Scott Hall

There have been few Superstars as controversial and impactful throughout WWE history as Scott Hall.

First cutting his teeth in the AWA and WCW, Hall joined WWE in 1992 as Razor Ramon. Donning gold chains and flicking toothpicks at anyone that crossed his path, ”The Bad Guy” made a splash shortly after his debut and helped Ric Flair defeat “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the WWE Title.

When Shawn Michaels was stripped of the Intercontinental Title for inactivity, Razor won a 20-Man Battle Royal for an opportunity to win the vacant Intercontinental Championship in October 1993 — ultimately winning the title the very next week. ”The Bad Guy” defeated all challengers and staked his claim as undisputed champion until HBK returned with his own version of the title, claiming it was legitimate.

As both Superstars laid rightful claims to the Intercontinental Championship, they would settle the dispute at WrestleMania X in the first-ever Ladder Match on The Grandest Stage of Them All. With both titles suspended high above the ring, the rivals battled in a contest that would easily steal the show. When the dust settled, Hall stood tall atop the ladder with both championships firmly in hand.

Throughout the remainder of his WWE tenure, ”The Bad Guy” remained one of the top Superstars and was usually carrying, or on the hunt for, the Intercontinental Championship. During this time, Hall became a key member of the locker room group known as The Kliq. The closely-knit set — consisting of Hall, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Kevin Nash — were backstage power players whose influence was felt throughout the entire organization. Their most infamous moment came before Nash and Hall left WWE when they embraced their supposed rivals — HBK and Triple H — at a live event in Madison Square Garden.

Shortly after the so-called “Curtain Call,” Scott Hall changed the landscape of sports-entertainment forever. With his WWE contract status unknown to the public, Hall appeared unannounced on WCW Monday Nitro on May 27, 1996. After a few weeks of taunting WCW President Eric Bischoff and confronting the organization’s biggest star, Sting, Hall revealed he wasn’t alone. Kevin Nash — also presumably still under WWE contract — made his presence felt by powerbombing Bischoff through the entrance stage at The Great American Bash.

Three WCW stars — Sting, Lex Luger and “Macho Man” Randy Savage — joined forces to battle Hall and Nash at Bash at the Beach. On that evening, the true intentions of The Outsiders were revealed when Hulk Hogan betrayed WCW and joined the duo, officially giving birth to The New World Order.

Hall’s initial WCW appearance paved the way for the most defiant faction in sports-entertainment history. As a member of The nWo, “The Bad Guy” became a seven-time WCW Tag Team Champion, two-time United States Champion, Television Champion and the winner of the 1997 World War 3 battle royal. Though he initially formed The nWo Wolfpac with Nash, Hall’s allegiance always remained with the original incarnation of the black and white–clad faction. Though they shared a heated rivalry in 1998, The Outsiders would reunite at Starrcade that same year when “The Bad Guy” used a stun gun on Goldberg to help Big Sexy secure the win and end Goldberg’s undefeated streak.

In 2002, Mr. McMahon was forced to share control of WWE with “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. The Chairman felt the need to inject a poison in the very organization he created, thus recruiting the pioneers of The New World Order — Hogan, Hall and Nash. The trio unleashed hell on the WWE locker room and “The Bad Guy” set his sights on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The two battled at WrestleMania X-8 with Austin claiming victory.

Following Hogan’s loss to The Rock at The Show of Shows, The Outsiders turned their back on The Hulkster and expanded The nWo’s ranks with former members X-Pac and Big Show. However, before long, injuries plagued the faction and Hall left WWE once again.

Though his second tenure in WWE came to an abrupt end, Scott Hall’s influence on sport-entertainment in the final decade of the 20th century cannot be overlooked. The talented performer wasn’t always in prime condition, but few were better than Hall when he was on his game.