Disc 1: Living on the Razor's Edge
The
latest DVD release from WWE Home Video focuses on the life and career
of one of wrestling's most iconic and controversial figures, Scott Hall,
AKA 'The Bad Guy' Razor Ramon. As with most WWE documentaries, the main
feature here is a well produced piece that does an excellent job of
providing insight into the ups and downs of Scott's story, with
interviews from his friends and family and a multitude of clips from his
wrestling career. We see how a young Scott fell in love with wrestling,
how he got his start in the wrestling business and how a traumatic
event would haunt him for years to come. Through interviews with his
peers we see the passion and drive Scott had to become a success,
including a few words from the late, great Dusty Rhodes, Scott
mentioning that being hired by Dusty and given his break in the
wrestling business meant more to him than any pay cheque he ever
received.
Scott's career hit a few bumps in the
road and he tells us how close he came to quitting altogether, until
his close friend and former AWA tag partner 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig
got him an opportunity in the WWF. It paid off big time, and 'The Bad
Guy' Razor Ramon was born. We chart his rise through the WWF and,
ultimately, the factors that led him and Kevin Nash to hand in their
notices and jump ship to WCW. Vince McMahon talks in fairly open terms
about the mistakes he felt Scott & Nash made, but also saying that
the biggest mistake was on him for not doing enough to keep hold of two
guys who, by their own admission, would have gladly stayed in the WWF.
For their part, Scott talks about how the guaranteed money offered by
WCW was too good to turn down, while Vince laments the structure of his
business at the time that didn't allow him to match that, as well as his
regrets about attempting to replace Razor & Nash with
impersonators.
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| Curt Hennig & Hall as AWA TagTeam Champions |
The documentary takes a darker
turn as we hear about the addiction problems that overtook Scott's life
and the effect that had on those closest to him, as well as his career
before and after the collapse of WCW. This section pulls no punches, as
Scott recounts his bouts in rehab and we hear from the likes of Shawn
Michaels, Kevin Nash and Triple H, who talk about the effects a life on
the road can have on a wrestler and the struggles they faced in trying
to deal with a friend who was spiralling out of control. There's footage
from Scott's most infamous indie appearance, where it seemed that his
addictions had all but consumed the man he once was, but it was this
footage that prompted Diamond Dallas Page and Jake the Snake to call up
Scott and get him back on the road to recovery.
It
all wraps up on a much lighter note, as we see numerous examples of
what an inspiration DDP and his program have proven to be in turning
around Scott's life and getting him to tackle his problems head on. This
all culminates with Scott's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in
2014, with 'The Bad Guy' looking better than he had in years as he
addressed the crowd and relished his moment back in the spotlight. Kevin
Nash mentions how his own induction the following year didn't mean as
much to him as Scott's did, as there were times during Scott's darkest
years that Nash couldn't imagine that his friend would recover a
semblance of the man he once was. Suffice to say, he was happy to be
proven wrong and the documentary closes with happy scenes of Scott and
his son Cody Hall, who himself is making his own way in the world of
wrestling, and Scott getting to impart his valuable knowledge to the
young wrestlers hard at work in the WWE Performance Center.
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| The Diamond Studd w/Diamond Dallas Page |
Overall,
this is one of the better documentaries I've seen from WWE Home Video
as of late. It doesn't seek to gloss over the problems Scott faced in
his personal life and his career, but rather frames its story around
them. The opening scenes in the parking lot of an Orlando strip joint
where Scott was forced to kill in self defence illustrates how Scott
still has to deal with that trauma, before showing us how he got to that
point, how he carried on after it and how he struggled to resolve his
feelings of guilt. When the film returns to the parking lot, there's a
sense of resolution and from that point on the tone becomes much more
positive. It's difficult not to be touched by the way Scott has worked
to put his life back on track and by the belief of those who did what
they could to help him, while the dual message of not being afraid to
seek help and to never stop dreaming is an uplifting note for such a
comprehensive and unflinching documentary to end on.
Discs 2 & 3: The Matches
The
second half of this collection starts with all the original Razor Roman
vignettes, as well as some out-takes and a few stories that didn't fit
in the main documentary, but the real meat of the set is in the matches
and there's a wide selection of twenty three bouts curated from all the
major sections of Scott's career. While there's just the one NWA match
(Scott teaming with Dan Spivey as American Starship), there's a healthy
selection of matches from Scott's time in the AWA, the highlight of
which is a raucous AWA tag title defence for Scott & Curt Hennig at
the AWA WrestleRock supershow. While these matches showcase Scott's
early ability in the ring and his phenomenal look, it's not until the
first WCW matches on the set that we see hints of the character he would
become, as he teams with Diamond Dallas Page as the Diamond Exchange.
The
first big match of the set is one of my favourites from both men's
careers, as Razor Ramon challenged Bret Hart for the WWF World
Heavyweight Title at Royal Rumble '93. This is such a well paced match
that really holds up well today, it has one of my favourite near-falls
ever (backslide counter to the Razor's Edge for a huge reaction from the
crowd) and a very inventive finish as an injured Hitman has to find a
way to get the much larger Ramon into the Sharpshooter. That's followed
by another great match from a few months later, the famous meeting
between Razor Ramon and the 1-2-3 Kid which in one fell swoop made the
Kid's career and set 'The Bad Guy' on a path to becoming a huge fan
favourite. There's a whole bunch of intercontinental title matches,
including a nice little match with the often-underrated Rick Martel.
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| The infamous match vs 'The Kid' |
But
the crown jewel of the set is the Intercontinental Title match vs Shawn
Michaels from WrestleMania X in 1994, a match that is full of action
and drama and one that set in stone many of the ideas that make up what a
ladder match should be. Later ladder matches may have taken things a
step further, but this still remains a brutal, hard-fought match that
really got over the intensity and passion of both men's desire to prove
who the real Intercontinental Champion really was. Razor shoulder
tackling the ladder and Shawn getting crotched on the top-rope is still a
jaw-dropping moment of danger and that's what is so well emphasised
here: the danger both men were putting themselves in to prove themselves
and to win. Rounding out the set are some matches from Scott's second
stint in WCW, including a fun Outsiders vs Harlem Heat tag match, plus
his matches vs The Rock and vs Stone Cold from his WWE return in 2002.
In
conclusion, this is a solid set for any fans of 'The Bad Guy'. The
matches on offer provide a good cross-section of Scott's career, while
the documentary is a well produced, well paced piece that doesn't shy
away from talking about the difficulties that have beset Scott
throughout his life. It was great to see the transformative process that
DDP took Hall through, as well as seeing Scott get to give the gift of
his knowledge to the next generation of WWE Superstars. Many wrestlers
have remarked on what a great mind he has for the business, as guys like
Triple H, Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels are keen to point out on this
very set, so it's great that Scott's in a place where he can impart that
valuable knowledge and experience.
'Living on the Razor's Edge - The Scott Hall Story' is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray from WWE Home Video.
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