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TRIBUTES BEGIN TO POUR IN FOR SCOTT HALL

By Mike Johnson on 2022-03-14 21:14:00

A number of those who worked in and around professional wrestling began to remember and pay tribute to the late Scott Hall tonight.  Here are just some of those remembrances:

Former WCW Magazine Editor Colin Bowman:  "Scott Hall was amazing. Not just in the ring, but out of it as well. He never judged. He wasn't a stooge. He lived his life, however f**ked up and out of control it got at times. This was no angel, but I never stopped defending him, because I knew he'd done the same for me when it was needed. In one way or another, he's been a pivotal point in my wrestling life.

I first met him in 1991, he was The Diamond Studd (pretty good deal when you consider that Kevin was Oz) on my first WCW UK tour.

They really had no idea what to do with him and so it was no surprise, when he showed up on WWF ... well, the accent was the BIG surprise.

Fast forward to that appearance in May 1996. "You know who I am. But you don't know why I'm here."

I died.

I didn't know it was coming or what it would mean to the business. Booking committees are not very forthcoming, but he was helpful. He understood the machine. Aside from various lawsuits and name changes, we got on top of things to the point where we were no longer the enemy (nWo/WCW apart) and other wrestlers followed suit and saw how we could help them.

For two years we were all kings and it started with him.

For over 20 years he has stared at me from my office wall. A reminder of that Golden Age. His place in this business cannot be overstated. If you can't see it, you have failed to put aside your prejudices and judgment, as if you have never put a foot or six wrong.

Professionally an all-time great.

Personally a nice guy who was deeply flawed.

Either way, the world just got a bit darker.

I hope you are in a better place where there is no rest for the bad guy, just a whole lot of fun."

JBL: "One of the best minds, and workers, in the business. He and Kevin changed the business for the better. Was cool to me from day one. Much respect and love. Rest easy Friend."

Former NWA President Howard Brody: "Anyone who’s read my book knows about the problem I had with Scott in South Korea in 2005. But that interaction can’t define the entirety of my relationship with the man. I first met Scott in the late ‘80s just before he left Crockett for the WWF where he would become Razor Ramon and help define pro wrestling for the next 10 years. He was such a good, sincere guy. All he wanted was an opportunity to shine, something Crockett didn’t give him. When he was on, he was one of the best ever. Considering all he’s gone through it’s truly sad that his life should end now, after finally getting on a path filled with positivity and staying on it for a good while. My condolences to his family, friends and fans. Heyyy, yo… Rest in Peace."

Cody Deaner: "I’ll never forget working a merch table at show and seeing Scott Hall across the room.

He recognized me from working together a few months prior & he got up out of his seat to walk across the building to shake my hand & say hi.

As a huge Scott Hall fan… it was truly humbling experience from a man with a heart of gold.

“Never meet your heroes” isn’t always true."

Tony Devito: "This man played a huge role in the early years of my career,he took a liking to me, Mike Bell,and PJ Polaco,and took 3 green kids under his wing and taught us so much about the wrestling business,he didn’t have to do it but he did and he would tell us one day you will do the same thing.Thank you Scott for being a friend and a mentor,your influence on this business will never be forgotten…..RIP brother"

Ted DiBiase Sr. - "My heart and prayers go out to the family of Scott Hall. He was a great wrestler, a likable guy, and will be missed.  As some of you may remember, I had the pleasure of wrestling my last singles match in WWE against Razor Ramon."

Tommy Dreamer: "The wrestling world mourns an amazing entertainer. I lost another friend. I will miss your face & how you said my name everytime I saw you. Followed by your giant hug. #badguy #RazorRamon"

Bobby Fulton: "Sad day today! Scott Hall was a great guy, I’ll never forget him coming up and thanking my generation and me for helping pave the way for the future of wrestling! I’ll miss seeing him at the meet and greets! Praying for his family, friends and fans! Sad day!"

Luke Hawx: "I could write a novel on my relationship with Scott, we all have our stories but I'll tell a short, simple one on the 1st time we me:

It was 2006 or 2007 in Evansville,Indiana. We were booked for the Insane Clown Posses J.C.W. Scott & I clicked right away for some reason. Our 1st day He asked me to come to dinner with him and we went to a restaurant that was above my means at the time. I knew that eating that meal would cost a good chunk of my pay and I still had 2 more days there so I would be losing money on that trip. I didn't say anything but yes because I knew it was a good opportunity to to pick Scott's brain on wrestling and learn something. At the end of the meal when the check came, Scott picked up the bill and I felt a lil awkward because I wasn't use to someone paying for things like that for me.

Scott not only bought me dinner that evening but he stuck with me the whole weekend and he paid for every single thing we did!!! I felt terrible because I felt like I couldn't return the gesture and I didn't understand why he was being so nice to me, talking to and dropping so much knowledge on me, spending a good amount of money on me, spending his time with me, and just going out of his way to build me up and better myself.

At the end of the weekend I thanked him and expressed that I couldn't repay him for what he did and I wanted him to know how thankful I was that he took the time out to spend with me and help me. He did all that on his own, I never asked for a thing and I didn't ask him to spend that time with me, at the time I had no idea why he choose me but he did and he was Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon aka one of wrestlings biggest stars and I was thankful because this was one of the 1st times I had a really positive experience with someone so big in wrestling(superstars usually didn't care about indy guys like myself and just did their thing,made their money, and hung with their clique). Ending that weekend Scott told me "Luke, you're going to be a top guy one day and when you are, take care of those coming up through the ranks like I took care of you and that's what others did for me!".

I never took that weekend for granted! A couple years after that We lost contact for a few years but seen each other in England for W.A.W and we were attached at the hip for multiple tours and years to come. We continue to stay in touch and he made sure to always call or text me to check in and check on me and also let me know how he was doing.

If this is his time to leave this earth, I just want to put out my personal experiences with Scott, the man who would open up to me and tell me things like how much he loved his kids and how proud he was of Cody but how bad he felt for missing out on so much of his sons life because he loved him dearly. He had demons, he's human, we all are..... But at the end of the day, he was a good person,a talented person, but he struggled with life just like the rest of us. Im thankful for you Scott and our time together."

Chris Jericho: "#ScottHall and I didn’t always see eye to eye when we worked together, but I’m happy to say we cleared the air and became friends over the last few years. He even joined us on the Chris Jericho Cruise in 2020 and we had a great conversation for #TalkIsJericho! It’s a drag we didn’t have more time together, because Scott Hall was a pretty cool cat with a WICKED sense of humour. The dude was seriously razor sharp hilarious. I have many memories of him going back to watching him with my Dad in #AWA in the mid 80’s….What an amazing worker he was in the ring and out! He was One of the biggest stars I’ve encountered during my career….and he was by far the BEST pro wrestler I’ve ever seen to NEVER hold a world title! Love and respect forever. God bless you #BadGuy….I’ll never forget you."

Marc Mero: "I along with so many prayed for a miracle. It didn’t come but anyone who was blessed to really know Scott was a very lucky person. I will miss you my friend. We all have some great stories to share. Now it’s time to rest in paradise. Love you Scotty…"

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