"Hard work pays off. Dreams come true. Bad times don't last. Bad guys do."
Scott Hall was an iconic a character as there ever has been in wrestling and one of the biggest icons of the late 1980s and 1990s. I first saw him in the AWA as Magnum Scott Hall, but he was much more visible in WCW as The Diamond Studd. While that wasn't his greatest role, the iconic look and mannerisms were easily transferable when he joined the WWF as Razor Ramon.
I'll never forget The Bad Guy's early WWF career - the endless vignettes, costing Randy Savage the WWF Championship and his Royal Rumble title match against Bret Hart (which seemed very early in his run, but he handled it incredibly well). From there, there was the iconic loss to the 123 Kid, his legendary ladder match against Shawn Michaels, the feud with Diesel and so many other big moments during that era.
By the time he returned to WCW, Hall felt like a fresh and different character, as though he'd been sent there by the competition. It was a convincing work that had even the most skeptical fans paying attention. By the time he partnered with Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan, he became part of wrestling history - a massive part of it.
Towards the end of the nWo run, Hall had a long history of substance abuse problems that put him on the wrestling deadpool list for many years. Yet he survived and persisted, and his rehabilitation with the help of Diamond Dallas Page was nothing short of miraculous. Hall's recent interviews and appearances showed a man who was capable of overcoming.
It's so sad that, after that triumph, it was a blood clot that ended the life of one of the greatest wrestlers never to hold a World Championship. Rest in peace, Scott Hall, and thank you for the memories.