I know exactly where I was on May 27, 1996.
I was ten years old, in my bedroom watching WCW Monday Nitro. Steve Doll was wrestling “the Mauler” Mike Enos, who had Col. Robert Parker in his corner. It was a cold match, with Enos best known as one-half of the Beverly Brothers.
Then, while both men were in the middle of battle, something intriguing happened.
Razor Ramon in a bad-ass denim outfit, complete with a sleeveless vest, walked through the crowd and entered the ring. The Mauler, Doll, and the Colonel, stunned, stopped the match and made their way backstage. Demanding a microphone, he began to speak to a shocked audience.
“You people... you know who I am. But you don't know why I'm here. Where is Billionaire Ted? Where is the Nacho Man? That punk can't even get in the building. Me? I go wherever I want, whenever I want. And where, oh where, is Scheme Gene? 'Cause I got a scoop for you. When that Ken doll lookalike... when that weatherman wannabe comes out here later tonight, I got a challenge for him, for Billionaire Ted, for the Nacho Man. And for anybody else in uh...Dubya C Dubya….Hey, You wanna go to war? You want a war? You're gonna get one.”
I was absolutely floored. Was the WWF invading WCW?
This wasn’t Razor Ramon…it was SCOTT HALL.
Last seen in Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1996 with the infamous “Curtain Call” incident, Hall made one of the, if not THE, most impactful debuts in professional wrestling history.
If not for this promo, there would be no New World Order. There would be no “Crow” Sting. There would be no Attitude Era. The Monday Night Wars wouldn’t have had the same impact.
I knew as a ten year old wrestling fan, this was different.
Professional wrestling changed FOREVER on May 27, 1996. And it would never, ever be the same.
Bankie Bruce
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