Q: First off Scott before we go into wrestling, how's life?

Scott: Great, no complaints from me here. However while we are here one thing needs to be said. A lot of people seem pissed that I left wrestling to fix my personal life. These people need to remember wrestling is not life and in a few years when I retire my family is all I will have. Be assured I have no feelings except that I did the right thing for myself. Winning the world title or spending time with your kids? It's a no contest, your kids should always win out. My new role in life is husband, father, then wrestler.

Q: When are you coming back? Road Wild?

Scott: In a few weeks, do not go and say Road Wild I am saying a couple weeks since I'm not sure of the exact date yet. I did not guarantee I would be at Road Wild but I will be back in a couple weeks.Plus I don't like going to Sturgis, haha, no air conditioning, bad hotels, I'm not gonna go if I don't have to.

Q: Lot's of people thought you were coming back this Monday.

Scott: I don't know if WCW promoted it that way [ no they did not it was just supposed to be a mystery] oh ok but my name should have never came up since Kevin said something like his partner was someone he met 9 years ago. I've known Kevin for over 15 years.

Q: I heard on WCW Live that you got punished for going to ECW show and not the WCW ppv?

Scott: Well we can kill that rumor now. At no time did any WCW official say

Scott you have to come to the PPV so that means I was free to go to the ECW show. Now I'm sure Bischoff probably told a few people he is punishing me just to look high and mighty, he has done it before. Those rumors are total BS.

Q: Now WWF is bringing back to light what happened 1996 at Madison Square Garden, tell us what happened there?

Scott: Ok here it goes. First off there has always been the rumor that WWF let me go because of my cocaine use, yes I was on drugs but that was not the reason. At no time did WWF force me to stop, hell they even let me skip drug tests. As long as Razor was maken money WWF didn't care.However WWF got boring and it was time for a change so Kevin and I decided to jump to WCW. Business descision. We finished up our deals and the last show was for Madison Square Garden.After Shawn [Michaels] finished his match with Deisel, we broke format and HHH,Nash,Shawn and myself hugged and said our goodbyes. Vince McMahon was pissed. He could not punish me and Kevin cause we were gone, Shawn was your champ and he had too much say so all of a sudden HHH had to take the brunt of the abuse from Vince. Good to see he is back to where he should be. I think that will always stick with HHH.

Q: I remember talking to Shawn Michaels before Wrestlemania. I remember asking him if he was bitter about never jumping to WCW with you guys. He kinda dodged that question. Whats your thoughts?

Scott: Shawn is a very proud man. I don't think he wants to talk about it but yes I think he is bitter about not moving when we did. If you thought the NWO was great imagine him in the position of Hogan. Yes, the NWO would have been way better because the NWO was the Kliq attitude which Hogan never had. I would have loved it. Too bad for Shawn but that was his choice.

Q:Will he ever wrestle again?

Scott: I say no. Shawn wants you to remember him as the Showstopper, the main event and all that other crap. If he returns and can not be that good it tarnishes his name. He has too much going now to risk anything.

Q: Do you remember I talked to you and Kevin real quick way back about Dec 28 or 29th after a Philly House show. You had just helped Kev win the belt at Starcade and NWO was still feuding. Remember I asked if we were finally gonna see a Nash heel group without Hogan and you said it's not your egos ruining these angles(meaning Hogan), so will we finally see a Nash heel group with no Hogan?

Scott: Same answer because you know the group will be over and if you know who isn't he will try to get back in. Good to have Bischoff up your ass.

Q: Who came up with the idea of NWO?

Scott: The NWO itself is just a formal version of what the so called Kliq was. It was basically the ideals and attitudes of the Kliq. Bischoff had the idea for a group when he talked with me and Nash about leaving WCW. Kev liked the idea and slowly but surely we built it into the NWO on ideas that Kev and I wanted to do like the spray painting, taking over the WCW trucks and so on.Really no one person's idea but I would say Nash played the biggest part in its creation.

Q: Someone wanted me to ask you how or why did you hate Bret Hart?

Scott: That's another bad rumor that people made up. There was never a Kliq/Bret Hart hatred. It was Shawn and Bret who had problems and then some how Nash got involved. Bret and I have no problems.

Q:Any thoughts on the Owen Hart tragedy?

Scott: I have nothing to say that has not already been said. Everyone knows what kind of person Owen was. You didn't have to be Owen's friend to like him or for him to like you. However I will comment on how the show was not stopped. People have asked me could I believe they went on with the show? Answer is yes because Vince McMahon believes in what guys like Nash and myself have been saying all along, wrestling is pure business. We get called sellouts for saying that but that's the truth. You can not have faith in the wrestling business. Please understand the context I'm using with the following statement I mean no respect to Bret Hart. Bret Hart was a sap. Meaning he trusted in Vince McMahon and failed to realize this was a buisness. Vince screwing Bret was not just taking the title from him but his pride and his faith. Bret lost a part of him that night and that is what Vince McMahon is about. For money he will sell your soul. Bret in WCW was not the same. Life continues to knock the shit out of the poor guy. Blow after blow, the screw job, his divorce, his WCW career and finally Owen. Bret learned the hard way why not to have faith in this business.

Q: Will Scott Hall ever be world champion?

Scott: Honestly, probably not. WCW doesn't want me as their champion and I don't have the stroke backstage to get the belt. Notice the bookers seem to always be champ. However if you look at it, I've beaten HBK a multiple champ, Nash , Savage ,DDP,Luger,Flair and tons of other champions but no gold for me.

Q: Ever notice how it seems the talented guys get no push while the no talents have gold?

Scott:Well the no talents are always coporate kiss asses but give me any name in WCW that you think is overrated.[I said Golderg] Ok he is a good example. They have never ever piped in Scott Hall chants because people cheer me if they want to. I never ever got a giant push where I beat 170 guys in a row. Even notice when I had my 1 world title shot vs Sting I didn't even get built up.Yet I will say I am respected enough to be called on of the best in the buisness. Why? Cause I earned it.

Q: Your probably the perfect guy to ask since you never seemed biased to me. What are your opinions on WWF and WCW and the bosses.

Scott:Vince McMahon is a peice of shit person but a wrestling genius. He will ride you till you can't go anymore then send you out to pasture. People don't sell out to WCW they protect their future. Perfect guy to run a company if he had better people skills.WCW is misrun. Eric Bischoff has zero ability when it comes to running this company but he is one of the best people you will ever meet. Saved my life when he forced me to rehab. Too much misuse of talent in WCW guys like Hogan and Savage have to go and the younger guys have to get pushed.

Q:What are the major differences between the WWF and WCW policy, the way they conduct buisness? I hope you get what I mean.

Scott: I pretty much see where you want me to go.WWF publically says they care about wrestlers health but they do not. They claim time in and time out they are cracking down on drug use well they allowed me and Sean [Sean Waltman AKA X-Pac] to skip any drug tests we pleased.From what I hear now Sean still cna in WWF. WWF is a lot tighter then WCW meaning you can't really argue with plots. What the bookers want done gets done. I think that is good. Also they give more freedom for speech and expression. WWF is very cut throat they will fire you in a second or screw you if your no longer a draw. WWF is also a lot more organized with plans for years in advance. WCW is a lot less organized they do not know whats gonna happen next week. WCW is way more strict then WWF you can not avoid drug tests or rehab, yes I am aware Scott Steiner has been "hurt" a few times but he is usually clean when he takes them. (You can get your system clean and still use roids). WCW is not as cut throat if you're no longer a draw they would still keep you, but they are scum when they cut hurt people like they did with Sean [Waltman]. WCW wrestlers also have say in all their angles.

Q: Another question someone wanted me to ask, why did you sport the old Razor elbow pads during your ladder matches?

Scott: They are the same ones I wore in one of my ladder matches with Shawn. Just say a good luck charm.

Q: Shane Douglas is in WCW any problems there?

Scott: If Shane Douglas is still bitter about what happened to him years ago I feel sorry for the man. He milked this hatred thing as far as it can go. I got no problems with him but if he is still bitter that is his problem. He should thank us because it was all his bitterness toward us that made him what he is.

Q:Have you been watching wrestling since you been away? Scott: Not really, and I am glad I haven't been. WCW has become MTV, music acts are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars for one appearance, that is a joke. Then you have WWF giving the fans the same recycled product over and over. The fans need to boycott this crap because that is the only way WWF/WCW will ever wise up. WCW has sunk to a sad state.

Q: Your thoughts on the WCW US Title

Scott:That right there is enough to drive a man back into using drugs. The worst possible angle WCW ever worked. If your gonna pull an angle like that don't do it with your 2nd highest belt. Let the kid be cruiserweight or TV champ but not US. Then he is also beating guys like Malenko and Benoit that he really shouldn't be in the ring with. That is right up there on the level with McMahon ruining all the prestige in WWF by winning the Rumble and beating Austin and things like that.

Q: Who is the most underrated guy in the business today?

Scott: I don't have time to worry about who is underrated and who is overrated. I don't get a big enough push as it is. If I was a guy like Hogan who is getting a huge push then I could evaluate the talent of others.

Q: I know you occassionally follow ECW, now that ECW just signed the TNN deal do you think this will have an impact on the other feds, maybe take them a lot more serious then they do?

Scott: Well, you know they already have a huge impact on both feds, one they steal a lot of the talent ECW makes and two they stole the hardcore style from them. I don't think it will change what the other two feds do now because they will continue stealing angles and wrestlers from them.

Q: Justin Credible told me a lot of wrestlers look up to you in all feds mainly because you never had the problem of doing the job to people. How do you feel about that?

Scott: I'm sure your buddy Justin tells you a lot of crap about Scott Hall, haha he even talked me into doing this for you but seriously I think people may not idolize me as much as say respect me. I'm not the guy whining in the back saying why am I losing to him or why this angle. I go out and do what the script says with very few complaints. I've even done the job to

Larry Zbyszco, what a joke there but hey Bischoff is the boss.

Q:Finally Scott before I let you go in 10 years when you look back on your career what will you think?

Scott: Maybe I will be like Flair and still be here in 10 years. Haha I'm just kiddin', I think I'll stay around for 3-4 more years but when I look back I see a man who busted his ass to get where he is, never complained and did the job when he had to. I gave the fans their moneys worth and was as entertaining as could be. Of course my talent was never used to the fullest but I had a blast doing what I did.

Credit:The Jacknife Newsletter