wrestling / News

Vince Russo Says “Vindictive” WWE Picked Baron Corbin as Kurt Angle’s WrestleMania Opponent As Way of Punishing Him For TNA

March 25, 2019 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
Kurt Angle Baron Corbin WrestleMania 35 Pat McAfee Vince McMahon

In an interview with 411’s Jeffrey Harris and the 411 Wrestling Interviews Podcast (which you can listen to below), Vince Russo talked about how he thinks WWE picked Baron Corbin to be Kurt Angle’s WrestleMania 35 opponent because they continue to want to punish Angle for jumping to TNA years ago, and said he believes WWE is a vindictive company.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with giving the fans what they want,” Russo said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with them doing it their way. Here’s what it has to do with, bro. I worked for the WWE, okay, so I’m not talking out of school here. They are a very, very vindictive company. They will personally embarrass, belittle, degrade, punish a WWE talent in total disregard to what the fans think, what’s the right thing to do. That’s exactly what they do. Bro, I know Kurt Angle. And look at the history of Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle left the WWE and went to TNA. That was Kurt Angle’s decision. Now bro, I’ve learned better than anybody, when you leave the WWE, and you leave them and it’s your choice to walk away, when you make that decision, you are blackballed. You are the enemy. Nobody walks away from us. We fire you. Nobody walks away from us.

So, trust me. The way I’ve been treated, I understand clearly, when you walk away on your own terms, you are the enemy. They will go out of their way to bury you and make you look bad. That’s exactly what they’ve done with Kurt Angle from day one. They brought him in as the authority figure. Stephanie McMahon cut off his nut sack every single week. Kurt Angle never got a payback. He had to sit there with his hand on his crotch. Finally, he’s going to have his last match, his last big match, and who is it against? Baron Corbin. That’s their way of getting back at Kurt Angle. They’re childish. They’re juvenile. That’s the way they’ve always been. That’s why I have zero interest in ever going back to that company again on a full-time basis because of things like this.

Thank god Kurt Angle is a pro. Kurt Angle knows what’s going on. Kurt Angle expected it. Kurt Angle had to beg them to even take him back. And thank god. I’m sure he’s making a lot of money and laughing all the way to the bank, but that’s just the vindictive nature of the WWE. That’s the way they’ve done business. That’s the way they’ve always done business.”

In the full interview, Russo talks about WWE botching how they booked Ronda Rousey from the start, if WWE should fear AEW, why he didn’t push Samoa Joe as the face of TNA in 2006, what exactly happened backstage with Triple H after the Kliq curtain call, why Triple H doesn’t have the right mind to change WWE, and more.

If using any news or quotes from our interview, please credit 411mania.com and please embed the podcast audio player or YouTube video of the full interview in your post.

Intro
WrestleMania weekend (0:17)
What match should go on last at WrestleMania (3:40)
How Ronda Rousey has been booked (7:20)
Baron Corbin being picked at Kurt Angle’s opponent (10:15)
If AEW is good for wrestling (14:00)
If WWE should fear AEW (15:35)
Why Samoa Joe wasn’t booked as face of TNA (18:10)
Triple H’s main event push and the curtain call (23:35)
Triple H’s mind for being a wrestling executive (26:38)
Triple H/Batista and Kofi Kingston storyline booking (29:00)