Why does WWE associate with Scott Hall?

[No Count Pup]

WWE goes through a lot of effort to grant wishes for sick children. It is the most important work they do. The Tribute to the Troops is good, but nothing is more important than giving hope to a dying child. That is why Scott Hall should not appear on WWE programming.

Last summer during an autograph session a group of big name wrestlers signed a card for Danny Nickerson and left him well wishes on Youtube. The 6-year-old boy was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor.

Scott Hall was at the same venue as the other wrestlers and reportedly refused to sign the card.

Since that time Scott Hall has not made any public comments about his refusal to sign the card. If the reports were wrong, he should make a statement and offer his best wishes to Danny Nickerson. If the reports were true he should man up and offer an apology.

I know wrestlers have done far worse things and still returned to WWE programming. But Hall's conduct was a new low even for him. In my view, WWE should omit Scott Hall from future Raw specials until Hall issues an apology for his actions. What are your thoughts? Am I too tough on Scott Hall?

The video below is of wrestlers sending their greetings to Danny Nickerson:

 

[Kamala316]

I remember reading about this when it originally happened, and it legit pissed me off. I would of loved to have been a fly on the wall when this happened, just to see how it played out, but the one fact was Scott Hall refused to sign the card. I started thinking about how WWE publicly admitted that out of all the former wrestlers that they've helped with their rehab program, they have, by far, spent the most on Scott Hall. What really pissed me off even more was that given all of his "personal demons", Hall always seems to be able to pull it together when WWE (and their money) are calling him up to make an appearance. If it's a non-WWE event, then it doesn't matter, and he can show up all banged up (I was at the show in Fall River, MA where he barely could walk to the ring.), which brings me to the original point made by the OP. Without the WWE cameras rolling, Hall could care less about the fans, signing a card for a sick kid, etc., just as long as he's getting paid, and he can find his next fix. He is sick, and at this stage of the game, it's probably too late; I give DDP, Nash, and HHH all the credit in the world for trying to keep Hall on the straight and narrow, but they're fighting a losing battle. Personally, Hall can take his "Bad guy" gimmick, and stick it up his ass. Whenever he is on WWE programming, I change the channel.

 

[BaconBits]

Nobody cares. A wrestler was kind of a ********. It's not the first time something like his has happened and it certainly won't be the last time.

 

[closet_fan]

The problem is that we never really knew if it was true or not. No other proof or wrestling news site picked it up, so it's pretty hard to go by one story.

Hall might not have realized this had ever spread since it's not like he's one of us, people who can go online all the time and see these types of things being written. It's not really significant news. And it never really was. It came and went.

Does it suck? Yeah, but a lot of these types of stories are BS to begin with without real proof.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Scott is not a saint, indeed this is the guy who confessed to killing a man on 60 minutes, ruined an Owen Hart tribute and has the rep of being "all about Scott" his whole career, even more than Vince has over the years. So is he really gonna care about "some kid"?

No...

This is the same argument that says Fooballers are "Role Models", they're not... anyone who says they are is abdicating their own responsibilites as a parent etc... When your work place does a "charity collection", do you always put in? I sure don't and won't be made to feel bad either way... I do what I do for what I care about.

Scott has never been a baby kisser.. his gimmick is "The Bad Guy" and he is a mark for himself, so he's gonna "live his gimmick". So does Hogan, Nash etc...

From WWE's perspective it's worth having him on the Legends deal for anything NWO related and if the inevitable happens and he dies, they can say "we did all we could for Scott..." I think that was part of Nash's issue a week or two back, that they nearly binned him off in record time yet other "infractions" are not treated the same.

Not signing a card for a sick kid is a dick move, but it's no worse than Punk's famed "airport" refusals... Most wrestlers are great if you meet them, I met Trips in 99 on Hols in the US cos my aunt was his personal shopper, spent about 10 minutes chatting but he wouldn't do an autograph or photo... he was right, the experience matters more than that.

That kid met a lot of great wrestlers that night who made him feel better, does HE really care that Scott Hall was a douche? Probably not...so why should you? Or WWE?

 

[Prince Vee]

Well I didn't have any grudge or bad thoughts about Scott Hall until I saw this post but after seeing this I just got reminded by a report about him and a brief battle between him and his son.

This might sound totally ridiculous but he once posted on a twitter that his son stole money from his wallet and after a while his son responded back that he had to pay electricity bill, so he took the money without asking his dad as it's a bit urgent to pay the bill!!

haha haha I don't know what to say more but I'm not saying that this is the reason why he should be deprived off his contract with WWE.

Its just the moment that made me feel how ridiculous people can be!!

Lmoa!!

Cheers!!

 

[BuriedByCena]

Sure it is a dick move.... but it was Scott Hall... So I am not shocked or outraged at all. I would have been more shocked if he DID sign it. LOL

And to be fair, Scott Hall was probably too drunk to physically sign the card and would have ripped it in half and laughed in front of the camera.

I bet Scott Hall was so drunk that day he didn't sign ANYTHING and WWE kept him in the back arena out of the camera's view the entire time. Is there ANY footage of Scott hall even being there or signing ANYthing? That is the real question I want answered.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Scott is not a saint, indeed this is the guy who confessed to killing a man on 60 minutes, ruined an Owen Hart tribute and has the rep of being "all about Scott" his whole career, even more than Vince has over the years. So is he really gonna care about "some kid"?

No...

This is the same argument that says Fooballers are "Role Models", they're not... anyone who says they are is abdicating their own responsibilites as a parent etc... When your work place does a "charity collection", do you always put in? I sure don't and won't be made to feel bad either way... I do what I do for what I care about.

Scott has never been a baby kisser.. his gimmick is "The Bad Guy" and he is a mark for himself, so he's gonna "live his gimmick". So does Hogan, Nash etc...

From WWE's perspective it's worth having him on the Legends deal for anything NWO related and if the inevitable happens and he dies, they can say "we did all we could for Scott..." I think that was part of Nash's issue a week or two back, that they nearly binned him off in record time yet other "infractions" are not treated the same.

Not signing a card for a sick kid is a dick move, but it's no worse than Punk's famed "airport" refusals... Most wrestlers are great if you meet them, I met Trips in 99 on Hols in the US cos my aunt was his personal shopper, spent about 10 minutes chatting but he wouldn't do an autograph or photo... he was right, the experience matters more than that.

That kid met a lot of great wrestlers that night who made him feel better, does HE really care that Scott Hall was a douche? Probably not...so why should you? Or WWE?

Scott Hall's a dick. Always has been. Always will be. The answer to the OP's question is that he's the type of dick that the boys think a lot of, and are willing to always do something for.

Your point about 'ruining an Owen Hart tribute' is actually one of the reasons why they feel like that. Because unless you're talking about something completely different, you 100% misrepresented what happened.

It was at a roast for the Iron Sheik a few years back. Some hack comedian made a joke about Hart's death. Hall, who was in attendance, rushed the podium, grabbed the guy by the throat, and had to be pulled off and apparently eventually tazed by police.

That wasn't a 'tribute' he ruined. It was the exact opposite, and one of the reasons those in power still think well enough of him to keep giving him extra chances.

But he is a dick. He doesn't think much of the fans, and if he's not personally benefiting, he doesn't really care. The story about the kid doesn't surprise me in the least.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

My guess is that Scott Hall is ashamed of himself and doesn't see himself that should be seen as a hero to a six year old that has probably never heard of him and is more of a hero than Scott Hall will ever be.

Scott Hall is still on this earth and relevant to Monday Night War junkies. That is where his value lies. That six year old needs John Cena not a guy who has a long history of mistakes and hasn't wrestled a worthwhile match in years.

Scott Hall is a scum bad but for so many more significant reasons than this.

I can see it now:

Scott Hall (on video) - Hey yo! Get well soon little buddy from The Bad Guy.

Danny - Who is that daddy?

Danny's dad - Scott Hall, he wrestled in the 90's.

Danny - He looks scary, I'm ready to die now daddy.

 

[Mustang Sally]

My guess is that Scott Hall is ashamed of himself and doesn't see himself that should be seen as a hero to a six year old that has probably never heard of him and is more of a hero than Scott Hall will ever be.

That's a kind thought and I would hope the whole incident revolved around that, rather than thinking he's a selfish bastard who didn't care about anyone but himself.

Problem is, if it happened because he simply wasn't in the state of mind to appreciate the significance of his actions due to his own sickness, I have a hard time feeling sorry for him, even though we're supposed to be dripping with sympathy for people with addictions.

Even a person's family and friends often grow tired of trying and trying to help a person who keeps on going back to the same self-destructive behavior. For a long time, they do everything they can for the person.....but after a while, it often becomes: "Yeah Scott, things are tough all over, y'know? Come on, already."

Should WWE be associating with Scott Hall? I admit I enjoyed seeing him on TV last week, looking clear-eyed and alert. If he can keep it straight, I'd like to see him again. But there are only so many "one more chance" scenarios people will put up with....and to many, Hall has already exceeded his.

 

[No Count Pup]

Here were Bret Hart's comments on the situation:

[YOUTUBE]-qCF6Muw1U8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MC_Live]

To answer your question- why does WWE still associate with Scott Hall, two reasons. A) He's still a big name that can make them a few bucks when he shows up and B) He's buddies with Triple H. Need anymore reasons?

Sure, it was not cool for Hall to do such a thing, but Scott Hall is a man who makes his own choices. While it would have been nice for him to sign the card, he had no obligation to do so. I may not agree with his choices, but I believe he has the right to make them. Besides, it's one negative story, that really doesn't compare to all the other negative crap out there. And who knows, maybe Scott has done a lot of good stuff that just never gets reported, because the Internet and other media rarely spread positive stories. Bottom line, while it may not have been the right choice, it's still the one Scott made, and it's certainly not a reason to disassociate yourself from one of the biggest stars the company's ever had.

Besides, outside of the percentage of IWC members who heard about the story, who knows about it? Most of WWE's audience doesn't even know that the card existed in the first place, let alone the fact that Scott didn't sign it. To the WWE, this wasn't a big deal at all.

 

[WWEWrestleFest]

We don't know the full story. To be fair, we don't know what exactly was asked to Hall. Did he know it was a card for a dying 6 year old? If he knew that and didn't sign it, yeah, that's pretty bad on his part. But I find it had to believe someone could be that evil in real life.

I think there's a better chance someone just asked him to sign something, he didn't know what it was for, and he assumed it was for some 40 year old virgin who lives in his parents basement, so he said "pay me and I'll sign it." Realistically, why would he think a 6 year old wanted his autograph anyway? A 6 year old wasn't even alive for the nWo, Razor Ramon, or any of that.

 

[rmp0012002]

I heard about Hall blowing off signing the card when it first happened but no one really ever came up with the details as to what exactly went on. If he was so out of it then it's possible he had no clue about anything but if it was just about the fee for signing it then he was being a prick. Some people just can't move on from their characters but Hall seems to barely function in the real world due to his abuses. The no signing by HHH was the first I had of him doing that and if he can have a lengthy chat with you then he can sign an autograph.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's possible of course... but the reality is, as Bret said in the above interview... it takes 2 seconds of your life to do, and does it really matter to you if it goes on Ebay and pays for someone's college tuition for a few weeks or their christmas presents?

The point you raise is interesting cos charging for pics and autographs is a very contentious issue in itself... even today I was looking at the Preston City Wrestling event coming up... some big big names there like ADR, Matt Hardy and i'm very tempted to go... but once you get to look at prices it's expensive... £20 for a pic and autograph for each guy? By the end of it alone that's nearly $200 alone, then ticket, travel.. it quickly becomes a "not worth it" trip... sure I get the merch is where the guys make their money but at the same time I could pay less total and go to one of the spoken word shows with Piper, Flair, JR and get a meet and greet, where it's not a line up of guys and a minute tops with them...

Scott is clearly of that mindset, where even that 2 seconds has a value... he maybe doesn't get the value it has to the other person in the transaction... maybe he was just seeing a 6 year old whose gonna be dead anyway and whose parents will probably sell it... who knows? Maybe he just genuinely didn't or doesn't care for the "marks"... there's no law to say he has to, if they want to give him money, why shouldn't he take it?

Bret and his ilk clearly does the opposite, some mock him for taking his "hero" stance too seriously but he has it right... if they want to spend their minute with him telling him and thanking him, the least he can do is an autograph or a picture and even if it was a "hey, I was always a Shawn guy, or a Bulldog guy" then he'd still be happy cos he knows he's part of that story too and they go away glowing cos they met The Hitman.

One of my ex's (we still keep in touch) went to one of the Piper shows (I saw a different one) and she was buzzing that Piper told her hubby "She's definitely a keeper"... that's the kind of power these guys can have...

Need more proof, look at Connor the Crusher and the WWE guys reaction... When he was interacting with someone like Batista, who he "didn't like" or AJ when he told her to "stop her crazyness"... even known grouchy guys like Ryback and Show beaming in the background when he was playing around... no money changed hands, the kid died anyway but they were doing that as much for the dad... same as those guys with the card were doing it for the kids folks... Scott didn't "feel that way"... his right but next time he needs a crowdfunded op, the money might not be there...

As for the Trips thing, it was when he was younger (Chyna was waiting outside in the car so THAT younger and he was only just the World Champ the first time) and it was kind of a set up on my aunts part, her kids went to the same school as he did in Nashua. She literally collared him as I was in the store at the same time and asked if I could say hi...

Guy could have said "no, too busy" like Hall but he took the ten minutes his stuff was getting sorted to talk to me... we shot the breeze for a bit, talked about who I liked (Rude and Davey in particular), and that I'd tried wrestling here in the UK and it wasn't for me cos of heart stuff, said I looked good (I was pretty big then though nowhere near his level) for it.

This was not a paid engagement or meet and greet but a guy meeting a 22 year old British "mark" on his day off randomly when he had other shit to get done... and he was right, the story and experience was enough... I don't need a picture of it or an autograph. I did get a handshake....and respect for the guy.

 

[BuriedByCena]

I think the mindset of wrestlers not signing stuff because of ebay is okay. If I was a wrestler, Why would I sign something for someone else and they sell it on ebay for $100? That is taking potential profit from me.

Why wouldn't I just sell my own signed pictures on ebay and make more profit for me? Scott Hall is pretty much broke. But if he needs extra cash he can always sell his autographs on ebay and half you guys would buy it.

 

[LionheartY2J]

Every family has the no good brother/sister/aunt/uncle who simply can not pull it together. They can tell themsleves they're going to distance themselves, but they always end up sucked back in. And yes, at larger scale get togethers, he/she tends to charm and glad-hand like a pro.

 

[kadroan]

I guess Scott was advised not to acknowledge. If the OP didn't ever acknowledge it, I would have never thought of it. This isn't something that is frequent on social media.

 

[Navi]

The WWE has never been the forerunner of good taste, so is anyone really surprised that someone who has a contract with them is a total ********.

Scott Hall cares about one person and one person only, himself. He's a waste of fresh air and should actually have to carry a plant around at all times to replenish the oxygen he wastes.

He didn't sign a card for a dying child and nothing could be worse, but karma is a bitch.

 

[blueskyy]

I hate to play devil's advocate, or the person who's disagreeing with the general consensus all the time... but I don't get why we should hate on Scott Hall for something as small as not signing a birthday card. The kid didn't even asked for his autograph. He just wanted lots of mails. Moreover, Scott Hall is over the hill, the kid probably doesn't event know of him.

If you knew the parents, or if the parents walked up to you, told you their story and requested that you write to their son, then I'd gladly do it in a heartbeat. But if that's a media campaign, you're doing it because everyone else is doing it, then there's really no point in doing it, because there's no sincerity in those signatures anyways, everyone's just going through the motions, "playing" their part (some pretending). What about those other kids with similar conditions? Should we pretend they don't exist because there's no media coverage? People can choose to be skeptical, people can choose not to participate, that is their prerogative, not ours. Our responsibility is to do our tasks right.

From where I come from, charity and media events often hosted by profit-making companies. The reality is only a small portion of those proceeds goes to the beneficiaries. Should I then donate because everyone else in that room with me has donated? Or should I tell them that if they're really sincere about it, they should consider writing a cheque to those beneficiaries directly?

 

[Softcore Holly]

Main reason is most likely that the incident didn't get enough media attention for WWE to care. If it was huge news or something then WWE would be forced to distance themselves from Hall(at least until the whole thing blows over) but not that many people heard/cared about it and of course there's still money they can make off his name/career.

 

[Navi]

I hate to play devil's advocate, or the person who's disagreeing with the general consensus all the time... but I don't get why we should hate on Scott Hall for something as small as not signing a birthday card. The kid didn't even asked for his autograph. He just wanted lots of mails. Moreover, Scott Hall is over the hill, the kid probably doesn't event know of him.

Because it doesn't take much to sign your name to a card. Doesn't matter who it's for or the reason really. It's not like they were asking for money, merchandise or anything out of his pocket.

When a wrestler who is well known can't sign his name when obviously a lot of others have, that says something about him. It wouldn't have cost him anything to do it, but by not doing it it cost him a lot more. Not that he cares mind you, he's a douchebag.

 

[rmp0012002]

Because it doesn't take much to sign your name to a card. Doesn't matter who it's for or the reason really. It's not like they were asking for money, merchandise or anything out of his pocket.

When a wrestler who is well known can't sign his name when obviously a lot of others have, that says something about him. It wouldn't have cost him anything to do it, but by not doing it it cost him a lot more. Not that he cares mind you, he's a douchebag.

^ This sums it up pretty well. He had what could have been a huge amount of positive PR land right in his lap but he brushed it aside and came away as a *******.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I hate to play devil's advocate, or the person who's disagreeing with the general consensus all the time... but I don't get why we should hate on Scott Hall for something as small as not signing a birthday card. The kid didn't even asked for his autograph. He just wanted lots of mails. Moreover, Scott Hall is over the hill, the kid probably doesn't event know of him.

If you knew the parents, or if the parents walked up to you, told you their story and requested that you write to their son, then I'd gladly do it in a heartbeat. But if that's a media campaign, you're doing it because everyone else is doing it, then there's really no point in doing it, because there's no sincerity in those signatures anyways, everyone's just going through the motions, "playing" their part (some pretending). What about those other kids with similar conditions? Should we pretend they don't exist because there's no media coverage? People can choose to be skeptical, people can choose not to participate, that is their prerogative, not ours. Our responsibility is to do our tasks right.

From where I come from, charity and media events often hosted by profit-making companies. The reality is only a small portion of those proceeds goes to the beneficiaries. Should I then donate because everyone else in that room with me has donated? Or should I tell them that if they're really sincere about it, they should consider writing a cheque to those beneficiaries directly?

This part I do get... I have worked for charities for most of my career and can tell you where most of the money goes. Mainly to pay pensions for middle aged women or for them to work 4 days a week instead of 5 or in my case, pay offs because the person running the charity is so odious and bullying that they had to pay up my full contract and half my predecessors to leave cos they couldn't remover her... Sad but true.

My charitable contributions ARE thus reduced, I don't give money often... but if I can give time to a small cause I will and that's the crux of this argument over Hall...



We all have the right to pick and choose... I no longer give money to the homeless, but may buy them a coffee... if there's a dog, I won't even do that... to some that makes me a douche. but I just feel strongly about not giving money where it really won't change anything if you can't look after yourself I'm not sure you should have a dog... again harsh but it's true.

Learned that lesson in India on the first day, gave a disabled guy in the street 20 bucks cos I hadn't worked the note out... That level of money COULD have done something for him, but he was still there every time I went back to the place... always beamed at me, but his hand was always out for more.

I also never give to corporate charities, whatever viral thing it is like Ice Buckets etc or the Chuggers on the street... In the UK a Chugger has to get £5000 (nearly $10k) in donations before the charity sees a penny. That's just to cover the cost of them out on the street... nah... not doing that however cute and smiley she may be.

I won't do it in an office where it's a mandated thing like "to dress down it's this in the pot", I just won't dress down and refuse if asked to then contribute anyway.

But my policy is thought out, I stick to it, where I can, I donate time... it's more valuable and I've volunteered in a School Of Rock in India, teaching songwriting and music business, putting on concert and working on trying to get things a little fairer for example... I managed volunteers for years...if anyone has a problem I explain it...if they still have a problem it's their problem.

No one asked Scott to put his hand in his pocket (unlike himself remember) they wanted 2 seconds of his time. He could have even signed with a little joke "Hope this isn't for Ebay, get well kid," and it would have meant something... the parents might have chuckled when they saw it or any thoughts of selling it would be tempered by that... but Scott just wouldn't do it.

Maybe Scott genuinely felt "The kid is gonna die anyway, what good are my words gonna be?" The words were immaterial, the value on Ebay immaterial, it was the time that mattered.

The moral, if you can give something, give your time... it's worth far more!