VINCE RUSSO: HOW DID HE DO IT?

Why hasn't any other writer/booker in the history of the business been able to match the success of Vince Russo's WWF run?

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Good old boys club.
Russo was never part of that club.
Even when his shit sucked it was still different.

So it was the uniqueness of the product in comparison to all that came before? What changed when he left?

They went back to the boring ole wressaling

bows down

ALL HAIL THE KING
THE KING OF KINGS

Russo's booking subverted decades of wrestling tropes that had been kept very traditional, and it was exciting, because they were twists on well-known formulas.

The problem is that when all you have is subbersion, your subversion starts to become boring tropes in themselves. In 2022, everything Deadpool has to say has been said. When Russo was there, Vince saw "subversion = $$$", and so they kept just trying to escalate and replicate what they had seen draw money at one point, to diminishing returns.

Your storytelling needs to have strong foundations so that twists actually mean something to the audience. WWE is all short term obvious tropes, no storytelling longer than 3 months.

I thought his worked shoot booking and promos were the best and most effective in TNA but in general he hot shotted the territories to the point it was hard to go back after.

He fucking sucks

he can save wrestlling

Better than Cornette

Russo is weird when it comes to hit later booking. He brought in slight ratings bumps for WCW and TNA but PPV, merch and Attendance dropped. Is it his booking that drives away big spenders short term or are the companies themselves just complete shit at marketing?

The popular narrative is that without Vince McMahon to filter his ideas he was lost and that's why he was so successful in WWF. That narrative is largely pushed by WWE itself so take that for what you will. I do believe he had some genuinely good booking and writing in early TNA and his early faction Sports Entertainment Xtreme were very over.

A lot of writers were getting over with that tv generation. Last of a dying breed, kids now want everything viral/easy to consume. Wrestling just can’t work or keep the pulse where it needs for that mindset of consumer.

Then why didn't any other wrestling writers get even close to his ratings? People are far too quick to dismiss Russo and his achievements.

the only man who could understand Vince McMahon mind

Company wasn't public yet.
McMahon saw him as his second son
Stephanie/Gaitch didn't have a stranglehold yet
Internet neckbeards hadn't hijacked the product
Everyone else before/since was a writer or fan but not both
Talent had leeway to tweak their characters

>That narrative is largely pushed by WWE itself so take that for what you will
The narrative becomes especially retarded when you consider some of the crap Vince and WWE came up with both before and especially after Russo.
The real redpill is that both Vinces were able to uniquely filter each others' retardation out and come up with some actual compelling television. Even that was a lightning in the bottle moment that lasted only around 2 years. By spring of 99 Russo was already starting to go full retard.

Preach brother

I concur with this comment

Its like everything these carnies put out about their history, documentaries and podcasts and the like, is revisionist and designed to make Vince look as good as possible