and nWo team mate Jeff Jarrett. Sid pinned Hall in a match also involving Jarrett at SuperBrawl X on February 20, 2000. This would be Scott Hall's last WCW Pay-Per View appearance, and ended his remarkable and successful stint in WCW, and as a member of the nWo.
Extreme Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling (2000-2002)
Hall wrestled in ECW for a brief period. He wrestled three non-televised matches on November 10 & 11, 2000. He then wrestled in Japan and also did some independent shows in the United States. When he was in New Japan, 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. He was very popular with NJPW fans for the duration of his stay. The highlights of his stay in New Japan, however, were only defeats: a loss to All Japan Pro WrestlingTriple 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.
Return to the WWF (2002)
After this stint, Hall returned to the World Wrestling Federation and reunited with Kevin Nash and Hollywood Hogan to repackage the nWo in March 2002. He started a feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin and they fought at WrestleMania X8. Austin won the match. Hall would later go on to feud with Bradshaw, which culminated in a match which he won at Backlash. Hall would then would continue his feud with Steve Austin before being released due to personal issues stemming from an airline altercation.[1]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2002-2004)
Hall worked for TNA periodically between 2002 and 2004. He was on TNA's debut PPV, and later on teamed up with Sean Waltman when he made his debut in the promotion. Hall disappeared until late 2004, when he made his return alongside the debut of Kevin Nash. They were both signed and offered contracts as TNA prepared for their first monthly PPV, Victory Road. Hall joined Nash and Jeff Jarrett in the Kings of Wrestling, a stable similar to the nWo, but the angle was short-lived. After they disbanded, Hall quietly disappeared from the wrestling business.
On July 13, 2007, Hall made his return to wrestling as Razor Ramon, albeit while wearing WolfPac themed attire, in the main event of the WWC Anniversary 2007 tour at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan against current WWE wrestler Carlito. Hall was defeated after Gran Apollo interfered on Carlito's behalf.
The next night, Hall won 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 4th and September 23rd, Hall successfully defended the title against Eddie Colón, Carlito's younger brother. On October 27th, 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.
Return to TNA (2007-Current)
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 much anticipated return to major North American professional wrestling television and was featured in several segments, rebuffing the advances of Karen Angle and then fighting off Kurt Angle in his dressing room. Hall stated he was in TNA for one reason only and that was to confront Kevin Nash. Hall asked Nash why he wasn't there to pick him up when he fell, and Nash responded that as a result of the non-stop partying, he also risked losing his family and had to pick himself up. Nash stated he couldn't do the same for Hall and he apologized. Hall then said "We can talk about the past all night long and put these people to sleep," but that it was time for a fresh start and all was forgiven. Hall and Nash then embraced in the ring. Hall stated he was not Sting's mystery partner at Genesis, "Never have been, never will be." TNA is in negotiations with Scott Hall for more appearances.
Personal life
Scott had married Dana Lee Burgio in 1989 and their marriage had been rocky as Scott had many infidelities while in WCW, especially during trips abroad. Scott's other personal issues included drug use, alcoholism, and DUI and sexual harassment arrests and lawsuits. Dana had decided to divorce Scott in 1998, only for them to re-marry in 2000 and get divorced again a year later. He has two children, son Cody and daughter Cassidy with his ex-wife Dana.[4]
Scott had also been dating TNT president Brad Siegel's niece, Emily Sherman in the middle of his divorce to Dana. He had ended their relationship as he felt he was too old for her, along with the fact that they had an argument while WCW was on tour in Germany as one of Scott's ex-girlfriends had approached him and Sherman became enraged. The argument made wrestling Internet news as it also involved a food fight and a follow-up argument between Sherman and Hall the next day when Hall had to return to the US at the airport. [2]
