The world of professional wrestling is full of bizarre tales, wild rumors, and conspiracy theories galore. One such theory revolves around Vince Russo and his infamous time in World Championship Wrestling.
In 1999, Russo along with Ed Ferrara jumped ship from WWE to WCW as the Atlanta-based promotion hoped the duo would replicate their Attitude-Era success to boost the company’s falling ratings. However, that was not to be as Russo’s time in the promotion was marred by tumultuous behind-the-scenes politics and creative struggles.
Russo was initially appointed as the head writer and assumed creative control over WCW’s storylines and characters. He implemented his signature “Crash TV” style of storytelling, which often included intricate and convoluted plotlines, swerves, and shock value moments. Russo’s creative decisions were met with mixed reactions from both fans and wrestlers alike. Three months after his hiring, Russo left the promotion after refusing to work within a booking committee consisting of Kevin Nash, Terry Taylor, JJ Dillon, and Kevin Sullivan to curb some of his more outlandish decisions.
A year later, Russo was brought back and his ill-fated decision to put the World Title on David Arquette was disastrous for the promotion’s reputation. Later that year Russo booked himself to win the World Title to equal disapproval. Russo’s WCW tenure ended in late 2000 when he was removed from his position after he was unable to reverse the promotion’s declining fortunes and repeated conflicts with management.
This brief but calamitous time in WCW led to a bizarre conspiracy theory that Russo was sent to the promotion by Vince McMahon to “kill” it
Did Vince McMahon Send Vince Russo To WCW To Destroy It From Within?
Speaking on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet Russo was asked to clarify if the popular conspiracy surrounding his time in charge of creative at WCW was true.
Here’s the insanity. Anybody, and obviously, I would not be saying this, if I were not telling the truth. Anybody can look at WCW ratings, and they can look at the first three months before Vince Russo got there. Then they can look at the first three months when Ed Ferrara and myself started tearing down the building and building a new foundation.
When you look at those first three months, bro, the ratings are going up. The ratings were working, our plan was going according to exactly what Ed and I discussed. We gotta erase everything they’re doing. We’ve got to build new people, we got to build new stars. It was working perfectly. Then of course, bro, politics played its ugly head. I went home, you know, they brought in different people.
In the three months that we had built, after three months, bro, they had brought it right back down to where it was before we got there. Thus they called me back. Vince, we need you to get back here. Honest to God. At that point, when I went back, I knew we lost the audience. I knew there’s no way that there’s no way we’re gonna get the audience back.
We had them, we were building for three months, then they went backwards three months to the same crap they were doing. It’s done, it’s over. Obviously, I had to go back because I was contractually obligated. But I knew at that point, bro, we’re not going to get these people back again.
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