10 Unthinkable Masterminds Behind Legendary Wrestling Ideas
4. Vince Russo Was Actually Good Once
Opinion on Vince Russo is naturally divided; he's either a genius capable of bringing on monster TV ratings to this day, if only the cowards at AEW or WWE would hire him, or a complete moron who was successful for a year but set the business back decades.
Even his most loyal supporters shrug at accusations that he was a nonsensical misogynist; if anything, to them, that is a cause for celebration. Wrestling is about wrestling; it's about twists, t*ts, and slut-shaming. They often argue that Russo had an idea for every wrestler on the roster, as if that isn't the bare minimum, but few, on either side of the debate, would confuse Russo for an astute, elegant writer who plotted compelling stories over the long-term.
The events of Survivor Series 1998 prove otherwise. The Deadly Game tournament was his masterpiece; something of which Gedo or Bill Watts would have been proud.
Russo, faced with several challenging problems, nailed them all.
The tournament-long ruse was so intricate that Steve Austin was no mug for failing to recognise it. His babyface appeal was preserved, and, since he was nowhere near his peak, it was an ingenious idea to book the Rock to win by aligning with the Corporation; Russo built a megastar heel act and the WrestleMania XV main event in one shockingly unpredictable night. Not only that: by framing Mick Foley with the Screwjob finish when it was still an effective source of heat, Russo mapped out the intervening period between Survivor Series and 'Mania too.
Rock needed that feud with Foley to get over as a true heel, and 'Mania XV was the most successful PPV ever to that point.