The Rock Recalls Backstage Scott Hall Conversation From WWE SmackDown
WWE Legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took to Instagram on Tuesday and paid tribute to WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall.
The Great One remembered The Bad Guy as an extraordinarily talented wrestler and an intense athlete, who was tough as hell and athletically gifted as a big man in the business.
Rock also recalled his win over Hall on the March 7, 2002 edition of WWE SmackDown. Rock said he talked to Hall before the bout and made sure to tell him how much his in-ring work influenced him. Rock said he studied Hall's matches as a rookie, and revealed how Hall was shocked to hear this.
"He was shocked to hear this from me. We came up in different eras. He knew I was a student of the game, but had no idea he was one of the ones I studied. He thought that was so cool and we went out there that night and lit it the fuck up inside that ring [fire emoji] It was my honor, brother," Rock wrote.
As noted, Hall passed away at the age of 63 on Monday, due to complications from hip surgery, which led to three heart attacks. You can click here to read tributes to Hall from numerous pro wrestling stars and companies, and you can click here for a tribute from WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.
Below is Rock's full Instagram post on Hall:
Pro wrestling just lost a legend in Scott Hall.
Scott came from an era of pro wrestling where wrestlers were the biggest and toughest men on the planet.
Scott was a big man who was athletically gifted.
Tough as hell.
And inside that ring he was an extraordinarily talented and intense athlete.Before my match here with Scott, I made sure to tell him how much his in ring work influenced me. When I was a rookie in wrestling, I would study Scott's matches. His style, intensity, crispness and his excellent in ring IQ and psychology [brain emoji]
I studied his matches, frame by frame.He was shocked to hear this from me.
We came up in different eras.
He knew I was a student of the game, but had no idea he was one of the ones I studied.He thought that was so cool and we went out there that night and lit it the fuck up inside that ring [fire emoji]
It was my honor, brother.
And "thank you for the house" [folded hands emoji]
Go rest high.
#TheBadGuy
#ScottHall
#rip