Vince Russo has answered questions over at his website, Pyroandballyhoo.com. He
discusses “spoiling TNA,” putting the title on David Arquette, claims that he
caused Owen’s death and more. Here are some highlights…
Could you respond to this Bret Hart quote from 2009
(courtesy of Ministry of Slam radio show): “I think they should take
Vince Russo and hang him by the neck somewhere in the back of the parking lot.”
: Had many conversations with Bret at WCW, never said anything like this to me.
If Bret did indeed say it—then I don’t understand it. I think the world of Bret
Hart. Keep in mind, many things have been said about me behind my back—never to
my face—so it’s hard for me to really understand the reasoning behind it.
Kevin Kelly said you “spoiled the well” in TNA. What’s
his beef with you?: How was the well spoiled when after Jeff Jarrett
left, and I was given more creative power, the ratings/audience hit an all-time
high at TNA. And, don’t get me wrong—Matt Conway who was working with me was a
huge part of that. At one time we had over 2 million viewers. So, exactly what
well Kevin is talking about, I don’t know.
Do you RESPECT the dirt sheets as a whole? Why or why
not?: Very few members. Why? It’s real simple — out of all the BS said
about me over the past 20 years, I can count maybe 1, or 2 instances where I was
actually “contacted” for a response. They wrote whatever they wanted to write
because there was no accountability. Just like they said a few weeks ago that I
was under contract with TNA. Even with all the rumors concerning my status of
late—NOBODY—has picked up the phone to ask ME. How can you respect that?
What on earth were you thinking when you put the title on
David Arquette!?: WCW needed attention fast at the time because WWE
was killing them in the ratings. It was an all-out publicity stunt that worked.
Next day we were on the cover of USA Today. Shortly after that, David was
talking about it on all the late night talk shows. We were even able to get
Courtney Cox, Kevin Cosner and Kurt Russell do a pre-tape for us with the
belt—FREE OF CHARGE.
Defend your comments made to Ben Miller regarding
Japanese wrestlers never being able to get over in America. This interview is
where the “Vince Russo is a racist” stuff began! Your quote: “You will never
ever, ever, ever, ever see the Japanese wrestler or the Mexican wrestler over in
American mainstream wrestling.”: I’ve answered this ONE MILLION TIMES.
I said that it was difficult to get Japanese/Mexican wrestlers over on AMERICAN
television with AMERICAN television viewers because there was a language
barrier, which made it difficult for the American fans to relate to them. Add to
that the fact that most wear masks, so it’s hard for them to get stories across
through facials. That’s what I said. How many foreign language speaking actors
do you see on US Network television speaking their home language—SAME THING.
How do you respond to Roddy Piper (and Jim Cornette)
saying you caused Owen Hart’s death?: That’s just sad. Really, really
sad. Nobody wants to know the facts—here they are: the PPV was already
written–there was NOTHING written in the format about Owen descending from the
top of the arena. As I was at my desk finalizing the show, I received a called
from Steve Taylor, who was head of building operations for the WWE at the time.
Steve had been with the company since day 1. Steve told me that he had received
a call from the company that descended Sting for WCW. He said that they were
coming to the PPV, and they wanted to know if there was anything they could do
to show us how they work. As Steve spoke, I went up and down the format and saw
Owen’s name. It ran through my head that it might be cool for Owen and his
character to have a super hero entrance, and be descended from the top of the
arena. So I suggested that to Steve—Steve said OK and called the company back.
THAT’S HOW the situation went down. It was NEVER written into the show until I
received that call from Steve. Nobody thought twice about it at the time. Owen
NEVER even hinted that he had any issues with anything. As a matter of fact, I
saw him that day after rehearsal. He said everything went fine, and he was just
wondering if he could make his entrance first before the Godfather’s. I told him
no problem–and that’s what we did. I loved Owen hart–LOVED HIM. I have never
worked with anyone else like him IN MY LIFE. For Piper and Cornette to make
those comments is just DEMENTED and SICK. How anybody can even be capable of
making those kind of statements is beyond me. But yet–I worked with Roddy after
that at TNA, and he NEVER, NEVER said anything to my face. And, for the
record–neither did Jim.
