Magnum Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 In terms of booking, execution and follow-up to the angle, I can see the justification for giving David Arquette a world title in 2000 a lot more easily than I can giving the belt to Jack Swagger in 2010. Â It wasn't the Arquette title win that killed the WCW title, it was the fact that it was one of about a billion title changes in the space of 2-3 months. That was Russo's worst legacy in WCW IMO, and yet it was a tactic eventually applied by the world's #1 company nearly a decade later in the process of running their own world title(s) into the ground. Â Serious question, could Russo's ideas be worse than the writing team of the last 10 years? Nobody has ever doubted Russo's ability to come up with some clever ideas (he had a lot of hits as far as one off ideas which he didnt have the ability to expand on in TNA). I'll not deny, he cant struture a thing and gives away about 50 things before we know a new characters finishing move, but WWE has always been a promotion with rules as to how things would be done. If Russo was in a team where he was throwing ideas about, I think he'd be a good fit currently. In WCW and TNA, he was responsable for everything. In WWE, they'd never allow that. Â I've agreed with just about everything Ian has said in this thread, but this post is especially spot-on. Really, I think the problem is that every wrestling booker has a finite amount of fresh ideas and a limited shelf life. Russo has done well to prolong his career way past the expiration of his own shelf-life, but while most of the ideas of the writing team Ian refers to here may not have bombed as spectacularly as Russo's worst efforts, the majority won't be remembered anywhere near as fondly as his best, either. If anything, the last 10 years and the many promising angles which have quickly turned to shit that have come with it have proven how difficult it is to book a consistently entertaining, logical and compelling wrestling show - especially given the oversaturation of TV shows and PPVs in the modern market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted March 13, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2012 I hope he gets aids and dies. That's all. Â Bit harsh. I'd settle for the banhammer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King Of Swing Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Cornette is a mental, it's always fun to watch him ranting. He is bigger shitarse than Russo by far, though - wonderful manager for a spell in the 80s, but business-wise is like Heyman without the ability to make shit out of nothing. Instead, seems to be a blowhard with nothing to back it up. Â Jim Cornette perfectly summed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingOfMetal Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 The Russo-era WCW World Title picture does make for bleak reading. From when Russo and Ferrara came over to WCW in October 1999, 30 instances in relations to the WCW World Title either changing hands or being vacated. It reads as follows: * Vacated (Sting stripped of WCW World Title after losing a non-sanctioned match against Goldberg and attacking Charles Robinson)- October 25th * Bret Hart beat Chris Benoit (tournament final) - November 21st - WCW Mayhem * Vacated (due to ending of Hart/Goldberg at WCW Starrcade 1999) - December 20th - WCW Nitro * Bret Hart beat Goldberg - December 20th - WCW Nitro * Vacated (due to injury to Bret Hart) - January 16th 2000 - WCW Souled Out * Chris Benoit beat Sid Vicious (tournament final) - January 16th 2000 - WCW Souled Out * Vacated (Benoit forfeits the title and signs with WWE) - January 17th - WCW Nitro * Sid Vicious beat Kevin Nash - January 24th - WCW Nitro * Vacated (Sid stripped of title by Commissioner Kevin Nash due to pinning wrong Harris Brother previous week to earn title match) - January 25th - WCW Thunder * Kevin Nash awards himself the WCW World Title - January 25th - WCW Thunder * Sid Vicious beat Kevin Nash - January 25th - WCW Thunder * Vacated (due to Russo/Bischoff 'reboot') - April 10th - WCW Nitro * Jeff Jarrett beat Diamond Dallas Page (tournament final) - April 16th - WCW Spring Stampede * DDP beat Jeff Jarrett - April 24th - WCW Nitro * David Arquette wins WCW World Title in stipulation tag match - April 25th - WCW Thunder * Jeff Jarrett beats David Arquette and DDP (Ready To Rumble/Triple Cage Match) - May 7th - WCW Slamboree * Ric Flair beats Jeff Jarrett - May 15th - WCW Nitro * Vacated (Russo strips Flair of the WCW World Title) - May 22nd - WCW Nitro * Jeff Jarrett awarded WCW World Title by Vince Russo - May 22nd - WCW Nitro * Kevin Nash beat Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner (Triple Threat Match) - May 23rd - WCW Thunder * Kevin Nash awards Ric Flair the WCW World Title - May 29th - WCW Nitro * Jeff Jarrett beat Ric Flair - May 29th - WCW Nitro * Booker T beat Jeff Jarrett - July 9th - WCW Bash At The Beach * Kevin Nash beat Booker T - August 28th - WCW Nitro * Booker T beat Kevin Nash (Caged Heat Match) - September 17th - WCW Fall Brawl * Vince Russo wins WCW World Title (Steel Cage Match) - September 25th - WCW Nitro * Vacated (Russo decides he is "not a wrestler") - October 2nd - WCW Nitro * Booker T beat Jeff Jarrett (San Fransico 49ers Match) - October 2nd - WCW Nitro * Scott Steiner beat Booker T (Straight Jacket Steel Cage Match) - November 26th - WCW Mayhem * Booker T beat Scott Steiner - March 26th 2001 - WCW Nitro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted March 14, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 14, 2012 These all happened under Kevin Sullivan: * Vacated (due to injury to Bret Hart) - January 16th 2000 - WCW Souled Out * Chris Benoit beat Sid Vicious (tournament final) - January 16th 2000 - WCW Souled Out * Vacated (Benoit forfeits the title and signs with WWE) - January 17th - WCW Nitro * Sid Vicious beat Kevin Nash - January 24th - WCW Nitro * Vacated (Sid stripped of title by Commissioner Kevin Nash due to pinning wrong Harris Brother previous week to earn title match) - January 25th - WCW Thunder * Kevin Nash awards himself the WCW World Title - January 25th - WCW Thunder * Sid Vicious beat Kevin Nash - January 25th - WCW Thunder  Happened under Johnny Ace and Eric Bischoff * Booker T beat Jeff Jarrett (San Fransico 49ers Match) - October 2nd - WCW Nitro * Scott Steiner beat Booker T (Straight Jacket Steel Cage Match) - November 26th - WCW Mayhem * Booker T beat Scott Steiner - March 26th 2001 - WCW Nitro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingOfMetal Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 These all happened under Kevin Sullivan: * Vacated (due to injury to Bret Hart) - January 16th 2000 - WCW Souled Out * Chris Benoit beat Sid Vicious (tournament final) - January 16th 2000 - WCW Souled Out * Vacated (Benoit forfeits the title and signs with WWE) - January 17th - WCW Nitro * Sid Vicious beat Kevin Nash - January 24th - WCW Nitro * Vacated (Sid stripped of title by Commissioner Kevin Nash due to pinning wrong Harris Brother previous week to earn title match) - January 25th - WCW Thunder * Kevin Nash awards himself the WCW World Title - January 25th - WCW Thunder * Sid Vicious beat Kevin Nash - January 25th - WCW Thunder  Happened under Johnny Ace and Eric Bischoff * Booker T beat Jeff Jarrett (San Fransico 49ers Match) - October 2nd - WCW Nitro * Scott Steiner beat Booker T (Straight Jacket Steel Cage Match) - November 26th - WCW Mayhem * Booker T beat Scott Steiner - March 26th 2001 - WCW Nitro  Where I got it from just goes from when Russo came into WCW. Doesnt mention his firing and rehiring in January 2000. That 9 day stretch in January 2000 is fucking stupid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.PeterVenkman Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Russo booked the San Francisco 49ers match, think he fucked off with his post concussion syndrome about a week later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingOfMetal Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 whoever booked the 49ers match is worth talking to. That is quite possibly the biggest head-fuck I've watched Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members unfitfinlay Posted March 14, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 14, 2012 Serious question, could Russo's ideas be worse than the writing team of the last 10 years? Nobody has ever doubted Russo's ability to come up with some clever ideas (he had a lot of hits as far as one off ideas which he didnt have the ability to expand on in TNA). I'll not deny, he cant struture a thing and gives away about 50 things before we know a new characters finishing move, but WWE has always been a promotion with rules as to how things would be done. If Russo was in a team where he was throwing ideas about, I think he'd be a good fit currently. In WCW and TNA, he was responsable for everything. In WWE, they'd never allow that. Â I think the current writing team get a bit of a hard time to be honest. From all accounts they are pretty much told what to do and aren't really given much room to actually BE creative. There was a great story in the Observer once about Vince loving a writer until he pitched something ridiculous (possibly Heidenreich being a Nazi from WW2 that was frozen in time) after which Vince hated him and he was gone shortly after that. Â For Russo to go back, I think they'd have to have a complete overhaul of the Creative Department and go back to the days when it's a small team chucking ideas about, which isn't going to happen. Â Realistically, I don't see much point in this seminar. Russo had a good run in the late 90's but he's been absolute garbage since then and the industry has changed completely. He wouldn't fit in with WWE and his TNA run was almost universally panned so I don't see what advice he could give that would help any aspiring bookers find employment. Would probably be a laugh though. Â I do love that he's listed "How to Generate Ratings" at one of the topics. Did he improve TNA's ratings AT ALL while he was there? Or WCW's for that matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bellenda Carlisle Posted March 14, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted March 14, 2012 There was a great story in the Observer once about Vince loving a writer until he pitched something ridiculous (possibly Heidenreich being a Nazi from WW2 that was frozen in time) after which Vince hated him and he was gone shortly after that. Â That gimmick would have been so incredible, I wish there were more gimmicks that over the top going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Eddie Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 It would be incredibly interesting I think, but pretty much completely pointless. Â There are so few jobs out there doing this exact specific thing that essentially you are learning the basics of a job that you are simply never going to get. Becoming a writer for WWE entails getting writing jobs outside of wrestling, then applying to Vince a few years later (while pretending you know virtually nothing about wrestling, outside of this week's RAW). Working as a writer for TNA seems to involve being a former WWE writer, so that's them out of the question too. Â Can you imagine sitting for a meeting with the WWE and saying "Yes, i think I am very suited to this job and could bring a valuable work-ethic to your writing team. I also have experience of being a Wrestling Booker, as I attended Vince Russo's masterclass". Â Actually, Vince would probably hire someone who said that just for a laugh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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