Tag: Vince Russo

July 1, 2002 Observer Newsletter: WWF hires Vince Russo, King of the Ring review

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

In a year filled with surprises and some of the most questionable decision making by a major company owner in history, Vince McMahon surprised everyone on 6/20 when it was announced he had hired Vince Russo.

The ramifications of the move were huge, because Russo had little respect among the wrestlers, and was hated by many, and even more so by many front office employees for both personal and professional reasons. It was shocking because while the declining numbers indicate what they are doing isn’t working, it was a public acknowledgement by McMahon that he had no confidence this creative staff, which now is the creative staff he’s left with, is going to be able to turn it around. By the next day, things changed again, as after a meeting with the writing staff and Vince, Russo, originally scheduled to on paper report to Stephanie McMahon, but in reality be in control of creative, was taken off creative completely.

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January 24, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WCW Souled Out review, WCW turmoil, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The most tumultuous four-day period in the recent history of World Championship Wrestling started with WCW getting the word that an injury would cause champion and main eventer Bret Hart to miss the Souled Out PPV. As dominos starting falling one by one, it ended with a new booker, the crowning of a new champion who asked to be released from his contract anyway, and his vacating the title voluntarily some 18 hours later and possibly with several wrestlers leaving the company.

For Bill Busch, who is running WCW, this week will probably become his sink-or-swim week as far as what the end result regarding his respect both in and out of wrestling based on his handling of a chaotic situation, which was still ongoing at press time.

It all started when WCW was told officially late Thursday or early Friday that Hart’s doctor had diagnosed his severe migraines and inability to focus as the result of a severe concussion and not only ruled out wrestling on the PPV, but even flying in for television this week or doing any lifting this week.

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December 12, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF slightly tones down product, Vince Russo on WOL, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

After a week of bad publicity which sent sponsors running and sent its stock plummeting, the kinder, gentler WWF came back with a toned down Smackdown and a slightly toned down, although you’d have to examine to closely to notice, Raw show.

Exactly what this means for the long run is more uncertain. After getting as low as 14 13/16 on the morning of 12/7, the stock, artificially low due to the bad publicity, returned to just below the bottom of the former normal levels, closing at press time at 19 1/2.

The only sponsor that has returned to this point after the toned down Smackdown was Burger King, but nobody really expected sponsors to come back for a few weeks. L. Brent Bozell, whose writings on behalf of the Parents Television Council led to numerous sponsorship drops on Smackdown, a few of which remained buying the rest of the cable package and a few of which pulled out in entirety.

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October 25, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF No Mercy review, first Nitro with Vince Russo, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The new era of WCW television began on 10/18 in Philadelphia, with Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara’s first Nitro. There was no mistaking the fingerprints even if viewers didn’t have that fact drummed into their heads from early in the show. Far more detailed work was done in scripting the show then at any Nitro in recent memory and possibly ever.

Time will tell, but after the first show, my feeling was that when Nitro was in its heyday with the good undercard wrestling climaxing with the star power matches on top, it was a far better three hour show than this was. However, this was better than the majority, but not all, of the recent Nitro shows. The throwing so many angles at people burns out the audience faster than wrestling matches do, and by late in the show, the crowd reactions were similar to Raw, in that the crowd was dead for the wrestling. This show was very entertaining for the first hour and entertaining still for the second hour. By the third hour, even though there was nothing “wrong” with the show, it was evident this style of booking doesn’t translate well into the three hour format. Fortunately, it appears most likely if not a certainty that Nitro will be cut back to two hours in January.

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Oct 11, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Vince Russo leaves WWF for WCW, WWF Rebellion

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Vince Russo and Ed Ferrera, the men who were responsible for writing the WWF television shows that have been drawing huge ratings for the past year abruptly quit the company and signed on with WCW over the weekend.

Russo in various interviews cited the burnout factor of working so many hours with the added stress of the Smackdown show as the main component of his approaching WCW, first through J.J. Dillon, and then closing the two-year deal after lengthy meetings with Bill Busch on 10/2, signing the contract in Atlanta the next morning. He stated on Wrestleline that he was drained from being on call 24 hours a day for nearly three years and that he needed to spend more time with his family.

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October 24, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Pinpointing the day that lead to TNA’s current predicament, UFC layoffs, more

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

What has been the long-time inevitable but several times delayed financial implosion of TNA can really be traced back to one afternoon.

Largely based on a contract with Spike TV, TNA was taking in more revenue than any pro wrestling company in the world aside from WWE through 2014. If a company like ECW would have gotten that type of a deal, they would probably still be flourishing today. With the exception of WCW at the end, almost no wrestling company in history wouldn’t have been able to be profitable, and most would have been able to put out a killer product, with a two-hour prime time slot and that level of television revenue. Just five years ago, TNA’s total revenue, largely due to Spike, was multiples of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Since then, each company went in opposite directions, one based on creating stars and putting on great shows even with a major television handicap of a horrible time slot. The other squandered talent and did angles that nobody bought thinking it was the only way, and made no stars. New Japan is now multiple times ahead of TNA, and what can argue, even in the United States, where New Japan’s audience when you factor in the homes available is roughly identical to that of TNA even on a far worse television night and airing matches ten months old.

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DragonKingKarl Show: Mail bag! Continental Wrestling talk and Dawn of Justice RAGE!

Posted on by Karl Stern

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Audio Show: Mailbag show… sort of. I take a few mailbag questions but talk a little bit about Continental wrestling. Why I like Lucha Underground and I actually have good things to say about Vince Russo… sort of! Also on this show is my review of Batman vs Superman DAWN OF JUSTICE! I suppose I should spoiler warn this review but it is more of a complete evisceration of this CRAP of a movie than a spoiler filled review.  Even if I do spoil it for you you’ll probably thank me for it.

On this show:

  • July Classic Wrestling Marathon content.
  • The evolution of wrestling isn’t what it seems. How VINCE RUSSO may have been on the right track… sort of.
  • Lucha Underground love.
  • Superfans from ECW, Jim Crockett, and other promotions.
  • Continental tape library.
  • More late starters in pro wrestling.
  • The Iron Sheik.
  • Jerry Jarrett and other promoters as a pro wrestler.
  • Then a possibly spoiler filled RAGE at the terrible Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice movie.  The worst thing you ever saw.

(Continental Wrestling photo of Mr. Wrestling II, The Bullet, and Scott Armstrong by Karl Stern)

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