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Why turn to Russo when you have Goodson?

Chairshots
6-21-02

Russo Returns
WWE.com announced yesterday that former WWF head writer Vince Russo has been rehired and will return to the creative team. Before I begin my rant, let me first give a quick history lesson for those of you that may not know who Vince Russo is.

Once upon a time in WWF land there was a writer named Vince Russo. Russo takes full credit for creating the WWF "Attitude" campaign that helped turned the WWF back into a wrestling juggernaut and help bring about the end of WCW's reign. Russo was able to turn the WWF around by creating something he called "crash TV" which was basically an anything can happen style mixed with some nudity and profanity.

Russo is responsible for lame gimmicks like Pornstar Val Venis, The Godfather and his Ho-train, the demonic Undertaker and his Acolytes (that's what the "A" in "A.P.A." stands for), Too Cool and Rikishi, the bra and panties match, etc… But Russo was also the author of the Austin vs. McMahon storyline, Degeneration-X and the Rock vs. Mankind storyline, which were very successful.

Then one day Russo, feeling overworked and under appreciated, left the WWF and joined WCW as their head writer. Vince McMahon felt betrayed but moved on without Russo. Russo's arrival in WCW was greeted with great expectation but forces soon began working against him. Russo wanted more sex and profanity on the WCW shows but unlike the WWF, WCW had to answer to Time Warner's Standards and Practices.

In the WWF, all of Russo's ideas had to be approved by Vince McMahon before they went on the air, but Russo had the last word in WCW so all his ideas went unchecked. Fans were beaten over the head with lame gimmicks, childish humor and bad backstage skits. Worse, Russo made himself an onscreen personality and booked himself to win matches over other wrestlers like Flair and Hogan. In an effort to shock viewers, Russo even booked actor David Arquette to win the WCW world title. Without McMahon to answer to and butting heads with WCW management, Russo failed to achieve any success in WCW and was eventually let go.

And now, he's back in the WWE.

On the positive side, it does show that the WWE is still trying to fix their problems. But is Russo worth the trouble?

Russo has a history of problems with many people currently in the WWE. Jim Ross and Russo have never gotten along, and after Russo went to WCW he created a mean spirited parody of J.R. named "Oklahoma," a red neck manager with severe palsy on the left side of his face. Hulk Hogan had a lawsuit opened against Russo for comments Russo made after Russo beat Hogan on a WCW pay per view. Russo almost killed Booker T's career by giving him the gimmick of G.I. Bro. Paul Heyman has always denounced Russo, saying that he stole most of his ideas from ECW. Val Venis' career has never recovered since he was given the porn star gimmick. Mark Henry was booked by Russo to have sex with Mae Young, father her child which turned out to be a rubber hand. Any talks between the WWE and Bill Goldberg will probably come to an end because Russo and Goldberg really do not get along. Time Warner still has discrimination lawsuit open against them by Sonny Ono and a handful of other ethnic wrestlers for comments Russo made to the effect that American fans only want to see American wrestlers.

Obviously for the sake of his company's success Vince McMahon has put aside his differences with Russo, but Russo did stab McMahon in the back and then wiggle the knife for months afterwards by saying he was going to rebuild WCW to destroy the WWF.

So why bring back this controversial figure now? Because the WWF is desperate and they are trying to go back to a formula that once worked.

For months now the WWE has been trying to recapture the old Russo style of booking by having more bra and panties matches, Chuck and Billy: the ambiguously gay tag team, and Tommy Dreamer wrestle in his own vomit.

The flaw here is that none of those things have worked. Does anyone think that by bringing the "inventor" of lame gimmicks back they will some how stop being lame? Apparently Vince McMahon and the WWE do.

As of yesterday Russo's role on the WWE creative team was unclear. Russo had stated in the past that he would only return if he was given the same total control over WWE storylines that he had in WCW. The WWE wasn't saying what they offered Russo in order to get him back.

However, all of this ranting may be moot. 1Wrestling reported this morning that after a creative brain-storming session between Russo and the current writing staff, several staff members complained to Vince McMahon that Russo's idea wouldn't work. He has been removed from the creative staff and his new role with the company has not yet been determined. In fact, he may have already been fired, but that's just rumor.

So, true believers, stay tuned and see where the spinning wheel of backstage wrestling news takes us next week. After Austin's breakdown last week and Russo returning to the WWE this week, I can only predict that next week Andre the Giant will return from the dead and be revealed as the head of the al-Qaida network.

One other related note to consider is that Vince Russo announced a few weeks ago that he planned on writing a tell-all book about his career in the WWF. I wonder if he still plans on doing that.

Steve Austin News
Jim Ross was quoted in a recent article as saying that Steve Austin and Debra have "reconciled and are working things out." Austin did return to his home on Monday.

Jim Ross also had these words to say in his Ross Report about Austin, "I have not spoken to Steve Austin since his departure from WWE on June 10 but expect to within the next few days if all goes well. Even though no one here at WWE expects Austin back anytime soon -- and most would say "never" -- I would like to bring some closure to this issue on a personal level between the two of us. I still consider Steve a friend and, even though he made the single biggest mistake of his professional life by walking out on his commitments, I was raised that friends do not walk away from friends when the going gets tough."

Mysterio News
Speaking of Jim Ross, he also had some encouraging words about the future of Rey Mysterio Jr. this week. "Rey Mysterio Jr.'s ovation for his unadvertised dark match at our SmackDown! taping Tuesday night in Sacramento was amazing, and his contest with Funaki was simply off the page. Rey can ignite the cruiserweights, but I also feel he can "go" with virtually anyone on our roster. Rey's official debut, I assume, will be very soon. Rey has the ability to be a real player for WWE."

I drool at the thought of Rey's return.

Ratings
WWE Raw drew a disappointing 3.9 rating, which is down 0.3 from last week's 4.2 rating. Saturday's Confidential drew a 1.2 rating. Last night's Smackdown rating dipped to a 3.1 rating, the second lowest ever for the program.

NWA-TNA Pay Per View Review
Since I'm guessing only a few people actually ordered the NWA-TNA debut ppv, I thought I'd tell you that you really didn't miss much. If you're an old enough wrestling fan to remember WCW Thunder, the NWA-TNA ppv was like paying $9.95 to watch that. There were only a handful of wrestlers you'd recognize and probably only one of those that you actually liked.

There was a catfight between a handful of wrestling women that used to be hot. There were several tag teams that you wouldn't recognize that lacked the talent that would make you want to get to know them. Former WWE jobber K-Kwik (now named K-Krush) started a race feud against some NASCAR drivers. Country music "star" Toby Keith sang a horrible song about putting a foot (food?) in some arab's ass. There were actually two good matches, but one of them was between two midgets so it kind of disqualifies itself. The announcing team sucked, with the exception of Mike Tenay, and the production values were just as bad. Yep. Just like watching WCW Thunder.

I guess if you're interested in a WWE alternative it might be worth checking out, but only if you're really hard up. I can't imagine anyone paying 10 bucks a week to watch a 2 hour show any more than I can imagine NWA-TNA lasting more than two months.

King of the Ring Predictions
I've been averaging 7 out of 9 correct predictions over the last three WWE pay per views. King of the Ring doesn't look that complex on paper so if anyone wants to start making bets, let me know. Let's look at the card.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H - WWE Undisputed Title Match
Ratings have dropped since Undertaker won the belt, so Triple H winning the title is pretty much a no-brainer. Unless of course Vince Russo rewrites the show. In that case I predict David Arquette will win the title after it is revealed that the World Title is defended under the same 24 hour rule that the Hardcore belt is. Prediction - Triple H wins the title.

Hulk Hogan vs. Kurt Angle
This match is a tough call. Angle should win if there is any justice in the universe but never underestimate the power of Hogan's political power. Both men lost their last pay per view matches. The match could be good since Angle can carry almost anyone to a good match. Prediction - I'm going to flip a coin and say that Angle cheats to win even though he shouldn't need to.

Ric Flair vs. Eddy Guerrero
This match has almost no time to build up since Flair is really just taking Austin's spot. I mentioned on Tuesday that this match is a no win situation. If Eddy wins, it's no big deal since Flair has lost so many matches recently. If Flair wins, it kills Eddy's heat since he can't beat an old man (I say with all due respect to Ric Flair). Prediction - Good match with Eddy winning and Flair continuing to look old.

The Hurricane vs. Jamie Knoble - WWE Cruiserweight Title Match
I like the Hurricane. I think he's funny. However, if the WWE is serious about the Cruiserweight title having any meaning, they have to give it to someone new. That person should be the newcomer Jamie Knoble and he shouldn't lose the belt for three months.

Trish Stratus vs. Molly - WWE Women's Title Match
This is a stupid feud to begin with. Tazz actually called Molly "barrel ass" on Smackdown last night. Way to ruin a woman's career and self esteem with one pointless angle. Prediction - My prediction is that I'll get a sandwich during this match while Trish wins.

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho - King of the Ring Semi-Final
Rob Van Dam is already the Intercontinental champ so he doesn't need to win the King of the Ring. Jericho, however, hasn't had anything to brag about since losing the World title. Prediction - This should be a good match with Jericho winning and advancing to the finals.

Test vs. Brock Lesnar - King of the Ring Semi-Final
There is no chance in hell that the WWE is going to have Test beat Lesnar. There is also not much chance of this match being any good. Both guys only look good when beating up smaller wrestlers. Prediction - Lesnar wins a dull match.

Chris Jericho vs. Brock Lesnar - King of the Ring Finals
Hmmm. Maybe I've made a mistake somewhere since I've got two heels booked against each other in the final KotR match. Oh, well. I'll stick to my guns and say these two will fight in the finals. Lesnar doesn't seem like "royalty" to me and Jericho needs the win. Prediction - Jericho wins, gets some of his old heel heat back and goes on to fight for the World title at SummerSlam. Jericho winning also adds to his feud with Edge when Edge returns from the injured list.

Speaking of the injured list, I'm getting a writing cramp. I'll see y'all on Tuesday.

Michael Goodson