(7th Sept) Love Or Hate?

[leonp1981]

Vince Russo

Is this man the real king of the Monday Night Wars?  Someone whose storyline ideas catapulted WWE into the lead over WCW?  Then when he went over to the rival company, he did the same, clawing back major ground on WWE.  Was it his input, and the subsequent Attitude Era, that made global stars out of Stone Cold, The Rock and HHH, who might not have made it otherwise?  Will he now put his talent to good use with TNA, helping them become a significant rival to the WWE?

OR

Is he just a one trick pony, a guy who relies on the same stuff over and over again to win the ratings?  Someone who made the simple realisation that people would like to see more violence, profanity and nudity?  And then used that simple formula to make a name (and a lot of money) for himself.  Did Vince McMahon realise the secret to Russo's success, and then kick him out of the company, so he could get someone else to do it far cheaper.



(PS. Apologies for the lack of a thread last week, I've been moving house and still don't have any internet access!  )

[Montague]

(PS. Apologies for the lack of a thread last week, I've been moving house and still don't have any internet access!  )

Excuses, escuses...
 

Based on what others have said, Russo came up with a lot of ideas, but Vince (McMahon) made many revisions, refinements – basically fine tuning the ideas – before giving final approval.

McMahon had wanted to adopt an edgier, more adult-geared style (ala ECW) a few years prior, but chose to keep the product toned down in the wake of the negative press he received during the Zahorian steroid trial of ’91.

It’s hard to say how much McMahon relied on Russo for the new creative direction of his company. If VKM hadn’t have needed him, Russo would never have been on Titan’s payroll.
Then again, Russo’s booking in WCW was shit.

But I don’t think it was always like that – VKM wouldn’t have kept him around (although he did let Russo go, knowing full well that WCW wanted him badly).
Maybe Russo ran out of ideas towards the end of his glorious WWF run.
Maybe he lost his marbles.
It could have had to do with power. In WCW Russo had more power than he’d ever experienced. Some people can’t handle it, and they start acting strangely.

But I think he was on the decline before his WCW grant. VKM wouldn’t have given him up that easily to a competition company if Russo was truly as good as WCW thought he was.

[The Showstoppa]

It's impossible to truly judge Russo on the WWF, because we don't know how much of it was him or how much was McMahon, like Montague said.

However, he had pretty much free run in the WCW and the product was beyond awful.  I think people tend to forget just how much talent he had at the time, unlimited resources, prime time slots, etc.... and he bombed completely.  It's always pointed out that WCW was in decline when he took over, but he certainly didn't make a positive difference.

He is a pile of shit...plus he talks like mushmouth.

[Montague]

I saw the writing on the wall when he put the strap on David Arquette, and the tag title on Bagwell’s mum.

[The Showstoppa]

I saw the writing on the wall when he put the strap on David Arquette, and the tag title on Bagwell’s mum.

Exactly. 

[Playboy]

Russo is a ratings man and will do anything and everything to get ratings (example, putting the world title on David Arquette).

He created many stars for WWE and WCW but has equally destroyed stars and was one of the reasons for the downfall of WCW.

[mass 04]

I challenge all you haterzz to a keyboard on a pole match.

[leonp1981]

I challenge all you haterzz to a keyboard on a pole match.

[Playboy]

I challenge all you haterzz to a keyboard on a pole match.

I except but only if you put the title on the line. 

[njflex]

Russo is a ratings man and will do anything and everything to get ratings (example, putting the world title on David Arquette).

He created many stars for WWE and WCW but has equally destroyed stars and was one of the reasons for the downfall of WCW.

DUE TO A TIE-IN TO AN AWFUL MOVIE WITH ARQUETTE IN IT WITH ALL THE WRESTLERS AS EXTRAS,JUST PLAIN DREADFUL.

[Montague]

Some wrestlers were insulted by that angle because it not only demeaned the titles (at least from a story line standpoint), but even worse, it was as if Russo was trying to “prove” that you can put anyone in that top spot and make it work.

Well, as you can imagine, that would piss you off whether you’ve worked your ass off for years to make it, or if you’ve worked long & hard and still haven’t made it.
WTF? An actor and somebody’s mother?

The only good thing about the Arquette angle is that he supposedly donated his money from that to the families of Brian Pillman and someone else (maybe Owen).
I thought that was a very nice gesture considering he’d never met either them or their families.

[Playboy]

Some wrestlers were insulted by that angle because it not only demeaned the titles (at least from a story line standpoint), but even worse, it was as if Russo was trying to “prove” that you can put anyone in that top spot and make it work.

Well, as you can imagine, that would piss you off whether you’ve worked your ass off for years to make it, or if you’ve worked long & hard and still haven’t made it.
WTF? An actor and somebody’s mother?

The only good thing about the Arquette angle is that he supposedly donated his money from that to the families of Brian Pillman and someone else (maybe Owen).
I thought that was a very nice gesture considering he’d never met either them or their families.

I honestly don't think he "donated" any monies to anyone but his own bank account.

That angle was ludacris and really put the final nail in the struggling WCW's coffin. 

[Montague]

Perhaps.
I'm just going by what Bobby Heenan said.

He mentioned in (I think) his first book that Arquette donated his proceeds to the families.
Being that it was WCW - with an all access pass to Turner's check book - I wouldn't be surprised if "Mr. Courtney Cox" made more from that angle than he did for Ready To Rumble.

[Playboy]

Perhaps.
I'm just going by what Bobby Heenan said.

He mentioned in (I think) his first book that Arquette donated his proceeds to the families.
Being that it was WCW - with an all access pass to Turner's check book - I wouldn't be surprised if "Mr. Courtney Cox" made more from that angle than he did for Ready To Rumble.

Ya really. Turner was a little too premiscuous with his cash. Bishoff had access to all of it.

[Montague]

That’s the difference between owning a company and running a company.
When you own a business, you can’t simply rely on other people to run it without you.

At least be involved enough that you don’t wake up one morning and get the news that your company is going to go bankrupt in 36 hours.

Of course I’m exaggerating, but it’s been said that Turner knew who Ric Flair was, and that’s pretty much where his knowledge of WCW ended.

[Playboy]

That’s the difference between owning a company and running a company.
When you own a business, you can’t simply rely on other people to run it without you.

At least be involved enough that you don’t wake up one morning and get the news that your company is going to go bankrupt in 36 hours.

Of course I’m exaggerating, but it’s been said that Turner knew who Ric Flair was, and that’s pretty much where his knowledge of WCW ended.

Ya, sounds about right. When it was NWA (JCP) it was a good wrestling program to watch as an alternate to the WWE. Once it turned into WCW officially in 1990, it stunk. It only got interesting when they started signing stars from around the world and the NWO came around. Otherwise.....Paul Roma....a horseman? Are you f****g kidding me??? From what flair said on his DVD, the higher up suit & ties that ran WCW didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground and basically sunk the ship.