Vince Russo agreed to work with WWE and Vince McMahon in 2022 before the deal eventually fell apart.
After working in newspaper journalism and in radio, Vince Russo joined the WWF in 1992 as a writer for WWF Magazine. The New York native eventually became an editor and made the move to the creative team in 1996.
Russo became Head Writer just a year later and is widely credited with helping launch the Attitude Era and ensuring the WWF overcame WCW in the ratings war. However, the writer left for WCW in 1999 and it wasn’t long before controversy engulfed him, and his career faltered.
After WCW closed, Russo briefly returned to WWE in 2002 only to leave within two weeks before having a lengthy spell with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling.
Despite it being seemingly impossible that Russo would ever work for WWE again, according to the man himself it nearly happened.
Speaking in a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, Russo claimed he spoke with Vince McMahon shortly before the Executive Chairman was engulfed by allegations of sexual misconduct. The pair exchanged texts and Russo agreed to act as a consultant, although he had no interest in working on the road.
All seemed to be on track until Russo asked what he would be paid for his work, it was here where the deal came unstuck.
“I had a conversation with Vince McMahon, not a conversation, I don’t ever want [a conversation]. [It was] A text exchange text and an email, bro, literally months before the FDA’s came out. And I offered my consulting services, because I would never go back to wrestling on a full time basis. Never go out on the road. Never be with those politicians, never.
[What year are we talking about?] 2022. Yeah 2022. So I offer my consulting services, I will sit here, I will look at your show, I will tell you why people aren’t watching it. If perhaps you want me to work on a particular character, I’ll be happy to do that. I’m not coming to TV, I’ve got no interest in making this my job, right? So Vince wrote back and said, ‘Okay, I want you to watch Raw the next couple of weeks and send me your notes.’
I said, ‘Okay, what are you paying me for that?’ And he said, ‘Oh no, I’m not paying you for nothing. You know, you have to prove yourself.’ And I’m like, achieving the highest ratings in the history of your company wasn’t me proving myself? Vince, you know, things have changed, the audience has changed. And I just said Vince with all due respect. I don’t work for free, bro. Like, I’m in my 60s bro. I’m doing well on my own. I don’t have anything to prove to you. Because you know what I did. So I’m not doing this for free.”
Despite the exchange and McMahon’s apparent willingness for Russo to be involved, their discussions were over before they ever really began.
Russo explained that McMahon sent him back a “scathing” email, which he never replied to. The former WWE writer suggested that this was down to nothing more than ego on McMahon’s part.
“He sent me back this scathing email. ‘How dare you?! I would have jumped at the opportunity…’ And I didn’t even answer it. I didn’t even answer it. Because I’m like, Bro that’s ego like that. That is ego and I’m like bro, I’m not going to work for free in hopes of you taking me on as a consultant when your product absolutely sucks.
I was doing it because I hate having to watch the product, so if I could help improve the product, great. I wanted to do it on my terms where I’m not interested in working full time, and bro at the end of the day I could have helped you. I could have helped make that show better but I’m not doing it for free. And that was it. Like I said, bro, he wrote me a real nasty email that I didn’t even answer. I don’t have any interest in even consulting now, none.”
Vince Russo Claimed He’d Never Work For Vince McMahon
Shortly after the avalanche of allegations emerged regarding Vince McMahon, he “retired” from WWE, only to return in January. Speaking after McMahon’s return, Vince Russo stated that he couldn’t work for his former boss again following the revelations due to “ethics and morals.”
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