Russo in wcw

[Deleted]

Dec 23, 2020 2:14:34 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Yes, but we often don't give credit for Russo being an excellent carny. I think a lot of us bought into his story because honestly very few of us actually knew who he was until he left the WWF. The fact he was able to sell Turner on his bullshit is even scarier though.

I put on his appearances from WCW Live every now and then as he was amazing getting those wcw internet fans to believe his BS.When things would go bad he’d appear playing the victim with very detailed excuses and the fans would side with him.Him and Jarrett being huge babyfaces to the wcw internet community will never not pop me.

[Alexander The So-so]

Eric Bischoff really described it well on 83 Weeks when he talked about how when he was brought back to work with Russo in 2000, one of the things he was told was that Russo’s content was “too dark.” Nothing was ever clean and straightforward; everything had an outer sheen of slime, sleaze, and juvenile nihilism.

I believed it in 1999 and I believe it now: what made Russo’s WCW content so unbearable was the degree to which it feels exactly like it was being booked by some stupid, cringy, edgelord 13-year-old boy who had ditched school under the nose of his overly permissive divorced parents in order to stay home, fap to Internet porn, and write Attitude Era WWF fanfiction.

[jason1980s]

Dec 23, 2020 2:14:34 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Yes, but we often don't give credit for Russo being an excellent carny. I think a lot of us bought into his story because honestly very few of us actually knew who he was until he left the WWF. The fact he was able to sell Turner on his bullshit is even scarier though.

I doubt Ted Turner even met him. I doubt Turner even met any wrestler or backstage guy except for maybe Hogan and Bischoff and a few random others. I hate that Turner got screwed in his 1988 purchase but I don't think he ever put much attention into it outside of the few times he was shown on Saturday Night. I doubt he could have named any performers. He was probably just a billionaire who wanted to buy a wrestling company rather than a wrestling fan who had money and wanted to buy a company.
I'll give him a lot of credit, his restaurant "Ted's Montana Grill" has probably lasted multiple times longer than WWE New York restaurant even though Ted probably has nothing to do with the restaurant but the theory or fact that he had little to do with WCW probably has a big hand in killing the company. If he had a hand in hiring and firing and storylines and such he could have made a case for it to continue.
I wonder if he even knew who Eric Bischoff was. How did a 1990 WWF commentator reject became the head of WCW TV? I doubt Turner even met Russo let alone ever saw his name on a piece of paper.

[cjh]

Dec 24, 2020 20:15:10 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

Dec 23, 2020 2:14:34 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Yes, but we often don't give credit for Russo being an excellent carny. I think a lot of us bought into his story because honestly very few of us actually knew who he was until he left the WWF. The fact he was able to sell Turner on his bullshit is even scarier though.

I doubt Ted Turner even met him. I doubt Turner even met any wrestler or backstage guy except for maybe Hogan and Bischoff and a few random others. I hate that Turner got screwed in his 1988 purchase but I don't think he ever put much attention into it outside of the few times he was shown on Saturday Night. I doubt he could have named any performers. He was probably just a billionaire who wanted to buy a wrestling company rather than a wrestling fan who had money and wanted to buy a company.
I'll give him a lot of credit, his restaurant "Ted's Montana Grill" has probably lasted multiple times longer than WWE New York restaurant even though Ted probably has nothing to do with the restaurant but the theory or fact that he had little to do with WCW probably has a big hand in killing the company. If he had a hand in hiring and firing and storylines and such he could have made a case for it to continue.
I wonder if he even knew who Eric Bischoff was. How did a 1990 WWF commentator reject became the head of WCW TV? I doubt Turner even met Russo let alone ever saw his name on a piece of paper.

Yes, Turner knew Bischoff.  He told Bischoff in person, after Bischoff told him that WCW needed a prime time show to be more competitive with WWE, that WCW would have a Monday night show on TNT.

[fw91]

Wonder what Russo’s motives were for jumping ship. I get money and power, and perhaps hindsight is 20/20, but by late 99 when he left, it seemed that WWF had the war in the bag and was leaving WCW in the rearview mirror. He really thought WCW was going to turn it around with him?

[Mozenrath]

Dec 24, 2020 20:55:04 GMT -5 cjh said:

Dec 24, 2020 20:15:10 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

I doubt Ted Turner even met him. I doubt Turner even met any wrestler or backstage guy except for maybe Hogan and Bischoff and a few random others. I hate that Turner got screwed in his 1988 purchase but I don't think he ever put much attention into it outside of the few times he was shown on Saturday Night. I doubt he could have named any performers. He was probably just a billionaire who wanted to buy a wrestling company rather than a wrestling fan who had money and wanted to buy a company.
I'll give him a lot of credit, his restaurant "Ted's Montana Grill" has probably lasted multiple times longer than WWE New York restaurant even though Ted probably has nothing to do with the restaurant but the theory or fact that he had little to do with WCW probably has a big hand in killing the company. If he had a hand in hiring and firing and storylines and such he could have made a case for it to continue.
I wonder if he even knew who Eric Bischoff was. How did a 1990 WWF commentator reject became the head of WCW TV? I doubt Turner even met Russo let alone ever saw his name on a piece of paper.

Yes, Turner knew Bischoff.  He told Bischoff in person, after Bischoff told him that WCW needed a prime time show to be more competitive with WWE, that WCW would have a Monday night show on TNT.

Yeah, that's why he got the promotion. He impressed executives, probably through a combination of ambition and an aggressive philosophy for competing with WWF. It didn't prove to be sustainable, but after how WCW went through leadership like paper towels before that, I can see why it was enticing.

[cjh]

Dec 24, 2020 21:04:41 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Wonder what Russo’s motives were for jumping ship. I get money and power, and perhaps hindsight is 20/20, but by late 99 when he left, it seemed that WWF had the war in the bag and was leaving WCW in the rearview mirror. He really thought WCW was going to turn it around with him?

- He didn't get a pay raise when his workload doubled after WWE added Smackdown.
- Vince McMahon was not receptive to Russo asking for less demanding hours.  Russo was apparently never under contract, which is why he was able to leave and start with WCW so fast.

[jason1980s]

Dec 24, 2020 21:04:41 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Wonder what Russo’s motives were for jumping ship. I get money and power, and perhaps hindsight is 20/20, but by late 99 when he left, it seemed that WWF had the war in the bag and was leaving WCW in the rearview mirror. He really thought WCW was going to turn it around with him?

There's been some rumors that he was a spy for WWF. I doubt that but I can see why it might be something people suspect.

[Welfare Willis]

Dec 24, 2020 20:15:10 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

Dec 23, 2020 2:14:34 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Yes, but we often don't give credit for Russo being an excellent carny. I think a lot of us bought into his story because honestly very few of us actually knew who he was until he left the WWF. The fact he was able to sell Turner on his bullshit is even scarier though.

I doubt Ted Turner even met him. I doubt Turner even met any wrestler or backstage guy except for maybe Hogan and Bischoff and a few random others. I hate that Turner got screwed in his 1988 purchase but I don't think he ever put much attention into it outside of the few times he was shown on Saturday Night. I doubt he could have named any performers. He was probably just a billionaire who wanted to buy a wrestling company rather than a wrestling fan who had money and wanted to buy a company.
I'll give him a lot of credit, his restaurant "Ted's Montana Grill" has probably lasted multiple times longer than WWE New York restaurant even though Ted probably has nothing to do with the restaurant but the theory or fact that he had little to do with WCW probably has a big hand in killing the company. If he had a hand in hiring and firing and storylines and such he could have made a case for it to continue.
I wonder if he even knew who Eric Bischoff was. How did a 1990 WWF commentator reject became the head of WCW TV? I doubt Turner even met Russo let alone ever saw his name on a piece of paper.

I meant "Turner" as in Turner executives, not exclusively Ted Turner himself. Although I could be mixed up in my dates as to who was in charge when Russo arrived. I'm pretty sure it was Turner/Time Warner at the time Russo was first hired since the AOL merger was around 2000.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

Dec 24, 2020 21:10:54 GMT -5 cjh said:

Dec 24, 2020 21:04:41 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Wonder what Russo’s motives were for jumping ship. I get money and power, and perhaps hindsight is 20/20, but by late 99 when he left, it seemed that WWF had the war in the bag and was leaving WCW in the rearview mirror. He really thought WCW was going to turn it around with him?

- He didn't get a pay raise when his workload doubled after WWE added Smackdown.
- Vince McMahon was not receptive to Russo asking for less demanding hours.  Russo was apparently never under contract, which is why he was able to leave and start with WCW so fast.

Yeah, they asked for a raise or to not have to work one of the shows and McMahon said no so Russo and Ferrara bolted.

[Barry Jobber 81]

I remember Vince Russo doing a New Beginning where he brought Sid Vicious out to the ring and stripped him of his title. Sid was turning career around at the time. He was getting wins over Kevin Nash. Vince Russo comes in, tells the crowd we're going to start all over again and strips all the current champions of their titles.

When I first watched it, I thought it was just stupid. Any wrestler who now wins the vacant title now isn't going to be seen as a legit champ in eyes of the fans because he didn't beat Sid.

[Ben Wyatt]

Dec 23, 2020 2:14:34 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Yes, but we often don't give credit for Russo being an excellent carny. I think a lot of us bought into his story because honestly very few of us actually knew who he was until he left the WWF. The fact he was able to sell Turner on his bullshit is even scarier though.

Bischoff mentioned that he didn't really think  Russo was a con man/carny because he genuinely *believed* in what he was saying. I think there's at least some level of validity to that idea. 

[A Platypus Rave]

Jan 5, 2021 13:18:19 GMT -5 Barry Jobber 81 said:

I remember Vince Russo doing a New Beginning where he brought Sid Vicious out to the ring and stripped him of his title. Sid was turning career around at the time. He was getting wins over Kevin Nash. Vince Russo comes in, tells the crowd we're going to start all over again and strips all the current champions of their titles.

When I first watched it, I thought it was just stupid. Any wrestler who now wins the vacant title now isn't going to be seen as a legit champ in eyes of the fans because he didn't beat Sid.

That was when Vince and Bischoff came back together with the all new beginning!

It was also where Bischoff did the "Whats the matter Sid, can't find your scissors?!" line... that went over like a fart in church... so Bischoff of course responded by repeating it.

[sportatorium]

There was the first time with Ed Ferrara when they had the announcers talk about them coming in, but really couldn’t promote them too much because it was total capitulation to the WWF that they had to bri f their creative people in. So, we got the “powers that be” as behind the scenes authority figures for Roddy Piper & others to constantly notch as “powers to be”.

Then the reboot with him & Biachoff where a faction of up & coming young wrestlers known as the New Blood were cast as heels and a bunch of guys with company killing bloated guarantees became the Millionaires Club as babyfaces.

He was great.

[evilone]

Jan 5, 2021 16:22:28 GMT -5 sportatorium said:

There was the first time with Ed Ferrara when they had the announcers talk about them coming in, but really couldn’t promote them too much because it was total capitulation to the WWF that they had to bri f their creative people in. So, we got the “powers that be” as behind the scenes authority figures for Roddy Piper & others to constantly notch as “powers to be”.

Then the reboot with him & Biachoff where a faction of up & coming young wrestlers known as the New Blood were cast as heels and a bunch of guys with company killing bloated guarantees became the Millionaires Club as babyfaces.

He was great.

Yes but that was a trade off for the angle in order for Hogan and others to be part of the program. Hogan posing as Terry Bollea wouldn't accept to be a heel in an angle where he is shown as the one who is suffocating the company. Nash too as well. I believe they wanted to exactly that, on one side to have Hogan, Nash and all the others who held the company hostage as heels and young blood plus Sting, DDP and Goldberg and maybe Ric Flair as those who suffered during the nWo era. But no one sane would ever accept such angle that is based off reality. It would just not work brother. Could they have sent Hogan, Nash, Luger and others home instead? Nope, Bisch wouldn't allow that. New Blood was a great angle, it actually told the story of WCW way too real cause the whole angle was sabotaged by those who were supposed to be heels in it.

[Celexa Bliss 54]

Dec 22, 2020 17:19:35 GMT -5 Kevin Hamilton said:

I thought "Who? Oh he was a writer for WWF? Ok. So?"

Same, but add "Magazine" after WWF. I had no clue at the time that he was the main TV writer, so when he was popping up on TV, I was just confused.