Vince Russo Talks WWE Attitude Era, WCW, TNA, Hulk Hogan and More

Vince Russo was once one of the most influential men in the wrestling industry. More than 15 years ago, his creativity as a WWE lead writer was a driving force that pushed the business to unforeseen heights. Today, the former inside man is on the outside looking in, but he's still providing entertainment to wrestling fans with his creative writing and unfiltered analysis on Vince Russo's The Brand. 

Russo recently spoke with Ring Rust Radio (quotes courtesy of the News of Delaware County's Joe Arcidiacono) to discuss his time writing for WWE and WCW during the Attitude Era, among other controversial topics such as his relationship with TNA, Hulk Hogan and more.

Though Russo may not be in the main promotion's inner circle, that hasn't stopped him from offering his services, as he feels he can still positively influence the product:

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When I watch WWE and TNA on a weekly basis, I see how subpar the television shows have become.  I see the drastic decrease in ratings and that concerns me.  Without wrestling, there may not be a Vince Russo.  I would love to help those companies, I know I can help them, I know what they are doing wrong, but when you offer your services free of charge and they say thanks but no thanks, there isn’t too much you can do.  The answer to that question is for my own longevity, the wrestling business needs to prosper, and I am willing to help it.  If they aren’t interested that’s up to them, but I more concerned about my own future.

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WWE doesn't hide that it has more than 20 writers on its creative staff. However, the common complaint among WWE viewers is the lack of compelling storylines, continuity and disregard for storylines outside of wrestlers at the top of the card. Russo too has frequently vented his frustration with storylines not just in WWE, but also in TNA. He was quick to shed light on how things were done during the Attitude Era, which has been routinely praised by fans for its entertaining and long-running storylines.

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They have a week to write a television show.  When there are twenty people involved in the writing of that show, you are going to spend a lot of time running into each other.  While you are running into each other for a good majority of the week, you suddenly get to crunch time.  All of a sudden its Saturday or Sunday and you don’t have a complete show yet, so we will just finish it when we get to TV and that is what you are seeing today. I’ll just go back to the old Russo and [Ed] Ferrara way of two guys wrote the show, brought it and pitched it to Vince, and that’s it.  It’s a proven ingredient and formula that worked.  Now I’m not saying Russo and Ferrara should go back to WWE, what I am saying is replace Russo and Ferrara with two other guys, make it simple, same vision, and you will have a much better product.  There is no way that could be a compelling and intriguing show with all those writers involved in it.   

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It's also common knowledge WWE's flagship show, Raw, is run creatively through Vince McMahon. He has the final say on the product. For fans who ever wondered about the inner workings of WWE's creative process, Russo further shed light on McMahon's top priorities and speculated that they likely haven't changed since 1999:

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During that time, all Vince cared about was what is Austin or the Rock doing?  That’s all he cared about.  So I guarantee you, that’s the same mentality today.  What is Cena doing?  There is nobody standing up for those guys in the middle of the card who go out there every single week with no purpose.  There’s no one putting the time or attention into these guys and girls that they have earned.  They are on the roster because they are the best in the world but no one is giving them any good material.

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Regarding McMahon, many documentaries and popular opinion promote McMahon serving as a filter for Russo and his ideas during his time as a WWE writer. When speaking of the downfall of WCW, many point fingers at Russo. When asked about his shortcomings at WCW without the guidance of McMahon, Russo addressed what he perceives to be a misconception and related it to today's infrastructure within WWE's creative division:

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Ferrara and I went to WCW and the first three months of the company we were running the show.  We had our plan in place and we were doing what we wanted to do.  Anyone can look it up, the numbers were there, and the ratings were up.  It wasn’t until three months in when I went home because of politics that the ratings went right back down to the point where they were before we even got hired.  As far as Vince as a filter, the whole premise of that is just ridiculous.  The fact of the matter is he is still there now.  So you got the same guy there now, that was there for the Attitude era, Vince Russo had no impact, Vince McMahon had to filter him, well Vince McMahon is still there running the show.  How did they go from an 8.2 rating to a 3.5 million people?  From a factual basis, someone has to explain that to me since the same guy is running the show.

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One of the final topics discussed was Russo's relationship with Hogan. Less than one year before McMahon bought WCW, Russo and Hogan participated in one of the most controversial moments in WCW's history at the 2000 edition of Bash at the Beach, which broke down the fourth wall for fans as backstage emotions crossed over to the on-screen product. When asked about his relationship with Hogan, Russo wasn't shy to clear the air once again:

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Number one, we didn’t really have a relationship in WCW.  People seem to forget about that.  They want to pin everything that happened at WCW on me.  The reality of it is I worked there for nine months.  I really didn’t generate that relationship with Hulk Hogan during my time there.  I was really grateful that when he came to TNA, we were able to settle any differences that we may have had.  I am very grateful and thankful for that.  As his spot in WWE right now, I am thrilled for the guy.  I don’t know where the wrestling business would be without Hulk Hogan.  For him to be in the spot he is right now as an ambassador for WWE, he deserves that spot.  I am absolutely thrilled for him. 

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Controversy seems to follow Russo at every stop, which is likely one of the main reasons he stays on the mind of wrestling fans. However, it is also likely why companies continue to associate themselves in one way or another with him. In the wrestling business, promotions always want fans to be talking. They always want to create a buzz. Throughout his career, Russo always understood how to create a buzz and make sure fans were talking, regardless if it was positive or negative.

Russo's experience from his time with WWE, WCW and TNA as a writer and performer, as well as his understanding of the inner workings of the industry, makes his insight valuable to this day. His ideas today may come across as fantasy booking, but it's always important to remember that he was one of the few members behind the scenes of arguably the most beloved time period in wrestling. Agreeing or disagreeing with his current ideas is beyond Russo's contributions to the industry, and breaking it down to that perspective would be missing the point of his analysis. He still has the fundamental understanding of how to create a balanced wrestling product, which wrestling writers could still learn from today. 

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics, or catch the latest episode in the player above (Warning: some language NSFW).