10 Things That Would Have Happened If Vince Russo Booked Every WWE Era

8. Andre The Giant Would Have Been Repackaged

Vince Russo
WWE.com

Vince Russo didn't mess with his top guys; Jeff Jarrett always remained his nut-slapping self. Anybody else, however, was fair game.

Mike Awesome, the man whose signature almost caused a legal headache? The man who got over in ECW as a superheavy cruiserweight, chair-flinging bad ass? Rebrand him as the Fat Chick Thriller. Booker T, the only guy synonymous with WCW who had a personality of note and who wasn't a decrepit has-been? Make him GI Bro, the leader of a faction only fractionally less embarrassing than the Oddities. The futuristic AJ Styles, TNA homegrown star, streets ahead of all but the most legendary of WWE part-time performers? Dress him up as somebody totally past it!

Andre The Giant was a fading force as the WWF expanded onto the national stage - which would have made him ripe for Russo's trademark identity theft.

Because Russo played it mostly for laughs, and couldn't book a finish to save his life, he didn't really get the over the top, carny bombast of traditional wrestling. He was a cable TV junkie in a booker's body, which might explain why Mike Sanders was introduced in mid-2000 as 'Above Average' Mike Sanders.

What would he have relabelled the Giant - Pretty Tall Dre?

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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 current Undisputed WWE 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!