No the title of this weeks column (which will run in 2 parts for this week and the next) is not my personal opinion, it is merely the views of the man often “credited” for the downfall of World Championship Wrestling – Vince Russo. This man has been heralded for some excellent storytelling (mostly with the WWF) but also slated left, right and centre for some baffling and downright unbelievably bad wrestling television (WCW and TNA for example). Some of these criticisms are valid and some are simply people jumping on a bandwagon and looking for someone to give the blame to. There's no doubt about it however, Mr. Russo is one hell of a controversial figure in the professional wrestling industry.

I feel it's important to state here at the beginning that I have never met Vince Russo, I've never even talked to him. Your writer really does not have anything against the guy whatsoever. He's just another dude trying to earn a living and has actually probably been responsible for some of the best television I've ever watched in my life. Stone Cold running amok on the WWF hierarchy in the late 90's and Degeneration X taking shocking to a new level on Monday nights could all feasibly have been traced back to being Russo ideas (at least in part).

The man actually has a new book hitting the shelves in the very near future which I'm anxious to read. Hearing his own personal take on the dying days of World Championship Wrestling will no doubt be an utterly compelling journey. Hearing his current thoughts on Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment may just be as interesting. I've seen shoot interviews with him and he clearly comes across as a nice guy, just a nice guy with opinions which a whole lot of people don't really care for. Take this one for example, stated when he was effectively in charge of WCW:

OUCH. Somehow I think Rey Mysterio will disagree.. The mere thought that the average wrestling fan would tune out and stop watching a wrestling telecast because the man on-screen before him/her was from Japan or Mexico is laughable. There are bigots in this world, yes, but there is also proof that professional wrestlers who are not from the United States of America can get over in the big leagues of that country. A nice little example would be how over The Great Muta was in WCW at one time, even feuding with such stars as Sting and Ric Flair in the company.

Vinnie Ru has also been quoted as saying he 'lives and dies by logic' when storytelling in pro wrestling. This has perplexed many a fan who sat through his booking reign of WCW and some of his current work as chief writer for Total Nonstop Action wrestling. Continually pissing off the fanbase and confusing them to the point of turning the channel and never watching again seemed almost to be a business plan of the Atlanta-based federation. It has been said by many writers and also in the “Death of WCW” book that the booking was so at odds with what the audience wanted to see that it really did seem as though the men and women in charge were purposely putting on bad shows and writing completely nonsensical angles.

Bill Goldberg was one of the hottest commodities WCW had. His winning streak was something the fans could get behind and his aggressive, intense in-ring style was lauded as a breath of fresh air in the company. It should be noted that Goldberg's momentum had long since been destroyed before Vince Russo came anywhere near WCW. Kevin Nash seemed to put paid to that one himself when he was in charge. However, in mid-2000 the fanbase for the promotion were still chomping at the bit to cheer for Goldberg as an unstoppable monster of a man who, no matter what, they could count on to support. So what does Russo do? Oh you damn well know what's coming up! He turns the guy heel and literally kills the reaction of the crowds for good. Way to go. Why was this done? DUH stupid! Nobody saw it coming, it was the complete opposite to what the fans thought could happen. Never mind that it was the polar opposite to what they wanted to see, nobody could see it coming and that was what Vince Russo liked, shock TV.

Yes, shock television. The fans may not want to see it but by god, it'll surprise them! How about when Russo had Buff Bagwell come out for a match with LaParka on TV and act as though he was totally bored with the match? Even going so far as to grab an announcing headset at the end of the bout and proclaim - “Did I do a good job for you Russo?”. A 'job' in wrestling, as we may all know, is to lose a match. And herein lies the problem. WCW were effectively telling their audience that pro wrestling was not real. A fact which angered many due to the fact that we're not idiots and don't like to be treated like so. We all know it's 'not real'. The injuries may well be but we know the matches are predetermined and sometimes even laid out in advance. It's called suspending your disbelief. Who wants to watch wrestling when the promotion they are supposed to be buying into admits that it's all just an act? It's the equivalent of a horror writer reminding you every few sentences that the thrills on display in their book are not real and are simply a story. You want to get lost in the action and enjoy it for what it is, entertainment. This is one of the biggest mistakes I believe Vince Russo made when booking World Championship Wrestling.

ONE of the biggest mistakes but quite possibly not the worst mistake. I think you all know what that might be but we'll cover that and many more in next weeks column! For now however, TAKE IT HOME!