10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2000

7. Unknown Force Behind The Scenes

Vince Russo Image When Vince Russo departed the WWF in October, 1999, WCW top brass thought they had captured the genius behind the promotion's success and turnaround since late-1997. In actual fact, Russo - let off the leash away from the braintrust he formed with Vince McMahon - would only suffer in WCW, and the brand went out of business just a year and a half after his jump. Little known amongst fans is the man who replaced Russo in the WWF, a guy by the name of Chris Kreski. Retaining some of the more positive aspects of Russo's booking strategy, such as soap opera storylines and an emphasis on characters, Kreski is an unsung hero who introduced the technique of using storyboards to plan angles, something the promotion hadn't previously been doing a lot of. Incredibly, Kreski also encouraged McMahon to have his announcers act more like narrators, telling stories. This nuance is something many fans dislike to this day, and they have this relatively unknown employee to thank!
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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.