Each year, WWE adds new inductees into its Hall of Fame, with the annual tradition honoring the very best in the world of wrestling and entertainment. For better or worse, Vince Russo is arguably the most well-known writer in the history of wrestling, but the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion has no plans to be a Hall of Famer.
On his Legion of Raw podcast, Russo discussed WWE’s Hall of Fame and those who want nothing more to be inducted. The 63-year-old on the other hand, shared that he would say no if WWE made an offer to him.
“Bro, I know guys where the most important thing in their lives was getting into the WWE Hall of Fame. I would turn down an invitation. Not that it will ever happen, it won’t, but I would turn down an invitation. That’s me and my freaking opinion, bro.”
Saying No to the Hall of Fame
Russo isn’t the only notable name who’d say no to the WWE Hall of Fame if presented with a potential induction. Last month, Jonathan Coachman shared on Cafe de Rene that he’d turn down the honor if asked, and shared his issues with the current crop of inductees.
“The Hall of Fame is supposed to be the absolute very best at what they do whether it’s a manager, talent, whatever. And that’s not what they do. They check boxes every year so they can have a good show.”
In 2021, WWE released Jeff Hardy after he refused to enter rehab, only to learn that his concerning behavior at a live event was not due to the influence of drugs. When trying to coax Jeff back (an act that’d keep him from AEW,) WWE reportedly offered Jeff a Hall of Fame induction, but he said no.
Becoming a WWE Hall of Famer is a huge deal to many, but not everyone has an acceptance speech prepped in their pocket. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from Vince Russo, but don’t expect him at a Hall of Fame ceremony anytime soon.
Few WWE Superstars have closer ties to McMahon than John Cena who owes a wealth of success to McMahon’s booking of him in the 2000s and 2010s. When asked about the allegations, Cena did speak about accountability but also spoke about his deep love the the ex-WWE Chairman.
Vince Russo on John Cena
Many have taken issue with Cena’s comments, believing he put too much emphasis on his love and respect for McMahon as opposed to the allegations made by Miss Grant. Sitting down with Sportskeeda, Vince Russo shared his surprise over this blunder by the usually well-spoken Cena.
“I am reading Cena’s comments, and I am like, he is going to get hammered for this… I knew Cena was going to get killed for this. There is no way he is NOT gonna get killed for this. I just wish he would have said, you know, you could love him.”
Russo added that Cena isn’t the only Superstar who’s comments about McMahon missed the mark.
“Same thing with Orton, you know, ‘made your career,’ this that and the other thing. But man if it’s me, I am gonna say all that, but I am also gonna say, ‘But if he is found guilty of these charges… he is gonna have to take full responsibility.’ At least say something like that.”
What’s Next?
John Cena is hoping to do ‘something’ at WrestleMania 40, which is now less than 40 days away. Cena hasn’t appeared for WWE since his Crown Jewel 2023 loss to Solo Sikoa. At this time, there are no confirmed plans for Cena this April in Philadelphia.
Becky Lynch and Mustafa Ali have responded to former WWE writer Vince Russo today on social media.
Earlier today, Vince took to Twitter and tagged several talents to suggest that they should invest in their wardrobe including Bayley. The Role Model will battle Bianca Belair in a Ladder Match this Saturday night at Extreme Rules for the RAW Women’s Championship.
So pertaining to @itsBayleyWWE, as a TV Critic, I made the statement that if u WANT to be a TV STAR u have 2 LOOK like a TV STAR, which means u should probably invest in your wardrobe-switch it up every week-aka@BeckyLynchWWE, @WWERollins,@BiancaBelair,@MsCharlotteWWE (PT. 1)
So pertaining to @itsBayleyWWE, as a TV Critic, I made the statement that if u WANT to bea TV STAR u have 2 LOOK like a TV STAR, which means u should probably invest in your wardrobe-switch it up every week-aka @BeckyLynchWWE, @WWERollins, @BiancaBelair, @MsCharlotteWWE (PT. 1)
Becky Lynch posted a transcription of Vince saying comments that seem to contradict the criticism offered. Russo stated in the past that both Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch dress ridiculously.
Russo responded to Becky Lynch and said that it is hard for the audience to understand her character change from The Man to Big Time Becks without a proper explanation.
When u portray a character, then u transition over to another without the proper explanation-which is in the writing—that could be hard for audience to grasp/understand. Some will get it-some won’t. You want Everybody to get it, so it just needs to be explained.
.@BeckyLynchWWE When u portray a character, then u transition over to another without the proper explanation-which is in the writing—that could be hard for audience to grasp/understand. Some will get it-some won't. You want Everybody to get it, so it just needs to be explained.
Mustafa Ali joined the party and brought up a time when Russo suggested that he portray a racist cop in WWE. Vince asked for Ali to provide the audio of him saying that and Mustafa quickly supplied it.
The 61-year-old then transitioned into promoting his shows and thanked Mustafa for the free publicity. Vince added that the racist cop angle would have been very topical and got Mustafa over as a heel.
SO GLAD @AliWWE brought up the "Racist Cop" Angle I pitched on @SKWrestling_. I asked him to send the clip because I can't remember everything I say being I do about 10-12 shows a week. What a GREAT Controversial angle. So Topical Right Now. Would 100% get him over as a heel.
Kurt Angle has unveiled a surprising name for someone who he considered to be an unsung hero of TNA.
Angle was a part of the TNA Wrestling roster from 2006 through 2016. His run with the promotion lasted longer than his first stint with WWE. During his time in TNA, Angle became a six-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Kurt Angle Praises Vince Russo
During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist chose Vince Russo as his pick for the unsung hero of TNA.
“The unsung hero that I think? I loved Vince Russo. I don’t know how fans think about him or how they feel about him but Vince was very talented.
“The success he had in WWE was phenomenal, the Attitude Era. When he went to WCW, the problem was he was writing for the wrestlers and they were like, ‘I’m not doing that. I’m gonna do whatever I want.’
“So, his storylines turned into something else cause the wrestlers turned it into whatever they wanted and it got diluted. I think that’s the reason that WCW kinda went downhill.
“But when he was in TNA he was phenomenal. He wrote for me every week and I didn’t have any problems with him. I know there are some fans that don’t like him, there are some wrestlers that don’t like him but Vince is very talented.”
Russo has been widely panned over the years for his booking decisions. Some have even credited him with killing WCW quicker.
With that said, Russo does have his supporters. He’s given his due by some in the industry, such as Kurt Angle, for successful segments during the Attitude Era both on the entertainment and business sides.
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Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo worked together twice in the wrestling business. The first time was at the tail end of WCW and the second was when they were both in TNA Wrestling at the same time. Bischoff is not a fan of Vince Russo’s writing. He recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks podcast commenting on the “immature” nature of some of the angles and gimmicks Russo came up with while in WCW.
Conrad Thompson and Bischoff were talking about the “Misfits in Action” stable from WCW’s dying days when he had the following to say:
“It’s embarrassing. I mean, Hugh G Rection? Major Gunns? Come on! Are you 14 years old, for crying out loud?” Bischoff said about Russo’s creations.
Bischoff then spoke about a conversation he had with Brad Siegel about Russo.
“One of the comments that always has stuck with me that Brad said is ‘Look, Vince is just too dark. His approach to television everything is just nasty and dark.’ And I wasn’t really sure what he meant, because I hadn’t been watching.”
“Everything had a layer of dirt or scum on it,” Bischoff continued. “No story was clean and crisp and easy to follow and triggered emotions as a result of it. Everything had this dark, kind of, I don’t know, sewage scum kind of vibe to it.”
“All of his stuff had that same kind of juvenile just junky feel to it,” Bischoff concluded.
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the YouTube clip below:
Former WWE/WCW/TNA writer and outspoken pro wrestling personality Vince Russo recently commented on an episode of Jim Ross’ Grilling JR podcast.
JR and co-host Conrad Thompson were discussing an episode of RAW from 2005 where JR was fired on-air by Vince McMahon. The next week Steve Austin, a noted real life friend of JR’s, would attack members of the McMahon family, including Linda McMahon, Vince’s wife.
During the podcast JR would state that Linda didn’t actually want to take a Stunner from Austin. As is apparently ‘usually’ the case, Vince McMahon wanted it to happen, so it happened. Russo would jump on that comment and lambast McMahon and the culture that he creates seemingly in WWE.
Wrestling ‘Lifers’
“The [wrestling] lifers? This is normal to them” Vince Russo began on the 8 Days a Week podcast. “I was reading clips of a JR interview today, and JR was basically saying about the last time he got fired by Vince McMahon in the ring. It was like a shoot, he really got fired.”
“And he’s [then] talking about like the next night” Russo would continue. “Austin Stunners the entire McMahon family. And he [JR] was saying how Linda was ‘very very hesitant to do that.’ But that’s what Vince wanted, bro!?”
Vince Russo would then describe the situation as ‘warped,’ with Vince McMahon seemingly ‘forcing’ his own wife to do something physically on his program. “Do you know how freaking warped it is? That you…your wife is uncomfortable with it, bro!”
“Okay!? She’s uncomfortable” Russo would continue. “You’re forcing your wife to take a Stunner, and your wife is taking the Stunner because ‘that’s what Vince’ wants. Do you know how freaking warped that is!?”
Do you agree with Vince Russo? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE/WCW/TNA writer and outspoken pro wrestling personality Vince Russo recently commented on New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament. This year’s G1 recently began and it sees two blocks of NJPW’s top stars battle to determine next year’s Wrestle Kingdom main event.
Russo has made it clear in the past that there are elements of New Japan’s style that he is not a fan of. On this week’s episode of the 8 Days a Week podcast, Vince Russo would lambast NJPW performers once again.
‘Ridiculous’
“Someone put up this sequence from these two wrestlers, it must have been from the G1 in Japan” Vince Russo began on the podcast. “And like the person commented that ‘this is the most ridiculous [thing]’ and it was. It was like a minute of the most ridiculous dance routine that you never in a million years would believe could happen like in a wrestling match. I swear to God, bro.”
Russo did not explicitly say which match the video highlighted; however a clip from the match between Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi has been dividing fans on Twitter. Check it out for yourself below.
“If ‘people’ just saw that? And they never watched wrestling? They would literally say like ‘what is this!?'” Russo would continue. “That’s what they would say like ‘what is this!?!?’ You had two guys that totally rehearsed this whole thing. ‘You go, I go, you duck, I duck, you roll, I roll, bro.'”
Vince Russo would finish by suggesting that this style would not have a wide appeal. “I’m sitting there watching this and I’m like, how and why is this appealing to anybody? Like anyone, bro?”
Have you been watching the G1 Climax? Have you been enjoying the tournament so far? Let us know in the comments
Controversial former WWE/TNA/WCW writer Vince Russo recently commented on AEW and their in-ring style. Russo was hugely critical of All Elite Wrestling, saying that the brand has ‘sucked’ for the past year that they have been airing on TNT.
“Bro, I may have done my last AEW review show” Vince Russo began on his 8 Days a Week podcast. “It’s not that this show sucks. We’re almost going on a year, and the show has sucked for a year.”
Vince Russo on AEW stars
Vince Russo would elaborate further, saying “I’ve sat through a sucky piece of crap show for a year. I don’t know how I can sit there and watch a show where I know? Somebody is going to either be crippled? Maimed? Wind up in a wheelchair or dead.”
Russo would then refer to the high-risk elements of the All Elite promotion. Although he would not outright mention the recent Matt Hardy scare he certainly alluded to it. “I know that, honestly, with good conscience? I do not feel like I can watch this show anymore. I’m not interested in seeing somebody get killed on television. I’m not interested in seeing somebody get paralysed. And I’m not interested in seeing somebody crack his skull open. No one gives a sh*t about table spots anymore.”
The former WWE writer would finish by claiming that the stars of AEW have a ‘deathwish.’ “I am not interested in any of that. I don’t have a death wish. I don’t get off on that sh*t. That was never the reason why I became a fan of pro wrestling.”
Do you agree with Russo? Let us know in the comments
Controversial former WWE/TNA/WCW writer Vince Russo recently commented on Paul Heyman and his promo style. Russo was hugely critical of Heyman’s recent SmackDown segment, where he explained why he and Roman Reigns were now aligned.
“With the actual product on TV? Like who gives a sh*? There’s nothing to talk about. There’s nothing interesting, you know?” Vince Russo began on his 8 Days a Week podcast.
Vince Russo on Paul Heyman
“I caught up with Smackdown over the weekend and there’s nothing to talk about at all. I swear to God I wanted to put my head through a wall with Paul Heyman’s promo on SmackDown” Russo continued. “This is wrestling, the guy’s carrying on like he’s in some kind of Shakespearean act with his pauses, his facials and his hands.”
Vince Russo would then make a direct attack at Heyman, saying the he ‘can’t stand’ seeing him on WWE programming. Although Heyman’s work is widely praised by fans and critics alike, Russo believes that Heyman has cut the ‘same’ promo for the past 30 years and is stale.
“Paul, it’s freaking wrestling bro! You’ve cut the same promo for 30 freaking years now” Russo stated. “I’m just gonna say this, I can’t stand hearing you. I can’t stand listening to you. I can’t stand looking at you. You’re carrying on in a wrestling promo like it’s freakin Glengarry Glen Ross bro.”
Russo would finish by lambasting Heyman further for his presentation. “It’s horrible, with your exaggeration of words and your pace and the like. Who gives a sh*t, bro? It’s freaking fake phoney stupid ass wrestling. Nobody freaking cares bro”
Did you enjoy Paul Heyman’s recent promo on SmackDown explaining his relationship with Roman Reigns? Check it out below and let us know in the comments
Former WWE writer and polarising figure Vince Russo recently commented on the WWE ‘Retribution’ angle.
The Retribution have been making their presence felt on WWE programming over the past few weeks. The group have been invading RAW, SmackDown and PPV events and their actual intentions and identities are at this point unknown.
Vince Russo on Retribution
“Bro, this takeover is freaking comical” Vince Russo began on The Brand’s 8 Days a Week; describing how he feels about the way Retribution have gone about their business in WWE. “You made everybody on your roster look like a bunch of effing idiots, bro. There’s a match going on in the ring. So the entire locker room comes out to the ring to make sure that the Retribution don’t attack the ring.”
“Meanwhile, the ‘new kids on the block’ have beaten up someone in the back right?” Russo would continue. “So they [creative] wrote that a referee comes out and gives the talent in the ring the heads up. They’re now out of here and they’re in the back, they’re in their back, bro I swear to God, like the Keystone cops.”
Vince Russo would then lay the blame solely on SmackDown Executive Director Bruce Prichard. Bruce Prichard himself of course has a long running podcast himself (Something To Wrestle With) and he has taken the opportunity to ridicule Russo’s creative on more than one occasion. “All the talent are running back and I’m like are you effing, like what am i watching here Bruce!?” Russo would finish. “What is wrong with you? And you want to sit there on your show and bury me? Are you kidding!?”
Right now there’s no definitive confirmation on how the Retribution angle will play out. On this week’s episode of SmackDown, Roman Reigns was seen backstage with Paul Heyman, who appeared to be his new ‘advocate.’ There have previously been rumblings of Reigns being behind the Retribution group, as he only just recently returned to television at SummerSlam.
So perhaps WWE has a masterplan for the group after all?
Do you agree with Vince Russo? Have Retribution been booked poorly? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE, WCW & TNA head writer Vince Russo recently discussed the WWE Extreme Rules PPV. Russo was critical of the event, much like other notable industry names such as Jim Cornette. One of the matches that Russo was quick to jump on was the Eye For an Eye Match featuring Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins.
Notably, Vince Russo did not like the fact that Mysterio actually lost the match; “Rocky didn’t lose to Apollo in Rocky 2 okay? Rocky didn’t lose his second fight to Clubber Lang” Russo began on The Brand podcast.
Vince Russo on Mysterio vs Rollins
“You always have to payoff…you gotta send the audience home happy” Russo would continue. “So with that being said, I’m reading some of the results [from Extreme Rules], first of all the babyface Rey Mysterio challenges Seth Rollins to an eye for an eye match. The babyface LOSES and gets his eye ripped out of his head. I’ve never heard of that. Not in my life!”
Russo would elaborate further, saying “especially a guy like Rey Mysterio that’s been around forever. But the babyface challenges, and the baby face loses. So now bro? They do something where they show a fake eyeball for like one quarter of a second. And bro, on top of that? The heel is puking ringside realising what he did.”
Vince Russo would then discuss the stipulation of the match, saying how if he had come up with the concept it would’ve been lambasted by fans and critics alike. “I’m like bro, if I would have wrote this sh*t? Forget about it.”
Russo continued, “I’m looking at this sh*t and I’m like ‘oh my god bro, the stuff that I get criticized for!? If my name was on this? That’s all you would have been in reading about. And again bro, keep in mind this is the great Vince McMahon! This is the great ‘filter.'”
Do you think that the Eye For an Eye Match was as bad as some of Russo’s worst? Let us know in the comments.
Former WWE and WCW head writer Vince Russo recently discussed the #SpeakingOut movement and in particular the ‘Bra and Panties’ matches that he frequently gets marked with creating. As well as this, Russo would discuss how he would approach female talent backstage for the companies he worked for, particularly TNA.
Vince Russo on TNA Locker Room
“Back in the day when I was happily married and I had three children?” Russo began on The Brand. “I kind of realized…once I understood what the wrestling business was? I always had my back up.”
Russo would elaborate further, saying “I didn’t know in 20 years that they were going to be calling people out. And sh*t I didn’t know that, but I always had my back because I had a freaking family. I had a wife and I had children. I was not going to get in anything that would have got me in any kind of trouble.”
“And I remember so many times when I would have to go in the woman’s locker room. At TNA the women had a trailer, and bro? I’d have to find them during the day to do pre-tapes and all that sh*t bro. I always was so cautious. And just so careful and so respectful of them. I say this all the time bro, when I worked with these beautiful, beautiful women bro? I felt like they were more like daughters than attractive women. That’s how I looked at them. You’ve got to be really, really careful in everything that you do. So that’s why.”
Former WWE and WCW head writer Vince Russo recently discussed the #SpeakingOut movement and in particular the ‘Bra and Panties’ matches that he frequently gets marked with creating.
“I noticed Alexa Bliss made a comment about Bra and Panty matches, something to the effect of, she ‘respects the women but she wouldn’t do those matches’ or something like that, Russo began on The Brand.
Vince Russo on Gail Kim
“Gail Kim had a comment about how that was traumatic for her and that she had to do a bra and panties match; and she never felt like she could say no. First of all, I love Gail Kim. And, you know, the I’ve talked about this a lot, the mentality of talent thinking that they can’t say no? I just want to say bro, when I was writing? Anybody could have said no, and people did say no.”
Vince Russo would then go on to describe situations where talent did come to him with concerns. “I can remember specific angles that some people were uncomfortable with, and when they expressed that to me? We would ixnay those angles. There’s this mentality in wrestling, and you know bro? Maybe this holds true with Vince McMahon and other people? But there’s this mentality in wrestling if you don’t do what they say, you know, then it’s gonna be held against you.”
Not on His Dime…
The former WWE writer would continue, saying “your career is over and maybe that’s so. But that never happened on my dime. So you know, something very interesting happened. I said to myself ‘okay bro. Now, is this how they’re going to speak out on Vince Russo?’ [using the Bra and Panties match as a weapon against him] But they have to look at the facts.”
Russo would go on to say that he never booked a Bra and Panties match himself, that the ‘Tuxedo Match’ concept was what he copied for certain WCW angles. Therefore the matches he put together were never ‘sexual’ in nature. Vince Russo would make it abundantly clear that he never asked anyone to take part in an angle they were uncomfortable with.
There was an interesting rumor going around online that Vince Russo was back with Impact Wrestling to help with the creative process.
Pwinsider.com reports that those in Impact Wrestling had denied the rumors that the former head writer was back with the company. Per the report, the rumors have made the rounds since before WrestleMania 36 Weekend.
It was noted that Russo is not involved or employed in any way by Impact. Regarding whether he was set to be part of the “TNA: There’s No Place Like Home” special event back in April at Wrestlecon, it was noted that there was talk of using him at the show.
The reason behind this idea was due to the promotion having an open-door policy for that one single night, to celebrate the old TNA brand.
Russo was never officially booked. The event was nixed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Finally, PWInsider noted there are no plans for Russo within the company in any capacity. This includes him being a consultant, independent contract, or employee.
Russo took to Twitter to react to the rumors by writing the following:
Years Ago I was Hired by TNA as a consultant. Part of the Terms was to keep it Quiet. I did what my Employer asked me to do. When I accidentally sent an e-mail to the wrong address-it came out. I was labeled a LIAR for keeping the confidentiality my employer asked me to. (1)
At that time I vowed myself to never allow myself to get into that situation again. The Dirt Sheets are stirring up that I'm consulting fort TNA again. Hate to kill their FALSE BS-but-I'm not. https://t.co/17iU7cAwCf is a FULL-TIME JOB and I wouldn't trade it in for THE WORLD (2)
Arn Anderson worked in WCW when Vince Russo was brought in during the promotion’s final years. Russo signed with WCW on October 3rd, 1999. The final episode of Nitro would take place 18 months later on March 26th, 2001. On an episode of “The Arn Show,” Double-A talked about what it was like working with Russo.
“He’s one of the guys that I worked for instead of with,” Anderson said regarding Russo. “When he came in a lot of guys started going home, the regular guys, the big stars, because there was a creative difference in what they had in mind and what he had in mind.”
Anderson continued to say he just tried to do what he was told at this time.
“All I did as an agent at the time was exactly what he wanted. Him and Ed Ferrara because they were writing the show and from my perspective, they had absolute autonomy. What they said went.”
“Was Vince Russo in some areas very creative? Absolutely.”
Double-A would continue to say that he believed strongly that the product needed to make sense. He perhaps insinuated that WCW storylines at the time did not do that.
“It shouldn’t dumb the product down, it shouldn’t be so outlandish that nobody is going to buy it. It can be as creative as you want it to be but, at least, at the end of the day when it’s all said and done, have it make sense.”
“To answer the question, I worked for him, what he said he wanted I did my best to give him and that was the extent of our relationship to my memory,” Anderson concluded.
Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring recently covered the infamous Brawl For All tournament WWF held in 1998. Vince Russo, the creative mind behind the shoot tough man competition, is featured throughout the episode.
Russo recently went into further detail about the tournament on an episode of Konnan’s Keepin it 100 podcast. During the discussion, Russo stated his belief at the time that Bart Gunn could have defeated Butterbean at WrestleMania. He also noted that Vince McMahon shared that view.
“I got so frustrated with Bart because he still believes he was fed to the wolves and that was a punishment for Dr. Death and he’s wrong, that’s not the truth!” Russo said.
Butterbean sends Bart Gunn into another dimension at WrestleMania 15 (1999)
Russo would continue to say that Vince McMahon believed Bart could possibly have defeated Butterbean.
“I’m telling you he did, bro, I did too!” Russo continued. “You got to understand when I was watching those Brawl for Alls, bro, I’ve never seen guys get hit that hard in my life.”
Russo then talked about how hard Bart was hitting his opponents in the tournament.
“When I saw Bart hitting these guys, I believed without a shadow of a doubt he could beat Butterbean, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind, bro,” Russo continued.
Vince Russo was recently a guest on Talk is Jericho with AEW World Champion Chris Jericho. During the conversation, Jericho asked Russo why he doesn’t feel he’s been brought back to WWE when others, such as Eric Bischoff and Bruce Pritchard, have been.
“Bro, here’s the bottom line. Think about this for a second Chris, if Vince Russo went back to the WWE and all of a sudden the ratings went up again, well ok, now what?” Russo said. “I swear to God I think that’s what he’s afraid of because Vince is like, he’s Oz, he wants you to believe it was all him. Bro, it wasn’t all you. I mean, if it was all you, you’d have that same success today that you had back then. So, if all of a sudden if Vince Russo comes back and all of a sudden we start gaining momentum and getting viewership back well then bro, all of a sudden, wait a minute maybe it wasn’t Vince after all. Bro, that’s the only thing I can think of. I can’t think of any other reason.”
Russo would continue to talk about contact he has had in recent years with Vince McMahon and the WWE.
“I said (to Vince McMahon) ‘bro, if you want somebody to watch your show and let you know what’s wrong with it, let me know.’ Bro, I’ve never asked Vince for a job since I left. Never once but what happens is because I’m a wrestling fan and I see it get so bad, I’m like ‘bro, you can make this better, this can be great again.'”
He continued to say Vince often returns his texts with a simple “thx.”
Vince Russo’s appearance on Talk is Jericho can be heard in the link below:
Please give credit to SEScoops if using any of the above transcriptions.
Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff worked together in creative while both were in WCW in the late stages of the company and then again in TNA Wrestling years later. On the heels of Bischoff’s latest departure from WWE, Vince Russo appeared on Konnan’s “Keepin it 100” podcast and called his former colleague’s firing “Karma.”
“Let me make it real simple,” Russo said on the show. “Karma is a b**ch, bro. These are guys, Bruce Pritchard and Eric Bischoff, to this minute are still burying me on their podcasts. Bro, these guys just lost a million viewers in one week and you’re burying me? Seriously bro?”
“Losing a million viewers is unheard of, like unheard of,” Russo continued.
This led to Disco Inferno bringing up that many shows drop a percentage of their audience from their debut to their second episode, such as AEW.
“AEW is a new company, AEW is a brand new company, WWE is a brand that has been around for five decades bro, and that’s the problem man. They still think that they can get over on their brand.”
Konnan then issued his thoughts on WWE. “This is my assessment of WWE: They’re McDonald’s, they’re the biggest, they’re not the best.”
Russo’s comments can be heard in their entirety in the player below:
Vince Russo is convinced WWE and All Elite Wrestling are secretly working together.
The former writer for WWE, WCW and TNA says there’s “NO QUESTION” that WWE and upstart AEW are “in bed together” since several things “don’t add up” to him.
Russo plans to discuss this conspiracy theory on his podcast and warns fans, “YOU’RE BEING WORKED.”
There's NO QUESTION that @WWE & @AEWrestling are in bed together–NONE. Several things don't add up. When you look at the entire picture it becomes evident. I'm going to invite the @CnsprcyHrsmn on the new "Truth with Consequences" to lay this all out. Bro—YOU'RE BEING WORKED. pic.twitter.com/Mx6fchaGnZ
Russo clarified that WWE and AEW working together is a good thing for wrestling, but again urges fans not to get worked. He referenced WWE’s late 90’s secret partnership with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as an example of ‘rival’ promotions finding common ground.
Don't misunderstand me-if @WWE & @AEWrestling are working together-as I believe they are-it's a GOOD THING if it makes the wrestling product better for the casual fans. I'm just saying-don't be worked. This has happened once before with ECW/WWE. History tends to repeat itself. pic.twitter.com/999EWDyQ8x
Vince Russo On If WWE Has Anything To Worry About From AEW
Previously, Russo expressed the idea that WWE has nothing to worry about from AEW.
“As much as I would like to say yes, I don’t think so,” Russo said to 411Mania. “You know, the WWE has been the only game in town for so long. I mean when you look at the Saudi Arabia deal, when you look at the FOX deal, when you look at the money they’re bringing in, because quite frankly they’ve been the only game in town for such a long period of time, I think that’s silly to believe.”
Recently, Bischoff divulged a rather interesting pitch Vince Russo made to him. Russo apparently pitched an angle in which Lance Storm would play Bischoff’s son. Of course, that never took place:
“You know that Vince Russo… when Russo and I agreed to work together, one of his big ideas was that he wanted Lance Storm to be my son,” Bischoff said.
Storm stayed with WCW until its bitter end, and went on to have a decent run with WWE. In regards to WCW’s end, Bischoff opened up about the final episode of Monday Night Nitro – which he wasn’t present for.
Bischoff said that he’s glad he wasn’t there for the final Nitro, and said had he been there, a deal with WWE might have never materialized:
“I am glad I wasn’t there – I am almost certain, knowing myself, that had I been there I probably wouldn’t have worked for the WWE a couple of years later.
“I think my reaction—I wouldn’t have done anything crazy, but knowing myself, I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I’m not really good at hiding s*it. It would have been easy to read me and it wouldn’t have been a positive thing.
“I would have been professional, but I don’t think anybody would say that they kind of dug that Bischoff guy.
“I don’t think that would have been the thought of anyone if I would have been there so I am glad that it turned out the way it did. Like I said, sometimes things work out the way they are supposed to.”
Professional wrestling legend Jim Cornette recently took to his podcast, The Jim Cornette Experience, to offer up his thoughts on Cody Rhodes telling Vince Russo to “stay away” from All In this September.
Russo has been mentioning the event quite frequently lately, and seems very interested in making an appearance. Cornette had this to say about Rhodes banning Russo from the Chicago event:
“He knocks them all the time, so why would he want to, if he believes he has any credibility, why would he want to associate himself with that where then people would have to say ‘well, look. Russo knocks them,” said Cornette.
“Same thing I thought immediately. Russo knocks them, but he’s not above a payoff to come up here and be a part of the thing. That was my main consideration for not being involved, because I don’t want people to think that I’m a f***ing hypocrite. But he has no problem with that.
“But then, to not know enough to take the booking and not realize that a bunch of the people on the show that are running the show because it’s the boys running the show, I believe we’ve mentioned that, that the boys wouldn’t want you on [the show] because… dealing with him is like picking up a turd from the clean end. There’s absolutely no way to do it where you can please the majority of the people involved in the situation, because nobody wants him around.”
You can listen to The Jim Cornette Experience by clicking this link here.
Controversial wrestling personality, Vince Russo, has expressed his desire to appear at Bullet Club’s All-In event on September 1st, 2018. For his part, Cody has expressed his strong desire Vince Russo not appear at the event. Cody also recently announced he has booked his dog, Pharoah, for the event.
This dynamic recently led to a series of Twitter messages we have curated for you below. Enjoy!
The ABSOLUTE FACT that I am ready, willing and able to appear at ALL IN while others are already attempting to do EVERYTHING in their power to keep me from attending-tells you just about everything you need to know about ME & THEM.
Vince Russo then sent out a series of additional Tweets:
I'll gladly take the blackballing if I can prevent even ONE guy/girl from suffering a career ending injuryin a performace that is "supposed" to be a "worked" fight. . Any day of the week.
The above Tweet could be construed as Russo saying the style of wrestling at All-In would be too dangerous.
Every week I watch ALL wrestling formats-WWE, NXT & NJPW. Always having an open mind. Even saw Velveteen Dream 1st time this week and dug him. Alienating those with an opposing viewpoint is dangerous when it comes to anything and everything. Not what our "freedom" was built on.
The above Tweet seems to insinuate Russo feels he is being ostracized for having a perspective which deviates from the norm.
Velveteen Dream has been cutting some anti-independent wrestling fan promos as of late.
But it's all good. God created me as an individual with a mind of my own and a purpose and I will continue to glorify Him for the rest of my life. Those that don't agree, or APPROVE of my opinions-sorry, I don't live up to your expectations-but-I'm really not cause I don't care.
Bro-whether I go to All In, or not, means zero to me. But it's evident that when it comes to today's product-if you have an opposite opinion of the current presentation you're hated, discriminated against and blackballed. In business key is to GAIN new viewers not ALIENATE them
It’s not completely clear what Russo’s opposing viewpoints are although he seems to indicate modern wrestling is a little too dangerous.
Cody Books His Dog at Starrcast, Not Vince Russo
Shortly before the exchange with Vince Russo, Cody announced that his Huskie “Pharoah” has been booked for Starrcast. Since Pharoah does not benefit from human currency, proceeds from his appearance will go towards the PAWS Chicago organization. Current speculation states Pharoah is a Good Boy.
Vince Russo is no longer with the upstart Lucha Libre company, Aro Lucha. The company (owned by former TNA producers, AroLuxe) is asking fans to invest in a crowdfunding campaign to get the promotion off the ground. Rey Mysterio and Konnan are also linked to the promotion.
Last December, the promotion announced they had hired Vince Russo as a “script consultant”. As Russo is one of the most polarizing figures in the industry, his hiring caused a stir amongst fans. Konnan took to Twitter to defend the decision.
Russo worked the December 10th, 2017 AroLucha event and there has been little mention of his involvement with the company since. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vine Russo is no longer with the promotion. No details were given regarding which party instigated the end of their working relationship, only that the two sides were no longer working together.
As for Russo, he is one of the latest people to sign a deal with TwitchTV. Fans of his can follow him on the channel as he watches wrestling shows in real-time and reacts to them. Russo also has his own podcast, “Vince Russo’s the Brand” which covers wrestling related topics.
Konnan gave an interview to Sports Illustrated in February to speak on his plans with AroLucha.
“I’ve always wanted to bring Lucha to the United States, but I haven’t been able to yet,” said Konnan. “I was in Lucha Underground, but they weren’t able to do what I thought they could have done. We can do it with Aro Lucha. It’s pure excitement and a lot of fun.”
Konnan continued to say they believe AroLucha should have a TV deal by the end of 2018.
“I listen to the people,” Konnan continued. “Promotions think they’re smarter than the fans, but that’s when they get in trouble. This is for the fans. If you’re not listening to them, you’re not doing your job.”
Former WWE and WCW writer Vince Russo was recently interviewed on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast to talk about his time in the industry. The highlights can be found here below:
Where the “crash TV” concept came from when writing for the Attitude Era:
“Basically where “crash” TV came from is real simple because there is no reason in the world that they should not instill the same freaking work ethic and if they instilled this today the show would go from a one to a ten overnight. Where “crash” TV came from was because we were going head to head with Monday Nitro. The way Ed (Ferrera) and I wrote the show is you had a television with a wrestling fan sitting in front of that television set on Monday night and they had a choice between Nitro and RAW.
“When they flip over to RAW and they are watching RAW they are begging you to give them a reason and give them a low and give them the opportunity to tune over to the other show and (bro) knowing if they tune over to the other show and there is something good there, they may never come back. Ed and I literally wrote that show like the wrestling fan was sitting in front of his TV on Monday nights and he had the remote control in his hand and he was begging you to let him flip over to see what was going on on Nitro. That is where “crash” TV came from and you know what? There is no reason in the world that it should not be the same psychology today.”
The main issue plaguing WWE across the board:
“Here is the problem in a nutshell and this is the problem across the board. It’s because of politics and that is what it is all about. It is all about ego and because of ego, politics and power they have people in key positions that have no reason being there. You know how in every other big company like if you work for Apple or you work for a Chevrolet, any company you work for will want to hire the best people to make their company better. That is how companies become better. You look at kids coming out of college and you look at people that are out there with experience and you are always looking for better people to make you better. Bro, wrestling is the complete opposite.
“They have inadequate people in key positions that got there because of politics and if you are on the outside looking in and you have any kind of talent whatsoever they will do anything in their power to keep you away. They will bury you, they will start campaigns online, they will smear your name, they will lie about you, they will make crap up about you and anybody that is better than them they just destroy because they are protecting their spot. When somebody comes in that is better than them all of a sudden they are exposed. There is no light at the end of the rainbow and they don’t have the right people in there and they don’t have the right people doing the key jobs and that is evident every time you watch one of their shows.”
Vince McMahon surrounding himself with “yes men”:
“Bro, you want to know something that makes no sense? All of these clowns, they are all writing to please Vince. They are all writing to please a 72 year old man. Unfortunately, 72 year old men are not your audience.”
Challenging Vince McMahon on booking calls:
“I will never forget there was a Summer Slam at Madison Square Garden with AC/DC Highway to Hell and I’ll never forget the main event was Taker vs. Austin. Taker and Austin were really good friends and they wanted to go into that match at Madison Square Garden and they wanted to make it a babyface match because as a shoot they were very close. I remember getting in a yelling match with Vince McMahon and lets face it Taker and Austin were the top guys and they earned that spot so Vince wanted to make them happy and I couldn’t understand that.
“I remember saying to Vince and especially in New York at Madison Square Garden that people do not want to see a babyface match between Austin and Taker, they want to see these guys freaking kill each other. It’s freaking New York City bro this isn’t Wisconsin and I remember yelling at him in his freaking car. The end of that story is they had their babyface match and there was no response and both guys knew why but that doesn’t matter. My point is that I got away with that stuff because at the end of the day Vince knew my passion and he knew that Vince Russo wasn’t about power and ego and money and all that crap but he was about wanting the show being the best it could absolutely be.
“Vince knew that and if he didn’t know that do you know how many times he would have fired me? He knew what my agenda was and he knew where my heart was and it was always in the show being the best it could be. Today it is all about protecting your spot and making sure you are safe, write something that Vince will like and OH MY GOD bro it is freaking horrible.”
The biggest misconception people have about himself:
“You know what part of the misconception is about me and listen I’m not saying this to be braggadocios because I swear to you I do not have an ego and I don’t give a crap. But I wrote for characters long enough to know what gets a character over and at the end of the day here is what gets a character over. Basically you’ve got to find something in them that is very real so when they go out and portray that (character) you magnify it a million times over and people believe it. They are not acting because it is real to them. That is the key to getting a character over. With that said, when they started putting so much freaking pressure on me to get rating at WCW, bro I never wanted to be a character on TV and I never had any intentions of being a character on TV. To this day, I promise you that is 90% of the reason why so many people disdain me.
“They disdain me because in their minds I am still that character and I’m not. That is not me, I don’t carry myself that way and I swear to God that I buried myself at WCW and later on in TNA buried myself because I never put on a power play, I never wanted power, never wanted more money I just wanted to write the television show. That is all I cared about and those around me who were political animals buried me and were burying me because they were afraid of me and because they knew my talent. The only way they were going to bring me down was to continue to bury me over and over again until they convinced that person that I was the person that they wanted me to be. Bro, I didn’t fight back because my whole theory was if you want to buy into that and want to believe them than no problem just get rid of me and let them do the job and lets see what happens.
“With TNA, you can look at TNA and you can look at the numbers and you can pinpoint exactly where Russo left the company. You can look at those numbers and see that Vince wrote up to this point and than Vince left because you look at that number month after month and they started losing more and more audience. So that is the misconception, people don’t know me, they have no idea of who I am and they don’t know about Vince Russo the son, the husband, the father, they know of me as being a fictional character that they saw on TV.”
You can listen to Russo’s interview on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling by clicking this link here.
You may have noticed a certain sequence from the recent ROH event involving The Young Bucks being the subject of much debate recently, Jim Cornette and UFC star Daniel Cormier had some rather disparaging comments on the Buck’s in ring style and how they felt it was too much like “gymnastics.”
Former WWE/WCW writer Vince Russo has now offered his thoughts on the controversy and he too decided to give his take on ring psychology and the foundations of wrestling. Check out what he had to say below and how Young Buck Nick Jackson decided to respond…
US Wrestling is about Ring Psychology, Storylines and Characters. It has been for decades. If you're going to change the very foundation to gymnastics and acrobatics, then just call it something else. Really don't know what the issue is. Not disrespecting at all.
