– The latest edition of Jesse Ventura’s “We The People” podcast, which features an interview with legendary broadcaster Larry King, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:

Larry King Takes On Politics, Pot & the President

“The Governor turns the tables on legendary broadcaster Larry King, the man who’s interviewed over 60,000 people in his storied career. Larry sounds off the state of our nation (“hopeless”), marijuana (“a great aphrodisiac”), his greatest fears (“death”), and President Obama (“a puzzle to me”). Plus, the Governor has a little surprise in store for the King of Talk. Shoot Jesse your questions & comments at ora.tv/offthegrid/askjesse.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– Part two of Roddy Piper’s interview with former WWE, WCW and TNA writer Vince Russo is available in the latest edition of his “Piper’s Pit” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:

PP-Ep41 – Vince Russo Part.2

“Vince Russo Part. 2. One of the most controversial figures in professional wrestling history is back for a second round on the hot seat. Piper and Russo pick up right where they left on topics like the decline of the WWE, why aren’t there any new superstars the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Roddy Piper and why a three-hour Monday Night Raw is bad for the fans.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

– The latest episode of Monday Night War on the WWE Network featuring Vince Russo is getting rave reviews from fans, with many calling it the best installment of the series thus far. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely check it out.

– RollingStone.com has published a feature looking at former WWE “enhancement talent” Barry Horowitz, who spoke about his runs in WWE and WCW as well as his beef with rapper Action Bronson.

– Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins will be appering at the Adventureland Store in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, January 25th, the day of the Royal Rumble. The event takes place from 10am-12pm. For more information, click here.

– The latest edition of WWE Top 10, which you can check out below, looks at the top ten most iconic entrances in history.

http://youtu.be/dpVOhFzE2J8

– Former WWE, WCW and TNA writer Vince Russo is the latest guest on this week’s edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast. The official description of the show reads as follows:

PP-Ep40 – Vince Russo

“Vince Russo! One of the most controversial figures in Professional Wrestling history sits down with Roddy to see if they can get past the bad blood that’s been simmering between the two for well over a decade. No topic is off limits, including the tragic death of Owen Hart. Hot Rod asks Vince tough questions like, why did Owen agree to be lowered into the ring from over a hundred feet in the air when he was afraid of heights? Who’s idea was it for the ill-fated stunt and whether or not Hart’s death could have been avoided.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee Together In Las Vegas This Past Weekend

David Arquette is a former WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Being a World Champion normally means you’re a big star. Vince Russo was a former World Champion. The Great Khali is a former World Heavyweight Champion. Just so we understand each other, these guys, in my opinion, are not among the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling.

Do we understand the formula?

Today, we are going to look at five legends of the ring who were without a doubt top stars in their prime. At one point or another, each person on this list could be considered “the guy” in the business. All were top stars who reached Championship-level success at one time or another, however they all shared one key factor in common — they pretty much sucked in the ring.

A lot of people have different ideas of what a “good worker” really is. Generally speaking, if you’re in the business, a good worker is someone who can take the live crowd on an emotional journey. Most of the people on this list were able to do that, however if you’re a die-hard fan of the sport, you have a different opinion of what a “good worker” is. To those people, a good worker is someone who took the time to perfect the craft, the art and skill of what goes on inside the squared circle. Guys who have matches that are considered “match of the year” candidates. Guys who could have what die-hard fans call “five-star matches.”

That is who we are looking at today. Guys who by die-hard fan standards would be considered god-awful workers. Guys who couldn’t have a classic, five-star match to save their life, even if they’re able — usually due to star power and enthusiasm — to pop a crowd during a match.

With all of thr explanation out of the way, let’s take a look at who made the list of the top five biggest stars who weren’t good workers.

#5. Hulk Hogan

The guy knows how to have a classic match. His WrestleMania VI clash with Ultimate Warrior, who we’ll be talking about later, surprised many. Still, if you examine the match with your “worker” glasses on you’ll notice that it wasn’t exactly a catch-as-catch-can classic by any means.

It was a great match though in the sense that the crowd was totally invested. A lot of that had to do with the promotional build-up to the match and the characters involved. The same can be said for Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8.

A Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat classic it was not.

But the response from the fans was about as passionate as things get. Hogan can have great matches when everything falls into place, but you can’t put just anybody in the ring with him and expect a great match. As far as his star-power is concerned, Hogan is one of — if not the biggest — stars in the history of the sport.

Hulk Hogan comes in at number five.

#4. Andre the Giant

Andre The Giant is one of the biggest and most recognizable stars in professional wrestling history. In his prime as a young wrestler he would come off of the top-rope, he could throw a pretty impressive dropkick and was a lot more agile than he became later in his career.

Most will remember the run Andre The Giant had in WWE in the 1980s, but prior to that he was actually a pretty solid in-ring worker. His most famous years, however, saw a number of rest-holds killing the majority of the time in his matches. It was almost a sure thing that there would be a few bear-hugs, nerve-grip holds and the ever-popular butt-smash in the corner spot.

So again, Andre wasn’t the best in-ring technician, but he was a huge star — literally — and could elicit a great reaction from the crowd from bell-to-bell when matched with the right guy.

Regardless, Andre comes in at number four.

#3. Kevin Nash

Outside of a few matches with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, better known to WWE-exclusive fans as “Diesel,” rarely had a match above a two-star rating. He was one of the first workers to be labeled as a guy with “five moves of doom,” long before that torch was passed to John Cena.

However, Nash was a big ingredient in the pro wrestling explosion of the late 1990s. His move to WCW, which led to the formation of the nWo, was arguably the jumping-off point of the Monday Night Wars, which ultimately led to WWE’s “Attitude Era.” WWE was forced to switch gears and change the way they do business, and Nash, along with Scott Hall, were two key players at the root of all of these changes.

Despite his importance level in the business, his work level earns him the bronze medal as one of the biggest stars who wasn’t a “good worker.”

Continued on page two …

Former WWE, WCW and TNA writer Vince Russo recently announced that he’ll be joining the UK’s International Pro Wrestling promotion as their new “Executive In Power.”

“Officially, I’ll be taking over on January 1. But I have had a firm hand in booking the matches that are going to take place on the Weekend of Champions, January 10 and January 11 in Tonbridge. This monumental event will be my first-ever appearance in the United Kingdom.”

IPW:UK confirmed Russo’s announcement via their official web site:

LONDON, ENG (December 19, 2014) – effective as of January 1st, IPW:UK are proud to announce the signing of the world famous Vince Russo to take over control as the Executive In Power of International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (aka, IPW:UK).”

The first match signed for the Weekend of Champions show pits U-Gene (Nick Dinsmore) versus Grado. Grado participated in Season Two of TNA’s British Boot Camp.

2015 will be the eleventh year of operation for IPW:UK. According to their website, the promotion has featured Daniel Bryan, Drew Galloway and Samoa Joe in years past.

– As noted recently, TNA will be making changes to the look and graphics planned for Impact Wrestling when the show debuts on their new cable home at Destination America in January.

TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted the following, revealing that there will be a new official logo for the show.

Just approved a new logo for @ImpactWrestling for @DestAmerica. #Killer

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) December 4, 2014

– Kurt Angle sat down with Vince Russo for an exclusive video shoot interview, following their free interview on “The Swerve” podcast this week. During the candid interview, Kurt talks in-depth about his struggles with pain killers, what it took for him to stop, working injured and how it played a part in his WWE departure, and much more.

Below is a teaser preview video for the interview:

http://youtu.be/dDXB6FSwPss

Wrestling legend Kurt Angle has revealed to Vince Russo that he will be staying with TNA Impact Wrestling for the final year of his in-ring career.

Angle appeared on Russo’s podcast “The Swerve” over the weekend and spoke about a number of topics, including CM Punk’s podcast, working with Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter and more. After the interview, Russo said he received a direct message on Twitter from Angle, who told him to break the news about his in-ring future.

“Kurt basically tweeted me back today and he said, ‘Vince, it’s still unofficial, but I have no problem telling you or you announcing or you saying on your show that I’m going to go back to work for TNA,'” Russo said.

Angle was featured prominently on TNA’s promotional material for Impact’s move to Destination America next month. He had teased the possibility of “going home” and finishing out his career in WWE, but it the Olympic gold medalist will retire a TNA Superstar.

Hit up Page 2 below to read what Angle said about his experience working for Vince McMahon & Dixie Carter, if his relationship with Triple H was a factor in his final decision, CM Punk’s situation and more.

Vince Russo sent along the following editorial from his official website, PyroAndBallyhoo.com:

In preparation for my interview with RD Reynolds, the co-author of the book, “The Death of WCW”, I went over the ratings of the shows I was actually involved in writing during my short tenure at WCW. Going into tomorrow’s discussion with RD, I just wanted to assure that we had the facts to look at, as it pertained to my true performance at WCW.

The numbers are posted on-line for anybody to take a look at. You can crunch them just like I did in order to get a true picture of what the numbers were during my time at WCW.

9/20/99-10/11/99 (4 SHOWS) AVERAGE RATING 2.9

These were the four shows prior–a month’s worth–to Ed Ferrara and myself joining WCW.

10/18/99-1/10/00 (13 Shows) AVERAGE RATING 3.2

During this time, Ed and I were concentrating on breaking down the old foundation that was in place, and building a new one as we saw fit. Let me also note here, that of the first 13 shows that Ed and I wrote, 11 of them were 3-hour shows. If you want to compare apples to apples–take away the two two-hour shows that Ed and I wrote and our average is still a 3.2 over the 11 three-hour shows. My last show on 1/10/00 drew a 3.4–our highest rating to date.

1/17/00-4/3/00 (12 SHOWS) AVERAGE RATING 2.7

This is the period in which I went home, and Kevin Sullivan and his creative team took over the writing of the show. As you can clearly see, the average WCW rating went down even further below the starting point at which Ed and I started. Note: all of these shows are now at two hours.

EDITORIAL: It was during that 12 week period, that I felt WCW truly lost its audience, and it was going to be a difficult struggle and battle, to ever win them back. That is MY OPINION.

4/10/00-7/3/00 (13 SHOWS) AVERAGE RATING 2.8

These were the first 13 shows that Eric and I did together, with many of them being written with us not on the same page. NOBODY KNOWS THIS STORY, because I never told it before, but things got so dysfunctional between Eric and I, that Brad Siegel, the President of both TBS/TNT at the time, called an emergency meeting between the three of us to try to straighten out our issues. This meeting took place THE WEEK PRIOR TO BASH AT THE BEACH

7/10/00-8/21/00 (7 SHOWS) AVERAGE RATING 2.5

After the combination of our meeting with Brad Siegel and Bash at the Beach, Eric was not much involved with creative from that point on. Here, once again, I tried to break down the things I didn’t like that Eric and I had worked on, in order to once again try to rebuild.

8/28/00-10/2/00 (6 SHOWS) AVERAGE RATING 3.1

These were the last 6 shows I ever wrote for WCW.

10/9/00-3/26/00 (23 SHOWS–PRE-EMPTED TWICE) 2.3

The last 23 shows of Nitro that I was not a part of.

Those are the true numbers, and the only REAL FACTS that are on record as it pertains to my failure/success at WCW.

Did I kill WCW?

That all depends solely on whether you chose to analyze the facts, or strictly go off opinion.

• PHOTOS: Ronda Rousey SHOWS ALL (…and I mean *ALL*) In BRAND NEW Photo Shoot!

Former ECW, WCW and TNA manager James Mitchell posted the following story on his official Facebook recently, revealing a conversation he had with Vince Russo:

NOW IT CAN BE TOLD

During a recent conversation with former WWE and TNA head writer, Vince Russo on Vince Russo’s Pyro & Ballyhoo, I asked him to explain to me how the decision was made in TNA creative to fire me, when I was clearly a good soldier, a top tier on-screen presence who got real heat and unquestionably one of the very few money-promo guys. He offered the following-

“Two overlaying things with TNA. One is much bigger than the other. And Jim, one of ‘em is like almost unbelievable to say, okay? Dixie Carter, I hate to say this, and I hate to use this word, but after owning the company for so many years, Jim, was still such a mark that if Jim Mitchell would be the Devil on television and was getting heat because that was his job, and that’s what he was paid to do, because people were booing and hissing you, Dixie did not like Jim Mitchell. Not that she, and you shouldn’t laugh, this is a shoot, so literally bro, if you’re getting heat and people are booing you and she doesn’t like you because of your “character”, a lot of times that transforms into her not liking you.”

Priceless.

That explains a lot about her subsequent creative input. Perhaps if I posted Tweets insensitive to Japanese typhoon victims, as she recently did, I would have been more in line with her vision of how a heel gets heat.”

• Cyborg & Transgender MMA Fighter Trade HEATED Insults Back & Forth [MUST READ >>]

VINCE RUSSO BOOKS RAW – 9/22/2014

As part of his new “Dear Vince Project”, Vince Russo has just released a new weekly feature called “Russo Books Raw”. Every week, prior to RAW airing that night, Russo will offer his opinions and suggestions on where WWE should go creatively.

Coming off the heels of last night’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, Vince had a clean slate to work with, and he decided to go all out. Vince offers his suggestions on everything from the main event down to Bo Dallas and Adam Rose!

Check out an excerpt below from his PryoandBallyhoo website:

“My system in booking RAW is going to be as follows: Following every pay-per-view, I am going to lay out a general direction for not only the following night’s RAW, but where I would go leading up to the next pay-per-view. In this case — Hell in a Cell. When I was back booking a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, we would book from PPV to PPV, knowing where we were going month to month, but really building each week in between with as much intrigue as possible.

Heading into the second week of TV, things will then change a bit, as I will try to stay within the storylines and angles that the WWE has laid out, offering an alternative to how I would cover the direction that Creative has already set in place. In other words, I will work within the mainframe and parameters that they have built, and use what is already there to craft the best show possible.

Last night at NOC, in my opinion, there were some things done well and some not so well. Some things to build on — some things that need fixing. Going into tonight’s show, this is the overall direction that I would be heading in, if I had a clean slate.

While I’m aware there will be some people that enjoy my vision and others that disagree, please note that these are simply MY opinions…MY suggestions. There is never a 100% right or 100% wrong way to write a TV show — it’s all subjective. I simply hope you’ll find these weekly features just as I mean for them to be: entertaining alternatives.

Would love to hear your thoughts on Twitter by using the hashtag #RussoBooksRAW. I simply ask you keep them respectful.

With all that out of the way, let’s get to work!

GOLDUST/STARDUST — NEW WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPS

Let’s change something up right off the bat, and not just book the Usos rematch the next night because of their “traditional” rematch clause. Leave it there for now — it’s not going anywhere. I would book a non-title match tonight between Goldust and Stardust vs. Luke Harper and Erik Rowan. I am already intrigued because it’s two heel teams (although Goldust and Stardust aren’t your typical heel team).

We all know that Harper & Rowan have been fading as of late, and I think we need to fix that. These two were on a roll and then their momentum just came to a screeching halt. In this match ,I’d make it an all-out brawl with Goldust/Stardust going over. At the end of the match, I’d have the blackout with Bray appearing in the middle of the ring after the bell. Here, the fans think that Bray is going to attack Goldust and Stardust, but he doesn’t. In fact he hits Harper & Rowan with Sister Abagails leaving them both laying.

The story here is that Bray has seen enough of their fall and he will ultimately bring them back to prominence through a level of tough, violent love that he has never before displayed. Bray, Harper and Rowan now bring their game to an all-time high. This would lead to a match at HIAC between Goldust/Stardust and Harper/Rowen for the WWE Tag Team Titles. Rowan/Harper would label the match “Hillbilly Hell” — a hardcore match where anything goes. Yeah, I get it — the kids. However, this is PAY-PER-VIEW, and we wouldn’t see anything more violent than the cinder block curb stomp on Ambrose that we saw on RAW only a few weeks ago.

SHEAMUS — WWE US TITLE

A couple of things to accomplish here…

For starters, WWE Creative made Sheamus look strong last night, and I would think that’s to get him ready for Rusev, as that would be the obvious angle. What I would do here to make things interesting, is to have Mark Henry avoid a return match with Rusev, because he knows now that he can’t beat him, and put his sights on Sheamus and the US Title to save face with the American fans. Of course, in the process you are turning the veteran Henry heel, who keeps repeating that he’s “doing it for the fans and America”, but you are also putting the spotlight on Sheamus, making him strong, and getting him ready for Rusev.

Sheamus and Mark Henry would then collide at “Hell in the Cell”.

I’ll have more on Rusev in a moment…”

• Ronda Rousey vs. TRANSSEXUAL?!, Wanderlei Silva BANNED FOR LIFE From MMA + MORE!

Vince Russo sent along the following …

Last night, Vince Russo officially kicked off the #DearVince campaign on his Pyro and Balyhoo website and he is giving YOU a platform to make your voice heard by Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and the entire WWE Universe.

Wrestling fans have become increasingly jaded and bored with the current WWE product and the lack of intriguing, addictive stories that keep them on the edge of their seats. Everyone has complained and vented,but nobody has figured out how to tell Vince McMahon directly. Until now.

Has watching three hours of Raw become a chore for you? Are you bored with the storylines? Are you disappointed with the stop-start pushes and feuds? Are you overall just sick and tired of having your intelligence insulted?

The #DearVince campaign encourages ALL wrestling fans to take to social media – tweet your frustrations on Twitter, post your ideas on Facebook, even upload a video to Youtube or Instagram with the hashtag #DearVince and get involved!

They can’t ignore us all, and the more voices who join…the louder we get. You can learn more about the movement at www.DearVinceProject.com.

In addition to the launch of the campaign, Vince Russo will also be “booking” his own version of each upcoming Raw,  allowing the fans to see “what could be”, compared to “what is”. You can decide for yourself which show is best!

As Russo himself says, “#DearVince, it’s time for our voices to be heard, and you WILL hear us!!”

• RONDA ROUSEY Talks About Fighting TRANSGENDER Fghter Fallon Fox [AWESOME Video >>]

Grantland.com has a new article up with quotes from several current and former TNA personalities. Below are some excerpts that feature comments from TNA President Dixie Carter:

On the story TMZ ran a few months ago: “TMZ asked me, ‘Hey, is this story real, should we run with it?’ I was watching a movie and didn’t see it until some little wrestling site ran it. Then I gave TMZ a quote, which said we’re still negotiating. That never made it to print.”

On Vince Russo: “He’s a lightning rod. People hate him, but sometimes people love what he does but they don’t realize he does it. He’s a really talented guy.”

On Jeff Jarrett: “I will always give props to Jeff. Out of the thousands of wrestlers out there he’s the only one who decided to create something with his own money. I have mad respect for that, always have and always will. I love Jeff as a person. I wish him and his precious family nothing but success.”

On past negotiations with AJ Styles: “I hate that we lost AJ. Are you listening?. I hate it. I felt like we gave him a great offer. I really did. I felt like we gave him a great offer and I think he made a mistake.”

On TNA’s future: “All these people say, ‘I hope you go out of business’ — why would you ever want that? You don’t think we make wrestling better just by exposing more people and giving people more options? It’s the most ludicrous, shortsighted thing — the sheer absurdity and stupidity of it blows my mind. I feel sorry for the wrestling business if we’re not around.”

You can check out the complete feature at Grantland.com.

Vince Russo has been having a field day on Twitter since David Schwarz of Spike TV released a statement in response to comments he made during a recent interview. Below are some tweets from Russo in response to Schwarz and Spike.

Dear Spike/TNA, Which is it? Spike doesn't know who I am? OR, I caused the Spike/TNA break-up? Please make up your mind-I'm super confused.

— Vince Russo (@pyroballyhoo) September 9, 2014

I want to thank Mr. Schwarz of Spike TV for giving me the topic of discussion for my podcast, "The Swerve" which will be released tonight.

— Vince Russo (@pyroballyhoo) September 9, 2014

In case SPIKE TV "didn't know"–THIS is who Vince Russo is! http://t.co/Nz1GKOUEJP pic.twitter.com/m2yY4uTmtT

— Vince Russo (@pyroballyhoo) September 10, 2014

Speaking of Russo, he is the guest on the latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:

TRR – Ep30 – Vince Russo

“JR talked to Vince Russo the day before he was fired from TNA Impact, so you won’t hear much discussion about the current state of the promotion or its beleaguered future. What you will hear though is plenty of stories about Vince’s run in WWE during the Attitude Era, his longtime creative partner Ed Ferrara, both of his abbreviated runs at WCW, his relationship with Vince McMahon, Owen Hart, The Undertaker, & The Rock. Plus, JR & Vince Russo go head-to-head on wrestling philosophy & psychology.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

MMANEWS.COM: Joe Rogan TRASHES WWE Fans, HOT UFC Ring Girl Photos & MORE! [GO >>]

As we reported on Monday, Vince Russo made some comments about Spike TV during an interview on the Pro Wrestling Report. For those who didn’t see them, below is what Russo had to say.

“I’ve been holding this back for years and I finally get to say this. I felt like Hannibal Lechter when he was strapped in and had his mouth wired shut. Spike TV is a horrible partner. Why TNA would ever want to partner with Spike is beyond me, unless there were no other options. If Spike TV were the only option to stay on television, then I would understand it. They are a horrible partner. They know nothing about the wrestling business. They way they advertised and marketed the program over the years was absolutely atrocious.

I can tell you this from a position where I worked with the USA Network, I worked directly with Bonnie Hammer. She was the female version of Vince McMahon. She knew what she was doing. When you had Bonnie Hammer at USA and Vince McMahon, the sky was the limit. If TNA signs another deal with Spike TV, great for them. It will move along for another two years and everyone will work, but the product will not grow on Spike TV. My hope for TNA is that a new network comes along and embraces TNA and gives them the time and investment to help grow the product. I can’t say this enough. TNA on Spike TV will never grow.”

David Schwarz, Senior Vice President of Communications with Spike TV, took exception to Russo’s comments and offered the following response:

I want to start by saying we enjoyed a great relationship, a very collaborative relationship with Dixie Carter and her team over the years. We took TNA from a late night spot on Saturday nights, doing 500,000 viewers, to a two-hour time slot that did two million viewers over time. Spike went out of its way, not in just adhering to its contract, but above and beyond the contract. We paid Hulk Hogan, we paid Eric Bischoff, with our money. We financed many shows. We financed U.K. shows. We helped promote. We gave TNA a prime time slot of Thursdays from 9-11 p.m. I think his comments are way off base. Clearly, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s somebody who thinks more of himself than really exists. Vince Russo never meant anything to Spike TV. He had nothing to do with negotiations. Nobody cares about Vince Russo at Spike TV. Nobody cares or knows who he is. We have a great relationship with TNA. We went above and beyond for them, as they did for us. Dixie helped promote our shows. What Vince Russo is saying is complete nonsense.”

The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:

On his Ross Report podcast this week: “THIS Tuesday night at 9 pm eastern my guest is former WWE, WCW and TNA creative guru Vince Russo @pyroballyhoo. This is one of the most eagerly anticipated Podcasts we have produced and I think that you will be very interested in what Vince has to say about his long albeit controversial career.”

On the Ray Rice situation: “This Ray Rice fiasco in Baltimore is simply horrible. I know this isn’t wrestling related but it’s huge news and it shouldn’t be because a man should never strike a woman.”

On tonight’s RAW: “Baltimore is the site of Monday Night RAW featuring Jerry Springer in a segment with the Bella twins. That’s a far cry from Sammartino vs Billy Graham, the Great American Bash headliners, and yours truly passing kidney stone particles during a PPV featuring an ill advised Scaffold Match.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

The following are highlights of a new Pro Wrestling Report interview with Vince Russo.

His last run with TNA: “I had been working with them just as a consultant since October (2013) so I was there for the last 10 months. I was told by John Gaburick, I guess he is vice president of talent and creative that he told spike of my involvement in working with TNA in January. so to set the record straight, if John Gaburick is telling the truth and I have no reason doubt him, spike knew about my involvement with TNA going back to January. To say that Spike found out around it right around the time contract negotiations broke down, That is just an untruth.”

Lying about doing consulting work with TNA: “From the get-go my job at TNA hinged at nobody knowing I worked for them. It was going to be secretive. I didn’t like that from the get-go. I don’t like to be dishonest and not being in the open and to hide things. I don’t like that and I felt very uncomfortable. The fact of the matter is, that’s what Dixie Carter wanted. I did my best for 10 months and do the best i could do for what they wanted.”

His thoughts on why he was asked to re-join the company in October 2013 and why it was kept a secret: “When they first signed me on, Eric Bischoff was still very hands on with the product. I thought that they just didn’t want Eric Bischoff to know that Vince Russo was back working on the product in a consulting role. As everyone knows, soon after Eric Bischoff was sent home. Yet the secret still remained. I think that Dixie may have just been afraid about the feedback she would get from the internet community about what their feelings would be to have Vince Russo back working with TNA.”

Why he thinks the Internet Wrestling Community hates him: “Here’s the thing. I’ve been working in wrestling for over 20 years now. No nobody from this internet wrestling community has ever approached me or confronted me about anything. They just report what they have heard from another party. What they heard from hearsay. What they heard from this ‘source’ that nobody knows about. Nobody has ever dared to confront me as you and I are having this conversation right now.”

“The point is this. the internet wrestling community is just a small part of the audience. My job as a creator is to make the highest rating I possibly could. When you are talking about high ratings you need to talk about the appeal to the masses. When you need to appeal to the masses you can’t exactly do things the internet wrestling community wants you to do them. You are more or less going after a broader appeal of that casual fan. So because I did not represent wrestling the way they (The internet wrestling community) wants it. That’s what started the personal attacks ‘I’m a moron, I’m an idiot, I don’t know what I’m doing’”

The issues between Spike TV and TNA: “I’ve been holding this back for years and I finally get to say this. I felt like Hannibal Lecter when he was strapped in and had his mouth wired shut. Spike TV is a horrible partner. Why TNA would ever want to partner with Spike is beyond me unless there were no other options. If Spike TV were the only option to stay on television then I would understand it. They are a horrible partner, they know nothing about the wrestling business. The way they advertised and marketed the program over the years was absolutely atrocious.”

“I can tell you this from a position where I worked with the USA network. I worked directly with Bonnie Hammer. She was the female version of Vince McMahon. She knew what she was doing. When you had Bonnie Hammer at USA and Vince McMahon, the sky was the limit. If TNA signs another deal with Spike TV great for them. It will move along for another two years and everyone will work but the product will not grow on Spike TV. My hope for TNA is that a new network comes along and embraces TNA and gives them the time and investment to help grow the product. I can’t say this enough. TNA ON SPIKE TV WILL NEVER GROW!”

His relationship with Dixie Carter: “You know here is the thing. I’ve worked with Dixie Carter for over 10 years now. Every time I sat back and watched while Dixie brought in new leader after new leader. I know full well how things were going to turn out and where it was heading. But my job was the television part so I never got involved. I always took on this attitude of looking out for Dixie Carter and looking out for her interest and I think Dixie knows that. That’s why I think there will always be a relationship between us. I just wanted to have the best television show and protect her.”

Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff coming into TNA: “You know here is the thing. I don’t know. I’m not privy to how much they made. I don’t know how much they affected international markets. I didn’t look into how much business they were able to ascertain with the Hulk Hogan name in other markets. I never looked into that. In terms of the impact they made on a week to week television show, I can say that it just wasn’t there. I don’t think it was realistic that some people thought that the rating was going to go from a 1.4 or whatever it was to a 2.4 or 3.4. It doesn’t work that way. But I also thought it was never going to work from the get-go to be honest with you.”

You can check out the complete video interview above.

Former WWE and TNA writer Vince Russo wrote the following open letter to Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H after watching this past Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW. The letter comes courtesy of Russo’s official website, PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

Dear Vince, Stephanie and Hunter,

First let me apologize for my rant last night on Russo on Raw. I’m Italian, I’m emotional, I’m sorry I get that way sometimes. Come to think of it, you probably witnessed it first hand in a galaxy far, far away—many light years ago. The truth is—I hate to criticize RAW. I really do. Having been there and done that, I realize how difficult it is to come up with two hours of compelling content every week – let alone three. The job is not easy, I understand that, and nobody can be criticized for TRYING and giving their BEST EFFORT—nobody. But . . . the question I have to ask is: “Is what we see every Monday Night honestly and truly your best effort? I just know that having worked with all three of you in the past, I don’t think any of us would have been satisfied, or even ALLOWED last night’s show to air in its final form. Are we seriously not better than that? What happened to our mantra during the Attitude Era when this week’s show was going to be better than last weeks? Remember that, Vince?

I don’t know what it is. I don’t know the structure, because I am not there, but nobody—NOBODY—can tell me that with a bit more effort you couldn’t be doing better than what WE THE PEOPLE are being exposed to every Monday Night. Look—we all love wrestling, we are all HUGE fans of the WWE and in all truthfulness—WE WANT TO LIKE THE SHOW!!! But, you just make it so difficult. Asking anybody to sit through three hours of what you’re currently putting on the air is not only asking too much . . .but, it’s also unfair.

Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do, or how to do it, who am I? All I’m asking is that you all ask each other—is this the best that World Wrestling Entertainment has to offer its fans? If the answer is yes, that I guess I’ve just over-rated you, however, I think we all know that’s not the answer. I don’t think any of you can walk away from that building on Monday night honestly believing that you had just put your best foot forward. I don’t believe that for a second.

Right now, you have an UNBELIEVABLE talent roster, up and down from first match to main event, but the writing and producing of the show is just not serving them justice. You have to know that. What happened to the work ethic and the commitment that we all shared during the Attitude Era? What happened to that passion, when we literally used to leave our own BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS on the script that we wrote. If something didn’t exceed our expectations we were sick over it for days—I know I was.

Vince, Stephanie, Triple H, YES we will always be here no matter what. We support you, and we support the WWE, but the truth is . . . we deserve better. And, deep down inside I know that you know that.

With 1,000% sincerity.

Peace,

Your Former Head Writer

Vince Russo

The following are highlights of a new Wrestle Reaction interview with Vince Russo:

On the Nikki Bella backstage segments and storyline: “It’s difficult for me to criticize people, but I try to do it in a nice way. Nikki Bella is not a good actress. Now, you have to understand, these people are wrestlers. Acting isn’t their forte. You’re asking them to be good wrestlers and good actors. Some people are just good wrestlers and not good actors; those are the people you have to work with more. When they first started doing those backstage segments tonight, my first thought is “good”! They’re protecting Nikki Bella. They know she’s not a good actress. They’re putting her in a pre-taped situation where, if it’s bad, they can shut it down and do it over again. Then what do they do? They put her out there in the ring, in front of the people, on a live show where there is no net, no protection, and she’s not a good actress. Something like that makes absolutely no sense! Look at the time we spent on that in-ring segment and at the end of the segment all we got was a shove. If the idea of that segment was for Stephanie McMahon to give Nikki Bella a Diva’s Title shot, well then when she’s in the back with Triple H, call Nikki into the office and do your business back there in 30 seconds. It doesn’t warrant a 12 minute in-ring segment where nothing happened and you made your Diva’s Champion Paige, the most valuable person in that ring, a supporting actress in the background. There was no point to that. At the end of the day, it was a waste of time!”

O the current WWE creative mindset: “When Ed and I were writing for WWE, we were not of the wrestling world. We were fans like you guys. So, we weren’t “The Bookers” who had 25 years of experience in the wrestling business and did things only one way. We were fans, we came in fresh. We were writing from a fan perspective and what the fans wanted. That had a lot to do with the success of the Attitude Era. The minute Ed and I left to go to WCW, WWE went back to what they know and what they know is “wrestling”. They have people working backstage, in their training facility, who have been wrestlers for years and years and that’s the product that they put out there. Unfortunately, and Glenn Gilberti (The Disco Inferno) said it best on my show, “Wrestling does not draw”. At the end of the day, the matches do not draw. It’s everything else in between that draws. They don’t know how to do that anymore. They’re just doing what they know how to do and that’s “wrestling”.”

On Vince McMahon wanting The Rock vs Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31: “This is my opinion. I’m the biggest fan from the guys from my era and generation. I mark out when I see Shawn Michaels come out last week. When I see The Rock, I mark out. But, there has to come a point in time, in my opinion, where the WWE stops relying on that older talent to get a boost in the ratings. They have enough talent now. The talent is there. They have some guys that are unbelievable! That article I wrote for PyroandBallyhoo.com, where I talked about Rollins and the Shield, the fact that they split up the Shield and made stars out of all three is unbelievable! That is a great accomplishment by the WWE. They’ve got those guys, they’ve got Bray Wyatt, the talent is there. At some point, you have to start going with what you have and build that up. You have to stop relying on Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, as much as we love to see them, you gotta bring Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to that level. I think Vince is out of his mind to go with Brock Lesnar vs The Rock. At some point, the future of the WWE has to be now! It can’t be the Attitude Era, it has to be now!”

Check out the complete interview above.

– The next guest on the Jim Ross “Ross Report” podcast, which drops this Tuesday night at PodcastOne.com, will be wrestling legend Stan Hansen. JR’s show next week will feature the controversial interview that he conducted with former TNA writer Vince Russo.

– Speaking of PodcastOne.com, the latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast, which features an interview with TNA star Mr. Anderson, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:

PP-Ep22 – TNA Impact’s Mr. Anderson

“TNA Impact’s Mr. Anderson, former WWE’s Mr. Kennedy, reveals the story behind his wrestling gimmick, how he broke into the squared-circle business, the best advice he ever got and who gave it to him, and why he left the WWE. Plus, he and Hot Rod talk about the future of TNA Impact!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

The following are highlights of the latest Vince Russo “The Swerve” podcast, which features an interview with Matt Morgan:

Failing to get picked up by The Monster Factory despite his size: “In the past, the only wrestling school I’d ever heard of was ‘The Monster Factory’. I was still in college at the time in Hawaii, and I tried to call them up to try to get trained when I’d be back in Connecticut after graduating. Larry Sharp kept hanging up on me! Every time he’d ask me my name, my height and my weight, and every time I’d tell him, “Look, seven feet tall, 382lbs…” and he kept hanging up. He was like “Kid, if I had a dime for every time someone told me they were seven feet, I’d be a millionaire” and he hung up. So obviously that wasn’t the route to go.”

How he got himself in front of Vince McMahon: “At night I was working as a bouncer and wound up meeting this guy named Marco Torelli, who worked for the WWE Magazine, and became my friend. Every time he’d come in, he’d tell me, “Dude you gotta come by Titan Tower! You’re working down the street, you’d be a fool not to let Vince see you”. He knew I was a big wrestling fan, obviously, but just like any other guy out there, I was like “How do you begin? How do you start?” So every Friday night, he’d bring me in, which is when Vince would work out at the gym there at Titan Tower. So I’d go there every Friday from 8-10 hoping to bump into him, and after six months of going every week, I finally bumped into Vince in the seventh month.”

McMahon’s advice: “He asked me how big I was, and my name. And I told him I was a huge fan of what the guys do, and I asked “Could you give me some guidance on what do I do to become a professional wrestler?” He gave me Jim Ross’s card, and he gave me Tom Prichard’s card. So I started annoying Tom from that moment on.”

How the infamous stuttering gimmick was presented to him: “Me and Jillian Hall both got called up from OVW to go to a show in Chicago. We’re in catering, and John Laurinaitis taps me on the shoulder and says, “I want you to go and speak to Vince, he really wants to speak with you in his office”, and was like “Great”. When I get there, Laurinaitis is outside and he goes, “Now Matt, this is an opportunity. Vince doesn’t come up with ideas very often for individuals…this is a one-on-one opportunity that he’s about to present to you, so you might wanna be a team player here”. So I go in there, wondering what he’s got for me, and I sit down across from him, and Vince goes on about how he’s been waiting for a guy with the right look, the right height, and all these perfections, who he could then hang this one big imperfection that nobody sees coming. He tells me: “You’re gonna stutter. You’re gonna have this speech impediment and it’s going to be your Achilles Heel. Nobody’s going to make fun of you, but you’re going to think that the whole world is mocking you.” … and I would’ve taken anything he had given me, this was Vince McMahon talking to me.”

You can check out the complete podcast above, or at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. In this installment, JR spoke about reports that TNA officials were upset that Vince Russo was interviewed for his Ross Report podcast, which drops on September 9th.

Here’s what Jim Ross said about the situation:

“Been reading a little about Vince Russo coming on my podcast upsetting Impact honchos which, if true, is lame. Russo never knocked Impact on my podcast nor did we ever really address the brand in any detail. If it was that big a deal to Impact officials all they had to do was call me and I assure you that they have my number and I would have worked with them. The Russo podcast on the Ross Report will air on Sept 9 and you can be the judge.

Pro wrestling has long been wrought with paranoia and trust issues with talent and within management which goes back to 1974 for me, in particular. Most wrestlers, athletes, entertainers, etc are insecure by nature and even more so today with fewer places that they can go and earn a decent living. Add to that the abnormally short ‘shelf life’ for one in that field of endeavor and uncertainties become blown out of proportion unnecessarily.

That’s another of many reasons why I have zero interest in getting back into the pro wrestling business full time even though I still love it today and will always be a fan. I can’t turn off my passion for the genre that I’ve embraced since I was an 8 or 10 year old kid but re-entering that world is something that I never consider. I love my life in a non political, non sycophant world.

One untimely worded Tweet or entry here on a blog can divide the best of friendships plus one finds out who true friends are by how often each other communicates when one side of the equation leaves the biz.

When one is no longer doing such matters as doing payroll or booking, the phone calls are drastically reduced in a large part and that’s especially brought to light when there’s a health scare. Funny how that works, right?”

Ethan Carter III did an interview with AlternativeNation.net to promote TNA Impact Wrestling moving to Wednesday Nights on Spike. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Bully Ray’s Rumored Farewell Speech To The TNA Locker Room:

“There was a talk, it wasn’t that he’s leaving, it was more of: ‘If I don’t see you guys in a minute.’ But who is to say? I think it was more, [of a] precautionary [talk], who knows?”

When He Found Out About Vince Russo Being A Consultant For TNA:

“I never knew he was working as a consultant, so I can’t really answer that. But I do appreciate his kind words, as a guy who has seen a bunch of stars, especially guys like Austin and The Rock, rise [to the top]. To have him say anything kind about me is a compliment, but compliments are compliments, and that helps your confidence grow, but you just got to keep doing what you’re doing. I wish I had time to talk to him, because who knows what I could learn from him.”

Bound For Glory From Japan:

“It’s going to be a different kind of audience, that’s maybe not as invested story wise as they will be with the action in the ring. We have that benefit that we can just go out there and have 8 to 9 killer matches in front of a respectful Japanese crowd. It will be a very different presentation from what we’ve seen in the past, so that will be interesting.”

The Locker Room Leaders In TNA:

“Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Eric Young, guys like that, that have been tenured here. James Storm, Mr. Anderson, guys of that nature. People who have been in the industry for awhile, but have contributed here very successfully.”

Vince Russo sent along the following …

This week on “The Swerve” with Vince Russo, things get very, very interesting and the fans get double their money’s worth.

First off, Vince interviews “Above Average” Mike Sanders, a veteran of WWE, WCW, TNA as well as a US military veteran, stand up comic, and TV star (including Burn Notice, Homeland, and The Game). As somebody who Vince describes as “by far the most underrated person I ever worked with in wrestling”, Vince walks Mike through his wrestling career, from his quick start in front of the camera, to how the left the business, and everything he’s accomplished in the entertainment business since the departure.

How DDP got him started in the business: “In 1998, I was training in Main Event Fitness, and at the time, DDP was there, and Ray Lloyd (Glacier), Billy Kidman, High Voltage – basically if you were a WCW wrestler back then, you trained at that gym. And I remember having conversations, I was a 235lb guy, and I remember training alongside guys like Horshu and DDP and just having conversations. And I was like, “I wanna be a stand-up comic!” and DDP was like “No no…bro…you wanna be a pro wrestler!”

How Paul Orndorff tried to fire him, and Russo saved his job: “Paul’s famous line was ‘Put on 20lbs, come back, and we’ll look at you.’, and I left that day. Later on that evening, Terry Taylor called me and said “Man, I know you got released, but I’d really hate to lose you.” So, Terry called me later that week and said, “Would you be interested in doing some Russo-Bischoff security?” We were at the Georgia Dome, and I remember Orndorff wanted Vince to look at everybody including Sean O’Hare, and there was a brief moment when Vince said “Give him his job back.” I was standing right there, Terry Taylor was there, and Orndorff was there. But Orndorff wasn’t happy about it.”

Mike also shares his memories of the WCW Power Plant, including how he went down to the Power Plant as one of 50 students, which then shrank to 3 students, with Mike ultimately being the only one to graduate. Four months later, he was on TV performing as a WCW Superstar.

Vince also discusses Mike’s heat with a number of people backstage, his short time in WWE and why it didn’t work, comedy, religion, and how a 28 year old father of two, working for his dad’s towing business, was able to become a professional wrestler so quickly.

Regarding Mike’s career ending so quickly, Vince also shares what he considers to be “one of the biggest problems in professional wrestling, has been since day one, and will continue to be.”

Plus, if that’s not enough, Vince Russo himself also shares his opinions on the recent comments of TNA’s John “Big“ Gaburick, who claimed that Vince has been “acting in a self-destructing manner that could hurt the company” – and it all started with Russo talking to Jim Ross!

TNA having a problem with Vince and JR: “Prior to the start of my falling out with TNA, I had committed to JR’s podcast. The day before I was to do it, I received an e-mail from TNA management telling me that they did not want me to. Knowing that was coming, because I know TNA’s elementary and childish ways of doing business, I called JR and told him that I couldn’t discuss ANY TNA business during our interview. JR told me that while that wasn’t an issue, he still had to ask in doing his job, so upon his question I could just say that, “I was not at liberty to talk about TNA”. Simple. Easy. Done. I went back to TNA and told them about my conversation with JR. That wasn’t good enough—they still didn’t want me to do it. Also, as a side note, just keep in mind that BOTH Kurt Angle and Bully Ray were ALLOWED to do JR’s podcast just week’s prior—but, not Vince Russo.”

Russo on TNA having bigger problems than him: “In TNA management’s own words, they were worried about me hurting the company by talking to my colleagues and friends, but yet they are not hurting their own company by (a) Not having a new TV deal (b) Possibly losing Kurt Angle (c) Bully Ray “allegedly” telling the locker room that he didn’t plan on resigning with TNA. With the monumental problems that TNA management has before them—they are afraid of the damage that Vince Russo will do by talking to Good Ol’ JR?!”

The audio interview can be found now at http://www.pyroandballyhoo.com/Plus, become a member of #TheBrand to check out Vince’s extended VIP VIDEO INTERVIEW with Mike Sanders (another hour-plus interview), exclusively in our VIP Section. More information here:http://www.pyroandballyhoo.com/vip/

Check out the complete podcast above.

Vince Russo’s latest “What Culture” column is now available, and features his take on 10 insider stories from his days as the editor of the WWE Magazine.

Below is an excerpt from the column, which features Russo talking about the January 1998 issue with Sable and Sunny on the covers:

“If you worked the wrestling side of the WWF at the time, it was no secret to anyone that Sable and Sunny HATED each other. Now, I’ve got to be fair here, I think it was more on Sunny’s part than Sable. There is no doubt that Sunny was just flat out jealous of Sable, and quite frankly—I could never understand why? To me, they were two completely different types of women with their own appeal. Sunny was the girl next door, and Sable was the mysterious, exotic beauty. They both had their followers.

So, when I made the call to do a swimsuit edition of the RAW Magazine, and give both Sunny and Sable their separate covers—I should have known that I was in for it. I chose a picture of Sunny that was extremely sexy—I thought it put her in a spectacular light. Well—she didn’t agree. And, I found that out first hand when she came onto our floor to look at the pictures we chose. After viewing them, she grabbed them and ran to my office and screamed, “That’s not me! That’s not me!” I remember being caught so off guard at the time, that all I could do was laugh and say, “Well—if it’s not you—WHO IS IT THEN?!”

Check out the complete column at WhatCulture.com.

• Jon Jones CAUGHT ON VIDEO Saying He’s LITERALLY Going To KILL Daniel Cormier

Vince Russo recently issued the following official statement regarding his situation with TNA and Spike TV:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING MY SITUATION WITH TNA/SPIKE TV

As always, there has been much rumor, hearsay and scuttlebutt surrounding certain topics concerning myself, TNA and Spike TV. At this point in time, having parted ways with TNA and the ability to finally speak freely–there are a few things that I would like to set the record straight on.

1. As I stated earlier this week on the VIP Section of pyroandballyhoo.com, I was officially hired by John Gaburick as a creative consultant on October 24, 2013, with the plan being that it could lead to a permanent position in the future. At the time of my hiring, the specific instructions laid down to me by Dixie Carter,was that if anyone was to find out about our working relationship outside of me, herself and Gaburick—it would come to an end. I asked why the blanket of secrecy from the start—but never received an answer. Almost 9 months later, when an e-mail that I had accidentally sent out to a third-party was brought to the forefront, Gaburick was untruthful in telling the source involved that I was recently hired to produce the TNA announcers.

2. John Gaburick told me sometime in January/February that at a recent TV taping, he DID INDEED tell Spike representative Scott Fishman, that I was working with TNA as a consultant. He even went as far as to tell me that Scott “was cool” with it. Therefore, the story that Spike just found out about my involvement with TNA merely weeks ago, which caused them to not renew their TNA contract, is an ABSOLUTE MISTRUTH. Spike knew of my TNA presence some 6-plus months prior.

3. YES, I am 100% GUILTY of trying to work that said source who received the e-mail, in an effort to protect the wishes of my employer. I regret even agreeing to be dishonest, deceitful and untruthful from the beginning, but the TRUTH is that I needed the income, so I agreed to the verbal restraints that were dictated to me from the start. I regret that now. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have never accepted the job under those circumstances being that my ability to be honest and truthful with family and friends was taken from me.

I hope that clears up many of the rumors that have surrounded me as of late. I take full responsibility for LYING to protect the wishes of my former company, but that is the extent of my responsibility. If I could do it all over again, I would have turned down the job under those guidelines, regardless of the financials involved.

There is much more to this story, but I choose to lay it out one step at a time due to the intricacies of the situation. I just feel it is VITAL at this time to, again, get this point across—if John Gaburick did indeed tell me the truth—that he informed Spike representative Scott Fishman of my working relationship with TNA back at the beginning of the year—then SPIKE TV HAD FULL KNOWLEDGE THAT I WAS WORKING WITH TNA OVER SIX MONTHS AGO.

In going forward, my focus becomes 100% on my website pyroandballyhoo.com, and those who choose to go along with me on my journey. In addition to that, there are a couple of projects I’m currently working on and just wanted to share with you briefly.

-I am in talks to further develop a script that my son Will and I wrote about a year ago called Belle of the Brawl – the premise of the show involves a fictional wrestling company owned and operated by a woman.

– Also, I plan on writing the third installment of my wrestling trilogy series that will go into detail concerning my 10 year run with TNA from start to finish. The title of the book is Total Non-Stop Agony, and the plans are to release it digitally through pyroandballyhoo.com.

In conclusion, after 20 years of dedicating my blood, sweat and tears to three major wrestling organizations, without ever holding anything back, and always delivering the best product I possibly could, I think it’s fair to say that that portion of my life has officially come to an end…

…or has it???

Peace,

Vince Russo