The Context

This is a long one, but if anyone can be the storyteller to help you get through the video, it’s definitely James E. Cornette. 

There is a lot here, even from the video’s length alone, but Cornette was speaking with author and former WWE employee Brian Solomon. When the subject of Vince Russo comes up, Cornette reads emails from 2021 between Russo and Vince McMahon that Guy Evans uncovered. Here is a transcript of the emails from Reddit for further context: 

From Russo: 

“Vince, I recorded footage for a WWE doc this past Friday. It was a great experience – everybody involved was professional and respectful. I know how busy you are, but I do hope you get the chance to see some of my comments. I honestly have no idea what I’ve ever done to never hear back from you all these years. While I’m not looking for a job, all I ever wanted to do was help out in any way I can.   Peace to you and your family.”

McMahon: 

“You haven’t done anything objectionable at all, Vince. Peace to your family as well.”

Russo then used this foot in the door to dig a little deeper and replied to McMahon with the following:

Russo 

“I’m very glad to hear that. Vince, I’d like to see if I can extend my services to you. We are both getting older, and I just always felt a sense of unfinished business between us. At this point in my life, I just want to give back to the fans, the industry, your company, your family, and you.   I’ve been watching Raw weekly for over seven years now. Part of my job as a professional podcaster is to observe it, critique it and discuss what I would have done differently. I watch the show from the perspective of a casual fan/television viewer – because that’s the perspective in which I always watched it.   I look at myself as the masses, and I study: what would the product need to produce to get my viewership on a weekly basis?   I fully believe that in any consultant role, I could be of great value to you. I could work directly with you, even if it meant just sending in my thoughts, ideas and insights on a weekly basis. However you think I would be most suitable in adding my 30 years of insight, knowledge and experience to your company and product.   Hope you give it some consideration. I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

McMahon:

“Yes. The only way I’m going to know if you can help us is for you to offer ideas or critique the show for a couple of weeks. This is not offering you a job. It gives me some ideas as to potential contributions.”

Russo:

“Vince, the success when I worked for you came with the shift of going from traditional wrestling to mirroring society at the time. Through characters and storylines, we made everything we did seem entirely realistic. That’s why casual fans bought into it by the millions. It was a television show based in reality – and they were hooked. It had something for everybody – it was must-see TV.   We’ve come full circle. Over the past 20 years, the WWE has once again veered away from that. Today, as a television viewer, I’m seeing a straight up wrestling show – really a house show. If I’m not into straight up, long, continuous wrestling matches…I’m not going to watch the show. It’s that simple.   Remember our pre-tapes? How we would leave the arena, find unique backstage spots? We made everything look and appear different within our own show. That kept it fresh. That’s why you’ve experienced a drop in viewership. The only ones watching are the hardcores. They will always watch – you need to get those casuals back.   …Vince, you trusted me once. It all begins and ends with reality. This approach will bring the casuals back – slowly but surely. 100% guaranteed. Tony Khan doesn’t have a clue how to do this. AEW is a wrestling company – they will only draw wrestling fans. WWE is a television conglomerate. That has always been the case. You need to once again draw and welcome in the masses.   In formatting, Vince, this week you went to commercial break twice – promoting two matches that no casual fan would ever care about. You gave the viewer the opportunity to change the channel – and they did. MLB playoffs and Monday Night Football were on. You really need to get back to the strong hooks going into commercial breaks, to ensure that you bring the viewers back. These matches, set up with weak hooks, turn them away.   …I know the formula to help bring back the masses. I knew it then – I know it now. I will look at this week’s Raw, and send you an assessment with some ideas.”

Russo, after a couple of days pass: 

“Is this a way for me to watch the show for two weeks, put all my time and energy into writing these detailed reports, and then for you to turn around and say, ‘Ah, Vince – I really don’t see anything here,’ so in your head, you can justify that the Attitude Era was you – and not me?”

McMahon: 

“That was a long time ago. I have no idea if you can do it now. We’re in a PG format. Things and people change.   You have a very high opinion of yourself – and a ton of failure at WCW.   I retract my offer to show me your suggestions for two weeks.   If I were you, I would have jumped for an opportunity like that. That tells me all I need to know. No need to discuss anymore. I wish you well, Vince – thanks for considering.”

Obviously, Cornette shits all over this and Russo as a whole. Solomon says it sounds like Fatal Attraction, which is pretty spot-on for the way Russo worked himself into a sense of disrespect because a billionaire CEO didn’t respond right away. Cornette and Solomon then talk about their experiences being in WWE when Russo came back for a day in 2002 and all the things they heard through the grapevine. Solomon worked for Shane at the time and goes into the problems Shane had with Hunter and Stephanie. Cornette concludes that Russo is almost too pathetic for words. 

Analysis 

It’s nice to have the emails verbatim. Far be it from me to defend Vince, but Russo comes across so desperate here. He went from saying he wasn’t asking for a job to immediately suggesting that in the following email. And in true delusional, petty fashion, he turns things into a pissing contest about who created the Attitude Era. As much as Russo wants attention, the fact that he’s never shared any of these emails on any of his platforms speaks volumes. 

The Clip

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