The following are highlights of the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On his next FoxSports.com project: “I’m working on a pre Summer Slam piece for FoxSports.com on John Cena specifically as it relates to why many perceive John to be so polarizing. If you have an opinion please tweet me @JRsBBQ or provide me your thoughts at ‘Ask JR’ here on the site.”

On part two of Sting on The Ross Report: “Part two of my conversation with Sting drops this Tuesday night at 9 pm eastern time on podcastone.com and iTunes. I loved catching up with the Stinger on part one even though many thought I was too involved in the conversation with an old friend. I will address that matter going forward but I can tell you that doing these interviews via the telephone are much more challenging than doing them in person which is impossible to do with me in Oklahoma and my guests coming to us from all over the country. Nonetheless I will continue to refine the process and hopefully take less trips to the woodshed from a few keyboard warriors.”

On some future Ross Report guests: “Also, this Tuesday evening I will have a visit with my mentor Cowboy Bill Watts for a future Ross Report. Can’t wait on that one as the outspoken Cowboy will hold nothing back and his views on ring psychology and his overall philosophy of pro wrestling is as viable today as it was during Bill’s peak years as a talent, booker, and territory owner.”

“I’ve communicated with Dixie Carter on being a guest on our podcast in the future and potential dates are being contemplated.”

“Vince Russo and I had a civil conversation this past week for our podcast coming up with him even though we still have differing opinions of how the pro wrestling bushiness should be conducted. In my later years, I’ve come to realize that people can disagree on things that they are passionate about without coming to blows or having a cuss fight. And yes, I asked Vince about the creation of the Oklahoma character in WCW. I think that you will like this conversation a great deal when it drops in a few weeks.”

“Working on dates to have both Matt and Jeff Hardy on the Ross Report together in the next few weeks. That podcast will be a blast. It might be just me but seeing the two North Carolina brothers back in tag bouts just feels right and, essentially, new again.”

On a Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro program: “Looks like WWE is building towards a Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro match down the road of which I can’t wait to watch if it does become a reality.”

On this week’s TNA Impact Wrestling show: “Good job Thursday night by @OfficialTaz and @RealMikeTenay on the Impact Wrestling show. They had some solid content to work with and doing legit play by play and keeping the TV viewer’s mind focused on what the viewer is seeing works more often than not. Pro wrestling commentary is still about telling plausible stories with the proper amount of passion depending on the moment and understanding that unrelated banter helps erode the suspension of disbelief.”

“Bobby Lashley seems to be much more comfortable working in TNA than he did in WWE or at least it appears that way. He certainly makes for an imposing World Champion.”

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

Despite Vince Russo’s claim on Twitter on Wednesday that he left TNA, word from within the company is that he was actually fired.

As the story goes, TNA executive John Gaburick called Russo and suggested that TNA and Russo no longer work together due to all the controversy from Spike TV, however it ended up not mattering, as Russo was ultimately released from the company altogether.

Vince Russo is “officially done” with TNA Wrestling. He tweeted on Wednesday afternoon:

“Officially DONE w/TNA. Today they “suggested” a break, I declined. Finality was better for me.Details coming”

.. or is this part of another huge SWERVE to fake out wrestling fans?

According to reports, Russo was contacted earlier today by John Gaburick and was told that his consulting services were no longer needed.

The news that Russo was secretly working for TNA was not well received by Spike TV and very well could have been the nail in the coffin for TNA’s TV deal.

The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross blog:

On Sting on The Ross Report: “The much anticipated Sting interview/conversation on the Ross Report podcast drops tonight at 9 pm eastern time on podcastone.com and perhaps just a little later on iTunes. It’s a two parter and a superb conversation with Sting about his career and his future. I hope that you will download it for free and do as many have done and that is subscribe to the podcast for free at iTunes. Many of you will hear and experience a side of Sting that you have never had the opportunity to do.”

On Vince Russo on The Ross Report: “Also, tonight I’m chatting with Vince Russo for a future Ross Report podcast in which should be an interesting conversation especially in light that Russo is being blamed for killing two, wrestling companies and even implicated in “murdering Owen Hart.” That’s some heavy stuff.”

On Monday’s RAW: “The show had some excellent moments without question and helped promote Summer Slam significantly. However, after a great start to the show that included the Heyman-Cena-Cesaro dealings the lack of in ring, bell to bell time was noticeable. It felt that the wrestling became an after thought after the hot start.”

On TNA: “If TNA goes to another cable TV outlet IF they leave @SpikeTV, I’d seriously consider changing the name of the company and attempting to hit the reset button and get a fresh start. I’m still not convinced that Spike will rid themselves of TNA but instead re-up the brand for less money. Sources say that TNA is telling their talents that there are multiple suitors for their brand as it relates to finding another cable TV home. I hope that’s accurate for their sake.”

“Speaking of Impact, I’m told that their TV show Thursday night is one of their better in ring shows in a good while.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.

News broke today that Spike TV would not be renewing their television deal with TNA. The company – which is owned by Dixie Carter and currently employs Vince Russo – has had financial difficulties in the past.

In fact, it has almost become a joke to post pictures of TNA crowds on social media websites in recent weeks, as they more closely resemble the crowds one would find at a small county fair, not a touring professional wrestling promotion.

This recent TNA crowd perfectly illustrates why the company is having a hard time securing a television deal.

Although Spike TV decided not to renew TNA’s contract, the current deal still runs through October, providing the company with a few months to find a new home for Impact Wrestling. Initial reports indicate that there is little chance of that happening, however, as few cable providers will be willing to pay the company what Spike TV was paying to air TNA programming.

With their television revenue gone at the end of October and poor ticket sales not bringing in enough to keep the company afloat, Monday’s announcement was likely the death of TNA. With that said, it will be interesting to see if TNA’s departure from the world of televised wrestling will affect the WWE.

After acquiring WCW in March of 2001, the WWE held a virtual monopoly on the world of televised wrestling in the United States. That monopoly was eventually broken after Jeff Jarrett founded TNA in May of 2002. Although TNA has never provided the same level of competition that WCW brought to the table during the 1990s, it at least prevented the WWE from acting as a monopoly.

Other promotions have gained a sizable following in the United States (ROH, CZW, etc.), but TNA has been the only company the WWE had had to worry about finding on television.

Late Sunday night, news broke that Spike TV has canceled TNA Impact Wrestling and will not be renewing their TV deal, which expires in October.

As noted earlier, TNA President Dixie Carter held a major company meeting on Friday and dropped the bombshell news on her staff. According to sources close to the situation, she attempted to spin the situation in her favor, saying that TNA decided to leave Spike TV because they failed to promote the company effectively. While she might have a point there, all indications are that Viacom and Spike TV made the decision to end their relationship with TNA for a variety of factors.

Spike’s decision to not renew TNA’s TV deal was made immediately after news of Vince Russo working for TNA became public. It was rumored for months that Russo was working as a consultant for the company, which he and TNA vehemently denied. Earlier this month, Vince Russo inadvertently CC’d Mike Johnson on an internal email intended for Taz and Mike Tenay, essentially confirming that he was in fact working for TNA.

Jim Ross Blogs About Spike TV Canceling Impact Wrestling

There were many reasons that TNA did not want that knowledge made public. First, Russo’s reputation speaks for itself and the majority of wrestling fans would not have a lot of faith in TNA’s decision to rehire one of the most infamous and controversial writers in the industry. There was also an issue of  TNA’s relationship with The Great Muta and his Japanese Wrestle-1 promotion, which currently has a partnership with TNA. Muta has very negative feelings about Vince Russo due to his portrayal of Japanese wrestlers over the years. It’s believed that he was assured Vince Russo was not working for TNA when he agreed to partner with TNA and host Bound For Glory in Japan later this year.

However, the main reason TNA did not want Russo’s involvement made public was because Spike TV executives despise him. There are a number of reasons Spike did not want anything to do with Russo, many of them related to the type of programming Russo presented during his previous run with the company.

TNA is obviously in a very bad spot right now. With just two months before Impact Wrestling is dropped from Spike TV, there is not a lot of time for them to find another cable network willing to pick them up. Additionally, it’s highly unlikely they will be able to negotiate a new contract that will earn them anything close to what they were getting from Spike. TNA’s current International TV deals are not lucrative enough to keep the company going and the company will have a very hard time doing live shows in the Untied States without a national TV clearance.

– TNA and Dixie Carter have yet to officially comment on the news that Impact Wrestling is not being renewed by Spike TV, however Sunday afternoon, when Dixie likely knew about the news, she did post this Impact-related tweet. When she or the company comment on the subject, we will post an update.

Thanks to everyone for all the amazing feedback on #ImpactOnSpike. I'm trying to respond directly, if I miss you… THX DARLIN!

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) July 27, 2014

– Jim Cornette posted the following tweet, pointing the cryptic finger at Vince Russo while addressing the TNA/Spike TV news that broke late Sunday night:

The best comedy writes itself, but the worst writers repeat the same outcomes– #OopsHeDidItAgain #SayGoodnightDixie

— Jim Cornette (@TheJimCornette) July 28, 2014

The following are highlights of a new WrestlingINC.com interview with Vince Russo:

On his vision for WCW: “The vision was to flip the roster to get the middle guys out of that middle slot and start rising them to the top to be built around. With this format, I went into WCW with a giant target on my back from the veterans. I still went ahead with the plan because it was the right thing to do. As much as these guys are going to kill me, bury me behind my back, try to get me out quicker than I came, I stuck to the plan because I knew it was the right thing to do. To this day, I don’t regret that because that’s what needed to be done at the time.”

On the reason Vince McMahon turned down his idea to bring WCW back in 2002: “Probably because it was my idea. The last person I should have been pitching was Eric Bishoff, but he was a phenomenal on-air talent. Anything personal between us wouldn’t have mattered. Bishoff deserved to be on TV. I literally laid out this plan and then obviously things didn’t work out. I left WWE and Eric was hired. I watched it unravel at home on TV and I was like ‘are you freaking kidding me?’ They had a goldmine and week after week they were butchering it. They killed a million dollar idea.”

On how close Paul Heyman was to signing with TNA: “I don’t know if he was close. I called Paul to bring him into TNA and we had a couple of conversations that were hours long. I was under the impression Paul wanted to come in and have things 100% his way, but that’s not how TNA works. I turned it over to Dixie [Carter] and was out of the loop. I didn’t care how I was going to be working with Paul or who had what title. I thought Paul Heyman could make TNA a better product and that’s why I made the original contact.”

On Bret Hart’s issues with him and if he likes him: “Deep down inside, I don’t know if he does. When I went to WCW, I wanted Bret Hart in a position he longed to be in. I approached him my first day there and we sat down for an hour and discussed the Owen [Hart] incident. We talked about it man-to-man and I thought everything was behind us. Six months before I left TNA, I had a phone conversation with Bret about bringing him to TNA. He was very excited about that idea and I spoke to him personally on the phone for an hour. Face-to-face or on the phone, there has never been an issue between me and Bret.

“I find it hard to believe Bret feels that way because he had the opportunity on more occasions than one to tell me — especially when I tried to bring him into TNA. There’s the perfect opportunity for Bret to say ‘Vince I’m not working for a scumbag.’ That’s not how the conversation went; it was a very positive one. I find it hard to believe at his core that he feels that way, but I also know bashing and burying Vince Russo to the internet wrestling community is the cool hip thing to do. Some people think that’s what gets them over. Just throw a Vince Russo barb in the wrestling community and you’re over. All these people that have these issues with me and do interviews, never have I been confronted to my face. That’s unfortunate. I worked as hard as I could in the business, was very respectful, and am a family man. To consistently have to deal with all the negative comments, it gets old after a while.”

Check out the complete interview at WrestlingINC.com.

Former WWE, WCW and TNA writer Vince Russo sent the following to SEScoops.com:

My first podcast is now available. I’ll be releasing it every Wednesday for free, plus I’m going to be doing a Raw and Impact review podcast every week in my VIP section, along with an extended video interview with each of my guests (ex: Ed and I went on for nearly two hours on video that will be available in VIP upon launch this Monday).

This show includes:

– Interview Ed Ferrara
– Thoughts on the 7/17 edition of TNA Impact Wrestling
– Thoughts on the 7/14 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw
– A “Russo Rantz” on the rock band KISS

Check out the debut of Vince Russo’s “The Swerve” podcast in the above audio player.

Vince Russo published a new blog this week at PyroandBallyhoo.com and spoke about his longtime battle with depression. Here’s part of what he wrote:

“There are many reasons why I started this website, some obvious–some not so much. At the top of the list was my longing to just finally have my own voice. Sit down at my computer any time I want, and have the freedom to discuss what’s ever on my mind. Batman 1966, Rihanna, Wrestling, Bray Wyatt, my love for female rockers of the 80?s–whatever. Just share my feelings, opinions and thoughts, and if I put a smile on your face–-great–-it was all worth it.

I wanted to have the freedom to talk about my Christianity, the one thing that has brought me out of many deep, dark valleys throughout my lifetime. My internal, and external fight to glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ each and every day. And, it’s work, man, it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had in my life. I go in and out from the darkness to the light, like that poor little Carol Ann from Poltergeist, remember her? And, through this journey, I also wanted to share something with you that I’ve been battling since my 20s, and I know that many of you do as well–depression.

Depression has been a fixture in my life since I graduated college back in 1983. It seems like over night I went from “Roscoe”, the beloved fraternity brother and Vice President of Sigma Tau Gamma, to marriage, a co-op, a job that I hated, bills, anxiety, and every other BAD thing that went with responsibility. At the beginning, I thought I was going to lose my wife–-I was afraid that Amy was going to think that I was losing my mind. I wouldn’t go to a doctor, because I didn’t want to go on meds–-I knew that would make it worse. This nightmare went on with me for four years until my son Will was born. At that time I had to wake myself the F up, because I knew another human being was now dependant on me.

Unfortunately, even with the birth of Will–-the depression never went away. I can’t remember one day where I actually woke up and felt “good”–I just didn’t know what that felt like. I had two video stores go out of business when I was barely 30 thanks to Blockbuster. I became unemployed, I sold appliances to make ends meat. Then the big break with the WWE–-my problems were solved. That was until I found myself on the road every week, in a strange hotel room by myself, feeling totally alienated from my family, and the few friends I still had. You know the rest—WCW-–Bash at the Beach-–TNA—and the absolute scrutiny that goes with the professional wrestling business. As the years passed, the depression just always seemed to get worse, I never felt good, and just always had thoughts of dying. That is hard for me to type here–-but, it’s the truth. Then, when I walked away from TNA nearly 2 1/2 years ago–-it just hit rock bottom for me. There was just no place left to go in a business that I had worked in for 20 years. I prayed every night that God just allow me to see the next day, and it was only through his grace that I did. As I sit here typing this right now, right this minute–-I’m in the same exact place.”

Apparently the person who runs the Wendy’s restaurant Twitter account is a longtime pro wrestling fan. The official Twitter account of the fast-food chain offered to settle the beef between long-standing rivals Vince Russo and Jim Cornette with a “Baconator on a Pole Match.” Russo and Cornette responded. Here’s how the exchange went down on Twitter.

Vince Russo: “I’d love to have peace with Jim Cornette. But, I can’t do that alone. Maybe one day he will open up.”

Jim Cornette after a Russo fan chimed in: “Please keep your “fans” at the kid’s table, they’re bleeding over into my adults’ conversation–”

Russo: “Speaking of adult conversations. Why don’t we have one so we can end this foolishness. Life is too short, Jim.”

Cornette: “Some people’s are not short enough–”

Russo fan: “Irony here is Jim is eating a @Wendys triple with cheese while he typed that.”

Wendy’s: “We could settle this with a Baconator on a pole match. ;)”

Cornette: “I might do it for Wendy, but she changed her meat!”

– Mick Foley noted on Twitter recently that he and Jim Ross will be teaming up for a special Q&A session at his comedy show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma next Monday.

– According to one source, The Miz using the name “Johnny Russo” on RAW last night was said to be a personal rib directed towards former WWE writer Vince Russo.

Former TNA Writer Vince Russo recently wrote a column at his site PyroAndBallywho.com speaking on the removal and return of the six sided ring, TNA’s recent tapings outside of the impact zone and more.

TNA Possibly leaving Spike:

“I am fairly confident that after nearly a 9 year run on Spike where they’ve been the networks biggest draw, they will either re-sign with the network, or, hop aboard with a new partner who can see the potential if the proper monies and resources were committed to the product.”

6-sided ring:

“The concept from the get-go involving the 6-sides was that it would have separated TNA from WWE early on. That was one of the first conversations that Jeff Jarrett and myself had. If a viewer at home is flipping through the channels on a Thursday night and stumble upon a “new” wrestling show sporting a ring to the likes that they had never seen before, they just may stop and “check it out”. And, that’s all we were looking for in those early days of TNA—for people to just give us a look-see. When Eric came into TNA, the first thing he wanted was for the ring to go away—so the ring went away. I’m not too sure if anybody else who was there at the inception of TNA—agreed with his order, but nonetheless, it was here today and gone tomorrow. . And yes, there was no discussion—it was an order.”

TNA Taping Outside Of Orlando:

Over the next 10 weeks, you are going to see some rabid—not only wrestling, but also TNA fans—on your television screen. Yes—things really DO matter when you have a paying customer who cares. My insiders are telling me that the NYC shows were INCREDIBLE—OFF THE CHAIN. If they’re as good as people are saying, this is going to give TNA a wave of momentum that they’ve never gotten before in the history of their business.

The following are highlights of a new Inside The Ropes UK interview with Steve Austin:

On Vince Russo’s influence on the Attitude Era: “I think he had a great contribution to the Attitude Era. When I was talking to him on my podcast, we got into some heavy stuff. You know he didn’t do too well in WCW, he didn’t do so well in TNA and that’s where I think the criticism comes from. I always thought that Vince Russo was at his best when he was presenting his ideas to a guy like Vince McMahon who is very grounded with the basic fundamentals and psychology of professional wrestling. So Vince Russo could take him out of his box a little bit and then Vince McMahon could keep Russo’s ideas grounded so they all make sense. I say that with all due respect to Vince Russo, he’s gonna come back on my podcast and he’ll talk about those WCW and TNA says. But no doubt he left an indelible mark on the Attitude Era and I had a blast working with the guy. I believe that when he speaks, he speaks from the heart.”

On his neck injury in 1997 and Daniel Bryan’s current injury: “Well you know when I got dropped on my head (in 1997), I bruised my spinal cord and has some stenosis, so i didn’t need the surgery right away, I just needed to rest my neck. Then when I got back in the ring some bone spurs pressed against the spinal cord and that’s where the real danger was and I had to get the surgery. Which of course is an entirely different situation to Daniel Bryan who had minimally invasive surgery. For me, I was able to maintain a television presence, stay a part of the story lines then when I got back in the ring, started doing tags, six mans just to keep me in front of the crowd, keep drawing the houses but to protect me. Once I started getting hot and was able to overcome that thing that happened to me, it only made people buy into Stone Cold Steve Austin more. So it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Daniel Bryan. Will he have to change his work style? What will the crowd do when he comes back? I hope that they accept him with open arms and I hope they have some great story lines or angles to get him back the level that he was or even higher if that’s possible.”

Check out the complete interview at Facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.

– Shawn Michaels’ “MacMillan River Adventures” show is scheduled to return tonight at 11:30pm EST. on the Outdoor Channel. For more information on the show, visit OutdoorChannel.com.

– The latest edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which features part two of an exclusive interview with Vince Russo, is now available. The official description for the show reads as follows:

SASc – EP129 – Vince Russo Pt 2

“Vince Russo returns to the Steve Austin Show! He gives a detailed, inside look at the Montreal Screw Job, what it was like working with Stone Cold and for good ole JR, and what he thinks about today’s WWE product. Plus, hear Vince’s very emotional recounting of the night Owen Hart died.”

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

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

On thoughts of Vince McMahon’s loss of competitive edge: “In my opinion, the Vince McMahon before the purchase of WCW, was a different Vince McMahon. The Vince McMahon I worked for was a freakin killer. He would do anything to be number one. He would slice your throat, rip your eyes out, it didn’t matter. When I went back and met with him in 2002, he was a different guy. And I remember, I even said to Vince, where is your bravado? What happened? And I think once he was able to buy WCW, which I think was a tremendous goal of his, his ultimate goal. Everybody knows the history between him and Ted Turner. When that happened, there was nothing else. What else could Vince possibly combat and defeat in his life?! It’s like when a team wins the World Series, the next year they suck. Once you obtain that achievement, it’s downhill from there. I really think Vince lost a lot of his competitive edge when he bought WCW. Maybe add on 11 mins.”

On his reaction to Raw’s four-on-three main event booking: “The hottest guy they’ve got on that show right now is Bray Wyatt. You’ve got a tag team match of 7 guys out there. So, first of all, you’re making Bray Wyatt 1 of 7 guys. So now, all of a sudden, he’s like everyone else. He’s not special anymore. Then, to not give him the last entrance, to introduce Del Rio after him? I’m sorry bro but there’s no excuse for that. That’s creative 101. How do you not bring this guy out last? You kill the lights, have that effect in the crowd with all the (cell phone) lights, have the guy do something devastating off the bat. Where’s Vince on this? Where’s the great filter he was?”

On his thoughts on people blaming him for the fall of WCW: “Here’s what people don’t understand, and this is a shoot. The thing that always aggravates the crap out of me is that “I’m always making excuses for WCW”. When Ed (Ferrara) and I first started, the rating before that was a 2.9. 3 months later it was a 3.6. So right there, what am I making excuses for? We walked into a 2.9. When they decided they wanted a change, it was a 3.6. I don’t know what I’m making an excuse for. I was there for only 2 weeks, and that merger (AOL Time Warner) came down. 2 weeks I was on the job! And as soon as that merger came down, little by little, you knew that these guys did not want to be in the wrestling business. You knew where this thing was headed. We could’ve gotten the rating up to a 4, 5, or 6, it wouldn’t have mattered. They just didn’t want to be in the wrestling business. To blame me, or to blame Eric (Bischoff), or to blame Hulk (Hogan), it’s so ridiculous!”

You can watch the complete interview above.

– Vince Russo will be Steve Austin’s latest Steve Austin Show podcast guest, which drops this Tuesday.

– Zack Ryder did not appear at Saturday ngiht’s WWE Live Event from Long Island, New York, Instead, he was wrestling at the other WWE show in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he lost to Bo Dallas. Ryder tweeted that he was upset he couldn’t perform in front of his home town crowd.

Dolph Ziggler paid tribute to Ryder at Saturday night’s show from Long Island, hitting a Broski Boot and doing his “Woo, Woo, Woo” hand motion during a match against Alberto Del Rio.

– With Sunday’s WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view taking place from Boston, MA, it’s interesting to note that WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan will be in Boston on Saturday for two live appearances.

Vince Russo is now writing a new monthly column for the “What Culture” website, the first of which is now available. His debut effort is called “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Vince Russo.” Below are some highlights.

Ben Stiller Smoking Weed At RAW!

“When we had Ben Stiller on ‘Raw’, I couldn’t find him to produce the pre-tapes we needed. Where was he? How about smoking the WACY-TABACKY with Road Dog and X-Pac behind the trailers!!!

When we finally found Ben, who was promoting “Mystery Men” at the time, he was more than willing to take on a direct blow to the head courtesy of Double J’s, Jeff Jarrett’s guitar. To this day I don’t know if Ben agreed so willingly because he was a “mark”, or simply still high due to his earlier escapades with Sean Waltman and Brian James.”

Getting Threatened By Goldberg And Shawn Michaels

“I, myself, while never having gotten into an “actual” fight while serving my duties of Head Writer at WWE, WCW and TNA, was actually threatened on not one . . . but, two occasions. The first time was by Shawn Michaels after I cut a promo on him to his friend Triple H, for hijacking the WrestleMania 15 main event by getting into Steve Austin’s ear, who then talked Vince McMahon into changing the three way between him, the Rock and Mick Foley into a two-way, leaving Mick the odd man out. And, also a few years later by Bill Goldberg who was not happy when I needed him to do a job to Scott Steiner. Thankfully, I was able to get out of both predicaments completely unscathed.

In another backstage ‘confrontation’ I also once saved Sunny’s life, while putting my own on the line! I actually attempted to stand between Luna, and her target which she INTENDED TO KILL!!! The encounter ended with Luna spearing me into a laundry cart. I swear, Luna could have taken 50% of the MALE roster in a fight during her hey-day.

Luna, bless her heart, had it out for ALL the divas who in her mind weren’t “actually” wrestlers. She despised Sable, and made it very difficult for her to find her way early on. But, if you knew Luna, you loved her, she really did have a big heart. That was just the “old school wrestler” in her that would rear its ugly head from time to time. I’m also proud to say that about three years ago, I pulled “Awesome Kong” off radio personality “Bubba the Love Sponge”.”

Stone Cold Didn’t Want To Do The Beer Truck Angle!

“In the epic scene on “Raw”, when Steve Austin drove a beer truck into the arena, I actually had to talk Steve into it! The Texas Rattlesnake said he just wanted to enter in his pick-up. He didn’t “see” the beer truck. However, once the segment was produced, I think Steve totally understand the impact that it was going to have on the fans for many years to come. It was truly, one of the most classic scenes in the history of “Monday Night Raw”. Thankfully I talked him round, he didn’t go with the pick up, riding in instead with the beer truck, driving his way into wrestling history.”

Vince McMahon Didn’t Have A Clue About Mainstream Publicity

“In the Attitude Era, the hottest thing at that time on MTV was Tom Green. He was light years ahead of the “Reality TV” boom that would follow many years later. I wanted him to be revealed as the man responsible for Raw’s GTV!

Unfortunately, the idea never came into fruition because Vince McMahon had NO IDEA who TOM GREEN was! So instead of “GREEN TV”, it became “GOLDUST TV”.

That wasn’t the first time that Vince wasn’t “exactly” up on his pop culture. A few years later I had shot pre-tapes with “Dancin’” Steve Richards and the Blue Meanie as a parody of the “Blair Witch Project”. We called it the “Blonde Bitch Project”. The idea was to take an entertaining “shot” at Sable who had abruptly decided to leave the company at the time. Once again, the pre-tapes never saw the light of day because Vince had “no idea” what the “Blair Witch Project” was. The pre-tapes, that never aired, were shot ON LOCATION at WWE writer Ed Ferrara’s house… and backyard.

But wait… there are even YET MORE EXAMPLES of Vince McMahon’s little knowledge of the HERE and NOW. Here are a few more gems!

A friend of mine in the Public Relations Department at the WWE, pitched Vince to have legendary Eagles guitarist JOE WALSH perform “Rocky Mountain Way” at WrestleMania XI. Vince respectfully declined because he had never heard of the song, “Rocky Mountain Way”, or its singer/writer JOE WALSH!!!

Last, but not least, upon his arrival in the WWE, we shot a series of vignettes with Val Venus and LEGENDARY porn star Jenna Jameson. We even went as far as even having Jenna BUCK NAKED in Bruce’s Prichard’s Jacuzzi with Val. Upon seeing the footage, Vince decided against airing them, because in his words, Jenna was “ugly”.”

Check out the complete column at WhatCulture.com.

The following is an excerpt from the latest Vince Russo blog, “Real Challenge Plaguing TNA.”

“From a philosophical view, I think both TNA and the WWE my be a bit “off” when it comes to the way they present their product in 2014 – that’s MY opinion. To me, it’s not “really” about the characters, or the storylines, or the in-ring wrestling – all of those things can be changed by next week – no big deal. To me, it’s about vision and direction. The “Attitude Era” was a vision, and a direction. Can today’s vision, or direction, really be described by either wrestling company as I write this? WHAT is their product and where do they see it going. However, even that is subjective. Even though I believe the product should go a certain way, who knows where the leaders of those companies feel the product should head? Because of who they are, and what they’ve experienced – they have different views and ideas. Nobody’s “right”, or “wrong”, it’s just their VIEW.

That’s why I like talking about FACTS. The FACTS are all that really matter. You hated me at WWE, WCW, and TNA – great, that’s your opinion – but – what do the FACTS say about my legacy? If we looked at all three companies and their numbers prior to me coming in – then leaving – what will they tell you? That’s really all that matters to me.

In my opinion, having worked there, what’s hindering TNA more than anything right now, are major factors that lay “outside” the ring. Again, the creative is all subjected, and can be adjusted — if need be – but the financials — the costs to operate — are FACTUAL, much like TV numbers.

For starters, and I don’t need to tell anybody this, including the brass at TNA — trust me, they know — the environment inside the “Impact Zone” is not ideal for what TNA is attempting to put across your TV screen every week. Universal Studios is a “tourist” attraction, so primarily, TNA is drawing “tourists” to watch IMPACT, not die-hard “wrestling fans”. The truth is, many of those people attending might just be wanting to get out from under the scorching Florida sun. As you know, attendance to IMPACT is free, so there is no cost if you’re just looking to stay in the shade for a few hours. But, this isn’t anything that anybody doesn’t know. We all see it every Thursday night. But, no one knows first hand how much an audience can affect your show than me.”

Check out the complete blog at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

The following are highlights of a new v2 Wrestling Podcast interview with Jeremy Borash:

On Vince Russo: “I have not seen or spoken to Vince Russo in two years, so I couldn’t tell you of his involvement, on what level it is, if at all.”

On his spat with Eric Bischoff, after a bartender told Bischoff that Borash had been claiming to be the TNA owner: “The guy that told him that was a guy named Magnus – not the wrestler; Magnus the bartender – who is a family friend, and I believe knew that Eric and I had not exactly gotten along before. I think Eric might have been tipping a few back, and I think Magnus was effing with him a little bit. Anybody who knows me knows that I would not go around and tell anybody that I own TNA, that is absurd. And if I did own TNA, I’d be driving a much better car and dating a supermodel. Eric apologized to me a hundred times for it, and more than made good for it, and I totally forgive him. It was just a joke that got out of hand.”

On what he would do differently if he owned TNA: “Move it to London. The fan base is a huge missed opportunity. The production in the UK is miles ahead of anything that is in the U.S., and I have no idea why, but I am a huge fan of the production values over here. I would use that production, and take advantage of how passionate the crowd is.”

Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.

Vince Russo recently published a new editorial looking at MVP’s recent turn in TNA and turns in professional wrestling in general. The following is an excerpt from the article:

“THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE WRESTLING CAREER I HAD ACTUALLY NEVER “TURNED” A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER.”

Yeah, you got that right–-that’s why I put it in bold type. Here–-I will say it again:

“I HAVE NEVER “TURNED A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER”.

Not to be disrespectful to any one reading this, because that’s not my purpose at all–remember, I’m a Professor now, so I have to lead by example–but, I don’t think that the wrestling fan truly understands that a “turn” is not a “turn” at all, but rather a character “reacting” when faced with a certain set of circumstances, a certain situation–-or–a certain conflict. It’s that character –staying true to himself–at that point in time–under the cirmcumstances/situation given. In other words–-there is NO TURN at all–-the character is just reacting to what’s now been handed to him.

Let me explain–-and I’ll do it with MVP.

Upon his arrival in TNA as the “Director of Business Operations”, MVP clearly told us the story of his checkered past: life on the streets, his gang affiliation, doing time in jail for breaking the law, etc. MVP then went on to explain that he was given a “second chance in life”, and that he was very grateful for this opportunity in TNA.”

OK–-so from a storytelling POV (point of view) MVP has just explained to us his background–-his past–who he was at another time in his life.

So from there, MVP goes on and conducts himself in a professional manner as the Director of Wrestling Operations at TNA. He’s all about truth, justice and the AMERICAN WAY!!”

Russo goes way more in-depth on this topic in the full piece, which you can read right now at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

The following are highlights of a new v2 Wrestling Podcast interview with Christopher Daniels:

On whether Frankie Kazarian will be departing TNA soon: “I can’t really confirm 100% but I can tell you that the odds are very good that rather soon the both of us will be doing what we want to do in the world of professional wrestling.”

On why he was released by TNA: “I’m not sure what their reasoning was. It wasn’t money, we never even got to (talking about) money. Part of me takes it personally. Anybody that is in some sort of entertainment field where they are their own product, when you’re told “No, we don’t want you”, of course a little bit of you takes it personally.”

On rumours that Vince Russo is back in the TNA fold: “I never saw Vince, and the creative team never said one way or the other. They’re denying it now, but when I was backstage, Frankie and I never saw any hint that Vince was there.”

On the likelihood of working with Jeff Jarrett’s new promotion: “I’m certainly hoping to work with Jeff Jarrett, I think he’s a great mind. I think that if someone could take something and make it out of nothing, I think it’s Jeff Jarrett.”

On breaking kayfabe: “I definitely respect the business enough to try and protect it as much as possible. When I came up, kayfabe was solid, but now I’ve seen the change in the mentality. The curtain has been pulled back and it’s hard to unring that bell now the word is out. It’s one thing for everybody to be in on the gag, but you don’t want to make people aware of it while they’re watching the product. Like, people know there’s a gimmick to magic, but they never really know what the gimmick is. You want them guessing what they’re watching.”

Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.

The following are highlights of a Q&A update from the official website of Vince Russo:

The only reason you did anything good in WWE was because Vince McMahon was your filter. “A myth. While all the shows were bounced off Vince for final approval, Vince never changed what Ed and I wrote. He just “tweaked” some things within the segment. If Vince is “the filter”, than how do you explain where ratings are today, compared to when Ed and I were writing the show? And—the ratings have been in the 3-range since 2002.”

Could you respond to this Bret Hart quote from 2009 (courtesy of Ministry of Slam radio show): “I think they should take Vince Russo and hang him by the neck somewhere in the back of the parking lot.” “Had many conversations with Bret at WCW, never said anything like this to me. If Bret did indeed say it—than I don’t understand it. I think the world of Bret Hart. Keep in mind, many things have been said about me behind my back—never to my face—so it’s hard for me to really understand the reasoning behind it.”

Why book a legitimately injured Bret Hart in a hardcore match with Terry Funk (this is right after Bret was kicked in the head by Goldberg)? “I would never book anybody in a match that was hurt—if I was aware of it. Can’t remember back that far, but I’m sure Breat hadn’t spoke up about his injury yet.”

What were your original plans with Bret Hart coming into WCW? “Put him high on the pedastal that he deserved to be on.”

Why did you book yourself to win the WCW World Championship? “Just another week of TV. Was never a big deal to me, especially knowing I was going to relinquish it 3 days later.”

Ric Flair doesn’t have kind words for you either when talking about his time working with you in WCW. What was your experience working with The Nature Boy? “I loved every second of it. Again, while we worked together Ric never said ANYTHING negative about anything. It was HIS IDEA for me to shave his head. I gave his son, David, the most exposure he ever had in his career. We put his younger son Reed on TV. What more did Ric want? Again—nothing was ever said to me to my face by Ric—even when we worked together later at TNA.”

What on earth happened to the Samoe Joe kidnapping angle!? “Tell me and we’ll both know. Unfortunately for my critics–not my idea. I was just as perplexed as you. Still am.”

Mike Johnson and Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com do not like you, it appears? Why? “Maybe it’s because I had an interview set up with Mike after I left TNA. Then prior to the interview I had a conversation with Mike where he already seemed to know all the answers to the questions before even speaking to me. I told Mike that if he already had the answers—then there was no need in him interviewing me. So I canceled the interview. Dave? Dave is just another guy who writes whatever he wants to write about me without ever confronting me. That’s the power of the computer age . . . i guess.”

The “Attitude Era” was a blatant ripoff of ECW! “Yeah, I hear that alot. I knew of ECW, and had maybe seen a handful of shows. No offense, but what they were doing at the time had no impact on me whatsover during the birth of the “Attitude Era”. Here’s a great story of how the “attitude Era” actually started. It was Vince’s birthday—I had to get him something. What do you buy a millionaire? So, I bought him a T-Shirt that said, “Keep your ATTITUDE to yourself—I have enough of my own.” That was literally weeks before the “Attitude Era” was born.”

Do you RESPECT the dirt sheets as a whole? Why or why not? “Very few members. Why? It’s real simple. out of all the BS said about me over the past 20 years, I can count maybe 1, or 2 instances where I was actually “contacted” for a response. They wrote whatever they wanted to write because there was no accountability. Just like they said a few weeks ago that I was under contract with TNA. Even with all the rumors concerning my status of late—NOBODY—has picked up the phone to ask ME. How can you respect that?”

Do you read the dirt sheets? “Honestly? When I’m working on my computer, and I just need to step away from what I’m writing–I’ll pop on. You have to understand, since so many mistruths have been wriiten about me, it’s hard for me to really look at those sites with any legitimacy. You just never know what’s true, and what’s inaccurate.”

What was the “real” Vince McMahon like? “WOW—not too many people know. When you get past all the layers, and there’s a level of trust, you see a Vince that very few see. A guy that never grew up, and was still a kid at heart in many aspects. That wasn’t a good thing—it was a great thing. I loved those times I got to spend with the unguarded Vince. I actually miss them.”

Do you ever regret leaving WWE for WCW? “Tough question. I have to go back to WHY I left. I was literally on the verge of a nervous breakdown at that point. Vince had added “Smackdown” without even talking to Ed and I about it, and the pressure, stress and work load just became to much to handle. You have to remember there weren’t 20 people writing TV back then—there was TWO—Ed Ferrara and myself. It was just too much.”

Were you ever physically threatened by any wrestlers? “Yes. Shawn threatened me once by saying, “I know I can take you”, which was his “funny” way of threatening me, and Goldberg made me feel uneasy once. That’s about it, and that’s ridiculous on all our parts because at the end of the day it’s just business—nothing is personal.”

Check out more of Russo’s Q&A at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

The following is an excerpt from a new Vince Russo blog on Eric Young winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship:

“Over the years there were many other conversations with EY backstage at Universal Studios, during times when he may have been getting down on his position in the company, again, I would look him in the eye and say, “Eric–this is the WRESTLING BUSINESS, you have very little control over anything. All you can do is go out there and be the best you can be, but remember–-the cream ALWAYS rises to the top–-you can’t stop talent”. I told EY those words, because from my heart–-I meant them. Over the years EY had become one of the most talented personalities I had ever worked with. I knew that EY was great inside, and out, and he didn’t need his spot on the roster to affirm that. But, I also knew that some day, some way, some how . . . .

I was watching from home the night EY won the TNA World Title in Orlando. I’m not ashamed at all to say that I cried. I cried because no matter how “predetermined” wrestling is–-this moment in time was not fake to EY. This was that one moment that he had dreamed about his entire life–-and it was here! I would have done anything to be there with him that night–-ANYTHING.

I love Eric Young, and if you personally knew him–-you’d love him too. As somebody who was there for the entire ride, I just want to tell you from the bottom of my heart–-don’t you dare take anything away from the current TNA World Champion. Everything he has at this moment in time of his life–-HE HAS EARNED. And, he has earned it not through politicking, not through power plays, not through stepping over others, and not by putting himself first–traits that have come with many of the “Champions” I have worked with over the years. NO–-EY did it the right way. He did it by believing in himself and never giving up on his dream. He did it through hard work, through dedication, through every bead of sweat that fell from his body, to every kid in the crowd whose face he’s ever put a smile on.

To take nothing away from anybody else, there is no one like EY–-no one. Men like him were the sole reason that I survived in a business for 23 years, when on more occasions than one I wanted to take my ball home and punt it over the freakin‘ fence. Guys like EY gave my job meaning, and made me realize that “it wasn’t so bad”.

EY, I thank you, I love, and I respect you more than you will ever know.”

Check out the complete blog at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

As previously reported, Vince Russo has opened up an official commentary-style website which covers music, movies, sports and pro wrestling. His latest pro wrestling piece is a top ten list of the easiest talents he ever produced during his years in the business.

The top five reads as follows:

5. Kurt Angle
4. “Any Female Wrestler”
3. Dustin Rhodes
2. Paul Bearer
1. “Mr.” Backlund

You can check out the full top ten list here and here.

Russo’s official website is also accepting writers and video specialists. You can apply for those positions at PyroAndBallyhoo.com/hiring.