Scott Hall's legacy will last for generations — remembering the Bad Guy
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
The wrestling world is in mourning this week following the loss of Scott Hall, a man whose legacy will endure for generations to come.
Hall — who died Monday at the age of 63 after complications from hip surgery — will be remembered most for two reasons, the first being his run as Razor Ramon.
Ramon, a Cuban immigrant character loosely based on Tony Montana from "Scarface," became synonymous with WWE in the early '90s. I guarantee that if you ask someone with a basic knowledge of wrestling to name stars of that era, Razor Ramon would be one of them.
His mix of swag, size and skill caught people’s attention from the start, and within five months, "The Bad Guy" was challenging for the WWF title.
I might have been young at the time, but Razor always stood out to me as one of the coolest dudes ever. His machismo was unmatched. I was enamored by it — the trademark toothpick, especially, as it showed that anything can be a fashion accessory if you have the bravado to pull it off.
Hall created moments people still talk about to this day during that era, such as losing to the 1-2-3 Kid or the WMX ladder match, which raised the bar to a level so high WWE Superstars still have trouble reaching it.
That isn't an easy feat, considering how many ladder matches have taken place on WWE TV since. This one, however, was unlike anything people had seen at the time, and fans reacted accordingly.
Hall ultimately left the company for WCW in 1996 and went on to become a founding member of the nWo. In my opinion, that is what he’ll be remembered for most.
It’s difficult to put into words how much of an impact was made when he first hopped the barricade on Nitro in street clothes to say, "You know who I am, but you don’t know why I’m here," but it was huge.
Hall acting as if Razor Ramon had arrived from WWF to start a fight with WCW wrestlers was an extreme blurring of lines between reality and fiction. So much so, in fact, that it led to a lawsuit from his former employer. That’s how much it rocked the wrestling world.
Then, once Kevin Nash and a freshly-heel-turned Hulk Hogan were added, it was off to the races for these three, as they kickstarted WCW’s most successful period of business.
It is no exaggeration to say that Hall, Nash and Hogan helped change the face of wrestling together.
They turned the ratings tide for WCW, normalized the concept of guaranteed contracts in wrestling, helped usher in the Attitude Era before that was a term and changed the definition of what it meant to be a heel.
For a lot of young wrestling fans, nWo taught us what cool can be.
Just look at this video of Scott Hall having a drink thrown at him in the ring, only to play it off by slicking his hair back without hesitation.
I wish I could have a fraction of that swag. Knowing it’s possible, though, gives me hope.
Beyond pro wrestling, Scott Hall will be remembered by his friends and family, who are going to miss him dearly.
Here’s a touching tribute Kevin Nash posted not long before Hall’s death that shows how much his partner meant to him.
Sean "X-Pac" Waltman had this example to share:
This was a man who meant something to a lot of people. Regardless of the demons faced, pranks pulled or perceived attitude from peers, there was love in his heart for others that friends and family will always wish they could feel again.
It's a loss that hurts across the spectrum.
In closing, the final quote from Scott Hall’s 2014 WWE Hall of Fame induction sums up the memory of his legacy perfectly. "Hard work pays off. Dreams come true. Bad times don’t last, but bad guys do."
The memory of this "Bad Guy" will last a lifetime.
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.