10 Instant Wrestling Title Devaluations
7. From Diamond Dallas Page...To David Arquette (WCW World Heavyweight Title)
Vince Russo to this day refuses to accept the blame for this decision, which turned WCW from a joke into a disgrace, an unenviable position from which it would never recover - despite being in control of the pen at the time.
He instead acted on the suggestion of Tony Schiavone. Why Russo would accept never mind green light pitches from colour commentators is anybody's guess, but regardless: he did.
Or did he? In the same breath, speaking on a shoot video, he accepts what he convinces himself within thirty seconds should actually be credit. "As for the publicity stunt I had in mind..."
His argument that it generated publicity was an odd one. WCW would have received the publicity boost regardless of whether or not Arquette had won the title. Granted, he may not have appeared with the belt on the cover of USA Today - which Russo still crows about, despite it having no bearing whatsoever on the company's subsequent performance.
"Everybody in the room thought it was a good idea!" Russo would later explain in that same shoot, as if this same collection of writers and agents had previously been contributing to a progressive, logical and popular product.
"I would do it all again. It got people talking about WCW", said Russo, as if they were an upstart, little heard of promotion and not already a household name with global reach.