Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects about 3.5% of adults in the United States every year. About 1 out of 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their entire lifetime. But have you heard of Scott Hall, and how he got his PTSD?
Scott Hall, known as “Razor Ramon,” suffered from PTSD when he shot a man in the head in self-defense. It led him to a life of alcohol abuse, tormented by guilt his whole life.
Who was Scott Hall?
On October 20, 1958, Scott Hall was born in St. Mary’s County in Maryland. He was born to an army family and spent most of his childhood moving around, following his father’s assignments. Hall studied at the All American High in Munich, Germany. He later graduated from St. Mary’s College in Maryland, earning a degree in Pre-Med. He aspired to become a pediatrician. (Source: IMDb)
Hall was also interested in wrestling. He was on the wrestling team for a while in school. He got his break as a professional wrestler in 1984 in South Carolina. He then moved to the Championship Wrestling Florida (CWF). A year later, Hall was noticed by the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and they signed him up for their league.
In 1987, Hall wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling League for two years before joining NWA and becoming part of NWA’s new initiative to develop young talent. By July, he made his TV debut for WCW. He then tried out for a WWF Wrestling Challenge in 1990 but did not make the cut.
He rejoined the NJPW, competing as Texas Scott in CWA’s Catch Cup 90 league in Germany. The following year, Hall was part of the WCW Puerto Rico promotion, appearing as The Diamond Studd. He was finally signed by WWF in 1992, taking on the character of a flashy Cuban gangster from Miami named Razor Ramon. (Source: The Famous People)
After four years, Hall co-founded the famous wrestling group New World Order (NWO) with best friend and co-wrestler Kevin Nash. Their group was partly responsible for attracting the market to the wrestling scene with his appearance on the Turner Broadcasting Monday Nitro program. After four successful years in the industry, Hall suffered an injury to his neck after a match with Jeff Jarrett. This caused him to be out of the wrestling scene. In the same year, he was fired from the WCW due to alleged drunken behavior during a German tour.
In 2002, Hall re-signed with WWF to re-establish NWO with Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan while competing in TNA. After two years, Hall and Nash made a comeback in TNA. In 2007 he made a comeback as Razor Ramon in WCW. Hall continued his career as a professional wrestler until 2019. (Source: IMDb)
The Incident at The Club That Led to Scott Hall’s PTSD
Unknown to most of his fans, Hall suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. His PTSD stemmed from a highly violent situation he experienced back in 1983. When Hall was just 25, he worked as a bartender in a gentleman’s club in Orlando called Thee Original Doll House.
On January 15, 1983, Hall got into an argument with one of the club’s customers over a woman. The customer found Hall’s car in the parking lot and proceeded to wreck his vehicle due to their argument. The club’s security guard sees what’s happening and alerts Hall. Hall comes out to stop the patron, but as they fight, he sees that the customer is reaching for his gun.
Hall acts in self-defense. Hall was able to overpower the guy and shoot him in the head. He was tried for second-degree murder, but the jury found him innocent on account of self-defense. In situations like this, victims would usually seek help by counseling; however, Hall took a different path.
The trauma and guilt seared Hall’s mind. He attempted to commit suicide, but since he was raised in a Roman Catholic family, he feared that if he committed suicide, he would end up in hell. He repressed the incident as much as he could, focusing on gym and wrestling, but he also became an alcoholic. (Source: Pro Wrestling Stories)