Vince Russo Shares His Personal Opinions Towards Dirt Sheets, McMahon, Cornette, & More

In a new exposé on his official website, PyroandBallyhoo.com, Vince Russo shares his personal opinions towards “dirt sheets,” Vince McMahon, Jim Cornette, Bret Hart, the Montreal Screwjob, his time in WCW, WWF, and TNA, among many other topics. Russo was asked 101 questions by fans (some haters), and he answers all of them openly and honestly, sharing some thoughts transparently for the very first time.

Below are a few of the topics Russo touched on and his responses for each.

The only reason you did anything good in WWE was because Vince McMahon was your filter. 

A myth. While all the shows were bounced off Vince for final approval, Vince never changed what Ed and I wrote. He just “tweaked” some things within the segment. If Vince is “the filter”, then how do you explain where ratings are today, compared to when Ed and I were writing the show? And—the ratings have been in the 3-range since 2002.

You have no respect for the business!

If I had no respect for it, would I have put 20 years in it? Really a foolish question.

You killed WCW!

Yup, the 9 months that I was “actively” working there. What a great accomplishment, to take down Ted Turner in nine months all by my lonesome. Very proud of that. Another foolish, uneduacated remark made over the years. WCW closing shop was strictly a business decision that came from the top. Executives who just didn’t want to be in the wrestling business. Had nothing to do with what was being “written” on TV. That notion alone is a joke.

Fire Russo! [Clap. Clap. Clap clap clap.]

Can’t wait to use that on a t-shirt. MONEY!!! First time that chant started, it was with an electrified cage match that was ALREADY BOOKED by the creative team prior to me joining them. In other words—I had nothing to do with it.

What is your obsession with “on a pole” matches??? Judy Bagwell on a Pole Match!? 

There is no obsession. Never did pole matches more than I did cage matches, or anything else. Another foolish, unsubstancial myth created over the years.

Why does Jim Cornette hate you so much? 

Ask Jim Cornette, I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell you. I would think it all goes back to when he, Vince and I worked together, and Vince eventually chose me over Jim, making it a two-man creative team. That would be my guess.

Have you and Jim EVER gotten along?

I thought we did when we first started working together. But again—you have to ask him.

What are YOUR true feelings on Jim as a person? 

I have no personal issues with him. Different strokes for different folks. I do know that Jim is VERY passionate about what he does—and I understand that.

What do you think of Jim Cornette’s career and his “mind for the business”? 

He has a great mind for the business, but, the business changes on a daily basis.

Could you respond to this Bret Hart quote from 2009 (courtesy of Ministry of Slam radio show): “I think they should take Vince Russo and hang him by the neck somewhere in the back of the parking lot.”

Had many conversations with Bret at WCW, never said anything like this to me. If Bret did indeed say it—then I don’t understand it. I think the world of Bret Hart. Keep in mind, many things have been said about me behind my back—never to my face—so it’s hard for me to really understand the reasoning behind it.

Did you know Roddy Piper was going to cut the promo in TNA and say what he said (in regards to Russo being part of the reason Owen Hart’s death occurred)?

I had no idea. I didn’t even know he was at the building.

Was it scripted for you to come out there?

Not at all. Nobody knew I was coming out—including me. It was just a knee-jerk reaction on my part because I wanted Roddy to just stop talking.

How do you respond to Roddy Piper (and Jim Cornette) saying you caused Owen Hart’s death?

That’s just sad. Really, really sad. Nobody wants to know the facts—here they are: the PPV was already written–there was NOTHING written in the format about Owen descending from the top of the arena. As I was at my desk finalizing the show, I received a called from Steve Taylor, who was head of building operations for the WWE at the time. Steve had been with the company since day 1. Steve told me that he had received a call from the company that descended Sting for WCW. He said that they were coming to the PPV, and they wanted to know if there was anything they could do to show us how they work. As Steve spoke, I went up and down the format and saw Owen’s name. It ran through my head that it might be cool for Owen and his character to have a super hero entrance, and be descended from the top of the arena. So I suggested that to Steve—Steve said OK and called the company back. THAT’S HOW the situation went down. It was NEVER written into the show until I received that call from Steve. Nobody thought twice about it at the time. Owen NEVER even hinted that he had any issues with anything. As a matter of fact, I saw him that day after rehearsal. He said everything went fine, and he was just wondering if he could make his entrance first before the Godfather’s. I told him no problem–and that’s what we did. I loved Owen hart–LOVED HIM. I have never worked with anyone else like him IN MY LIFE. For Piper and Cornette to make those comments is just DEMENTED and SICK. How anybody can even be capable of making those kind of statements is beyond me. But yet–I worked with Roddy after that at TNA, and he NEVER, NEVER said anything to my face. And, for the record–neither did Jim.

Ric Flair doesn’t have kind words for you either when talking about his time working with you in WCW. What was your experience working with The Nature Boy?

I loved every second of it. Again, while we worked together Ric never said ANYTHING negative about anything. It was HIS IDEA for me to shave his head. I gave his son, David, the most exposure he ever had in his career. We put his younger son Reed on TV. What more did Ric want? Again—nothing was ever said to me to my face by Ric—even when we worked together later at TNA.

How would you explain the “death of WCW”? What caused it in your mind, how bad was it in the end, etc.? 

I believe the decision to sell WCW was strictly a business decision by the higher-ups at Turner. For whatever reason, they no longer wanted to be in the wrestling business and it had absolutely nothing to do with the product that was on the air at the time. It was all strictly business. As far as how bad it was in the end, I wasn’t there for the last three months. I was at home dealing with post-concussion syndrome.

Kevin Kelly said you “spoiled the well” in TNA. What’s his beef with you?

How was the well spoiled when after Jeff Jarrett left, and I was given more creative power, the ratings/audience hit an all-time high at TNA. And, don’t get me wrong—Matt Conway who was working with me was a huge part of that. At one time we had over 2 million viewers. So, exactly what well Kevin is talking about, I don’t know.

Mark Madden buries you constantly in his editorials. What was your experience working with him in WCW and why does he bury you so much?

We had a great relationship. I think Mark talks to SHOCK people. Again, if he does indeed have a beef with me, he’s never said anything to my face. just from behind his computer where I guess anything goes.

What is your memory of The Montreal Screwjob and what did you or didn’t you know about the plans before the match? What is your take on the whole situation, meaning: which side are you on? 

The story is just too long to go into. It’s a whole chapter in one of my books. To this day, I think Vince did the right thing because at the end of the day, he was trying to protect his company. It’s not that Vince didn’t trust Bret, he didn’t trust Eric Bischoff who had just signed Bret to a contract. I suggested the finish that you saw to Vince, only after Vince had exhausted every other possible scenario to Bret—that he turned down. A few days after the incident, I called Bret and tried to explain the situation to him. But again, despite our history, I stand behind Vince on that one.

Val Venis castration, super-soaker ejaculation – heck, the whole Val Venis character. 

When I had to come up with a gimmick for Sean, he reminded me of a porn star. That simple.

The “Attitude Era” was a blatant ripoff of ECW!

Yeah, I hear that a lot. I knew of ECW, and had maybe seen a handful of shows. No offense, but what they were doing at the time had no impact on me whatsoever during the birth of the “Attitude Era”. Here’s a great story of how the “Attitude Era” actually started. It was Vince’s birthday—I had to get him something. What do you buy a millionaire? So, I bought him a T-Shirt that said, “Keep your ATTITUDE to yourself—I have enough of my own.” That was literally weeks before the “Attitude Era” was born.

What is your reaction when you read/hear Heyman receive so much praise and being called a creative “genius”?

I think early on that Paul did a very smart thing by “working” with the “IWC”. I never did that, and maybe it was a mistake. But, it’s not that I didn’t do it because I didn’t care about them, it was more that I was just so focused on writing a show 52 weeks out of the year. Paul was smart to get the PR, I was just really concentrating on doing my job. It wasn’t my concern to get good publicity for the WWE. Other people were paid to do that.

What impact do you think the dirt sheets have had on the wrestling business as a whole?

They completely changed the business SINGLE HANDEDLY. They took it from kayfabe, to everybody knowing everything. Because of that—we had to change our philosophy because now, everybody knew everything.

Do you RESPECT the dirt sheets as a whole? Why or why not?

Very few members. Why? It’s real simple — out of all the BS said about me over the past 20 years, I can count maybe 1, or 2 instances where I was actually “contacted” for a response. They wrote whatever they wanted to write because there was no accountability. Just like they said a few weeks ago that I was under contract with TNA. Even with all the rumors concerning my status of late—NOBODY—has picked up the phone to ask ME. How can you respect that?

Do you read the dirt sheets?

Honestly? When I’m working on my computer, and I just need to step away from what I’m writing–I’ll pop on. You have to understand, since so many mis-truths have been written about me, it’s hard for me to really look at those sites with any legitimacy. You just never know what’s true, and what’s inaccurate.

What was the “real” Vince McMahon like?

WOW—not too many people know. When you get past all the layers, and there’s a level of trust, you see a Vince that very few see. A guy that never grew up, and was still a kid at heart in many aspects. That wasn’t a good thing—it was a great thing. I loved those times I got to spend with the unguarded Vince. I actually miss them.

Have you ever seen Vince vulnerable?

Very few times—very few. Vince is an extremely strong—emotionally—human being. Nothing scares him, he backs down from nothing. I can tell you that the days after Owen passed weren’t good for Vince. But, they weren’t good for anybody.

Were you ever intimidated by any wrestlers you worked with? If so, who?

This is weird—yes. The only person that I ALWAYS felt a bit intimated by was Kevin Nash. I’ve never said that to anybody before—including Kevin. The truth is—I could never put my finger on it. Kevin and I always got along, never had an argument, but for some reason he just intimidated me. Maybe it was that combo of  just being a physical opposing force—while being extremely intelligent at the same time.

Were you ever physically threatened by any wrestlers?

Yes. Shawn threatened me once by saying, “I know I can take you”, which was his “funny” way of threatening me, and Goldberg made me feel uneasy once. That’s about it, and that’s ridiculous on all our parts because at the end of the day it’s just business—nothing is personal.

What do you see in your future as far as pro wrestling is concerned?

I don’t know. I don’t think about it. I love what I’m doing now perhaps more than anything else I’ve ever done. But, I’m open. If somebody approaches me, and RESPECTS me for what I’ve accomplished in this business, and I can help them in anyway—who knows? First and foremost I’ve been a lifelong fan of this business—I want to see it thrive again, I really do, so if anybody thinks I can help them with that—-I’d listen to what they had to say.

Do you consider yourself a “victim” of false accusations, misinformed people, personal agendas against you, ect., and do you ever say to yourself,  “This just isn’t fair”? 

The answer s YES. But, what really is far in life? I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t hurt at times. I gave everything I had to the wrestling business—EVERYTHING—and in some instances I paid dearly for it. To this very day, I’ll never forgive myself for missing my son Will’s first home run. That has stayed with me to this day and he is 27 years-old now. The time I spent away from my wife, Amy, while she was actually raising 3 kids on her own, because her family lived a thousand miles away. She married me, and came with me to New York, leaving everything behind, and in a way I abandoned her. I hate myself for that. And honestly—I look at it and what did I get in return? I’ve dealt with depression for 2 decades because of the wrestling business—so—you have to ask yourself “why”? But the answer to that question is the people who are reading THIS. The people who supported me from day one, and never left, because they “got it”. That is the payoff I have today, and without them . . . I just don’t know.

Do you think your legacy — or the way people sum up your career — will ultimately be a positive one years from now, or do you fear a handful of things (ex: Arquette) will always overshadow the good things you contributed?

You know, I really hate to say this—but, I’m proud to say that while he was alive, I was a friend of the Warrior’s. The truth is, that many of the people who put him over NOW—wouldn’t even give him the time of day when I was working with him. That is the truth—sorry. Now, in his passing, he was “the greatest guy that ever lived”! So yeah—-I guess I will be too. Sad.

Are there ANY creative decisions you made that you’re willing to admit were simply bad? If so, which ones stand out? 

I think I’ve already stated a few—rising casket with Abyss/Sting, dog kennel match BossMan/Al Snow. Those two come to mind. I’m telling you, I wrote so many shows that they just came and went so fast—I really don’t remember much.

Even further, if you knew then what you know now, would you have ever gotten into the wrestling business at all?

No, I wouldn’t have. There has been more heartache than joy—by far. It’s a dirty business, with a lot of dirty players. Much of it was not fun for me, but, it was a job and how I made a living.

Editor’s Note:
I could seriously read or listen to the stories this man has all day.