WRESTLING STORIES [VOL XV]: SCOTT HALL ON HIS DOLLS, NOT BEING A 'MARK' AND THE HITMAN'S 'SHRINE' TO HIMSELF
"When we got to WCW, some of the dolls, like, sucked. People were like, 'Wow, your doll sucks!' And I go, 'Wow, yeah, my 15th doll sucked...' (Laughs)
I got like 50 [Scott Hall] dolls. You know how cool that is? Did I ever collect them? No.
I never did, bro. And that's my problem.
You know, when you're working for Vince and you're working 300 days a year...you ain't got time for that shyt.
I can remember sometimes we'd be in Europe and [places] like that and people would bring you a portrait. These people would hand-paint a portrait of you and bring it to you in the hotel. And they'd like, hand it to you and you'd go, 'Thank you so much...' And you'd take it up to hotel room and you'd leave it there. Cos you don't wanna hurt their feelings...[but] I can't lug this thing around for another 10-12 days on the road...
Now, looking back, if I'd have been mature, I would have shipped it home and I would've had it in my gym and all that kind of stuff. I never saved any of the magazine covers and any of that kind of stuff. Because, you know, when you're out there running and you're doing it and you are ruling the world, you don't care.
Now, getting in the twilight of my career...my kids are grown... Now people go, 'You used to be that wrestler guy, right?' And I go, 'Yeah.' And I wanna go, 'Come on in my gym here...let me show you all my stuff. I used to be a big deal...'
But I never saved any of that stuff.
My mom does...my mom has every doll, every magazine cover, everything...she's got it all up in her attic.
I'll never forget one time we were wrestling up in Calgary, right? And Bret had everyone over to his house - which is really kind of him, 'cos a lot of guys don't want a bunch of wrestlers 'round their family, [they're] like, 'Nah, this is where we draw the line...I don't want a bunch of jocks hanging 'round my house...'
But Bret has everyone over. And I gotta admit... I love Bret...[but] when I left his house I didn't feel the same way about him.
I'm just a different cat from Bret, I ain't saying I'm any better, I ain't saying I'm any worse...but Bret's house is a shrine to the Hitman. I mean, there wasn't a room in Bret's house that didn't have a picture of him in his wrestling gear.
He was married back then to his lady he has babies with...and above his bed was a portrait of Bret in his, like, 'Sergeant Pepper' jacket...you know, pink with the tassels on.
I mean, I ain't saying it wasn't cool...I'm just saying...whoa, bro...over your BED? Are you ribbing me?
I grew up doing jobs, you know?
I used to be 290 [pounds], jacked up on steroids... I was out there, Kansas City, doing jobs for dudes who were 60 and had no teeth. This is back when it wasn't 'sports entertainment' - it was WRASSLIN'. We still sold it as being 'real'.
I would go in bars and people would go, 'Wait a minute...you do that wrasslin' stuff, man - that stuff's FAKE.'
And I'd go, 'No it isn't. You wanna try me?'
They'd say, 'Man, I saw that dude beat you...'
And I'd say, 'Well, yeah, he beat me - and I'll KILL you - so think what HE'D do to you...'
I grew up knowing that this business is entertainment. I know that it's a show...I'm not saying we're not good athletes and we don't get hurt...I'm saying it's a show. And I never grew up a...we call them 'marks'...I'm not a mark for myself.
I've got pictures of different people I've met on the road. I got pictures of the Kliq...I got pictures of my buds, in different parts of the world and stuff like that.
[Wrestling] is what I do - it's not who I am. It's my occupation, it's my love, it's my passion. I've been blessed to do it...but it doesn't define who I am. "
SOURCE: In Your Head radio show (2010), 'Wrestling's Glory Days' Facebook page