Vince Russo's 10 Worst WCW Booking Decisions

3. Powers That Be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfYeNIpia_g Well, the easiest way to expose the wrestling business in a negative manner is to have the two shoot heads of creative engage in a worked storyline in which they bury the talents that they must book as a shoot in the promotion.Insofar as storylines to kick off a new creative direction for a company (and also to make the company that the new creative team is taking over appear inept and unhip), it's likely the worst of all possible ideas. WCW as a company still had considerable strengths when Vince Russo took over. The in-ring product was strong, they had a budget to spend on talent, marketing and promotion, and they still had a plethora of performers instantaneously recognizable by mainstream eyes under contract. Of course, Vince Russo focused on none of that, and instead took the cameras backstage. Vince Russo was smart to realize that one of the key components of the Attitude Era was the reveal that Vince McMahon owned the WWF. Of course, Vince was already a not-so-well known owner as a part of the kayfabed WWF world, and was an on-screen commentator. The reveal of his ownership was not something that initially intrinsically effected the whole WWF product, either. Rather, it was funneled into just one feud in his on-screen wrestling product, a 16-month feud with Steve Austin. From there, McMahon - now a well-defined character that was interwoven into WWF's kayfabe universe - expanded his character throughout the product. In missing that one small (yet ultimately large) piece of the puzzle, Russo set himself up for failure from the beginning.