WWE: Scott Hall Confirmed As Next Inductee [Image]

It's been rumored for months now and we reported about it a couple of weeks ago, but it appears to be official now that Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon will be the next inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2014. The announcement is expected on WWE Monday Night Raw from Brooklyn tonight, though the reveal has been confirmed early by the following newspaper advert; Screen Shot 2014 03 24 At 16 05 35 A report from PWInsider suggests that the current plan is for members of The Kliq to induct Hall. That infamous group included Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman (X-Pac). No word if all of them will present Hall or if it will be just one of them. If it was one of them, Nash appears to be the most likely since he two formed the Outsiders together. However, if all four of them do it that would be cool too. You might recall that when Michaels was inducted in 2011, after his speech he was joined by Nash & Waltman (Triple H was already there). Hall wasn't there because he wasn't in good health and they didn't want to put him on stage. Hall is considered one of the best wrestlers ever that was never WWE or WCW World Champion. He did manage to win 4 Intercontinental Titles in WWE, 2 WCW US Titles, 7 WCW Tag Team Titles and the WCW TV Title. He also was a part of several major wrestling angles and had some excellent matches along the way too. His Razor Ramon character was a knockoff of Al Pacino in Scarface. Hall has told the story that he pitched the idea to Vince McMahon, who likely hadn't seen the movie, and McMahon loved it that he let Hall run with it. Ramon often called himself the "bad guy" like Pacino did in a famous scene in the film. It was a great gimmick for Hall as he entered the arena with gold chains, his slick hair and his trademark toothpick. He had good runs as both a heel and a babyface as the Ramon character. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClzKiEZXFcE As Razor Ramon, he had plenty of great moments, but nothing will top the WrestleMania 10 ladder match against Shawn Michaels that was 20 years ago. It was the first Ladder Match at a WrestleMania or any kind of live WWE show that was broadcast to the world (Shawn and Bret Hart had one at a live event released on tape) and also one of the best ones ever still to this day. As most of you probably know, Ramon won the classic match after Michaels was tangled in the ropes. They did it again at SummerSlam 1995 a year later and that was arguably the better match, but the one at WrestleMania is more memorable.
In 1996, Hall famously appeared on WCW Nitro for the first time as an outsider that was there to take over the company. Fans thought it was real because he was just in WWE. Along with Kevin Nash, they promised a big surprise at Bash at the Beach 1996. That's when Hulk Hogan surprisingly joined the group and the three of them formed the New World Order. Those first couple of years of the NWO were the best before they added too many people to the group and it just wasn't the same. He stayed in WCW until its end in 2001 although he was taken off TV at times because he wasn't in a condition to perform. Hall returned to WWE in 2002 with Hogan and Nash. He wrestled Steve Austin at WrestleMania X8, but it was clear that he was showing his age and that his addiction to alcohol had really taken a toll on his life. His second WWE run didn't really go anywhere and he was released within a few months of showing up. The last decade has seen him spend time in TNA as well as other promotions around the world. During the majority of his adult life, the 55-year-old Hall has battled demons as an alcoholic. It's been well documented. There were many arrests and stories of Hall looking like he shouldn't be near a ring. WWE has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on rehab for him, but they were never able to fully help him get clean and sober. Last year he sought the help of old friend Diamond Dallas Page, who used his DDP Yoga program to assist Hall as well as Jake Roberts (another Hall of Famer this year). The help of his friend has helped Hall live a clean and sober life while also assisting his son Cody in his wrestling career. It's awesome to see Hall on Twitter (@ScottHallNWO) openly talk about his love of his kids and how he's able to be there for Cody as he makes a name for himself in the business. Here's the full list of inductees at the WWE Hall of Fame this year: Ultimate Warrior, Jake Roberts, Paul Bearer, Lita, Carlos Colon, Mr. T and Scott Hall. In past years they have inducted tag teams, but that's not happening this year. They have stuck with the usual plan of one person inducted posthumously (Bearer), a celebrity (Mr. T) and one woman (Lita) in the class. It's a strong group that will get inducted on Saturday April 5th and as WWE likes to remind us all the time, it will air live on WWE Network.
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John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.