5 backstage stories about WWE legend Scott Hall you need to hear
Wrestling fans worldwide mourned Scott Hall's loss on March 14, 2022. The legendary WWE Superstar passed away aged 63 after suffering multiple heart attacks.
The WWE Universe took to social media to pay tribute to the wrestling legend. Kevin Owens even kicked off WWE RAW the same day with a "Hey, yo!"
Former Universal Champion Finn Balor appeared for an interview with BT Sport and had nothing but good things about The Bad Guy:
"He was someone that was always available, always willing to share his knowledge to anyone that'd listen. Everyone called him 'The Bad Guy' but he had the purest heart, and he was a real, real good guy. I feel very, very lucky to share time with him outside of the ring.”
On the other hand, many backstage stories about the WWE Hall of Famer prove that he was indeed a great guy. He matched his on-screen gimmick with backstage antics to give fans the full experience.
Check out the five backstage stories about WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall that you need to hear:
#5. A WWE legend was instrumental in coming up with his toothpick gimmick
Scott Hall will be remembered for several things about his gimmick and character. Over the years, Hall became synonymous with the toothpick gimmick.
Fans have wondered how Hall thought of going around with a toothpick in his mouth. Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page appeared on The Bro Show to reveal the story behind it.
DDP was instrumental in coming up with the toothpick gimmick way before Hall became Razor Ramon. Here's what DDP had to say about his idea:
"As we're leaving Waffle House, I give him the toothpick. I've got it in my mouth, he's got it in his mouth. As we're walking, I go- 'Dude I got a great idea. At the end of the video, at the end of the interview, we both kick the toothpicks through to the camera.'" [16:10-16:30]
"Around 2 quarters of the way through the promo, the toothpick's in my mouth. It falls out of my mouth and I am like, 'Noooo,' because I wanted to do that. But the way he did it when I saw that, the way he did the whole thing, the way he flicked it into the camera...the bad guy was born." [16:30-16:53]
The small addition to his character helped him become a big deal in WWE. His skills and charisma took him on a path to success that only a few have seen in the industry.
#4. Scott Hall joked with a legendary WWE tag team backstage
Scott Hall meets the Dudley Boyz 😂
[Jericho’s second book, Undisputed] https://t.co/JiNqoacebV
As a top guy backstage, Scott Hall had the liberty to pull jokes and pranks on fellow wrestlers. He never missed an opportunity to pass a few comments and crack some jokes.
In one such instance, Hall mocked The Dudley Boyz for their finishing move when he returned to WWE and reunited with nWo.
Accordingly to Chris Jericho, he arrived backstage and greeted everyone before shaking Bubba Ray Dudley's hand. He praised Dudley's team finisher, the 3D, before taking a jab at the former WWE Tag Team Champion:
"Hall was the last to arrive and was all phony smiles and fake hellos, but I could see his true self waiting to emerge like a shark beneath the surface. It didn't take long for Jaws to attack as only five minutes later he shook Bubba Ray Duley's hand and murmured in his deep voice, 'I love the 3D. What a great finishing move ... can't wait to kick out of it.'"
It was one of the many times The Bad Guy let his character come out backstage to take a few shots at his competitors – all in good fun.
#3. Scott Hall was responsible for coming up with Sting's The Crow gimmick
Sting has one of the most iconic gimmicks in all of sports entertainment. His famous Crow gimmick was the brainchild of none other than WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall.
Steve Borden started his career with a few other characters. However, his gimmick change in 1996 took him to the top of the ladder.
Hall opened up about Sting's gimmick and said he came up with the idea behind it. The two men weren't good friends but did speak to each other. During a conversation backstage, the late superstar asked Sting to check out The Crow and remodel his gimmick around the character:
"I said, ‘Have you ever seen The Crow?’ He goes no, and I said, 'it’s this dark character with the white face paint and the dark lines.' I said, ‘I ain’t telling you to rip off 'Taker, but rip off Taker.’ Different territory, it’s not quite as bad. The way I heard it, he ran it by [Eric Bischoff], they went yes, and we’re off to the races. To me, I don’t need any credit for it. It’s just the right thing to do. I never knew Sting, and we’re a little friendlier these days. To me, once you give a guy an idea and it works, you have a connection with that guy."
Scott Hall's idea clicked, and it helped Sting become an even bigger deal than he already was. He's still among the top names in the industry and is fighting under the gimmick for AEW.
#2. Razor Ramon changed the lives of two HIV/AIDS positive kids with a kind gesture
Scott Hall touched many lives during his iconic wrestling career. In 1996, in his Razor Ramon character, he appeared on The Jerry Springer Show as the Intercontinental Champion to surprise two children.
He met the two kids, Hydeia and Tyler, living with HIV/AIDS. Back then, facts about the disease were unclear, and it was undetermined how long they'd live.
The Bad Guy showed his support for the two children, declaring them champions and giving them his Intercontinental title. Hydeia and Tyler appeared for an interview with WWE.com in 2016 to talk about Hall's impact on their lives:
"We ended up going to one of the WrestleManias, I believe it was in California, after that, and the family got to meet the wrestlers and hang out with Razor Ramon. It was definitely a life-changing experience. He gave me the title and I brought it right home and showed all my friends. All the people around town came home to see it and I'd let them hold it. They would say, 'You’re so lucky!'" (H/T - WWE.com)
"I think having the support of a public figure that was a big part of such a huge organization set a tone for people to really take the time to educate themselves about HIV/AIDS and to show compassion themselves, especially towards youths, that was really a big step and it was a great move by Razor Ramon for coming out and doing that," Hydeia added.
The former nWo member's kind act touched the lives of the two children and many like them worldwide. It showed how much Scott Hall cared for the community and wanted to highlight issues swept under the rug at the time.
#1. Scott Hall was responsible for Rey Mysterio's unmasking in WCW
WWE legend Rey Mysterio is currently enjoying his time fighting alongside his son Dominik. The two men are looking to rule the RAW tag team division before Rey hangs up his boots.
During his run in WCW in 1999, Mysterio got unmasked for the first time. It was a major decision met with mixed reactions.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Mysterio answered what made WCW decide to unmask him. Mysterio attributed the decision to a comment made by Hall and went on to elaborate:
"From my understanding, there was a rumor that was spread out by one person and one person only – Scott Hall. Scott Hall was, like, 'Rey what are you doing with that mask, you're a pretty mother*****r, man'. I was like 'come on man, don't start rumors,' and that led into another thing and eventually they felt it was time for me to wrestle without the mask. Now, we didn't market the mask like it should have been marketed in WCW which, later on, Vince capitalized on because WWE has always been good at expanding the merchandise sales. In WCW it was never made, they never gave it the push the mask deserved and the history behind lucha libre. Again, I believe it was one comment made by Scott which then a couple of years later ended up with me taking off the mask."
The Master of the 619 admitted it was the comment made by the late superstar that led to him fighting without a mask in WCW.