← The Steve Austin Show
The Steve Austin Show
Former WWE Write Vince Russo Sits Down With Steve Austin Part One (SAS CLASSIC)
01:07:59
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- [00:01]
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- [01:27]
Steve Austin
The following program is a podcast one.com production from Hollywood, California, by way of the Broken Skull Ranch. This is the Steve Austin Show. Give me a Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Now here's Steve Austin. Hey. Well, we're recording right now, talking to Vince Russo. It's funny because we're sitting here looking at each other on the computer screen. Hell, he's. Vince, when's the last time I saw you? Because you said we crossed by somewhere, but when's the last time I saw you in WWE?
- [01:53]
Vince Russo
Oh, gosh. Well, Steve, I left about 1999, so. I mean, 15 years, man.
- [01:59]
Steve Austin
I'll tell you what, it's been a long time. You look good. You moved over to Colorado.
- [02:04]
Vince Russo
Gills, man. Look at that. Come on.
- [02:06]
Steve Austin
Hey, well, you got a lot of gray hair. I got a couple of myself. Not as much as you. Hey, where were you living on your last. I know you're from New York City. I want to get into that. But where were you. Where were you living before you went to Colorado?
- [02:17]
Vince Russo
Before I was living in Colorado, I was actually in Atlanta, because I had moved there in 99 for WCW, man. And I gotta tell you, Steve, you know, coming from the northeast, I'm just not a South kind of guy, right? I just, I never really embraced Atlanta. I mean, it just wasn't for me. It was tough living there for seven years, man.
- [02:40]
Steve Austin
Tell me something. When you say you're just not a South guy, define that.
- [02:45]
Vince Russo
So you're trying to get me in trouble already.
- [02:46]
Steve Austin
No, no, no, no. Because the South. No, because the south is a little more laid back.
- [02:51]
Vince Russo
Yeah, that's exactly what it is. And you know, you know, Steven, unless like you really raised, the pace is so quick, you know. And you know, when people say dog eat dog, I mean, that's New York. And then all of a sudden when you take that lifestyle and you go to the south and you're right, everything's at such a slower pace. It's really, really hard to adjust to that. I mean, really hard.
- [03:18]
Steve Austin
Well, that's what I tell everybody. Like when I go to New York City just to visit or whatever, you know, after about two or three days, I got a gut full, I'm ready to get out. But New Yorkers thrive. That energy, that just that frantic pace, it is what it is. So it's totally different animal. I could take someone, or I could take you down to my ranch in South Texas and dude, you're in the middle of nowhere, 2,000 acres, you will not see another human being. About a day in, you'd probably start banging your skull against the wall because you'd go crazy because seemingly there'd be nothing for a cat like you to.
- [03:48]
Vince Russo
Do, you know, but it's funny that you say that, Steve, because I used to run into this all a lot. I used to get heat for this too. And I used to say when you have a wrestler, ok, that's got a real heavy Southern accent, okay, Sometimes it really gets difficult to get that kind of an accent over. And the only reason I say that is because that's viewed a certain way in like California, New York, Chicago, you know what I mean? And when you look at the history of wrestling and you really look at how many people from the south really got themselves over, and then they'll argue. Me, the first argument immediately is, what about Austin? And I'm like, Texas to a New Yorker isn't the south, it's Texas. It's. It's two completely different animals. And the Texas accent, I mean, that's a, you know, that's a whole different type of dialect compared to the South.
- [04:51]
Steve Austin
So are you saying. I mean, you know, I know Jim Ross went through this a bunch. I mean, I guess down there in wwf, Vince thought it was too regional sounding. I never really looked at anybody having a Southern accent as far as getting over on a national or worldwide platform myself. Just maybe to that point, there wasn't a whole lot of guys from the Deep south that got that high up.
- [05:15]
Vince Russo
Well, that's the thing, Steve. I mean, that's what you really, really have to look at. I mean, I guess the perfect example is a guy like Dusty. But I mean, did Dusty really have a Southern accent? I mean, Dusty had a Dusty accent, man. Nobody talked like that guy. Another perfect example. You know, one of the guys that I think got most over from the south is Sid. But I mean, let's face it, look at what the guy looked like. Yeah, so, I mean, he had such a unique looking, was such an animal. But, I mean, you put those two guys aside, what great technical wrestlers were really able to get over out of the South. And, you know, that's not being biased or anything, it's just. It's that dialect, you know, that's. That's really not accepted in places. New York, California, Chicago.
- [06:05]
Steve Austin
Well, Terry Funk took it to a very high level.
- [06:08]
Vince Russo
Yeah, no, there's. There's no question about that.
- [06:10]
Steve Austin
Yeah, I mean, we could sit here and I could pick names out of the past that certainly came from a Southern flavor. But anyway, hey, man, we're sitting there watching each other on our screens, and, you know, it's funny, because this conversation happened last night. I was in the gym on my account, my Twitter account, steveaustin. Bsr. You were going back and forth, and your Twitter handle is pyroballywho. Mine, Steve Austin. Bsr. So anyway, there was an argument going on back and forth about you having to talk me into the beer truck idea. We're gonna get to that later. But this conversation started last night. So I just followed you on Twitter and I sent you a direct message, hey, how you doing? And you answered me back. So right there in the middle of my workout, we started talking on the phone, and I said, hey, man, we got to do my show tomorrow if you have time. And so that's why we're here talking. And I did a bunch of research on you as much as I could. I'm batching it right now. My wife and my niece are in Mexico. I have the whole house to myself. I got my three dogs, so I'm living large here in Marina Del Rey. But as I look at you. I was doing some research, and you are from New York City, born and raised, right?
- [07:16]
Vince Russo
Absolutely. Long Island. Yeah.
- [07:17]
Steve Austin
So I was reading some of the things about you, and I found out that you were a huge Kiss fan, as am I. And in the picture that I'm looking at, you have this Kiss.
- [07:27]
Vince Russo
I got Kiss everywhere.
- [07:28]
Steve Austin
Yeah. There's this Kiss poster on the wall. Yeah. There's Gene Simmons everywhere. Let's talk about Kiss for a second. What was it about those guys that just won you over and totally turned you into such a monster fan?
- [07:43]
Vince Russo
Well, you know, Steve, you were telling me yesterday, we're close to the same age, you know, And I became a Kiss fan when I was 16 years old. I remember on my 16th birthday, I got my driver's license, my driver's license, and I brought rock and roll over. On my 16th birthday, from that moment on, I was absolutely hooked. And, Steve, I gotta tell you, I don't know if you'll remember this or not, but back around that time, four posters came out of each guy, and they were really, you know, high quality, beautiful. And if you remember, Steve, the. The poster of Gene was taken from his feet up. So the guy looked like he was about 15 freaking feet tall.
- [08:30]
Steve Austin
Right.
- [08:31]
Vince Russo
I had that poster above my bed. And quite frankly, when every time I looked at that poster, I didn't feel like there was nothing I couldn't do. I mean, just the power that came across through Gene Simmons to me. I mean, he was my idol. But fast forward later, and you'll appreciate this, Steve, because I'm sure you watched it, too. I think it was 1983. I just wrote about this on my website. And do you remember when they took the makeup off on mtv?
- [09:06]
Steve Austin
Well, I did, and I was on your website, which is pyroandballywhoo.com.
- [09:12]
Vince Russo
Yes.
- [09:12]
Steve Austin
So I actually was on your website and I watched that. And I remember that was. What was that? J.J. jackson?
- [09:17]
Vince Russo
Yes. Yes.
- [09:18]
Steve Austin
So anyway, and I didn't remember that specifically. I just remember seeing the pictures, but I watched it on your website and it was like. So you hated it?
- [09:26]
Vince Russo
Well, no, the funny thing is, you know, I'm literally. I'm sitting at the edge of my seat. I mean, this is. This is the demon man. He's not gonna have any makeup. And I swear to God, if you remember how they did it, everybody was in the black. Then they did the spotlight. Spotlight, spotlight. All of a sudden, they did Gene. And I swear to God, I sat there and I'm like, he's a fat Jewish guy from New York. That was my first impulse. And, you know, it didn't kill it for me because, like, I'm very, very loyal. So I remained a Kiss fan over the years. But, you know, Steve, here's something. I think this is gonna interest you. I try to tell people this all the time because Kiss and wrestling go hand in hand, right? How great a character did Gene Simmons create when, as the demon on stage, he never even said a word? It was all facials, it was all mannerisms, it was all the ways he played the bass. And then finally, after all these years, when he took off the makeup and he's the most greedy businessman in all the world, that guy. To this day, you still think they're two totally different people, right?
- [10:42]
Steve Austin
Well, I mean, if you. Have you ever met Gene Simmons?
- [10:45]
Vince Russo
Yes. Yeah, I have. Yeah. I had the opportunity once.
- [10:48]
Steve Austin
Okay. I did, too. I went over to his house here in Los Angeles a few years ago, and, man, it was in his office. Of course, you know, Kiss was the marketing masterpiece of everything, and Gene was the guy who started it all. So he's a very, very smart, shrewd businessman. But in your conversation with Gene, you didn't say, hey, Gene, I gotta say, when you took off the makeup and I just. You look like a fat Jewish guy from New York. Certainly you didn't tell him that, right?
- [11:14]
Vince Russo
I absolutely did not. And actually, I met Gene when he was in the makeup. So it was the demon, it wasn't Gene Simmons.
- [11:22]
Steve Austin
Right, yeah. So what was your favorite Kiss album of all time, if you had to name one?
- [11:28]
Vince Russo
God, you know. Well, you know, I think I'm an odd bird when it comes to that. I mean, believe it or not, I love to look it up. You know, the first album, when they took the makeup off and, you know, Vinnie Vincent, of all people, was on that album. I loved it as. As a Kiss fan, I really liked, you know, everybody. Of course, you know, Destroyer is the masterpiece, but, man, I always loved Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill. They were always my favorites.
- [11:55]
Steve Austin
Yeah, those are good.
- [11:56]
Vince Russo
Yeah.
- [11:57]
Steve Austin
What about you, man? It'd be tough to say Destroyer alive and alive, too.
- [12:05]
Vince Russo
Yeah, yeah.
- [12:06]
Steve Austin
Might be up there. But I was a fan from start to finish, so I enjoyed all of them. What do you think about the four solo endeavors?
- [12:14]
Vince Russo
I mean, they were okay. You know, it's funny now, you know, Steve, as we're having this conversation, I'm reading Peter Christ's autobiography.
- [12:21]
Steve Austin
How is it?
- [12:22]
Vince Russo
Well, you know, I've read Jeans, I've read Aces. This is the third one I'm reading, you know, Paul's just came out. But I gotta tell you, man, I think I like Peters the best because, like, the guy is so raw and honest in his book and I mean, put so much heat on himself for the way he acted and the decisions he made. And in reading the book, man, I really, you know, I really respect him a lot more than I did in the past.
- [12:51]
Steve Austin
Well, when you look at the way that band was laid out, you know, it was Gene and Paul as the co founders. And both those guys were pretty much known teetotalers. I mean, they didn't. No drugs, no alcohol. I don't know about the alcohol, Paul, but I mean, Gene was straight laced and still is. And you know, it was sad because Ace Frehley. Because, you know, everybody who knows anything about guitar and loves Ace Frehley is not the greatest, most technical player in the world, but he fit Kiss. And of course, you know, the Spaceman was just a great gimmick. And there was Peter Crisp back there doing his thing as the cat. So how was the Ace Frehley biography? Because, I mean. And what were the drugs that they dabbled into that really took them so far astray? Was it straight up cocaine? Was it heroin? Was it everything?
- [13:34]
Vince Russo
Well, with Peter, it was mostly cocaine, right? With Ace, it was everything. And I gotta tell you, man, that's why, like, first of all, you know, Gene's still my favorite because I'm very loyal. But you know, with family jewels and all that, I mean, much different guy than I'd really hoped he'd be. But let's face it, his book was so self serving, you know, just, I mean, how great I am. I mean, you can read about 30 pages of that and it's kind of like we get it, you know what I mean?
- [14:04]
Steve Austin
Yeah, but what did you expect the Family Jewels to be about? I mean, now the guy's close to 60, whatever. And you know, he's a businessman. And he just kind of used that to maintain some television presence. And he's got to come across as the ultimate businessman. And he does. And also he's very articulate, very intelligent.
- [14:22]
Vince Russo
Yeah, but he's got to do something with that hair, man. I mean, you know. But anyway, getting back to the Ace book.
- [14:27]
Steve Austin
Yeah, that's the.
- [14:28]
Vince Russo
I'm glad you asked me that question. It's almost like a segue. But when you read an Ace's book, the guy is so whacked out on every chemical known to man, you don't know how Much to believe and not to believe. Because, like, I'm reading this book and I'm, like, saying to myself, this guy was so whacked out of his mind. How can he remember that this happened this way? So, but. But with Peter, I think it was a little less so I think the memory is solid. So I think with his book, you get a really, really good feel, you know. How did you wind up at Gene's house? I'm just curious. How did that meeting come about, man?
- [15:09]
Steve Austin
Diamond Dallas Page is a very good friend of mine and a friend of his used to be a photographer who took pictures of some of the biggest bands in the world. And he was a friend of Gene's. And, you know, I was thinking about doing a reality television project back in the day. And so, you know, Gene was going to, you know, answer some questions, give me a little bit of advice. So we went over there and went to his office and just, you know, shot the breeze for about 30 minutes and rode off into the sunset. And he said, it's about a, you know, 10, 15,000 square foot house on a couple acres in Beverly Hills. And obviously he went big and he did it right. It's just a totally badass place. But it was, you know, Gene's. Gene, he's pretty much stuck on Gene, and I can appreciate that. But it was very cool. The family vibe there was very chill and it wasn't pretentious at all. So I had a good time over there.
- [16:01]
Vince Russo
Yeah. I gotta say, Steve, man, in watching the show, man, when you watch his kids, he did something right. I mean, and for a guy that was on the road as much as he was, you know, that I don't need to tell you, but the way those kids are, I mean, he did something right. And I mean. And yeah, I really respect him for.
- [16:23]
Steve Austin
That, you know, so let's. Let's segue out of here. I didn't know he was gonna be talking about KISS right off the bat, but as soon as he popped up on the screen, I knew I had to go there because it's not every day you. You run into a cat that's about your age who's a huge KISS fan right now. Hey, so you. So you grew up in New York City or New York, so it's interesting in hearing some of your philosophies on the business, but when did you first fall in love with the business and start watching it?
- [16:51]
Vince Russo
Well, you know, Steve, that's a great question, because the first time I saw the business, that's really what molded me for my 20 years in the business. Because, Steve, I'll never forget it, man. I was sitting in the guest room in my house. I must have been about 12 years old back then. Steve, you'll know we had the little 9 inch black and white TVs. You had to gimmick the antenna hoping something that would come in, you know, you didn't get anything on the tv. The only thing you get is UHF stations. So I'm flipping around on the UHF and all of a sudden, man, I come across, didn't know who they were. The Valiant brothers and Captain Lou Albano. That was the first thing I ever saw in professional wrestling. And when Jimmy Valian cut that promo and when Lou Albano went off, I mean, Steve, it was like from that moment on, it was the entertainment for me. I mean, that's what just grabbed me. These guys were larger than life, you know. And then when I started following the product and you know, Chief J. Strongbow, you know, doing the war dance every time somebody pissed him off and you know, you know, Bruno Sammartino, the rugged Italian Waldo Von Erich used to scare the heck out of me when I was 12, 13 years old. So with me it was always that entertainment aspect from the get go. And that was just my philosophy. Once I got in the business now.
- [18:26]
Steve Austin
I started watching pro wrestling and I grew up watching Houston wrestling come out of Samuel Coliseum in Houston, Texas. I probably started watching when I was 7 or 8. So, you know, I bought in, man. Dusty Rhodes was in the middle of the arena. Somebody had the Iron Claw on him. The whole arena was dark. It was a smoke filled arena way back in the day, right? There's one security guard slowly walking around the ring, make sure nobody does anything. And there's only a rope for the banister. You know, that's the only thing that kept the people out. And it was just, you could only see a few rows. There was one light over the ring and I was like, God dang, this is awesome. My mom was sitting in her chair reading a magazine. Dusty's bleeding like a stuck pig. I'm going crazy in the living room. I tell my mom, I said, mom, I said, why didn't a security guard. Because he got the gun on his hip. Why don't the security guard go over and help Dusty? Somebody got to do something. And she looked up from her Red Book magazine and kind of shook her head and went back down to it. So I bought in. I believe wrestling was real back in the day. But listening to some of your interviews at 12 or 13, you always knew it was on the take and you figured it was fake from the get. Not fake, but you knew it was a work from the get go and never bought into the fact that it could be real.
- [19:40]
Vince Russo
I never did, Steve. But you know what? That never stopped me from loving it. I mean, I loved it wholeheartedly from an entertainment perspective. And like, here's the funny thing, Steve. Like, we had a different experience growing up in New York. Like, in New York, you know, they had the one show every Monday night at the Garden, okay? And the build up to that show was they had you believing this is the night Bruno loses the title. That's what they had you believing. So you had to watch the show. So now, as much as I was in it for the entertainment aspect and knew what it was, I was still wrapped up in me. This is the night Bruno's going to lose the title. Because back then, that's how convincing the characters were. I mean, you know, Stan Hansen, you know, I mean, Big Bob Duncombe. I mean, you. You believe these guys were, you know, bad, even though you knew I knew what the business really was, right? So I bought into it.
- [20:47]
Steve Austin
Okay, so you probably grew up, what, 100% on WWF action, or did you get any of the other territories to get some other flavors?
- [20:56]
Vince Russo
I got to see Gordon solely. I got to see what was happening in Georgia, you know, so. So I was able to see both companies.
- [21:02]
Steve Austin
Okay, now that's a very distinct difference in styles. So which did you prefer? I'm thinking wwf.
- [21:09]
Vince Russo
Wwf. But it had nothing to do with Georgia being more of a working wrestling type, man. I'll tell you. It's kind of what you said, Steve. When I was very young, around that same age, I went to a live show in Florida and it was dusty against King Curtis. Yeah, and I gotta tell you, Steve, these two guys bled so freaking much that that kind of turned me off to it. I mean, at that young age, that was a little bit too much for me, because you didn't really get that in the wwe, you know, and just on that violence alone, that kind of turn me off to that product just a little.
- [21:55]
Steve Austin
That's interesting that you would say that, but yeah, sometimes, I mean, at an early age, that heavy duty bloodshed can be a little bit much. Now, done in the right dose at the right time, it can exponentially advance an angle. But seemingly right there a disconnect for you. I want to talk a little bit about your background, because what kind of student were you in school straight A student. You ended up going to college to major in journalism?
- [22:21]
Vince Russo
Yes, Steve, I graduated after my junior year because I couldn't wait to get out of high school. I mean, I just pedal to the.
- [22:28]
Steve Austin
Metal, putting in the work so you could get all your credits in.
- [22:31]
Vince Russo
Get my credits in? Get the heck out of it. I just wasn't a high school guy. Didn't go to the basketball games, didn't hang around with a lot of people. I mean, I was. You know, I'm. Bro, I. I'm a loner, man. You know, I really am. And I still am to this day.
- [22:46]
Steve Austin
You know, because I'm a loner myself. So are you antisocial? You just like being by yourself? You don't need people around you? No, because I get this question all the time.
- [22:57]
Vince Russo
My wife would like to say I'm anti social, okay? I like to say what it is, Steve, is. And maybe you can relate to this, okay? But, you know, as I got older, you know, and especially wrestling became my livelihood. When you go out with other people, like, what are you supposed to talk about? You know what I'm saying? And then they start asking you the wrestling questions. I can't even imagine what you go through. So it's the whole routine. So it just gets to a point, like, you know what? Just give me my television, give me my room and my dog, leave me alone, and I'll live happily ever after.
- [23:35]
Steve Austin
So you ended up at University of Southern Indiana. Now, if you're from New York, how in the hell did you end up down there?
- [23:41]
Vince Russo
Believe it or not, I had a friend that was going there, and he was home on summer break, and he basically said to me, he was the sports editor of the newspaper, and he basically said that, you know, Vince, I can get you here as the assistant sports editor, get you a scholarship.
- [23:58]
Steve Austin
So I went, okay, now here's. Here's proof that loners do indeed have friends.
- [24:04]
Vince Russo
Few.
- [24:05]
Steve Austin
Yeah. Okay, so now in your circle now, you recently moved to Colorado. So how many got friends over there in Colorado? It's just basically the family unit.
- [24:17]
Vince Russo
I got no friends. I got my dog, Yogi. That's. That's really pro. That. That's it. And you know what, Steve? Honestly, that's what I miss most about not being in the business now, because those are my friends. You know, I mean, those were. Those are the people we had something in common with. You didn't have to see him too much once a week, once every two weeks. It was great. But that's what I miss the most.
- [24:42]
Steve Austin
You Know, part of being a booker slash writer slash creative director, or on the comes, part and parcel with having heat with many people because there's so many people, you can't make everybody happy in trying to do what's best for the big picture. The manipulation of the things, the pieces you have to move around are inevitably going to piss somebody off. So that does come into play with how many friends you end up with once you kind of leave the business, right?
- [25:15]
Vince Russo
Absolutely. And you know what, Steve? The friends weren't really the boys. The friends would really tend to be, you know, agents or, you know, lower card guys, you know, that were just happy to be there, you know, like, you know, Disco Inferno, you know, people like that. So I learned real quickly, the boys aren't your friends. You can't, you can't cross that line. And, you know, I mean, I never crossed that line. I mean, I always tried to stay within my bounds. But yeah, to this day, not many other boys I would call friends. This is the Steve Austin Show.
- [26:01]
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- [27:02]
Steve Austin
All right, here we are, back to veteran.
- [27:04]
Vince Russo
So.
- [27:04]
Steve Austin
All right, man, so you're going to be this journalism major. Okay, did you, you graduated Southern Indiana, right?
- [27:09]
Vince Russo
Yes, sir. Yep.
- [27:10]
Steve Austin
Okay, so what, what was your plans? A news reporter?
- [27:16]
Vince Russo
My plans really changed, bro, because what happened was I met my wife at college.
- [27:22]
Steve Austin
And where's she from?
- [27:23]
Vince Russo
She's from Evansville, Indiana. Okay, so she was from that town. So I had a choice when I was graduating college. It was either, okay, you're gonna marry this girl or you're gonna end it. And I mean, I was in love with her, so I didn't want to end it. So I had to get married at a very early age.
- [27:42]
Steve Austin
How old were you?
- [27:43]
Vince Russo
I was 22.
- [27:45]
Steve Austin
Yeah.
- [27:45]
Vince Russo
So basically what that forced me to do was go out and get a job, and it didn't matter what the job was. I was able to get a job in publishing. First job was selling professors their textbooks that they used in college.
- [28:02]
Steve Austin
Right?
- [28:02]
Vince Russo
I mean, and I did that probably for about three years or so.
- [28:06]
Steve Austin
Okay, then what was the next gig?
- [28:08]
Vince Russo
My next gig. I got to, you know, video. Video stores were just opening. I love movies, love entertainment, you know, Got to started working for somebody, was able to buy the store, you know, on a note. So I own my own business. Okay, at that point, here comes Blockbuster. The rights on the wall, they're gonna put me out of business. What am I gonna do now? Literally, that's when the love for wrestling came back. And I was like, you know what, man? Let me try to get into that business. And Steve, there was never. I wanna write television for the W. Never even crossed my mind, you know, But I wanted to get into the wrestling business. I started my own radio show, you know, much like this. You know, Vicious Vincent's World of Wrestling.
- [28:52]
Steve Austin
Now tell me how you came character. Vicious Vincent was that alter ego.
- [28:58]
Vince Russo
Now, Steve, you're going to love this, man. I wish I had all day to talk to you because there's so many things to discuss. But when I first got into radio and wrestling, not knowing any better and being naive, I kind of got on the dark side of it. By that, I'm talking about I associated myself with somebody by the name of John Arezzi, who was very good friends with Dave Meltzer at the time. Now, you got to remember, Steve, we're talking 1983, right? This is when Vince was going through that steroid trial, right? And I'm around these guys that are looking to hang Vince and they're burying them and. And I'd be sitting there and I'd say to myself, why are you burying the guy that's making it possible for you guys to have a living? It made no sense to me. And that's not what I wanted to get into. Like I told you, I love the entertainment aspect. I wanted to play along. So I went from that on my own to the complete extreme. Vicious Vincent's World of Wrestling. I was a gimmick. My partner was a gimmick. And we just did what you saw on tv.
- [30:09]
Steve Austin
So, I mean, what was your on air stance? I mean, were you guys talking about the storylines and angles and feuds at hand?
- [30:17]
Vince Russo
Absolutely, but as fans, right? Not what you're reading today. I mean, literally as fans.
- [30:23]
Steve Austin
Okay, but where were you now? Because if you're in Indiana now, you're trying to get in the business and you're fixing to go To.
- [30:30]
Vince Russo
She's back on Long island at this point.
- [30:31]
Steve Austin
Okay, she came back to Long Island. So you're trying to get your way into the business. Is that what possessed you to go to Johnny Rods?
- [30:39]
Vince Russo
Yes, yes. Because, you know, Steve, again, it's such a different time now where, like, everybody is an authority on the World Wide Web. I mean, you know that everybody knows everything. If I was going to get into the wrestling business, I really wanted to know everything about it. So I went to Johnny Rod school. I took the bumps. I did the independent show, not because I had any desire to be a wrestler or a manager. I wanted to know how this thing worked.
- [31:09]
Steve Austin
Okay, now back. Okay, what year is this?
- [31:12]
Vince Russo
This is about 80. 83.
- [31:14]
Steve Austin
Okay, 83. The business still very protected at that time. Johnny Rodz go on to be, you know, future WWE hall of Famer.
- [31:22]
Vince Russo
Yes.
- [31:22]
Steve Austin
Trained a lot of guys. So what do you say to Johnny Rodz, who's, you know, pretty hot in the business? You say, hey, I want to go through your school. I'm not interested in being in the ring. I just want to learn how to wrestle. Or did you just say, hey, I want to be in the school, and that's it?
- [31:36]
Vince Russo
No, I basically said, you know, Johnny knew I had my radio at the time. I told Johnny, I said, listen, if I'm going to do this, I want to know everything about this business. I want to know how it works. And keep in mind, Steve, I had an absolute respect for. I mean, in absolute respect. And I think when Johnny saw that, especially being a Long island kid, I think he realized I was serious and I wanted to know what I was talking about.
- [32:03]
Steve Austin
Okay, now you're a little bit. You had your nose to the grindstone. Three years of high school, graduated and went to college. So I'm assuming you really had no athletic endeavors prior to joining Johnny Rod's wrestling school? Were there any sports that you participated in?
- [32:19]
Vince Russo
I used to play some soccer in high school, and I played baseball up until I was 18 or so. But after that, no, but I mean, luckily I always kept myself in fairly good shape, but, you know, I wasn't used to that type of training.
- [32:33]
Steve Austin
Okay, so all of a sudden you roll in a Johnny Ride school of wrestling, and all of a sudden some of the first things is some rolling tumbling, and then you learn how to bump. Many people are allergic to the mat. They do not like bumping because it can hurt. So what was your thought process as you were learning what goes on inside the squared circle?
- [32:52]
Vince Russo
I gotta tell you, man, and this Is no joke, you know, and this is like the Vince Russo nobody wants to talk about. Because I gotta be the villain and, you know, I gotta be the guy that gave David Arquette the world title. I can remember, Steve, me and Johnny Rodz being in an empty wrestling ring. I can remember, Steve, Johnny Rod's making me take flat back after flat back after till I wanted to throw up and the excruciating pain the next morning. But again, that was the respect I had for the business. And I wanted to know and be a part of it. So when Johnny kept pushing and pushing and pushing and I kept taking and taking and taking, we just kept going forward.
- [33:43]
Steve Austin
Okay, so you get into the school, you're going through the process. How long were you there? And is there a quote unquote, for lack of a better word, graduation, hey, you're now proficient enough to have a match, or what was your out?
- [33:58]
Vince Russo
Well, I never had a match, never wanted to have a match. Best case scenario, I knew I'd manage somebody.
- [34:05]
Steve Austin
But how does the school end for you?
- [34:07]
Vince Russo
What was that?
- [34:08]
Steve Austin
When does Johnny Rod say, okay, I'm done with you, you're ready to go?
- [34:12]
Vince Russo
I probably put in about, I'd say six months. And Steve, I'm talking about driving from Long island to Brooklyn every single day. It was a good three hour round trip every single day. Right, like you eating the potatoes, the boiled potatoes.
- [34:29]
Steve Austin
But okay, so.
- [34:32]
Vince Russo
So I got to manage.
- [34:33]
Steve Austin
So you got to manage. Well, who did you manage?
- [34:37]
Vince Russo
Well, a man by the name that you might know is Big Vito. Vito Lagrassa. I got to manage him as Vicious Vincent. And, you know, we were the heels. And as a matter of fact, one match, and the opponent was Hillbilly Luke.
- [34:55]
Steve Austin
Hillbilly Luke. All right, so here we are, and then you're about to become a freelance writer for WWF magazine. Yes. You sent a letter to Linda McMahon.
- [35:05]
Vince Russo
Exactly, yes.
- [35:06]
Steve Austin
Now, what would this letter say?
- [35:08]
Vince Russo
Basically, I shot with the truth, Steve. I was paying to do my radio show. I was running out of money, okay? I knew I'm not going to be an idiot and a moron and send a letter to Vince McMahon. I mean, come on. But I knew Linda McMahon probably reads a mail. So I roll in your letter basically saying, listen, this is what I've been doing. I have aspirations to do this. All I'm looking for is an opportunity. And literally a week or Two later, Linda McMahon called me. And that's how it all began.
- [35:41]
Steve Austin
So you start writing for the magazine, and then you come up with this under Vic Venom.
- [35:47]
Vince Russo
Well, I wrote as Vince Russo, but Vic Venom was another character I wrote as.
- [35:52]
Steve Austin
Yes, when did you come up with Vic Venom? Because probably about a year or two before I got there, or when I was there for sure. Because I remember reading your stuff.
- [36:00]
Vince Russo
Probably about 94, right? Yeah, 94, yeah.
- [36:06]
Steve Austin
Okay. So then all of a sudden you're writing for the magazine. How did you get on the creative platform or become the head writer?
- [36:16]
Vince Russo
This is a great story, Steven. I'm glad you're asked because I'm sure you're real familiar with them, right? So I was writing freelance. I was getting 150 bucks a story. I was working at a big appliance chain at the time of Long Island PC Richards & Sons.
- [36:31]
Steve Austin
Now, what's your wife thinking about this time?
- [36:33]
Vince Russo
She thinks I'm out of my mind.
- [36:34]
Steve Austin
Okay, go ahead.
- [36:35]
Vince Russo
It's not going to happen. You're absolutely out of your mind. Believe it or not, I'm freelancing. Within a month, the editor of the magazine is fired. So now I interview for that job. Now I get hired as the editor. I get my foot in the door.
- [36:50]
Steve Austin
Door.
- [36:51]
Vince Russo
Okay, so now I'm writing the magazine. Now from there we start the Raw magazine. And Raw was really the first shoot magazine in its time, you know. And here's where things started to change for me a little bit, Steve. And what happened was the product was really bad at the time. I mean, Steve, I was working in that building and embarrassed of what I was seeing on television. This was the days of T.L. hopper, the goon, Freddie Joe Floyd and all this stuff, right? So I started shooting my own angles in the WWE magazine and the Raw magazine to entertain myself, because I wasn't gonna write about Freddie Joe Floyd, so I had to entertain. So I'm creating all these angles in the magazine magazines, right? Then what happens is, which McCall again? Bill Watts gets hired. And they don't put Bill Watts on the floor with the big shots. He's not up there with Pritchard and Ross, and he's on the magazine floor. He's on my floor. So all of a sudden, Watts comes in and he's watching hours and hours and hours of tape to get familiar with the product, you know. So I just go in there one day, you know, I knew of Bill Watts, obviously, sat down with him, started watching the shows with them. We started talking. That goes on for about a week or two. And then finally he says to me, vince, how would you like to sit in with the creative team? Now, that was never my intention. My Intention was to. I want to learn from this man. I want to pick his brain. That was my intention. So Bill cut through all the red tape to be able to put me in a position where I was now sitting in on the creative meetings. And at that time, it was Patterson and Bruce and Bill. They were the three at the time.
- [38:54]
Steve Austin
Bill can be known as a pretty gruff individual. How did he just take a liking to you? Was it because you just kind of came in innocuously just to learn, and then all of a sudden, one thing led to another and the conversation started happening and yalls, whatever, everything just kind of meshed and a relationship was formed.
- [39:10]
Vince Russo
Steve, I think in order to really be successful in this business, whether you're a wrestler or a booker, you have to be a visionary. There's no question in my mind. And I think when I sat down with Bill, I was talking about the attitude era. That's what I was talking to him about. And I think whether he thought I was out of my mind or, you know what, maybe we need to listen to new ideas like this. He was very, very receptive to what I had to say. And, you know, if he wasn't, I would have never had a wrestling career. It's that simple.
- [39:46]
Steve Austin
All right, so here we go. Bill Watts invites you to come into a creative session. Talk me through that first session, that first go round. Because, as you know, once you get in those inner circles, and it's a very small circle to bring someone in new, you know, you're automatically not accepted. You're going to have to earn your stripes. I mean, because everybody's got their Brussels up. Hey, who is this ca. How long did it take you to feel like they accepted you and came to be on the same level as them? Because you're a newbie in the business, although you've been watching your whole life on the inner workings. Here you are, this young editor for.
- [40:24]
Vince Russo
The magazine, and, Steve, I'm going to shoot straight with you here. The truth. So basically, it's me, Patterson and Bruce and Bill Watts. I meet with them the first day the O.J. verdict comes in. I'll never forget it. We're all sitting there watching the O.J. not guilty. That's how I remember it.
- [40:47]
Steve Austin
Well, what were your thoughts on the not guilty?
- [40:50]
Vince Russo
We were beside ourselves.
- [40:52]
Steve Austin
Okay, go ahead.
- [40:53]
Vince Russo
But. So, Steve. So a week later, Bill Watts calls me in his office. Vince, shut the door. I shut the door. He goes, vince, I just want you to know I haven't heard anything from Pat. I haven't heard Anything from Bruce? I haven't heard anything from Vince. They're firing me. And I want you to know that that's how insightful Bill was. And I was. And I got. I swear to you, Steve, at this point, I still don't want to be a TV writer. I'm more. I'm more concerned with Bill Watts losing his job. So I'm like, bill, what are you talking about? Why at that point, Vince, I know the business. I've been through this before, trust me.
- [41:39]
Steve Austin
He saw the writing on the wall. And again, obviously, everybody knows as gruff as Bill Watts can be, he's very, very, very sharp minded as far as business and reading people too.
- [41:50]
Vince Russo
Forget about that day. Bill Watts got left.
- [41:53]
Steve Austin
Go right.
- [41:53]
Vince Russo
Okay? In the same time, Pat kind of steps down because you don't want to be involved in the creative anymore. So now Steve, I'm literally sitting in creative with me, Bruce Prichard, Jim Cornette, okay? And Steve, literally I'm sitting in these sessions, not opening my mouth, being very respectful, not saying a word. But what I was saying to myself, to be honest with you, was, do you guys not understand that as you're writing this down on paper, it sucks? Like, what they were writing I thought was freaking horrible. Okay? So now it's. I'm happy to be on the creative team. I'm embarrassed of the product.
- [42:44]
Steve Austin
Okay, so now they're writing ideas down on paper that you're totally against and you think, quite frankly, suck. So how are you voicing your opinion or getting your stuff in, as we would say in the business? Because it's two against one and you've got two veteran guys and it's, you know, fast forward all these years later, it seems to me in some of the videos I watched prior to our conversation, obviously maybe not on your end, but there's still a lot of heat from Jim Cornett towards you. So you guys like oil and water. Did this exist back then?
- [43:18]
Vince Russo
No, because, Steve, I wasn't opening my mouth. I wasn't getting my stuff in. I wasn't attempting to get my stuff in. But what was happening was I'm watching the NWO on WCW and I've got friends there. I've got. Jeff Jarrett just goes at Kevin Nash and I'm watching our stuff and I'm watching wcw and I'm like, holy crap, that's. That's where I want to be, right? So what happens is through Jeff and through Kevin, Eric Bischoff calls me. Okay, now I gotta say this, and this isn't a knock on Eric, because I, I don't consider us friends, but I respect them more than anything. And I have no heat with Eric or anything, but back at that time he was very pompous and arrogant, rightfully so, because he was kicking Vince's backside.
- [44:09]
Steve Austin
Yeah.
- [44:09]
Vince Russo
You know, so he carried that attitude with me on the phone, kind of. And I was like, I really don't know if I want to work for this guy. Right. But here's the kicker, Steve. The next day I'm feeling so guilty that I had a conversation with Eric Bischoff because my loyalty was with Vince McMahon and WWF. That was the product I grew up on, right? So now I want to come clean to Linda McMahon because that's how bad I feel. You know, I go up to Linda's office, we have a set meeting. Steve, 30 seconds into the meeting, guess who walks in?
- [44:53]
Steve Austin
Vince.
- [44:54]
Vince Russo
Vince. So now here I am, this 32 year old editor of the magazine with Vince and Linda. Now Steve, I know you know this, okay? You can name a handful of times in your life where you took your Spaldings in your hand and it's like, I'm either going to the next level or I'm going to be fired. There's no in between. So I basically looked Vince and Linda in the eye and I said to them, listen, if you think all I'm capable of is writing the magazine, I need you to tell me that because I'm capable of a whole lot more. Okay, bro? Vince's face turned red. How can you talk to me like that? Who do you think you are? And I me being innocent and naive, I'm like, Vince, I don't think I'm anybody. I just want to help you. I mean literally that just came out of my mouth.
- [45:52]
Steve Austin
Yeah.
- [45:53]
Vince Russo
So we wrapped up that meeting and Steve, I'm like, hey man, I spoke my piece. I want to help this company. If he choses to fly me, I'm gonna be alright with that. Because at the end of the day, I was honest with him.
- [46:07]
Steve Austin
So what happened?
- [46:08]
Vince Russo
So what happened is, Steve, almost like the very next Monday, I want to see if you remember this. It was a show raw where half of it was shot in the States, the other half was shot in England, okay? The rating was like a 1.9, tanked. The worst show they had ever done, right? I get into that office early, I get a call from Beth, Vince's secretary at the time. Vince wants to see you as soon as possible. So Steve, I'm like, I'm done. I'm not. I'M not worried. I'm not scared. I'm prepared. He's gonna find me that he's got to make an example out of somebody, right? So now, Steve, I go up to his office, and I walk in his office, bro, all the minions are sitting around the table.
- [47:04]
Steve Austin
How many minions are we talking about?
- [47:05]
Vince Russo
We're talking Bruce, we're talking Junior, we're talking Shane, we're talking Jim Cornette. So now, Steve, what's running through my mind is. And if you know Vince, you'll appreciate this, okay? He's going to make an example out of me. Make an example out of the lowly magazine writer. You know that that's what I'm expecting, right? No problem. And on top of that, he had the magazine in his hand. So at that point, in my mind, I'm like, let's get this freaking over with so I can go home, right? He freaking takes that magazine in front of all those guys, throws it down on his desk, and says, this is what our television show needs to be. And, Steve, I swear to you, I. I just. It's one of those moments that you don't. It's not real. This is so real, and this really isn't happening. I didn't even know how to react because it was so far from where I thought it was going to go. And that was the beginning of the relationship between Vince and I.
- [48:13]
Steve Austin
Okay, so there's a relationship with Vince and you. So at that moment, did he say, okay, Vince Russo is now the head writer?
- [48:22]
Vince Russo
No, no, he didn't say that. But, you know, Shane kind of told me, like, okay, now you're going to start coming to every TV now you're going to start working with us. So Shane kind of laid the groundwork for what was going to be going forward.
- [48:37]
Steve Austin
All right, I'm sitting here talking to Vince Russo. You can find him on Twitter at pyroballyhoo. So, anyway, we're going to take a break here. Word from my sponsors keep the show on there for free.
- [48:46]
Vince Russo
The Steve Austin Show. The Steve Austin Show.
- [48:58]
Steve Austin
All right, here we are, back with Vince. All right, man. Since now, as they would say. I was just recently talking with Court Bauer, who was part of a creative process a few years back when they brought him and he shadowed people. So what. When was it when you started? Because I was there, right?
- [49:15]
Vince Russo
Yes, yes, you were there. I can tell you. Backstory on you that you don't even know about that would blow your socks off.
- [49:23]
Steve Austin
Oh, give me the backstory.
- [49:25]
Vince Russo
You want to know the truth?
- [49:26]
Steve Austin
Yeah.
- [49:26]
Vince Russo
And you'll appreciate this. So, Steve, people don't understand though. Before this moment happened, okay, I was writing the verbiage for all the guys on the house shows, right? This is Shawn Michaels. I'm coming to pick it for every single one of them. So without really knowing it, I was already getting a training in a background, right? So when new characters used to come into play, Vince would call me in his office and he would tell me how he wanted to see these characters portrayed. Now, Steve, this is a God honest truth, bro. I love Stunning Steve Austin on wcw. Loved it. Totally different from, you know, Stone Cold, but I never saw any of the ECW stuff, but I love the WCW stuff. So now I go into his office and we're going through the list of, okay, this is how I want these guys. We get to the ringmaster, right? So Vincent, Vince looks at me and basically says to me, okay, I don't want Steve Austin to ever say a word. Ted DiBiase needs to do all this talking. And I'm kind of looking at Vince knowing Stunning Steve Austin, you know, and I'm like, fitzo, are you sure that's. Yes, that's what I want. Dibiase does all his talking. So, yeah, okay, you know, you're the boss. That's what you want, right? In the meantime, Steve, I was on the same floor as Rich Baker. Remember Rich Baker? And you used to talk to him quite a bit.
- [51:00]
Steve Austin
Yes. Yeah.
- [51:01]
Vince Russo
And Rich Baker kept telling me about this stone cold Steve Austin character that you had in your mind that you wanted to do. And I would say, I said, rich, Vince doesn't want this guy to talk. I don't. I know how good he is. What am I supposed to do? And I swear, Steve, I don't know if you remember this, but I'm not good at remembering towns and whatnot and stuff. But I'll never forget, bro, the Monday Night Raw where there was an opportunity to put you on headsets for a segment. And I remember putting you on the headsets with like no direction and just sitting back and saying, holy crap. I mean, you. I tell people this story all the time because they talk about their push. Their push, their push. I tell them all the time. Steve Austin was given two freaking minutes on color. That's it. That's all he needed. So the minute I heard you and I knew Vince heard you, I'm like, this is. This is gonna open the door. Here's another great story you'll love and. But you're gonna love this one. So Steve I don't know if you saw on my website, I had your Austin316 Pro. I got it on my website, the one with Jake. And I remember this like it was yesterday. I remember you coming up to me prior to doing that and bouncing it off me, you know, and I'm like, yeah, you know, Steve, that really sounds great, you know, Then you delivered the promo, and again, I'm standing there and I'm like, holy crap. That. That is it. I mean, the minute it came out of your mouth, this is a God honest, true story. I was still the magazine editor at the time. Okay? I get back to the office the next day, bro, and I can't wait to. We're going to take a black and white photo of Austin. We're going to make it all grainy. We're going to put blood in there in red, and the headline is going to read Austin316, right? So I get the mock cover made up. Back then I had to get every cover approved by Vince. So Vince is at the TV studio where he always was. So I'm so excited about this cover in this Austin316. So I show Vince the COVID and he looks at it, you know, the glasses. Here, let me do, you know, bro, the glasses down the nose, you know, the whole thing. And he goes, what's this? Austin316? And I said, vince, he said this last night at King of the Ring. This is freaking gold. This is it, bro. He looked me in the eye and said, I don't get it. Take it off. I swear to God. And I'm like, you know, bro, at that point, I. I can't argue with the guy, you know what I'm saying?
- [53:53]
Steve Austin
Why didn't end up being on the COVID Because I remember the COVID I.
- [53:56]
Vince Russo
Think that winded up being on the COVID but only because somebody else had to get in his ear. Whether it was a Pritchard or a junior, somebody had to get in his ear and say, vince, you know, this guy just said something that's going to make you a million bucks. And the magazine did come out that way.
- [54:14]
Steve Austin
And, you know, going back to the two minutes of commentary, I think that was when Alo Montoya was working in the match and just gave me a bunch of material. And I remember going out there and doing that and talking about all the stuff, you know, the jockstrap on his face and just talking trash. And, you know, that was back in, you know, we were going live one week and going, you know, post production on, you know, in the truck you know, try to save money. And so on those shows that they were editing, that's when they started chopping my language out. And I remember what I said when I watched the show back. Half of what I said didn't make the show. And so I remember talking to Vince. I was walking across the parking lot, Lowell, Massachusetts, wherever it was, and I said, and of course, I barely knew Vince at this time. You know, I'd been there for quite some time, but I didn't know him. And so anyway, I just said, hey, man, Vince, you got a second? He goes, yeah. And I told him, you know, I noticed when I'm watching the show, you guys are editing my lines. I said, I just wondered why this is. And he said, and I'll make this the long story, short version, because I've told this story so many times, but just to reaffirm, he said, well, quite frankly, Steve, you're popping the guys in the truck. Hey, you know, when you're popping the guys in the truck, you're doing something. And to my listeners out there, I get many emails still sent to questionsteveauffinshow.com and they asked me about this story. What does pop in the truck mean? Hey, all I'm doing, all I'm saying is if I'm popping the truck, those guys are laughing or going, oh, ho. He didn't just say that or. But I'm entertaining them. I'm talking trash. So that's what you call popping a truck. And when you can pop a truck, these are guys that have been around and seen and heard everything for years and years and years. So if you can entertain the guys in a truck who are like a Madison Square Garden audience, you know, they've been around, they've seen it all. It takes something special to make them, you know, elicit a response. So that's when I started kind of catching a little bit of fire there. But the Austin316 thing, I remember, you know, as soon as Michael PSAs came up to me, as soon as I was stepping out of the ambulance because Marc Merrill had just kicked me in the lip. 14 stitches come back in my trunks. And Michael P.S. hayes told me that, hey, just. I just want to let you know that when you cut your promo after you beat Jake, that he cut a religious promo on you before you left the ring, before you left the building. And I said, okay. And that's when the Austin 316 popped into my head. But because it was so cutting edge, you know, had to drive it by somebody to Get a little bit of, hey, man, this is what I'm thinking. And the rest of it was totally ad lib. But when he said that, Jake cut a religious promo on you, because back in the old days in the end zones at football games, Everybody had the John 3:16 signs in the crowd that they would hold up. And that's how I came up with that and then buttoned it with the Bacchus uncle said so. But anyway, so the fact that she lobbied for it, you know, and saw, you know, the COVID potential there helped me down the road.
- [57:04]
Vince Russo
Well, yeah, you know, Steve, there are just, you know, I mean, there are very few moments like that, that. That happen in a lifetime. And I mean, that was just one of those moments where it was. Steve, I gotta be honest with you. I was in such a bubble writing the show. Cause, you know, bro, every week you're writing a new show. I was really oblivious to the success we were having during that time. Early on, I was able to take a vacation, right? And I took my kids and my wife to Universal Studios. Steve, it wasn't until that day, when I saw every other person on a July day in Universal Studios with an Austin316T shirt that did I finally realize, holy crap. I mean, this thing is you. I mean, I literally had to see it with my own eyes.
- [58:02]
Steve Austin
It was funny because at that time, you know, they brought in Vader, Mick Foley, a couple of other guys, Marc Merrow, it was three, four, five guys. And they brought me in with that crew, too. And everybody was getting pretty much a green light push. And marketing strategies, Mark Henry, a lot of red, white and blue stuff just coming out of the Olympics. And, man, my good friend Jimmy Miranda was running merchandise back in. And I'd always see him talking to all the guys about T shirts. And I'd go up to him and say, hey, Jimmy, the office got any ideas for a T shirt for me? He said, no, Stephen, they sure don't. Finally, after I cut that promo, here comes Jimmy Moran. He goes, steve, I got good news for you. The office wants to do a T shirt. Do you have any ideas? And I said, you damn right I do. I said, Put Austin 316 on the front, put a skull on the back, carve in Stone Cold on the forehead. There you go. So anyway, the shirt that ensued turned into be a pretty big hit. So enough about me. Let's go back into a little bit of attitude era stuff. Here you are, you're on the writing staff. When are you really able to start kicking in some heavy duty direction and ideas.
- [59:08]
Vince Russo
Well, Steve, what's happening now? Keep in mind, it's Vince, me and Jim Gwynne. Okay? Now where's.
- [59:14]
Steve Austin
Where's Bruce Pritchard?
- [59:15]
Vince Russo
He's out. Pritchard took. Pritchard took J.J. dillon's job.
- [59:20]
Steve Austin
Okay?
- [59:20]
Vince Russo
So he's out. So it's the three of us.
- [59:22]
Steve Austin
Gotcha.
- [59:23]
Vince Russo
Now, keep in mind, Steve, the WWE at the time was not healthy, let me put it that way, to be nice. It wasn't healthy financially, right? So I really think in Vince's mind, he knew a change needed to be made. There was nothing to lose. So the three of us would get together and I would be on this new wave. This is where we need to go. And Jim Cornette was on his Memphis, and it was this. It was this. And, you know, finally, Steve, there was so much arguing. And I was concerned because the arguing was taking time out of the television.
- [60:06]
Steve Austin
Right out of the creative process.
- [60:08]
Vince Russo
That's it. So I went to Vince's office. You know, again, bro, like, being total naive, and they hear the deer and allies. I'm like, vince, listen, we're wasting too much time arguing in that. In. At your house. I said, here's part in the phrase, the bottom line. I said, we either need to go in this attitude direction or you need to go in Jim Cornette's direct direction. You need to pick a road and go down one, because all we're doing is wasting a lot of time. And my exact words were, vince, if you go with Cornet and do the Cornet thing, bro, I'll understand. I have no issue with it. I'll go back to my magazine and do my job, no problem. I said, but I don't think the company can afford to waste this kind of time. So he heard what I said. Okay, Vince, thanks. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Next time I showed up at Vince's house, Jim Cornette was not there. It was myself and Vince. And, you know, more or less, that's when the issue started with Jim Cornette and the hatred and this and that. That's. That's kind of the. The root of it. When it wasn't a me versus Jim thing, it was like, bro, we're wasting way too much time here.
- [61:29]
Steve Austin
But it was just two different mindsets coming from different. And Jim, who's a very good friend of mine, is more traditional wrestling. And you coming in with this attitude error and looking a little bit at what NWO is doing down there, raising the hell and kicking our ass. Some things were the business was not good. So you just go in there and all of a sudden it is you and Vince McMahon in a room. How long did it take you guys to kind of jibe or be able to come up with some type of chemistry and just to be able to spitball and bounce ideas off of each other because, you know, to gain his trust, I mean, to me, you were always able to go out there and maybe he could reel you in a little bit. Okay, that's badass. I see part of it, but here's some, maybe a little bit more ground element to it. How long did that process take, Steve?
- [62:25]
Vince Russo
I don't think really it was the ground element to it. And this is where, like, I think a lot of misconceptions kind of come in. Okay, first of all, you got to understand that I would go into one of those meetings fully loaded, both guns blazing. Now, Steve, I also knew Vince well enough to know what he was going to poke a hole in. So I had to have my storylines and backup for everything. So when we had those one on one sessions, Steve, I'm not lying to you. It was 90% pitching Vince. How about this, how about that? He would listen to everything I said, right? And then, Steve, like, honestly, I really, I can't remember things that Vince shot down. I mean, I really can't. It was almost like he made the decision, we're going to go down this road. And he used to tell me more than anybody. I'm sure he told you a million times, vince, you can't be half pregnant. So it was. There were no chains. It was, you know, again, spaldings to the wall. Now, Steve, here's where the Vince genius comes in. That I want, I tried to explain to people, but for whatever reason, they. They want to spin it so, you know, Vince Russo gets no control and he had the filter. And this and that, this is the Vince genius. Now, Steve, I meet with Vince, I go back, and I'd write the show. Now, Steve, I have the mindset I'm gonna write this show. He ain't gonna poke one freaking hole in this show. That's how much detail and, you know, that's how much I put on the show. Then write the show, all proud of it, bring it up to his office. Now, Steve, again, the glasses at the end of the nose. You know, looking at the show, Vince wouldn't change angles and storylines and direction. What he would do, Steve, is he looked at every single segment. And no matter how great I thought that segment was, bro, he would just make those little freaking tweaks that made it great. And I would just sit there absolutely mesmerized. Like, how the freak does he do that? Because every segment. Well, Vince, if we did this this way, and if we change this here, it was, you know, you know, Steve, he calls them the nuances.
- [65:01]
Steve Austin
Yeah.
- [65:02]
Vince Russo
And the way he worked within those freaking segments, that was freaking genius. And that's what took a 3.0 rating and made it a 6.0 rating. Because he could see those things, bro, that nobody could see. And I loved learning from that and I loved witnessing that because it was unbelievable.
- [65:27]
Steve Austin
Okay, but now talk to me about the process. Writing a two hour raw show. How long did this take? You know, just, just on an average, how long did it take you to create, type up, come up with a two hour Raw.
- [65:44]
Vince Russo
Well, Steve, here's the thing. And this is the difference between that product and what you'll see today.
- [65:50]
Steve Austin
Okay, we'll get to that in a minute.
- [65:52]
Vince Russo
We, we were lucky that the WCW was head to head with us. You know why? Because I used to sit there and I would write that show as if I was a viewer with the remote control in my hands. And I'm writing that show and I'm like, I am not going to give the viewer one opportunity to switch off this show and see what's going on on Nitro. That's how closely I looked at and manipulated every single thing that we did.
- [66:29]
Steve Austin
Okay, what about the pressure to turn in a good show? Because when you first started working with Vince, I mean, and you're driving by all these ideas from him and 90% of your conversation is your pitch. Give me the reactions of Vince. Is he like scratching his head, rubbing his head, moving his feet around? I mean, what's his whole thought process? He's just taking all this in and no selling.
- [66:51]
Vince Russo
Steve, here's the greatest thing about Vince, okay? Since Vince, I've, I've, you know, worked for WCW and tna.
- [66:58]
Steve Austin
Right?
- [66:58]
Vince Russo
Okay. Wcw, ntna. Somehow, some way, they're under the impression that you change ratings in three months like this. You just change the ratings. I cannot tell you how long we went when Vince and I would be sitting at the kitchen table and the rating would come in and Vince would look at the rating, look at me and say, Vince, we work damn hard for those threes. Steve, that went on for a year. The key was Vince stayed the course. That was the key. If Vince didn't get the results he wanted in three months and would have went in another direction, we would have been floundering for years. The key was, if people want to say, forget the filter, forget this. Vince stayed the course, and that's why we reached the heights that we did, because he realized we're putting out good programming. The talent is great, the stories are good. This is just going to take time to reach people. And that was it.
- [68:05]
Steve Austin
How long did it take for us to reach people?
- [68:07]
Vince Russo
I'd say, Steve, to really get to go from a three to a four, I'd say that took the good part of nine months to get to that next level. Once we got to that next level, things really started growing from there quickly.
- [68:23]
Steve Austin
Things started going from there real quickly. And you're gonna get. You're gonna hear that part of the conversation next week on the Steve Austin Show. Hell of a Republic pitchers cliffhanger. Sitting there talking with Vince Russo from back in the day, the attitude era in the wild wf, back when it was professional wrestling, not sports entertainment.
- [68:43]
Vince Russo
This has been a Podcast one production. Download new episodes of the Steve Austin show every Tuesday@podcast1.com that's podcastone.com.
- [68:57]
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Steve Austin
You're gonna need some.
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Vince Russo
Very cool.
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Steve Austin
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Steve Austin
Take care of business, fellas.
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Steve Austin
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