Everything You DIDN’T KNOW About WCW’s Final Days
16. Goldberg Started The Most Widely-Known WCW Conspiracy
Vince Russo was not a mole sent by Vince McMahon to kill off WCW once and for all.
Here’s the evidence against the conspiracy theory:
While Vince Russo was a controversy magnet that McMahon might have deemed too much of a liability, the media-hit pieces that resulted in Coca-Cola pulling its sponsorship were published months after Russo had already left in October 1999.
McMahon was notorious in the ‘90s for taking forever to drop unfashionable ideas - he pushed a patriotic babyface in 1997, of all years! - and there’s no chance he’d have willingly let Russo go, since the ratings were so stellar.
While he was an effective filter of Russo’s insanity, Vince rated his namesake highly, and why wouldn’t he? Again: look at the Nielsens.
McMahon loved performing Russo’s material. He had the time of his life during the Attitude Era.
As much as McMahon hated WCW, his WWF had hammered the yahoos down south for months on end. By the summer of 1999, it was no longer a competition, nor, one imagines, any of his concern.
Here’s the evidence for the conspiracy theory:
It’s funny, and if it did happen, it worked: WCW deteriorated even further under Russo’s management. The idea that McMahon knew Russo would be hapless without his editorial polish does speak to McMahon’s ego.
This almost certainly didn’t happen - but it wasn’t just hardcore wrestling fans, trying to rationalise Russo’s insanity, who have floated this theory. A major WCW star in Bill Goldberg actually believed this at the time and stated it in a radio interview with Mancow Muller in December 2000.