10 Insane Wrestling Stories Nobody Ever Talks About

5. Vince Russo: Total Nonstop Dumbass

Move Over Undertaker
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In which Vince Russo swerved...

...himself.

This outrageously dumb move poetically ended a career based primarily on subverting expectations, often for the sole, totally counterproductive purpose of mystifying his audience. That career had in fact already ended, because Spike TV, absolutely sick of his sh*t, forcefully removed him from his position as TNA head booker in 2012.

Swerve, bro - he was in cahoots with Dixie Carter! It was a set-up all along!

Yes, incredibly, Dixie Carter willingly drank poison from a bottle marked 'POISON - DO NOT DRINK'. This bottle, drank by a businesswoman, was marked 'POISON - DO NOT DRINK' by the company that provided her company with its most vital stream of revenue. So this was even more dumb than it may initially read: if Carter was marooned on a desert island, and was faced with the option to drink either A) water, or B) poison, she'd drink poison.

Russo outed this clandestine agreement by copying a wrestling reporter, Mike Johnson, into an email intended for commentator Mike Tenay lol. Before admitting the jig was up, he, yes, claimed to have swerved the dirt sheets.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!