Shawn Michaels reflects on his friendship and in-ring chemistry with Scott Hall.
Unfortunately, Scott Hall passed away on Monday, March 14, 2022. Following his passing, the wrestling world has come together to mourn and reflect on what Scott Hall meant to the industry.
There is perhaps no wrestler, outside of Kevin Nash, that is more closely associated with Scott Hall than Shawn Michaels. Scott and Shawn were lifelong friends, meeting each other during their days in the territory system of wrestling and eventually, they would make it to WWE together and not only form a bond as members of The Kliq, but they created history together in 1994 when they took part in the first-ever ladder match in WrestleMania history.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Shawn Michaels reflected on their in-ring chemistry and how they were able to call most of that entire match on the fly.
“Scott happened to be here when I was coaching, and Johnny Gargano asked, ‘Can we watch the ladder match with you guys?’” Michaels says. “So we did, and we started reminiscing about how there was so much going on back then that we didn’t have any time to go over the match beforehand.”
“Back then, we didn’t know to even think we’d possibly break the ladder or that we’d need a backup,” Michaels says. “There was only one. We were so used to calling it in the ring. Scott remembered calling that heat spot outside the ring when he lifted up the pad. Everyone couldn’t believe we called so much of it on the fly. But we’d worked with each other for long enough that we knew where the other was going and never had to say a word. We weren’t aware, at that time, of what we were creating. We wanted to create something special and tear the house down. But we never had the depth to think it would be historic or stand the test of time.”
Reflecting on their bond, Shawn Michaels says that the group made a decision to always be there for one another and they kept that commitment through all of these years. Shawn Michaels also reflected on having the chance to tell Scott what he meant to him as the group got together on a FaceTime call to say their goodbyes while Scott was in the hospital.
“We wanted to let him know that we were there for him,” Michaels says, choking up. “We had the opportunity, one more time, to tell him how much we loved him.
“A long time ago, we decided that we were going to be there for each other. If we were wrong, then we’d be wrong together. You hear the term ‘I have your back,’ but when the rubber hits the road, that doesn’t always happen. We weren’t perfect, but we made that commitment to do it till the end. It was like a marriage, and it stuck. That’s what makes this so hard,” said HBK.
Still, Michaels says it has been heartwarming for him to see the outpouring of love and respect for Scott Hall.
"This moment, for Scott, it means a lot that he’s getting the love he always deserved,” Michaels says. “The four of us, we’ve all talked a lot since this happened. A part of us understands that this happens in life, and we know we’re lucky to have so much time together. But it still wasn’t long enough.”
You can see more tributes to Scott Hall at this link.
