Please…Don’t Hate 6.08.08: Vince Russo

Welcome everyone to Please…Don’t Hate, the weekly column which takes a look at some of the most hated on and complained about wrestlers, companies, and topics within the wrestling world. This week is the first of what I dub the “Haters’ Haven” series, in which I discuss easily the most, heated, controversial, and definitely hated on topics that have been talked about in the last few years. Vince…Russo. I’ve honestly never heard so much scoffing and loathing expressed with the mention of one person’s name in the wrestling world. So the question I will explore is simply why the hate. Why is there so much sincere hatred towards the man who helped bring us the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock? Before we delve into the fire, we look at your responses from last week’s topic.

Reader Reverb
This is the section where two reader comments, one being for last week’s topic and the other being against, are chosen and I give my two cents on them.

Last week’s topic: Hulk Hogan

Dan (Guest) comments:

I have respect for the impact on wrestling that Hulk Hogan has had. I don’t know, if in this day and age here in the year of 2008, that Hulkamania is still running wild. I can see how some people detest Hogan due to him not putting over some stars (Dibiase, Hennig, Rude) and trying to bury others (Hart, Savage, etc) but without Terry “Hulk Hogan’ Bollea, you wouldn’t have had the Rock N Wrestling Connection and you might not have had a WrestleMania I, not to mention, 24 of them. Hogan is the most charismatic wrestler of all time but he is also probably one of the worst in ring workers ever. His personal problems aside (divorce, Nick in Jail, Brooke can’t sing), he could be 100 years old and go out at a WWE event and still get a huge pop; just like Bret Hart could and so could Stone Cold Steve Austin. I would have liked to have seen Hogan drop the WWF belt to guys like Dibiase, Savage, Rude, and Hennig back in the late 1980s. Even in not doing so, he is still respected by millions of fans worldwide.

Respect. That’s what I also believe is the absolute one thing that fans should at least show Hogan in the ring. Again, there’s a whole laundry list full of crap that people can easily hate on the man for (and it’s honestly just a waste of breathe just to repeat them again), but that isn’t an excuse for people not to show him the respect that he should be due. He’s had such an indescribably huge impact on the wrestling industry that it can really be said that if it wasn’t for him, there wouldn’t be such a thing as “sports-entertainment”. So you can hate and spit on the man all you want, just be sure to give Hogan the right props when you see him in the ring.

HULKAMANIA IS DEAD! (Guest) comments:

What a load of crap! You can talk about the glory days of Hulkamania all you want, but at the end of the day it doesn’t change the fact that Hogan is still an egotistical, self-serving prick who can’t accept the fact that nobody cares about him anymore.

Hogan doesn’t give a damn about anybody else in the sport of professional wrestling except himself. Even after his glory days of bodyslamming Andre The Giant and all that other fancy stuff, he has nothing to show for his wrestling career other than a truckload of money and a laundry list about as tall as The Big Show of all the enemies he has made. And you wonder why he’s resorted to putting his spoiled rotten family on TV and hosting a third-rate version of American Gladiators.

Well, I can rightfully assume just by the name “HULKAMANIA IS DEAD!”, that this person has some significant hate toward Hogan to say the least. What was said above is a perfect example of how people hate on Hogan. Instead of judging him based on his accomplishments and what’s he done for the wrestling world as a whole (selfishly or not), they jump to point out either A) the drama that he’s had backstage or B) his personal outside life. Sure American Gladiators kind of sucks and sure his family seems like spoiled brats to you, but WHAT THE HELL DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS? If a famous athlete gets in trouble with the law or simply acts like a jackass post-career, it shouldn’t erase the memories that happened when they had happened. I’m not saying that Hogan is a saint by any means, but please don’t hate on him based just on everything that happens outside the ring.

Let’s now talk all about Vince.

Why People Hate On…Vince Russo
-Hate his “Crash TV” style of booking which includes: too many gimmick matches, run-ins, etc.
-Responsible for some of the craziest decisions made in recent wrestling history (aka actor David Arquette winning the WCW title)
-For currently burying TNA with his booking decisions

My Reasoning for Not Hating On…Vince Russo
In general, it seems like wrestling fans have always disliked the name “Vince”. When spoken to some, it brings either a cringe or an angry stare from people’s faces. The reasons for this are pretty simple. One is because of it being the first name of the current owner of the WWE, whom some dislike for his ego, unpopular decisions, and overall reputation. While the other reason is because of it being the first name of one of the most hated bookers/writers perhaps of all time. His last name is Russo.

For those who aren’t in the know about who Russo is or the reasons surrounding his bad rep, let me give you a quick history lesson. Vince Russo started off working for the WWE back in 1996 as a regular writer for their monthly magazine. Eventually Russo was given a main spot on the Monday Night Raw writing/booking team, which helped determine the matches and overall direction of the company, and that’s when he made his mark in history. When the company was facing all-time low ratings, Russo wanted to create a different type of style that would set the WWE apart from the rest. This is when what people have dubbed “Crash TV” was born. Russo’s writing took what was considered traditional in the wrestling world and added a new controversial, edgy twist to it. This new look and feel for the company was labeled as the “WWE Attitude Era”. Under this era, Russo helped create characters such as the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, pushed for controversial antics like Goldust’s cross-dressing and DX’s crotch-chopping and started memorable feuds like the Undertaker vs. Kane series and the epic Stone Cold/McMahon war. All of these elements automatically placed the WWE on top in the Monday Night Wars with competitor WCW and changed the way the company did business from that point on.

So at the peak of this success, Russo (along with writing partner Ed Ferrara) left the WWE due to some internal disputes and defected to WCW in 1999. When he arrived, Russo attempted to take the same style that he made a name from and apply to the struggling WCW. This is when the severe hating on Russo began. Starting from Russo’s first day, people started noticing the significant differences in WCW with some liking it and many simply hating it. Along with some questionable storylines (“The Powers That Be”) and booking decisions (multiple title changes, confusing gimmicks and short title reigns), the two most controversial things that ultimately angered and then turned fans off were with the major “New Blood vs. Millionaires Club” angle, in which younger wrestlers such as Billy Kidman and Lance Storm battled with ring vets like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair to varied results, and the crowning of the WCW Championship to comedic actor and anti-ring savy David Arquette. While these definitely weren’t the only contributing factors to the company’s demise, a lot of people lay some of the blame on Russo’s head.

A couple of years after WCW’s death, Russo joined up with the up-starting TNA Wrestling. He was again hired on a head writer, but also added himself in on a more on-screen role with teaming up with the likes of A.J. Styles and Jeff Jarrett. Once again, viewers had mixed reactions with some of the decisions that he made in his initial run there (S.E.X. faction, bringing in older wrestlers in limited roles). So after doing so much work for some many companies, Russo took a break from the wrestling world, became a “born-again” Christian, and eventually came back to TNA when he resides as one of its current head writers. Even with the ups and downs Russo has gone through with each of his employers, a lot of wrestling fans STILL carry the same hate that they’ve had against the man for several years and now currently blame for the pitfalls in TNA.

So here are the questions that I have for all of the haters. Why is everything remotely gimmick-like, “over-booked”, and not liked in TNA, WWE, or any other company labeled “Russo-type booking”? Why is every single booking misfire in TNA currently Russo’s fault? Why do so many people, particularly those from the IWC (internet wrestling community), constantly hate on Russo for every single misfire that he’s had, but never mention ANYTHING good that he has done so far?

First of all, people need to remember the good Russo has done in the past. The man helped usher in the groundbreaking WWE Attitude Era. The same time that a lot of people have said helped pulled them into being full-fledged wrestling fans. And the same time in which legends like Stone Cold and the Rock blew up in the spotlight. In his WCW run, while people generally hated on the direction Russo took it in, you can’t take away from the fact that the man had A LOT of (excuse my language) balls to make the creative decisions he did. Sure the David Arquette title reign was one of, if not, the worst in wrestling history, but to take chances like he did sometimes resulted in very good results (Booker T/Jeff Jarrett title runs, the New Blood push with having younger talent like Lance Storm and Kidman main-eventing). And this brings us to the good that he’s trying to do in TNA.

While he may have had some bumps in the road with his first TNA stint, Russo came back to the company reportedly with new eyes. Instead of using the same “shock value” tactics he’s used before, he wanted to help TNA push itself forward by establishing its brand name and developing the wrestlers’ individual characters, which are the things that people often hate on. Fans see things such as the King of the Mountain match and characters like Stone Cold Shark Boy and automatically call out Russo’s name in blood claiming that he’s bringing the company down. Regarding characters, he even say in a past interview (read here) that it is his job to give everyone a vehicle to help get themselves over and give them the right opportunity to do so. But with these decisions (which by the way aren’t just made by Russo, but also other people in TNA), people need to realize that all he’s trying to do in TNA is help, not destroy or ruin it.

Good Reasons to Love…Vince Russo
Creating Unforgettable Moments with “WWE Attitude” Era

All the hate in the world can’t take away the fact that Russo had help start one of the best times in professional history with the “WWE Attitude” era. In his time with the WWE, he helped create characters like the Rock and Degeneration X and orchestrated the memorable Stone Cold/McMahon war and the Undertaker vs. Kane brotherly feud.

(Undertaker vs. Kane Feud)

Taking Unpredictable Risks In WCW

For his stint in WCW, Russo should be given kudos because he had the balls to take unpredictable risks and not fall into the mold of the same old crap. People complain about companies often doing the same old booking over and over and when Russo shocks everyone by doing something unexpected it makes people cringe, stare, and more importantly take notice. A big example of this in WCW was with the Millionaires Club/New Blood feud which had the mainstay cruiserweight Billy Kidman vs. the legend Hulk Hogan

(Hogan Vs. Kidman Skit)

Helping Establish TNA Brand

Russo have stated before in the past that the main thing he wants to do help TNA push itself forward and get to the top. One major way of doing is to help establish who TNA is and push who they are as a brand. With their current “Cross The Line” slogan, TNA is trying to state that their characters don’t fall into the same old mold of “good and evil”, but instead are a very varied bunch of different characters and personalities.

(TNA “Cross The Line” Promo)

Overall, haters need to finally let go of their stored hate of Russo and look at the positive points in his career. People need to stop nitpicking his every single past mistake and need to stop blaming him for everything horrible in TNA all on his shoulders. Vince Russo is definitely one of the most creative and most controversial wrestling writers ever and really shouldn’t be cursed or damned for everything deemed “Russo-like” by people who don’t even know what exact decisions he makes. So PLEASE stop getting so angry with the mention of the name of “Vince”. Well not every “Vince”, just really the one with the last name of Russo.

On The Next Episode of…”Please…Don’t Hate”
As if the haters weren’t already heated up after this topic, I turn up the heat even more next week. In part 2 of the “Haters’ Haven” series, I talk about one of the most controversial topics of wrestling discussion since the day this idea was born. I look at the WWE’s revisioning of “The New ECW”. I can already hear the boos now.