Scott Hall Documentay Details
Posted by David Damage on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Under: News
This Scott Hall Documentary will be on US TV tonight....
The early portion of the story paints the story of Hall’s life before
he entered pro wrestling, being raised in a family of “hard drinking
rednecks” that places Hall as the self-professed head of the household
at the age of only 15. As if that wasn’t enough to mentally process,
Hall is charged with second degree murder after getting into a fight
with someone over a woman he was dating. While the charges were dropped,
the mental scars of the incident and Hall’s decision not to seek help
coping with the fallout of the experience really set the stage for the
mental issues he began compensating for by turning to self-abuse.
Hall’s career is recounted with clips from the AWA, WCW and WWE as Hall
recounts pitching the Razor Ramon character to Vince McMahon, who had
never seen “Scarface.” The business, with the Hall as a member of the
NWO at the forefront of the big boom of the 1990s, is showcased as being
on the largest, most popular scale it had ever achieved – with all the
darker pitfalls of the wild, wild west hard living lifestyle talked
about by Hall (including a haunting story about a hotel room
conversation with Shawn Michaels while both are in a partying-induced
stupor), Sean Waltman and Eric Bischoff.
Like every bubble,
the wrestling one crashed and at the same time came the crash of Scott
Hall. There is a well edited sequence showing the difference between the
young and vibrant Hall before thousands of fans and the bloated, pale
Hall of today working before sparse crowds while fighting to stay both
relevant and on top of the personal issues that have now defined his
life and career alike. 911 calls made to check on Hall’s well being are
played during the piece as are comments from members of Hall's family.
Hall's infamous incident in Fall River, MA where Hall stumbled through
an Internet PPV broadcast is both the centerpiece and the most
depressing thing in the piece. Hall, out of the hospital for just 24
hours, is shown staggering like a slow motion jellyfish while making his
trademark mannerisms as if he was trapped within a sea of molasses.
Justin Credible talks of switching the pills Hall was taking with
aspirin while the promoter of the event defends himself for putting Hall
out there in that condition. In the end, Hall admits he didn’t even
know what country he was in. The footage of Hall working the show is
among the worst, most depressing examples of what independent pro
wrestling has to offer.
For someone who once lived in a
fantasy life only few have seen, the reality of Hall’s life in 2011 is
that he now has to take and maintain close to a dozen medications daily
due to congenital heart failure brought on by so many of his
self-abusive traits. Hall is close to a dozen rehab stays at a cost of
six figures to WWE. His once trademark physique and chiseled good looks
have been weathered and worn away. Hall's friends, including Kevin Nash,
admit that they’ve been preparing themselves for the worst for over a
year. It's a situation where you can't help but shake your head and
wonder who's to blame, and whether you should have anger or sympathy for
the man.
The lone beacon of hope towards the end of the piece
is Hall’s son Cody. Long estranged, Cody has tried to reconcile with
his father, moving in with him. The younger Hall admits that at this
point, he’s more concerned with helping his father stay alive than
whether Hall can finally get himself clean. However, in one of the more
surprising moments of the feature, it’s revealed that Cody himself is
now training as an independent wrestler. That revelation comes only a
few minutes before Scott’s ex-wife Dana declares that Scott is as
addicted to his alter ego and wrestling as he is any substance. The
piece does not show her reaction to Cody following his father's journey
in life as a performer.
Overall, an absolutely a deep, well
edited piece that is worth going out of your way to see. Hulk Hogan is
also interviewed in the piece, but doesn't add much beyond an
understanding of the qualities of Hall as a performer.
It's a
sobering piece where Hall is described as a "shell of himself" by his
own child. Hall himself admits he should have died but for some reason,
he is still here. As his health continues to break down, one can only
hope that Hall can finally find some peace for himself and his family,
before it's too late. Anything more may be overreaching, given the
pattern of history, one that Hall appears to have been born into without
choice and only ended up compounding that pattern with his life
choices.
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