Controversially I don’t think Scott Hall ever should have been champion. He was smart, he knew his role and that’s why he’s content with never being champ. He was a great worker, great talker but there was always people more appropriate for the belt than him.
He was definitely a better candidate for the belt at times when other less worthy names were winning it but by and large you’d think keeping the belt on Hart/Michaels/Diesel was better than giving it to Hall. And then when he shifted to WCW he was better as a member of the nWo rather than as the lead honcho and nobody would deny Hollywood Hogan was the best candidate for the big gold strap in 96-97.
Amazing worker though.
@Josh funny you mention Davey Boy, I think he should have won the belt sometime before he got fired in 92 or 93 but alas McMahon didn’t want to go in that direction. And when he got back he was a great candidate to be at the top of the card with HBK, Bret, Taker.
On a side note I think 1997 is the best year in wreatling history.
Pretty much every year 1997-2005 is a great for me, 2006 never really had any massive standout moments as much as the previous years and 2007 is just a black mark on the industry because of Benoit.
People talk about Bret v Davey at Summerslam 92 rightfully as a great match, but they had another match in December 1995 at the In Your House event after Bret beat Diesel for the title in the Survivor Series the month before.
1997 is the best year in the business for me because there was a total shift in culture in the industry towards a more realistic and less scripted product.
Steve Austin in 1997 is the single greatest example of how a superstar can organically grow and benefit from being given the rub by being in an awesome feud with Bret Hart.
Hart Foundation, nWo, Steve Austin, Taker, DX, Steiner, Outsiders and Harlem Heat in the WCW, the come up of the cruiserweight division.
There’s a YouTube show out there called Kayfabe Commentaries and the host gets Jim Cornette on and they break down everything which happened in 1997 WWF, from the Montreal Screwjob to the Patriot, Cornette goes in depth what creative was like back then, really good watch. Would recommend if you can stand Jim Cornette lol
I love Jim. Could listen to him all day, his passion is so enjoyable to listen to and I could listen to him rant about Vince Russo for the rest of my life.
Nah it was a guy called Del Wilkes, who used the gimmick in Japan before jumping to the WWF. Never got a push because the Hart Foundation didn’t like working with him
Having watched the Taker documentary I feel like when he does have his last match (which I think will be next time he gets to wrestle at Mania with a crowd) it will be one of the only wrestling matches I watch where I’ll genuinely have that kind of nervousness you get when you watch Arsenal, I so want him to have a match he’s happy with to go out on.
