The Definitive List of Must-Watch Matches from Scott Hall

As Razor Ramon, Scott Hall enjoyed considerable success as one of the biggest stars in WWE history.

A leader of the company's New Generation, he became synonymous with the Intercontinental Championship. When he made the jump to WCW, where he would go by his real name as one of the founding fathers of the New World Order, Hall saw his star and stature reach new heights.

Along the way, he delivered one iconic match and handful of other excellent encounters that helped define him as an in-ring worker.

One of the best to never win a world title, Hall would remain at or near the top of WWE and WCW during his runs there.

In celebration of the two-time Hall of Famer, relive these 10 definitive, must-see matches that tell the story of one of wrestling's most celebrated stars.

10. Souled Out 1999 vs. Goldberg

Credit: WWE.com

Scott Hall may not have been the wrestler he was during the height of his in-ring career, but he was still capable of delivering in high-profile spots when called upon. Such was the case in January 1999, when he was booked against Goldberg in a Stun Gun ladder match. 

A month earlier, Hall had tasered Goldberg during a WCW Championship defense against Kevin Nash, setting him up for his first loss in the company. The object of his opponent's wrath, it figured to be a long night for the former tag team and United States champion.

Compared to other matches on this countdown, the overall quality is nowhere near them. What the match does represent is a rare main event opportunity for a guy who always had the talent to be in that spot but was inconsistently utilized there.

Some of that can be chalked up to personal demons that made it difficult for promoters, especially Eric Bischoff, to feel comfortable booking an entire show around him. Even when he was "on" and healthy, though, it was rare to see Hall positioned at that spot on the card.

He often made the most of it. The Souled Out pay-per-view main event was no different.

He got a better match out of Goldberg than he had any right to. The pro-wrestling phenomenon was still just over a year into his run, was entered into a gimmick match he had zero experience in and Hall was asked to make it good.

The match will never be confused with either of his classics with Shawn Michaels, but it was an entertaining enough romp that reaffirmed how smart a performer Hall is while not exposing Goldberg's weaknesses to any great extent.

When looking back at Hall's accomplishments, what he pulled off in this match isn't talked about nearly enough because the potential was certainly there for a disaster.

9. SummerSlam 1994 vs. Diesel

Credit: WWE.com

By the summer of 1994, Scott Hall was undisputedly one of WWE's top stars. The Razor Ramon character, it could be argued, was the No. 2 babyface in the entire company and his feud with Shawn Michaels and Diesel was responsible for superb matches throughout the year.

That year's SummerSlam took place in the United Center in Chicago, home to Michael Jordan and the Bulls, but it was another Chicago sports icon that stood side by side with Hall in one of his biggest matches to date.

Walter Payton, the Hall of Fame running back for the Bears and arguably the greatest player in NFL history, served as the backup for Razor in his match with Diesel. The All-Pro was tasked with keeping Michaels from getting involved, ensuring a fair matchup for the Ramon.

The match was better than it had any right to be, but it also reinforced the idea that The Kliq always worked best with each other. Ramon fought from underneath, capitalized on an errant superkick from HBK to his own friend and regained the intercontinental title he had become synonymous with over the previous year.

The post-match images of Ramon and Payton standing tall in the center of the ring served as further proof that The Bad Guy had not only made it in WWE but had also developed a character that fans loved and reputation of someone Vince McMahon could trust to help carry his company through the New Generation.

The match represents one of the high spots of Ramon's career with the company and absolutely belongs on this countdown. After all, McMahon wasn't out there picking just anyone to be paired with Payton in that spot.

8. Uncensored 1998 vs. Sting

Credit: WWE.com

By now, we have already established that Hall did not have many opportunities to headline PPVs.

He had even fewer shots at either the WWE or WCW world title, making his Uncensored 1998 match with Sting for the top prize in the industry that much more significant. Not only was it a championship opportunity for Hall, but it was also a bout against Sting, who was still fairly hot following his monumental encounter with Hulk Hogan at Starrcade three months earlier.

It was a major opportunity for Hall, who had won the previous November's World War 3, three-ring Battle Royal to earn the title shot.

What followed was a brisk, eight-minute match that saw Hall pull out every stop to win the title, including brass knuckles and interference from fellow New World Order member Dusty Rhodes, only to succumb to the Scorpion Death Drop as Sting retained his title.

Was the match much more than a typical Nitro match that fans might have seen on any given Monday night? Probably not, but it was a significant moment for Hall, who had not had a shot at the world title on PPV since the 1993 Royal Rumble, where he lost to WWE champion Bret Hart.

Did he have his issues? Sure, but Hall absolutely earned the right to compete in more high-profile world title matches than he ever had the opportunity to. It is one of the great disappointments of his career, both for the performer himself and the fans that supported him.

7. Royal Rumble 1993 vs. Bret Hart

Speaking of that one and only WWE title opportunity...

The Razor Ramon character had only been in WWE for about four months when he was selected to challenge Bret Hart for the top prize in the company at the 1993 Royal Rumble. Often portrayed as the muscle to Ric Flair, Ramon had mixed it up with the likes of Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect early on as Vince McMahon put him in a position to be a significant star for WWE immediately.

The match with Hart was the next logical step in cementing his status as a top-tier player.

The Hitman sought revenge following a sickening attack by The Bad Guy on his brother, Owen, but found himself on the defensive early. Hart fought from underneath but Ramon repeatedly cut him off, targeting the ribs that he had worked on throughout the match.

Hart eventually trapped Ramon in the Sharpshooter, forcing the tapout and retaining his title.

For the challenger, the match was a chance to prove himself; to prove that he could hang at the top of the card with the best in the business. He did that. Had there been even the slightest bit of booking leading into the show that suggested Ramon was a legitimate threat to end Hart's title reign, the match might have been a tad more dramatic.

As it stands, it was a star-making performance in the one and only televised world title match Ramon would ever wrestle in as a member of McMahon's company.

6. SummerSlam 1995 vs. Shawn Michaels

They say the sequel rarely lives up to the original but at the 1995 SummerSlam pay-per-view, Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels set out to prove that concept wrong.

In a match added to the card late to spice things up and make it more attractive to potential purchasers, Ramon and Michaels delivered an extraordinary followup to the match that revolutionized the industry just a year earlier.

Switching roles with Michaels and working predominantly heel in the sequel, Ramon targeted the knee of his opponent, making it difficult for HBK to scale the rungs of the ladder due to being hobbled. A physical match that captivated the fans in Pittsburgh, it was significant for a few reasons.

First, it was proof that both performers could go out to the ring with little or no backstory and still keep fans engaged. Second, it was evidence of just how well the real-life best friends were working together at that point for the sake of the overall product. Third, it was a phenomenal match that some look back on as the better of the two ladder matches.

That is certainly a debatable point, but for historical significance, it is difficult to eclipse that WrestleMania X match. More on that in a moment, if you haven't already gathered.

Michaels retained the match but the edginess demonstrated by Ramon throughout the match suggested he would be able to fill the role of heel, of which there was a significant lack of at that point in time. Had the company recognized as much, perhaps the course of wrestling would have changed and both Ramon and Diesel would have stuck around beyond 1996.

5. vs. Rick Martel on Raw

Through the first half of the 1990s, it is difficult to find a Superstar more synonymous with the Intercontinental Championship than Razor Ramon.

The main event caliber star became saddled in the midcard, and as a result, he almost always had the title or was fighting for it during his days as one of the faces of the New Generation. 

His first dance with the gold came on the October 11, 1993 episode of Raw, when he battled Rick "The Model" Martel.

Shawn Michaels had been suspended a few weeks prior to the match, thus leaving the company without an IC champ. A battle royal was held on the October 4 episode, with the final two participants advancing to fight for the vacated title.

Ramon was the heavy favorite to capture the championship following a recent babyface turn, strong in-ring performances and his connection with the audience. He could not have asked for a better wrestler to put him over than Martel, who was a respected in-ring competitor and had the ability to infuriate fans thanks to his arrogance.

A good, sound match from two wrestlers who spent time building their reputations in Verne Gagne's AWA culminated with Ramon delivering his trademark Razor's Edge and securing the victory.

Like many on this list, it was far from Hall's highest-quality match but absolutely essential to his story.

He would go on to hold the IC title four times, elevating its significance while doing so.

4. Bash at the Beach vs. Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage

Prior to Hulk Hogan walking down the ramp, dropping the leg on Randy Savage and executing the biggest heel turn in professional wrestling history, Hall partnered with Kevin Nash to battle Macho Man, Sting and Lex Luger in what was essentially a 3-on-2 handicap match.

Hall and Nash were not only expected to work a match outnumbered but deliver a quality main event. Furthermore, Eric Bischoff and WCW bookers thought the duo was credible enough to handle three of the greatest of all time. They had to, otherwise, no one would have believed in the heels enough to hang with the babyfaces for as long as they did.

It was Hall's first match in WCW and the company already believed in him as a worker to put him in a pay-per-view main event that birthed the biggest angle in company history. He was making more money than he ever had before, was in the early stages of the hottest angle he would ever be involved in again, and finally had the opportunity to showcase his skills as a potential headliner.

He needed a strong performance to back it all up and he delivered. Hall, when motivated early on in WCW, was very clearly the member of the NWO the company trusted to be the worker of the group. He bumped around, employed his superb in-ring chemistry and got the story of the match over.

His significance to the development of the faction by being the go-to worker cannot be understated and is on display in the moments before Hogan's iconic turn.

3. WWE Action Zone with 1-2-3 Kid vs. Diesel and Shawn Michaels

Credit: WWE.com

The Action Zone was WWE's attempt in 1994 to add a Sunday afternoon show to the USA Network schedule. It is hardly remembered these days for its quality of matches but in the early days of the program, it had a few in-ring bangers.

One such battle was for the tag team titles and pitted champions Shawn Michaels and Diesel against 1-2-3 Kid and Intercontinental champion Razor Ramon. One close look at those four names reveals they are all members of the Kliq, which suggests fans in the arena and watching at home that day were in for a treat.

In one of the best tag team matches of the entire decade, the competitors put together a highly dramatic match that centered around the idea of Michaels going it alone as Diesel sold an errant superkick and just how the heels would manage to retain their titles.

Ramon and Kid threw everything they had at Michaels but the resilient, persistent, annoying cockroach just would not stay down. Of course, the match ran long enough for Big Daddy Cool to recover and factor into the finish but the outcome was irrelevant.

Four friends with great love and respect between them delivered a Match of the Year candidate that kept fans on the edges of their seats for its entirety. The sequencing and chemistry between the performers reaffirmed why they were recipients of significant pushes and backstage influence. 

As said influence increased, it became difficult to argue with given the magic the best friends were creating in the ring. But The Kliq's is a story for another time.

For Ramon, the match was an all-timer at a point where he was peaking as a performer and star. For that reason alone, it belongs on a definitive list pertaining to his career, what it looked like and its significance.

2. Vs. 1-2-3 Kid on WWE Raw

One of the greatest gifts Hall gave wrestling fans was Sean Waltman.

An independent standout following his series of matches against Jerry Lynn in Minnesota, he arrived in WWE as The Kid. Then the Lightning Kid, and so on as WWE booked him in one-sided squash matches. The name changes became a running joke on TV until a fateful night in May of 1993 when he beat Ramon in a stunning upset.

The Bad Guy had been in main events, wrestled for the WWE title and beaten just about everyone put in his path. When the Kid climbed the ropes and delivered a moonsault press, no one thought for a second he would secure the upset.

But he did. The overly confident Ramon just lost to this 190-pound runt. Surely he did something wrong.

Except, he didn't. They would meet again a few weeks later, with Kid getting the best of him for a second time. Eventually, mounting respect for the youngster gave way to Ramon turning babyface, a role he would remain in for the rest of his WWE run.

Kid doesn't become the 1-2-3 Kid, then Syxx in WCW and X-Pac later during the Attitude Era without a credible worker like Ramon believing in him and putting him over. Ramon was selfless at that point, willing to risk his own star on a young performer he believed in.

They would work countless other times together, both as partners and opponents, and WWE would benefit.

The moment still stands out as one of the defining of Ramon's career and one that absolutely needed to rank high on this list.

1. WrestleMania X vs. Shawn Michaels

Like there was any chance it wouldn't be No. 1.

The WrestleMania X ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest, most transformative and significant matches in wrestling history.

Two guys with claims to the IC title delivered a match that not only introduced the ladder match concept to fans, they set the bar incredibly high for anyone to eclipse it.

A match brimming with physicality, nasty ladder bumps and two incredibly smart workers at the helm, it captivated fans in New York's Madison Square Garden and left the wrestling world buzzing with excitement. Ramon would ultimately win the match in what would become Scott Hall's defining performance.

Within five years, ladder matches would become the rage in wrestling, thanks to Michaels and Ramon's efforts years earlier and the inventive minds of young stars. That match, the storytelling involved and the aura of the setting helped elevate it to iconic status and elevated the stars involved to an entirely new level.

There is a reason that fans still remember the encounter 27 years later and why neither Ramon nor Michaels will ever be able to go a day without hearing about the match from a fan, journalist or interviewer.