Scott Hall and Kevin Nash Should Join the WWE Hall of Fame Together
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash are two of the most popular names in the history of pro wrestling. They're also two of the biggest names during The Monday Night Wars, which saw the industry rise to new heights. The competition between Vince McMahon's company and rival WCW brought more eyes to the business while giving Hall and Nash the biggest run of their careers.
Hall and Nash were a very integral part of those days, and their individual legacies, more importantly their legacy as a team, cannot be denied. And because of that, they should enter the WWE Hall of Fame together.
2014's Hall of Fame class thus far includes The Ultimate Warrior, Jake The Snake Roberts and Lita. While it's not known at this time if more inductees will be announced, the fact is that the potential is there for more, and with that being the case, perhaps two can be announced together.
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash's names have been mentioned together so often over the past 18 years that it's nearly impossible for WWE fans now to even think of them separately. Their names are forever linked in the minds of fans; the combination of Hall and Nash is as normal and familiar to say as Lennon and McCartney is for Beatles fans.
The truth is that it's difficult for pro wrestling fans to think of one without the other.
Of course, it was not always that way. During their individual rise to stardom in WWE, Hall and Nash were not really linked in the minds of the fans. The biggest reason for that is because they had two very different gimmicks with two very different directions.
Scott Hall was Razor Ramon, WWE's resident "bad guy." Working a very alpha male character that reeked of Al Pacino in Scarface, Hall completely reinvented his career. Gone were his days in the AWA, when he resembled the NWA's Magnum TA and was called "Big" Scott Hall.
During that period, Hall was at his best in a tag team with Curt Hennig. The two were very successful and were the AWA World Tag Team Championships. Scott had name recognition among pro wrestling fans, and he was one of the top stars in the company.
But when he went to WCW in 1991, Hall became the Diamond Studd, a far cry from the gimmick that fans had known before. Hall had a fairly decent spotlight in the company, but it was not enough to keep him there, so he tried his luck in WWE.
It was there, of course, that Hall found his fame as Razor. He became a regular character on WWE programming and was routinely featured in high profile storylines.
Kevin Nash also tried his hand in WCW, where he first debuted as Steel. He later became Oz and then Vinnie Vegas. It was during this time that he and Hall were actually aligned, in Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Mine.
However, WCW stardom was also not meant to be for Nash, and he left the company in 1993.
The WWE faithful know the road that Nash traveled in the company, from his introduction as the bodyguard of Shawn Michaels to his run as WWE champion. Nash got over in a big way and carved out his own niche.
But for the WWE crowds, it was a singular event in May of 1996 that forever linked the names of Hall and Nash.
The two men were leaving WWE, and in an unprecedented move, they publicly acknowledged this by joining in the ring with Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The four men hugged while the fans watched in a moment that was shocking because Hunter and Diesel were heels, but Shawn and Razor were babyfaces.
The group that came to be known as The Kliq broke kayfabe that night and gave the departing Superstars more press than they likely believed possible.
Scott and Kevin rode that wave of publicity straight to WCW, where they helped turn that company upside down. Their angle as invaders from WWE was extremely believable, and their heel personas actually made them cool to fans.
The rest is pro wrestling history, as Hall and Nash became The Outsiders and formed the nWo with Hulk Hogan. They battled WWE in the war for ratings supremacy and evolved into mega stars as a result.
The fact is that WCW paired them together, and that could very well be how future generations of pro wrestling fans remember them. Much the same way as Animal and Hawk of The Road Warriors, Hall and Nash are likely often thought of in the same breath among fans.
The truth is that they could actually be remembered more for their run together than their individual careers. Chances are, this fact is not lost on the two men, and perhaps they have no problem with it at all.
And they perhaps also don't have a problem going into the WWE Hall of Fame together. For two guys that finally found their way in the business and have been lifelong friends, there could be no better legacy.
