Beech Tree News Network

One of my favorite shows is the ESPN news show E:60.  They do a lot of human interest stories, most times to do with athletes overcoming odds or sports making a difference.  Last week they had a story on one of my favorite wrestling personalities: Scott Hall.  If you were a fan of wrestling anywhere near the ‘90’s until the mid-2000, you most likely saw Scott perform.
1994 seems light years ago.  That was the time of Scott Hall’s success in WWE.  “We had a run where we wrestled in domes.  You go and wrestle in front of 50-60,000 people and you’re one of the reasons they’re there? It feels pretty good.  Where can I get ten refills of that?” In sharp contrast crowd-wise, April 8, 2011 in Fall River, Mass., Scott appeared in front of a crowd of 480.
“What’s left to do when they stop chanting your name”? When I heard him say that, I started feeling sad.  I realized that therein lays the reason that most former athletes begin using. They can’t deal with that transition of big star to not so big star.  The story went onto explain that his father was a member of the Army. Scott comes from a family of drinkers.  He became head of the house at age 16 and was charged with second degree murder in 1983.  The case was dismissed because of insufficient evidence.
Scott joined the WWE at 33 years old with the character name Razor Ramon.  His “Say Hello to the Bad Guy” mantra was a nod to the movie Scarface.  No question he was one of the best in the ring.  Four years later, he left the WWE for WCW.  He spent a little time there but his personal life suffered.  Night life, life on the road, fans after you all the time as well as drugs and alcohol helped end his marriage in 1998.  
Hall returned to the WWE for a short stint in 2002.  Personally, I was excited.  “The Bad Guy” was back! He was clean at that time but his stint only lasted a few months.  Over the next decade, Hall worked for several wrestling organizations.  He’s been to rehab ten times, with the WWE having financed several treatments.  In fact, they pay for treatment for current as well as, in some cases, former superstars.  In 2010, Scott suffered congestive heart failure and began battling seizures.
“There’s got to be a reason I’m still here.  I should’ve been dead a hundred times”.  He is currently training his son to be a professional wrestler.  Hopefully that will be his anchor.
 I’ve watched Scott Hall perform and have been a fan since the ‘90’s.  To know what he once was and to see where he is now is devastating.  If anything, this should serve as a cautionary tale to anyone who is doing drugs or drinking.  You could have it all, as Hall once did, only to have it and you come crashing down.  
Hello, my name is Andy Sullivan. I received my bachelor’s degree in business from Mid-Continent University in May 2009. I began writing for Beech Tree News in July 2009.  I enjoy playing guitar, the occasional Wii game, writing, and listening to music. I write a sports blog that can be found at http://andy-sportshorts.blogspot.com   If you have a comment, feel free to leave it in the space bel