10 Wrestling Hoaxes That Fooled The Internet

4. Double Agent Vince Russo

Stephanie McMahon
WWE.com

This one is so absolutely dumb as sh*t that it would not be a surprise to learn that Russo himself came up with it. It would be quite the swerve, and so he probably did.

The WWF, by the autumn of 1999, was comprehensively squashing WCW. Vince McMahon required no help to defeat the company, if that was even the aim anymore. The gulf had widened to such an extent that, by 2000, Vince didn't even need the injured Steve Austin to dominate the ratings battle. But, to a depressing many people, Vince McMahon sent Vince Russo to WCW in order to kill it once and for all. The murder weapon?

Russo's ineptitude (!).

Consider the last pay-per-view WCW presented in the pre-Russo Era: Fall Brawl '99. It was a night of depressing diminished returns - a mea culpa too late for a sorry organisation. Sting belatedly defeated Hulk Hogan, only as a heel, as Hogan fended off as many heels as he had at Uncensored '96. Goldberg defeated Diamond Dallas Page, but his star had dimmed. The Cruiserweight division had degenerated to a degree that the show saw Lenny Lane defend its title.

So Russo, in his role as a double agent, was ordered to kill a dying organisation despite pulling in gigantic ratings for the WWF, and never returned.

Contributor
Contributor

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!