Alright, it is now official. Vince McMahon is legally insane. It all started with the XFL debacle. The catostrophic failure of his football franchise drove McMahon to depths of insanity not seen since Hannibal Lecter.
First, he blows the single easiest angle to book of all time (the WCW invasion), and he blows it in a big way, all because of some petty, political issues. He then brings in the nWo, and blows that angle. He pushes Hogan and Undertaker to the top of the card. He refuses to push young, OVER, talent to the top (*cough*RobVanDam*cough*). Finally, he blows the split angle so badly that a feud, which should of been booked to go for months (years, even), ends in 11 weeks. And please don't say how Smackdown and Raw are still seperate, because with Vince "owning" both of them, and Raw plugging Smackdown on their show, and vice-versa, that totally defeats the purpose.
But now, Vince had to top himself once again. He goes and hires Vince Russo. The man who many point to as delivering the final blow (well, actually several blows) to an already dying WCW now has complete creative control. There is almost no good that come from this. Let's see: On the positive side, Russo likes to elevate young guys, so guys like Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Edge, Christian, Lance Storm, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, and others should finally get that push. What other positives are there? Well, none.
Now for the negatives. Stupid, pointless swerves that serve absolutley no purpose in the long run. Vince Russo showing his face to the millions of home viewers each week (and you thought Vince McMahon was bad!). World title switches every week, including celebrity champions. Kelsey Grammer, get the polish ready, a shiny new belt is on it's way! Pointless T&A matches that do nothing for ratings and/or PPV buyrates. And gimmick matches? Let's put it this way, if you voted for the Douglas/Kidman Viagra on a Pole match as Match of the Year, than this is a dream come true. And speaking of matches, forget those nice, long, matches that you have been getting used to, because the Law of Russo states that any match over 3-minutes equals un-interested fans, who will turn of the television until they see what they really want. VINCE RUSSO on TV, cutting an interview, wrestling a main-event, or impregnating Stacy Keibler!
Will Russo's run be as bad as his WCW run? No. Vince McMahon is the guy who has final say on what goes goes on TV, and what goes in the garbage. Will this run be bad? Noone can say, but I wouldn't bet the house against it. If you thought Gewirtz' booking run, filled with vomit and urine was terrible, all I have to say is shut your eyes and brace yourselves. The ship is sinking. Captain McMahon has gone insane, and instead of thinking rationally, he has put someone even more insane in charge of the boat. Wave goodbye to McMahon's sanity. Wave hello to Russo's insanity. The ship is sinking. I'm just wondering how many rats will leave, before it's too late.
Originally posted by OMEGA Will Russo's run be as bad as his WCW run? No. Vince McMahon is the guy who has final say on what goes goes on TV, and what goes in the garbage.
That's the key, right there. Vince has flexed his muscles recently, and I think he's got the locker room under control. Nash et al know that Vince will fire SCSA, and they aren't nearly as valuable to the company.
And Russo knows, he will be watched closely, and Vince will be approving everything. And Russo needs to produce real results, and in quick order. So, fingers are crossed that this will get things moving in the right direction again.
PMMJ
"Nothing remains interesting where anything may happen." -H.G. Wells
You just said the problem though, they want quick results. Which means there's going to be insane amounts of hot-shotting since Russo needs to bump ratings to justify his return. Get ready for the WWE title to jump like a hot potato, and bringing the SWERVEZ~! Anything to try and get a one week bump in ratings.
I don't like the look of any of this.
Anyone remember the joy of seeing him bash the Undertaker's motorcycle with his sledgemhammer and doing no damage and being all like, "Mjolnir will not break thine cycle? I say thee NAY!" and dumping it off the stage. - Enojado Viento says the funniest thing I've ever read on Wienerville.
Originally posted by spf2119You just said the problem though, they want quick results. Which means there's going to be insane amounts of hot-shotting since Russo needs to bump ratings to justify his return. Get ready for the WWE title to jump like a hot potato, and bringing the SWERVEZ~! Anything to try and get a one week bump in ratings.
I don't like the look of any of this.
You just hit the nail right on the head. Swerves, hot-shotting, shoots. Russo gets off on all of that, and none of it does ANYTHING buisness. I mean, can you imagine some of the angles that we can look forward to now?
Rob Van Dam defeates Brock Lesnar to win the King of the Ring! But the next night on Raw, Brock is introduced as KOTR. IT'S A SWERVE! Brock says he hates RVD because he stole his pot. IT'S A SHOOT! But now Vince Russo comes out, and reveals that Brock doesn't smoke pot! WE'VE BEEN SWERVED AGAIN!!!
Call me in a couple of months when Russo is fired. Until then, I'll watch my Raw Prime Cuts video.
Hey...remember the Law of McMahon: Vince McMahon loves money and young women.
If it gives him money and young women, McMahon will agree to just about anything. Here's hoping that Russo PUSHES BENOIT and D'Lo to the top. I want nothing but D'Lo and Benoit fighting each other. And some Rock vs. Jericho matches.
That's it! Just book nothing but Rock, Jericho, Benoit, D'Lo and occationally TLC matches... I'M A GENIUS!
Ah, repitition...how I love the.
Bart: Hey, immigrants! Beat it! Country's full! Sailor: OK people, you heard the lady. Back into the hold. We'll try Canada. [the immigrants moan] -- "The City of New York Vs. Homer Simpson"
"That's what the Internet is for, slandering others anonymously" Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
Originally posted by OMEGA Will Russo's run be as bad as his WCW run? No. Vince McMahon is the guy who has final say on what goes goes on TV, and what goes in the garbage.
That's the key, right there. Vince has flexed his muscles recently, and I think he's got the locker room under control. Nash et al know that Vince will fire SCSA, and they aren't nearly as valuable to the company.
Big Vince may be the overseer, but don't forget he HAS been this whole time, and look where it's gotten us... Big Vince appears to have lost a sizeable portion of whatever it was that he once had. I don't think he'll do all that great a job of vetoing Little Vince's bad ideas. He doesn't seem willing to veto anyone else's...
Kansas-born and deeply ashamed The last living La Parka Marka: HE raised the briefcase!
Originally posted by ExtremeLuchadorCome to think of it D'Lo Brown was pretty much buried right after Russo left.
D'Lo was pretty much buried after he broke Droz's neck.
i would call it a lack in faith in his skills than a burial
the 2 were friends, and i know i'd be extra careful with a chum's life in my hands...and he wasn't. he must have been devistated that his good friend Darren will never walk again because of him.
"If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college." -Lewis Black "Yeah, fuck you E.T. you ungrateful dick." -BigDaddyLoco 5/20/2 "MAY PRE HOUSE THE SEAMY SIDE VOLITATION!!!" Warning from a "Flying Goku" Dragon Ball Z toy "I'm her sugar momma, which is ok, because I'm her sister." Connie French, and the funniest thing one of my customers has ever said to me "Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes." Pennsylvania State law
With Russo on board things certainly feel shaky. It certainly couldn't be a good thing, could it? What's that saying about a leopard and his spots?
Although, I've always felt that the WWF felt 'invulnrable' to me. Vince has the coin to keep the product out there through the bad times and at least for the last 20 years even if there's been a lull, a downswing, whatever; the company has always pulled out of it. Even if the recession has lasted a few years.
Maybe I'm naive, but I think if we weather the storm, we'll come out just fine as usual.
But that begs the question, why should we have to weather a storm?
Originally posted by OMEGAAlright, it is now official. Vince McMahon is legally insane. It all started with the XFL debacle. The catostrophic failure of his football franchise drove McMahon to depths of insanity not seen since Hannibal Lecter.
First, he blows the single easiest angle to book of all time (the WCW invasion), and he blows it in a big way, all because of some petty, political issues. He then brings in the nWo, and blows that angle. He pushes Hogan and Undertaker to the top of the card. He refuses to push young, OVER, talent to the top (*cough*RobVanDam*cough*). Finally, he blows the split angle so badly that a feud, which should of been booked to go for months (years, even), ends in 11 weeks. And please don't say how Smackdown and Raw are still seperate, because with Vince "owning" both of them, and Raw plugging Smackdown on their show, and vice-versa, that totally defeats the purpose.
But now, Vince had to top himself once again. He goes and hires Vince Russo. The man who many point to as delivering the final blow (well, actually several blows) to an already dying WCW now has complete creative control. There is almost no good that come from this. Let's see: On the positive side, Russo likes to elevate young guys, so guys like Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Edge, Christian, Lance Storm, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, and others should finally get that push. What other positives are there? Well, none.
Now for the negatives. Stupid, pointless swerves that serve absolutley no purpose in the long run. Vince Russo showing his face to the millions of home viewers each week (and you thought Vince McMahon was bad!). World title switches every week, including celebrity champions. Kelsey Grammer, get the polish ready, a shiny new belt is on it's way! Pointless T&A matches that do nothing for ratings and/or PPV buyrates. And gimmick matches? Let's put it this way, if you voted for the Douglas/Kidman Viagra on a Pole match as Match of the Year, than this is a dream come true. And speaking of matches, forget those nice, long, matches that you have been getting used to, because the Law of Russo states that any match over 3-minutes equals un-interested fans, who will turn of the television until they see what they really want. VINCE RUSSO on TV, cutting an interview, wrestling a main-event, or impregnating Stacy Keibler!
Will Russo's run be as bad as his WCW run? No. Vince McMahon is the guy who has final say on what goes goes on TV, and what goes in the garbage. Will this run be bad? Noone can say, but I wouldn't bet the house against it. If you thought Gewirtz' booking run, filled with vomit and urine was terrible, all I have to say is shut your eyes and brace yourselves. The ship is sinking. Captain McMahon has gone insane, and instead of thinking rationally, he has put someone even more insane in charge of the boat. Wave goodbye to McMahon's sanity. Wave hello to Russo's insanity. The ship is sinking. I'm just wondering how many rats will leave, before it's too late.
I have a few counter points.
About the Invasion. It sucked. Big time. But it wasn't just because of political issues. I still think it had a whole lot to do with injuries and timing. Austin just turned heel and needed face opponents. He was still getting pretty split reactions. On the night they tested HHH as a face, he tore his quad and was gone for a year. So they moved to Benoit and Jericho. But one month into that Benoit ruined his neck and was gone for a year. Rock was off making Scorpion King and wouldn't be back for two months. Jericho wasn't getting much of a face reaction. The top WCW names (Flair, Goldberg, Hogan, Hall, Nash, Sting) were all still under Time Warner contracts and WWE had no intent of buying those out at that time. I think they expected face HHH vs. Austin to carry the summer, and then Rock's return vs. Austin to carry them to X-8. It just didn't work out at all. The Invasion, which probably would have been starting about now if everything had gone according to plan, was rushed. It had no long term plan, and it was a miserable failure. Anyway, I think those factors had just as much to do with it failing as political games.
About Russo: There is no way Vince would have let Russo put the belt on David Arquette. There is no way Vince would have let a Judy Bagwell on a pole match happen. You said it yourself. Vince has final say.
Also 1wrestling was the only place that reported Russo had total creative control or whatever. WWE never said it. I think it is highly possible that 1wrestling had little idea what Russo's role was and then made something up to stir controversy. NO ONE would get removed from the top writing position in a company in one day. It just wouldnt happen.
A bunch of people do seem to think the WWE ship is sinking. I really don't think they are going away anytime soon. Things aren't good, but they would have to stay bad for a few more years before the company will be in danger of folding. WWE, as of last report, is still making revenue. WCW was losing millions of dollars. WWE is a company that focuses only on wrestling. Time Warner had bigger things going on than WCW. So as bad as times might be now, I don't think WWE is going to disappear anytime soon.
Originally posted by ExtremeLuchadorCome to think of it D'Lo Brown was pretty much buried right after Russo left.
D'Lo was pretty much buried after he broke Droz's neck.
i would call it a lack in faith in his skills than a burial
the 2 were friends, and i know i'd be extra careful with a chum's life in my hands...and he wasn't. he must have been devistated that his good friend Darren will never walk again because of him.
From the pictures I've seen, Droz is as much, if not more to blame than D'Lo. He wasn't in proper position for the powerbomb, which threw off the balance, which is why D'Lo fell.
Originally posted by ExtremeLuchadorCome to think of it D'Lo Brown was pretty much buried right after Russo left.
D'Lo was pretty much buried after he broke Droz's neck.
i would call it a lack in faith in his skills than a burial
the 2 were friends, and i know i'd be extra careful with a chum's life in my hands...and he wasn't. he must have been devistated that his good friend Darren will never walk again because of him.
From the pictures I've seen, Droz is as much, if not more to blame than D'Lo. He wasn't in proper position for the powerbomb, which threw off the balance, which is why D'Lo fell.
are there pics on the net? i never saw one pic of what happened and only had 2nd or 3rd hand information of what they "heard"
"If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college." -Lewis Black
"Yeah, fuck you E.T. you ungrateful dick." -BigDaddyLoco 5/20/2
"MAY PRE HOUSE THE SEAMY SIDE VOLITATION!!!" Warning from a "Flying Goku" Dragon Ball Z toy
"I'm her sugar momma, which is ok, because I'm her sister." Connie French, and the funniest thing one of my customers has ever said to me
If the most recent RAW is an indication of how Vince Russo's ideas are going to affect the WWE product, then I'm all for that!
Yeah, WCW was horrible in 2000. I know, because I watched it. But when Russo started with the company in '99, he did some really great things, including pushing Benoit to the moon.
Let's trust in McMahon to be the ultimate crap filter (or try to, anyway) and let Russo throw a few ideas around. God knows that what Russo has cooking couldn't possibly be worse than some of the stuff we've been subjected to over the past few months.
Originally posted by ekedolphinLet's trust in McMahon to be the ultimate crap filter (or try to, anyway) and let Russo throw a few ideas around. God knows that what Russo has cooking couldn't possibly be worse than some of the stuff we've been subjected to over the past few months.
But what's so special about Russo, though? Why's it have to be HIM? Why not you or me or somebody brand new who might have some NEW ideas? Why does it have to be Russo?
Originally posted by ekedolphinLet's trust in McMahon to be the ultimate crap filter (or try to, anyway) and let Russo throw a few ideas around. God knows that what Russo has cooking couldn't possibly be worse than some of the stuff we've been subjected to over the past few months.
But what's so special about Russo, though? Why's it have to be HIM? Why not you or me or somebody brand new who might have some NEW ideas? Why does it have to be Russo?
Surely due to the same reasoning as the return of Hogan, the nWo and the like: 'It worked before, why not try it again?'.
Originally posted by ekedolphinLet's trust in McMahon to be the ultimate crap filter (or try to, anyway) and let Russo throw a few ideas around. God knows that what Russo has cooking couldn't possibly be worse than some of the stuff we've been subjected to over the past few months.
But what's so special about Russo, though? Why's it have to be HIM? Why not you or me or somebody brand new who might have some NEW ideas? Why does it have to be Russo?
For the same reason guys like Buck Showalter and Jeff Torborg and Jim Riggleman keep being hired as major league managers. Bosses (Like Vince and his executive team) are lazy and conservative. Guys like Russo (and Showalter and Torbork et al) are known, are sure to be no worse than mediocre, and can't be called a risk. Most people don't take risks. It's why there have been like only 3 or 4 different african-american managers in baseball, even though 40-50% of the talent pool is. It's why the boardrooms of american companies (and I am sure this is true internationally, but don't have the data) are filled with like successfull, like-thinking caucasian executives (and a token african-american or {gasp!} woman. It's why baseball is losing market share, as is wrestling right now and stuff like hockey and even soccer are gaining.
This is the greatest post in the history of all great posts.
Originally posted by CRZ But what's so special about Russo, though? Why's it have to be HIM? Why not you or me or somebody brand new who might have some NEW ideas? Why does it have to be Russo?
Because none of us were planning on writing a book about the behind the scenes shite in the WWF.
This YouTube video hit some of the dirt sites of Monday's guest host Maria Menounos working in the ring. Honestly, for a celebrity interviewer, she's not bad at all. Better than Jay Leno, I'd say, though she lacks his quickness.