Is Vince Russo actually a genius?
Feb 4, 2015 0:13:45 GMT -5
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Post by Cry Me a Wiggle on Feb 4, 2015 0:13:45 GMT -5
I've been saying for years that Vince Russo doesn't get enough credit. Russo was the right man for the time, a guy whose sensibilities perfectly tied in with the cultural zeitgeist of the late '90s. A genius? No, but he's a guy who has enough street smarts and people skills to keep himself employed in wrestling for the last twenty years. What's more, Vince McMahon was broken and defeated for the first time in his adult life. He couldn't trust his own instincts anymore, so he trusted Russo. And guess what? IT WORKED.
Ed Ferrera was the other key ingredient, one that's often overlooked by smarks. Russo was the big, brash idea guy. Ed Ferrera was the details guy. He could take Russo's sometimes weird, disorganized (but exciting and ambitious) ideas and have them make sense. Remember, the entire Attitude Era (up until October 1999) was written by Russo and Ferrera with McMahon acting as their editor. When Russo and Ferrera jumped ship to WCW? Well, most people don't have bad things to say about those first three months in WCW. It wasn't until Russo and Ferrera had their falling out and Russo was writing on his own that the, uh, controversial decision-making started.
Where Russo excelled was listening to the fans and pushing who they wanted. Before he made himself infamous by becoming an on-screen character, he would sit in the crowds at live events to experience their reaction. You can say that Russo had access to exceptional talents in Austin, Rock and Foley, but each generation of wrestlers have exceptional talents. Russo saw that they were connecting with fans and pushed them accordingly. He was the one who told Vince to sign Chris Jericho. He had one of the most over midcards in history, with a mantra to use absolutely everyone on the roster to their fullest capabilities. He continued to do the same in WCW, immediately making Bret Hart relevant again and sticking a rocket on Benoit, Booker, Scott Steiner and others.
Hell, Russo predicted the need for creating a new kind of kayfabe. Russo foresaw the impact the Internet would have on the business and how fans following backstage news would no longer be entertained by the storylines the office was putting out. That whole "Goldberg is breaking the script" business? It was an ill-thought out attempt at doing just that, playing on real life creative tensions. It was terrible, but that's because Russo didn't have the keen eye to make it work. He clumsily had the announcers screaming about how the entire show was scripted instead of handling it deftly, of preserving the traditional kayfabe while playing to the new. He needed the details guy. He needed the editor.
So is Russo a genius? No, but I'm tired of him being the scapegoat. Yes, his ideas are now just as played out as Vince McMahon and he was probably doing TNA no favors by sticking around. However, he's an incredibly influential force that played the biggest hand in the Attitude Era, who broke through Vince McMahon's bullshit, and deserves his rightful place in history for the good things he did instead of just the bad.
Ed Ferrera was the other key ingredient, one that's often overlooked by smarks. Russo was the big, brash idea guy. Ed Ferrera was the details guy. He could take Russo's sometimes weird, disorganized (but exciting and ambitious) ideas and have them make sense. Remember, the entire Attitude Era (up until October 1999) was written by Russo and Ferrera with McMahon acting as their editor. When Russo and Ferrera jumped ship to WCW? Well, most people don't have bad things to say about those first three months in WCW. It wasn't until Russo and Ferrera had their falling out and Russo was writing on his own that the, uh, controversial decision-making started.
Where Russo excelled was listening to the fans and pushing who they wanted. Before he made himself infamous by becoming an on-screen character, he would sit in the crowds at live events to experience their reaction. You can say that Russo had access to exceptional talents in Austin, Rock and Foley, but each generation of wrestlers have exceptional talents. Russo saw that they were connecting with fans and pushed them accordingly. He was the one who told Vince to sign Chris Jericho. He had one of the most over midcards in history, with a mantra to use absolutely everyone on the roster to their fullest capabilities. He continued to do the same in WCW, immediately making Bret Hart relevant again and sticking a rocket on Benoit, Booker, Scott Steiner and others.
Hell, Russo predicted the need for creating a new kind of kayfabe. Russo foresaw the impact the Internet would have on the business and how fans following backstage news would no longer be entertained by the storylines the office was putting out. That whole "Goldberg is breaking the script" business? It was an ill-thought out attempt at doing just that, playing on real life creative tensions. It was terrible, but that's because Russo didn't have the keen eye to make it work. He clumsily had the announcers screaming about how the entire show was scripted instead of handling it deftly, of preserving the traditional kayfabe while playing to the new. He needed the details guy. He needed the editor.
So is Russo a genius? No, but I'm tired of him being the scapegoat. Yes, his ideas are now just as played out as Vince McMahon and he was probably doing TNA no favors by sticking around. However, he's an incredibly influential force that played the biggest hand in the Attitude Era, who broke through Vince McMahon's bullshit, and deserves his rightful place in history for the good things he did instead of just the bad.