It is difficult to deny the impact Scott Hall had on WCW in the initial months of the New World Order angle. Without him, the angle never would have occurred and WCW likely would have proven no match for the mighty WWE. Instead, he made his way to the ring and declared war on WCW, igniting a program that would take the company to its greatest heights and almost single-handedly put WWE out of business. Hall was the the match that ignited the fire and for that, he will be properly accredited and celebrated. But Hall's demons interrupted what could have been an extraordinary career. Instead of winning the first (second, third, etc.) heavyweight titles of his career, he appeared infrequently and was often inebriated when he did. One of the smartest stars in the history of the industry, he may have been able to use his mind to help right the ship that had begun capsizing in 1998, when WWE began mounting their comeback. As one-half of the Outsiders, Hall partnered with Kevin Nash to capture the WCW Tag Team Championships. Together, they reigned over the tag division, despite stiff competition, and brought renewed prestige to titles that had been traded among lesser-talented teams for far too long. Outside of that run, though, Hall's involvement in WCW gets muddy. He never really did much in the way of defined storytelling, instead randomly wrestling the likes of Larry Zbyszko, Roddy Piper and other competitors well past their primes. He held the WCW Television and United States Championships but never really did much with them. By the time he was carrying booze to the ring, his issues had reached the point that they had become comical, despite being the furthest thing from funny imaginable. It was a sad downfall for Hall, who had such promise but never fully realized it.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
