Vince Russo is a controversial figure in the wrestling world. There is nobody that is as divisive a figure as he is, except for maybe Vince McMahon himself. He was partly responsible for the biggest boom in wrestling history with the Attitude Era. He was also entirely responsible for the downfall of WCW, and the near-closure of TNA afterward.
It's an understatement to say that he has done some very crazy stuff over the last several years. Not many people in the industry today regard Russo as an authority, but his words still help paint an accurate image of him. Russo is also a very outspoken individual, who has said multiple outlandish things over the past few years.
10 Thought The Referee Stoppage In The NXT TakeOver: Rival Main Event Sucked
The main event of the NXT Takeover: Rival was the NXT Championship match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The match played off the intense rivalry the two have had for years, and had a level of heat only the greatest of rivals had. The match was unsettling, with Owens being declared the winner by referee stoppage, in what felt like a mercy to Zayn.
Russo stated that the match ending was stupid, as he didn't believe on as to why 'a referee would stop a match that isn't real'. He continued, saying that the match should have had a different ending.
9 Thought Tony Khan Crossed The Line When He Tweeted About Jon Moxley's Rehab
Jon Moxley entered a rehabilitation facility on November 2, 2021, in what was a shock to many people. The news was revealed by AEW President Tony Khan, who tweeted about the news on his official Twitter account. The news was shocking, and was treated with the utmost seriousness as a news this somber can be treated with.
Vince Russo slammed this announcement though, stating on Twitter that Khan was 'crossing the line' on tweeting about this situation, and stated that he will be going off on Khan in his podcast. He apparently did not notice that Tony Khan stated in the very start of the tweet that he got permission from Mox to post the news.
8 Said David Arquette Was More Over Than Kevin Owens Will Ever Be
Kevin Owens as Universal Champion didn't quite live up to its potential. His run as champion was entertaining though, and the partnership he developed with Chris Jericho made for must-watch television every week.
Continuing with his animosity against the Prizefighter, Vince Russo thought that Kevin Owens was a horrendous champion from a business perspective. He then went on to say that David Arquette was 'more over' as a world champion than Owens will ever be. David Arquette is widely regarded as the worst WCW World Heavyweight Champion ever, who was given the belt despite him not wanting to win it himself.
7 Claimed He Wrote Episodes Of Raw By Himself
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During one of the episodes of his podcast, The Brand, he claimed that he used to write episodes of Monday Night Raw by himself, with no other input during his time as Head Writer. He claimed that he did not receive any input from Vince McMahon, who he said had trusted him so much that he trusted Russo with writing the shows himself.
This statement goes against nearly every report and knowledge that has been uncovered about Vince McMahon's creative process and writing. Vince McMahon was always noted to be an integral aspect of creative, with all decisions going through him before going live.
6 Believes Fans Dislike Him Because He Prioritized Entertainment Over Wrestling
Vince Russo believes that he receives hatred online by professional wrestling fans because he chose to prioritize entertainment over in-ring action during his time as a writer. He stated that he wrote for the casual audience, who are not fans of wrestling already.
His points do not make sense, and reveal his flaws as a writer. He is choosing to disregard the audience that is already invested in the product, and gearing it towards an audience that has to be convinced in order to watch wrestling. That also does not discount the fact that people dislike his booking because it never made any sense in the first place. His time at WCW and TNA stand proof of that.
5 Thinks Bryan Danielson's Yes Kicks Are Stupid
An integral part of Bryan Danielson's offense are the Yes Kicks, which have helped him win some of the biggest prizes in wrestling. Danielson is seen by many other wrestlers as one of the greatest wrestlers ever, and is widely respected among fans and peers.
Vince Russo does not think so, and even thinks that Bryan's Yes Kicks are stupid. Calling himself a normal guy on TV, he stated that the moves are unrealistic, and are so bad that he'd change the channel.
4 Offended That Sasha Banks Dislikes Bra-and-Panties Matches
On September 5, 2016, Sasha Banks made a promo detailing some 'bad news', and during the segment, spoke about the evolution of women's wrestling from the darker days of bras-and-panties matches.
Vince Russo was offended that Banks spoke lowly of the bra-and-panties matches, and defended the controversial match type. He thought Sasha was disrespecting the women who had to participate in those matches, even though she spoke exclusively against how they were booked.
3 Admits He Tried To Sabotage TNA's Deals With Pop TV and Destination America
In late 2015- early 2016 TNA was in a bit of a shuffle as to where their show was going to air, and on what time it would do so. It was then airing on Destination America, and would subsequently move to Pop TV on January 2016.
Vince Russo then wrote to both Destination America and Pop TV in an effort to try and sabotage Impact's deals, and get a job as a consultant for the network. Even more baffling was that he revealed this information in an interview with former wrestler Disco Inferno.
2 Thinks The Attitude Era Was Successful Because Matches Were 5 Minutes Long
Vince Russo took to his Twitter to state that the Attitude Era is better than current-era wrestling, solely due to the fact that matches lasted for 5 minutes according to him. In a rant against Vince McMahon and Tony Khan, Russo said that the Attitude Era had 5-minute matches, while now they have 15-minute matches which is why ratings are going down.
He said the solution was simple, implying that he was the solution, and telling them to get a clue and re-approach the crash-style television he wrote.
1 Says WWE Wanted To Book An OJ Simpson Match
In an episode of his show Something Else to Wrestle With, Bruce Prichard spoke about how Vince Russo wanted to book an angle with OJ Simpson, and a match between him and Fred Goldman, the father of one of the victims. Prichard also notes that Vince and Roddy Piper were the main proponents of the angle, with the match being between Piper and OJ. He does say that Russo wanted OJ to face Fred, with Fred having a weapon in his corner.
Russo goes on to deny any involvement in the idea, and placed all the creative on WWE itself. It is hard to know the exact involvements, but it is hard to deny that this sounds like something Russo would have thought to book.