10 Moments Legendary WWE Careers Almost Died

7. Scott Hall's Run In With The Law

Scott Hall AWA Publicity
WWE

Revealed in rather heartbreaking fashion by Scott Hall during a desperately bleak 2011 ESPN documentary on his chemically unravelled life at the time, the 'Bad Guy' detailed a story that occurred before he'd even achieved any level of success in an industry he'd later come to dominate.

Recounting a 1983 altercation outside an Orlando nightclub, Hall noted how he'd shot another man in self defence after a violent scuffle over a girlfriend. He dodged lengthy prison time despite being charged with second degree murder after the court ruled for dismissal based on a lack of evidence. He noted that his life sentence was delivered in other oppressive ways.

Though a legal reprieve freed up Hall to prosper in pro wrestling, it was understandably an incident he'd never truly shake. Friend and confidant Kevin Nash has noted that Hall's lengthy substance abuse issues have perhaps stemmed from post-traumatic stress related to the skirmish. For almost as long as he was a star performer, he was enslaved by near-fatal addictions that were only recently conquered thanks to the tireless efforts of Diamond Dallas Page.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett