Scott Hall is one of the most popular, well-known and beloved pro wrestlers of all time. And yet somehow, despite being a pillar of WWE during the “New Generation” era, and one of the three founding and most important members of nWo, arguably the most important faction in wrestling history, Hall never held a world title in WCW, WWE, or even AWA.
In the latest “Nitro Files” with Eric Bischoff as part of Sports Illustrated’s big honkin’ pro wrestling column, the former WCW chief said that there’s a simple reason Hall never held a top title in WCW or WWE: he didn’t need the damn thing.
“Scott Hall is the type of character that didn’t need a belt. That’s not to suggest that other characters, like Bill Goldberg or Hulk Hogan, needed the belt, but Scott didn’t need it. That speaks more to his versatility than it does anything else.
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“Scott had all the instincts, physical attributes, the look, the psychology, and an amazing instinct for sensing an audience’s reaction in a match. His timing was impeccable, and I can’t say enough good things about Scott Hall when he was at the top of his game. He was amazing, he was the complete package. He understood his character, he could get a character over in the body of a match or on the microphone, and both were believable. He allowed the audience to forget, for a moment, that what they were watching was scripted entertainment. Scott made wrestling feel so real and so believable because he connected with the audience in a way that was hard to describe. It’s the difference between an Eddie Van Halen and 900 different guitarists that are pretty good.”
I happen to be a person who subscribes to the belief that the wrestler makes the title, rather than the other way around. I also subscribe to the belief of “I want my favorite wrestlers to hold the most important titles possible,” so both things can be true! Yay!
I don’t think there’s anyone who really believes Hall’s legacy has been lessened by the lack of any world championship, but it probably would have been cool if he had has some sort of run with a top title. I guess Hall himself would likely tell us title reigns don’t last, but Bad Guys do. So let’s just be happy that Scott Hall existed at all, and that he’s still around for us to celebrate his legacy.
