Tag: Razor Ramon

The ‘Curtain Call’ reshaped WWE 30 years ago today | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Wrestling has produced countless memorable moments, matches and shocking incidents. Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the “Curtain Call” — a controversial moment that arguably helped pave the way for the WWE Attitude Era and the eventual rise of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin as we know him today.  

The background

In 1994, real life friends and WWE wrestlers Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Sean Waltman formed The Kliq. It wasn’t an official on-screen stable like DX but existed backstage among the friends. The group became highly influential backstage due to close friendships and their growing star power in WWE. They traveled together for tours and other wrestling events, influencing creative decisions and developed a reputation for holding significant power backstage. 

What happened on May 19, 1996? 

On May 19, 1996, Hall and Nash competed in their final WWE matches before becoming free agents and eventually signing with WCW. At an event in Madison Square Garden, Hall faced Triple H while Michaels defended the WWF Championship in a steel cage match against Nash.

The shocker came after the main event when Hall entered the ring and embraced Michaels. Later, Nash and Triple H joined in the group hug, bidding farewell to the two who were departing the company.

The incident pre-dated the social media era when it was difficult for videos and photos from wrestling events to quickly spread. However, a couple of fans had snuck in their camcorders into the venue, captured the incident on tape, causing it to spread like wildfire. 

Why it created an uproar

The crowd gasped and were confused at what unfolded. It was an unusual sight because they were breaking a sacred WWE rule by breaking kayfabe in public. Vince McMahon was particular about feuding wrestlers being spotted together at outings so as to maintain their rivalries and good/bad guy personas they had going. 

The curtain call incident shattered the illusion of wrestling which undermined the product’s presentation. 

The fallout 

Nash and Hall escaped any form of punishment since they were done with WWE. Michaels was the WWF Champion and a top star in the company. So, the only person who took the fall was Triple H. 

The irony is that without the curtain call incident of 1996, there wouldn’t be a “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or the birth of the Attitude Era. But how were they related?

Triple H became the scapegoat since he lacked championship status and didn’t have an expiring contract. On June 23 that year, WWE held their annual King of the Ring event. Triple H’s growing stature was leading to him winning the tournament and skyrocketing his career. He did not get a suspension or indefinite leave of absence after the controversial incident, but instead was punished by not winning the tournament.

That accomplishment went to Austin who defeated Jake Roberts to win the event, followed by him proceeding to give the legendary and revolutionary Austin 3:16 promo in a post-match interview. 

The following week, fans started bringing “Austin 3:16” posters to events signifying the impact it had among WWE fans which led to Steve Austin’s trajectory as the next top star to take over the WWE landscape. 

All of that seemed unimaginable back 30 years ago.

Fight Game: WWF Survivor Series 1992 review

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and Garrett Gonzales return with a holiday edition of The Fight Game Podcast.

This isn’t a show about current wrestling, rather it’s a review of the 1992 Survivor Series, but done in a slightly different way.

We go through the history of the time in WWF post-SummerSlam. Randy Savage is the WWF World Champion but soon enough, Ric Flair and then Bret Hart would take the title. The Ultimate Warrior is fired only a couple of weeks before Survivor Series and they have to scramble with a late turn of Mr. Perfect to save the main event.

Here are some of the other things we talk about:

  • A list of Dave Meltzer’s best singles and tag matches of the early 1990s
  • What was happening in 1992 in pop culture during this time
  • What has aged well and not-so-well from the show
  • Guessing Dave Meltzer’s star ratings from the event

Because of the holiday week, we’ve put this show for free on our Spotify and Apple Podcast feeds, as well as on YouTube, which you can see below.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: WWF Magazine from December 1993

Posted on by Karl Stern

“Promotional consideration paid for by the following….”

On our rotation of classic pro wrestling shows, this week takes a look back at the December 1993 issue of WWF Magazine.

As you can see, the cover story was about Razor Ramon and how long he could keep the WWF Intercontinental title. Plus, we got features on Ludvig Borga (Tony Halme), The Lex Express, and much more.

Also included was the WWF merchandise catalog with foam fingers and teddy bears in your favorite WWF wrestlers’ gear for some reason. 

Click Here To Listen (for free)

Bryan & Vinny & Craig & Show: RAW 41 with RAZOR VS. DIESEL, plus Granny and more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

It’s the Mighty Bryan & Vinny & Craig & Granny Show and we’ve got a big one this week, including Granny’s weekly segment with GRANNYISMS, her Weekly Wrestling Report, limericks and more, then the boys review RAW 41 which was, in fact, the 41st RAW and not much else. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show: Atrocious RAW episode 38 plus Granny and more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

It’s a WILD Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show today as we’ve got GRANNY, her weekly Q&A, TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, amazing match recaps including Roman Reigns vs. RUFUS, and then a review of one ATROCITY of a pro-wrestling show, Raw episode 38 with two absolutely horrific matches and a generally boring rest of the show. A fun time as always so check it out~!

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Bryan & Vinny Show: RAW 35 with Razor vs. Martel for the IC Title, plus all-timer Granny segment

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

The Bryan & Vinny & Granny Show is back with tons to talk about including an all-timer of a Granny segment, her Weekly Wrestling Report, limerick book reading and more, then the boys review RAW 35 with Razor Ramon vs. Rick Martel for the WWF Intercontinental Title. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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March 21, 2022 Observer Newsletter: Death of Scott Hall

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Scott Hall, one of the key characters in the late 90s pro wrestling boom, someone known for his intelligence when it came to his profession but was also very self-destructive outside the ring, passed away on 3/14 at the age of 63.

Hall had suffered a broken hip last week and underwent surgery at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, GA. During the surgery, he had a blood clot. This led to suffering three heart attacks and he had to be put on life support. By the morning of 3/13, family members confided to those close to him that he was not going to live through the ordeal. Family members and friends were alerted to come see him, or to say goodbye by phone when he was put on life support. At about noon Eastern time the next day, he was taken off life support, where it would have taken a major miracle for him to survive. He passed away in the early evening.

Subscribers can continue reading this week’s newsletter here.

We’re Live, Pal: Scott Hall memories, Austin 3:16 week

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

It’s a brand new episode of We’re Live, Pal, as Andrew Zarian and I are back to talk about the passing of Scott Hall.

We talk about all the characters of his that we remember from our childhood and how big it felt when he joined WCW.

We also talk about Austin 3:16 week and discuss a podcast POAP that can be minted by those who watched or listened to the show. We talk about where Cody Rhodes may have been last night and some of the WrestleMania 38 build before talking about AEW Dynamite.

Enjoy the latest We’re Live, Pal in podcast form below or on YouTube above.

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Daily Update: More tributes to Scott Hall

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: More on Tony Khan & ROH, AEW Revolution review

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter: February 7, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Royal Rumble review, business year in review

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Tuesday News Update

WWE

AEW

  • This week’s AEW Road To, focusing on Scorpio Sky vs. Wardlow for the TNT title and Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s World title.
  • Chris Jericho has filed to trademark the term ‘Jericho Appreciation Society’, along with the term ‘JAS’.
  • This week’s Sammy Guevara vlog.
  • John Silver was the guest on this week’s Thunder Rosa vlog.
  • MJF turns 26 today.

Other Wrestling

  • Scott Hall’s death on Monday was picked up by a number of mainstream news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, the Associated Press, and The Wall Street Journal.
  • NJPW uploaded a free match to NJPW World from their May 3, 1997 Strong Style Evolution event. Scott Hall teamed with Kevin Nash and Masahiro Chono to face Keiji Mutoh and The Steiner Brothers.
  • Hulk Hogan appeared at his bar last night, discussing the passing of Hall.
  • Bret Hart paid tribute to Hall on his Facebook page: “I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Scott Hall. I wasn’t very close with Scott in his later years, but upon reflection, I can flashback to many happy and fun memories of the days when he was my friend. I think Scott carried many heavy crosses long before I ever knew him. He was a good friend to Owen long before he became Razor Ramon. Wrestling life can be so much fun, and at the same time, it can take all you have at the same time. I will always remember Scott in the better times with his cool, dry sense of humour while playing gently with my sons. We had many matches and he was a hard worker. I loved my matches with him at Royal Rumble and the first King of the Ring in 1993. I fondly look back on so many terrific matches he had with Owen, Davey Boy, Sean Waltman (123 Kid), and Shawn Michaels. We’ve lost so many wrestlers from my era, and this is just one more to a list that’s far too long. I won’t blame any one thing, but I do believe that if the days of wrestling 300 days a year had been kinder and more considerate, if we could’ve been home with our loved ones more, many of my old friends and brothers would still be here. I think Scott would smile to know that so many people really loved him and will truly miss him. One more wrestler. A fine machine gone too soon. My thoughts and prayer go out to his family, friends, and loved ones.”
  • Mike Shields, former producer of AWA’s television show, passed away on March 14. Eric Bischoff wrote on Twitter: “This has been a tough one. Two people who had such a pivotal role in how my future played out early in my career left us today. Mike Shields hired me in the AWA. Taught me the TV business from the ground up. Scott Hall? You know the story. Forever grateful gents.”
  • Charlie Haas will face Effy at Black Label Pro’s Norm on April 3.
  • Octagon Jr. vs. Matt Cross has been signed for MLW’s Azteca Underground event that will take place April 1 at Gilley’s in Dallas, Texas.
  • Matches announced for the Control Your Narrative event in Dallas on March 31 include Adam Scherr vs . Erick Redbeard vs. Damo, Austin Aries vs. Westin Blake, Flip Gordon vs. Dirty Dango, and Killer Kross vs. Vincent.
  • Ryan Katz, a former writer on NXT who was released in January, has released a new book called How to Be A Pro Wrestler.
  • The United Wrestling Network is resuming television tapings next Tuesday at the Irvine Improv. Booker T, UWN World Champion Chris Dickinson, Peter Avalon, Zicky Dice, Reno Scum, Danny Limelight, and Karl Fredericks have been announced for the tapings.
  • Doug Williams & Harry Smith have been announced as a team for the NWA’s upcoming Crockett Cup tournament.
  • Beyond the Mat, the pro wrestling documentary from 1999 featuring Terry Funk, Mick Foley, and Jake Roberts, among others, is now streaming on Discovery+. All three seasons of Dark Side of the Ring are available on the platform as well.
  • The Iron Sheik turns 80 years old today.

WWE, wrestling world pay tribute to Scott Hall

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Tributes to Scott Hall poured in on Monday following the WWE Hall of Famer’s passing at the age of 63. 

During Monday’s Raw, Kevin Owens opened the show with a “Hey, yo,” one of Hall’s trademark catchphrases. Owens made another Hall reference in a backstage segment with Seth Rollins, calling back to Hall’s first WWE Hall of Fame induction speech. 

Damian Priest used Hall’s Razor’s Edge finisher in the first match on Raw, sending Finn Balor onto the announce table. 

WWE aired a tribute video to Hall in the show’s third hour. 

Hall’s longtime friend and tag team partner Kevin Nash shared an image of the duo on Instagram prior to word of Hall’s passing broke. 

Fellow Kliq member Sean “x-Pac” Waltman shared a photo of Hall with the late Curt Hennig, and spoke of how Hall looked out for him while he was out injured when both were in WCW. 

Paul “Triple H” Levesque issued a rare public statement on Twitter: 

Tributes also came from talent and promotions around the world, from AEW’s official Twitter account, NWA, former WCW and current AEW talent Sting and Tony Schiavone, as well as NJPW’s Satoshi Kojima and NJPW president Takami Ohbari. 

Diamond Dallas Page, who played a large part in Hall’s personal life in helping him battle addiction, posted: 

Other wrestling legends and current talent also chimed in and paid their own respects: 

WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall passes away at 63 years old

Posted on by Josh Nason

Scott Hall, one of the most recognizable stars of the Monday Night War era of pro wrestling, passed away Monday at the age of 63 years old.

WWE announced Hall’s passing with a graphic at the top of Monday’s Raw broadcast and on social media at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Hall was taken off life support Monday after suffering three heart attacks Saturday. He had been in a Georgia hospital since March 1 after he sustained a broken hip that required surgery. A blood clot got loose last week and Hall developed serious complications that led to the heart attacks.

A pro since 1984, Hall gained national prominence as Razor Ramon in the then-WWF in 1992. Influenced by the Tony Montana and Manny Ribera characters from the 1983 movie Scarface, Hall eventually became a top act in the company, feuding with other stars like Randy Savage and then-WWF Champion Bret Hart. He also had memorable storylines and matches with Shawn Michaels, which led to the famous ladder match at WrestleMania X, and Sean Waltman, then the 1-2-3 Kid.

He and WWE Kliq-mate Kevin Nash (WWF’s Diesel) left for WCW with Hall first making a surprise appearance on a May 1996 episode of Monday Nitro. Nash appeared a month later and formed the tag team The Outsiders, which eventually led to Hulk Hogan turning heel at that year’s Bash at the Beach and the launch of the nWo with Waltman eventually joining them.

Hall would remain in the company until 2000, leaving with seven Tag Team title reigns and two U.S. title reigns to his credit.

Hall, Nash and Hogan eventually made their way back to WWE, reviving the nWo in 2002. His stay didn’t last long as he was released following “the plane ride from hell” in May 2002, the infamous trip from the United Kingdom to the U.S. chronicled on last season’s Dark Side of the Ring series. Hall was fired stemming from both his actions on the plane and his ongoing battles with substance abuse.

Hall’s post-WWE and WCW career would take him to stops in ECW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, TNA, the World Wrestling Council and even Juggalo Championship Wrestling.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice, once for his run as Razor Ramon and then as part of the nWo. He made a handful of on-screen appearances since 2014, mainly in DX and nWo reunion segments with fellow Kliq members Michaels, Paul “HHH” Levesque, Nash and Waltman.

Other notable titles Hall held include the AWA Tag Team titles (with Curt Hennig); the TNA Tag Team titles (with Nash and Eric Young); and the WWC Universal title.

His aforementioned struggles with substance abuse and the resulting health and legal issues were well-documented. His friend and former WCW stablemate “Diamond” Dallas Page attempted to help Hall through his DDP Yoga program, seen in the The Resurrection of Jake The Snake documentary. Hall also had done rehab through the WWE Wellness Program.

Hall was married twice and has both a son and a daughter from those marriages.

WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall suffers broken hip

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall has been hospitalized. 

PWInsider reports via Jerry Jarrett’s Facebook page that Hall, 63, fell and broke his hip and is currently in the hospital. 

Hall has been announced for WrestleCon on WrestleMania weekend in Dallas, and it is unclear if his injury will force a change to that scheduled appearance. 

Under his Razor Ramon gimmick, Hall was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the first time in 2014. As Scott Hall, he was part of the nWo-headlined 2021 Hall of Fame ceremony, though officially a member of the 2020 class. The 2020 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony was postponed to the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hall’s 1994 WrestleMania X ladder match against Shawn Michaels was voted Match of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. His last high-profile run on the national stage came in 2010 as a member of the TNA roster in a short-lived reunion with Kevin Nash and X-Pac as The Band.