10 Wrestling Career Turning Points That Took Place ON AIR

6. Vince Russo

Scarlett NXT
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Vince Russo knows how to get Vince Russo over, but it was a 1997 edition of Monday Night Raw a full three years before he became a television regular on the other side that his life changed forever.

Hidden within a 1999 edition of Raw Magazine (conveniently before physical and mental exhaustion, ego and a mammoth pay-rise lured him to WCW where he'd make and break the name he'd built within months) Russo published an article tale of a Vince McMahon infuriated with the state of the show two years earlier.

The piece talked about the former Chairman's rage over an abysmal edition of the show that was partially broadcast from South Africa. Infamously, McMahon threw a copy of the magazine down in front of his top table associates and asked why Monday's sh*t show couldn't compete with the quality of the publication.

As Editor-In-Chief, Russo's written creativity got him rocket-strapped in the company, foreshadowing his ascent within an Attitude Era that changed the industry forever.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett