I went back and watched every RAW from 98 a little while back, and it was TREMENDOUS. The pacing of the show, the little cliff hangers before each commercial break, fleshed out characters that remained true to themselves. Explanations, mysteries, comedy, the promos, everything was a million times better back then. I can't even watch RAW today. I can't even enjoy a Summerslam. Only thing enteraining is Wrestlemania, and that's due to past legends returning. Russo deserves better.
I think the internet shattered the mystery of wrestling... for me it was magical watching wwf in 1994-2001 because I couldn't go on the internet and ask for this answer or that plus... and that might sound a bit silly, but back then the visual quality of the screen on the tv (at least on my old tv back then) was bad so all i saw was a huge crowd of fans around the ring, not in detail but enough to know it was a huge crowd , and it was often dark and mysterious, lots of signs, no smartphones... and all that made it so magical for me... having to wait 1 week for a certain time so that i won't miss the next show. it will never be the same again.
Some of you may not like Russo but the numbers don't lie. Attitude era highest ratings ever. Go to the WWE network and look at the shows from 97 on and i can almost guarantee that you will forget about Zane, Owens, the boss, and huggers. I say almost because a lot of you are marks and can't miss your sing along session when Nakamura comes out. Sheesh even the music was better back then.
Vince Russo had nothing to do with that. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Degeneration X, Mick Foley, Sable, Chyna, and Vince McMahon deserve the recognition for that era's success
4 horsemen promos ,wolfpac Sting vs Giant at great American bash. Goldberg loses to Nash!. The wCw PPV's were way better then WWF. Look up Road Wild . Look up all the matches Disco inferno had! Look up Eric Wrights awesome dancing moves that him and Inferno would do as a Tag team! .It was epic!.
+Djpdogg Also LuLz fuck Russo .WTF was up with the shitty entrance stage in 2000 they kept using over and over even on PPV it was the same titantron. Atleast with Eric Bischoff you had better entrance stages that matched the PPV. Like Bash of the Beach under Eric Bischoff control was actually at beach as the entrance stage! under Russo everything became that stupid square titantron.
the product is crap right now. Im only interested in it a little because a friend of mine is on the roster. No name drop lets just say he is phenomenal. lol
Back in the 90s, no one has seen anything like what was on wrestling. But now the wwe is in direct competition with video games and tv shows like game of thrones. I say even if they were not pg that would not change a thing. Would you rather play a video game or watch boring wrestling with bad story lines? or even yet would you Rather watch breaking bad? the wwe can do nothing to get are attention anymore they pretty much have ran out of gas in ideas.
I agree with what Ed Ferrara said about why he and Russo do not get any credit! You can fine it in the book DK published with the WWE about the attitude era, where Russo is at the chapter of the unsung heroes, but also a few pages later is being discredited by Bill Goldberg.
If I had ted turner money I would start a company and hire both of you guys for head of creative and let you guys go all out. Fuck the bischoffs, cornettes, and heymans.
Vince McMahon is inwardly ashamed of being a Pro Wrestling promoter. The attitude is an attempt to distance himself as a producer from the product he provides.
about Vince doing his sh1t at 70, there's ego, power, the fear that someone could do better, or fail and destroy his business but just like Arsene Wenger its hard to leave your baby when its your whole life. Walking away is getting closer to death, its dying when you retire. Vince keeps on working out, he wants to live forever. He's a god. If he leaves he fears to be forgotten like an old real tv star, left alone, useless.
To be honest I think the old bastard keeps the show tame because he fears for his soul. He got rich off getting a lot of people to work themselves to death and he was one of the few shows that drug entertainment into the gutter. I liked it don't get me wrong but he was also marketing to kids. Or it's all just to keep advertisers happy
He's a narcissistic, sexual predator who would rather sell his company than give it to his own flesh and blood. When old age takes him the world won't have lost much.
Thank you for the videos and interviews. Have to ask- "If " Mr Russo and ferrera are such GREAT writers... then why have Mr Russo and ferrera created something special in wrestling since 1999?Wrestling has been dead for 20 years!Thank you
It's simple. The wrestling business wears you down. Would you like to be separated from your family most of the year and focus on wrestling all the time? Russo and Ferrara were burnt out and tired of the wrestling politics.
peckerdecker If mcmahon was the filter, why have the ratings gone down since they left. They increased Wcw ratings and had 2 million people watching tna
thanks for the replt. mr russo and ferrera were busy during 1997- 1999. that was 18 years ago. so working a hectic schedule for a mere 3 years burns out a person for 18 plus years? hilarious!
Yeah it does because Russo and Ferrara fell out of love for wrestling. It got in the way of what really matters, spending time with your family. Russo missed his son's first home run because of wrestling. Vince McMahon only cares about his business and not about the concerns of his employees.
@LTopomcFly exactly, these people who opine that "if russo was worth the hype, he'd re-create that boom without mcmahon" don't understand it takes resources to experience a run of success in wrestling, turner spent hundreds of millions to get wcw to compete in the 90s, yet people expect russo to draw 8 million viewers to a run-down welfare promotion like tna, that's why we laugh at russo-haters
I do not like watching pro wrestling no more because it's dead and the attitude era is gone. I don't like the pg era because that is for kids. I am not a fan of it.
"Why am i giving time to this thing I'm not even enjoying" - I had the exact same moment of clarity, but mine was in 2005. For about 2years I'd been putting Raw on out of habit and turning it off or flicking after 40minutes. Then I just stopped and never went back and from a I hear, its been s**t ever since and not been missed even slightly.
I'm sorry if I was WWF and Vince McMahon I'd probably try to punish you guys too for going to the enemy and trying to put me out of business not to mention how Ed tried to humiliate Jim Ross on WCW tv
Why would Vince McMahon still be working at 70? Did these guys ever consider that maybe he just loves what he does and to him it doesn't feel like work. These guys sound like 2 bitter broads talking about an ex they both dated who moved onto a younger chick, got married and lived happily ever after.
Anyone working that long is insane. You have kids, you have grandkids, normal people retire. Plus if your passion is killing your own product other than cooking up scams he's done a fantastic job of that already
Vince M. doesn't like you bc you are not a man and you told him over the phone.. He is a man's man and you are not!! Drive up to his office or house and shake his hand don't call him and tell him over the phone clown boy
WCW was dying before Russo was in. Bischoff was getting burnt out and came up with the same crap with the NWO. When Russo did came in, he tried to save it, but management, standard and practices, and some wrestlers refuse to budge. Plus Time Warner CEO pulled the plug. TNA went dead when the moment Hulk Hogan came in, when Russo raising the ratings slowly.
T like these same 2 dudes were the head writers at wcw and we saw that shit show lol so miss me with all this Bs lol because if u guys had so many good ideas why didn’t it translate over to wcw or tna ? exactly
I went back and watched every RAW from 98 a little while back, and it was TREMENDOUS. The pacing of the show, the little cliff hangers before each commercial break, fleshed out characters that remained true to themselves. Explanations, mysteries, comedy, the promos, everything was a million times better back then. I can't even watch RAW today. I can't even enjoy a Summerslam. Only thing enteraining is Wrestlemania, and that's due to past legends returning. Russo deserves better.
Lmaoooooooooo boy if u think that was All Russo doing your delusional as he is
There’s not many people there today making any good decisions. It’s amazing that it’s still on the air, it’s a horrifying show.
Ed Ferrara, uncredited and unmentioned in WWE history.
I think the internet shattered the mystery of wrestling... for me it was magical watching wwf in 1994-2001 because I couldn't go on the internet and ask for this answer or that plus... and that might sound a bit silly, but back then the visual quality of the screen on the tv (at least on my old tv back then) was bad so all i saw was a huge crowd of fans around the ring, not in detail but enough to know it was a huge crowd , and it was often dark and mysterious, lots of signs, no smartphones... and all that made it so magical for me... having to wait 1 week for a certain time so that i won't miss the next show. it will never be the same again.
Facts
Russo and Ferrara would give any of those current writers a run for their money
You mean they’d chase them for it??
No they wouldn’t why didn’t they in wcw or tna ? They had chances since then and absolutely sucked balls
to think this was 6 years ago, man time goes by
These two are the reason we like wrestling.....Respect to Ed And Russo
No their not
@@litodat233 well they are the reason for A LOT of ppl, bc the last time WWE was relevant was when they were writing so…
Some of you may not like Russo but the numbers don't lie. Attitude era highest ratings ever. Go to the WWE network and look at the shows from 97 on and i can almost guarantee that you will forget about Zane, Owens, the boss, and huggers. I say almost because a lot of you are marks and can't miss your sing along session when Nakamura comes out. Sheesh even the music was better back then.
J Crash the build started in 97
J Crash
But it skyrocketed
Djpdogg imagine if russo ran wcw he would've put WWF out of business
@J Crash you're an idiot
Vince Russo had nothing to do with that. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Degeneration X, Mick Foley, Sable, Chyna, and Vince McMahon deserve the recognition for that era's success
I LOVE the way everyone that has been around Vince manages to do a spot on impression 😂😂😂😂
Bro
Im currently binge watching the attitude era. Raw, Smakdown and PPV. You guys were geniuses. Great TV!!!!
NWO..... What else????
4 horsemen promos ,wolfpac Sting vs Giant at great American bash. Goldberg loses to Nash!.
The wCw PPV's were way better then WWF. Look up Road Wild . Look up all the matches Disco inferno had! Look up Eric Wrights awesome dancing moves that him and Inferno would do as a Tag team! .It was epic!.
+Djpdogg Also LuLz fuck Russo .WTF was up with the shitty entrance stage in 2000 they kept using over and over even on PPV it was the same titantron. Atleast with Eric Bischoff you had better entrance stages that matched the PPV. Like Bash of the Beach under Eric Bischoff control was actually at beach as the entrance stage! under Russo everything became that stupid square titantron.
Djpdogg Raw was great around that time
I was always a loyal WWF/WWE guy. NWO was interesting but not as good as WWE to me.
Ed is the loudest drinker I've ever heard. SSLUUUUUUURP!
I love the Paul McCartney cutout in the background:
great interview guys, ty for the awesome era you helped building.
At one time the three of you working together created an era still talked about today. Why can it not be done again?
Cause, PG. Publicly traded company. Linda's political career.
Chandler Keaton Things can change. PG is not best for WWE. Vince Russo could help
the product is crap right now. Im only interested in it a little because a friend of mine is on the roster. No name drop lets just say he is phenomenal. lol
Back in the 90s, no one has seen anything like what was on wrestling. But now the wwe is in direct competition with video games and tv shows like game of thrones. I say even if they were not pg that would not change a thing. Would you rather play a video game or watch boring wrestling with bad story lines? or even yet would you Rather watch breaking bad? the wwe can do nothing to get are attention anymore they pretty much have ran out of gas in ideas.
cos he is a 1 trick pony
Love the interview vince
I don't think even Linda Mcmahon knows Vince.
83aber1
Russo used to go to Mcmahons house all the time when writing shows
RonDamon 44 McMahon is a f****** a****** he pretends to like people but he uses them that's the facts
I agree with what Ed Ferrara said about why he and Russo do not get any credit! You can fine it in the book DK published with the WWE about the attitude era, where Russo is at the chapter of the unsung heroes, but also a few pages later is being discredited by Bill Goldberg.
Have you read it?
By Jon Robinson?
If I had ted turner money I would start a company and hire both of you guys for head of creative and let you guys go all out. Fuck the bischoffs, cornettes, and heymans.
MARKS FEAR RUSSO!!!
Wow. Great shit guys, do more topics like this if possible..
Vince McMahon is inwardly ashamed of being a Pro Wrestling promoter. The attitude is an attempt to distance himself as a producer from the product he provides.
I never thought about that but it is weird how he hates the South so much and almost all of his biggest stars and hotbeds of fans are from there.
Interesting to listen to Ed in 2019. Lots of great points. Everything you both predicted happened.
We know a lot more about Vince now than we probably ever needed to know.
How right Russo & Ferrara were and are. Now the Network has flopped, what’s left now for WWE? I wonder if they’ll completely sell out to NBC?
Am I the only one who doesn't believe Ed's last story.....like at all?
You believe any of it???
about Vince doing his sh1t at 70, there's ego, power, the fear that someone could do better, or fail and destroy his business but just like Arsene Wenger its hard to leave your baby when its your whole life. Walking away is getting closer to death, its dying when you retire. Vince keeps on working out, he wants to live forever. He's a god. If he leaves he fears to be forgotten like an old real tv star, left alone, useless.
To be honest I think the old bastard keeps the show tame because he fears for his soul. He got rich off getting a lot of people to work themselves to death and he was one of the few shows that drug entertainment into the gutter. I liked it don't get me wrong but he was also marketing to kids.
Or it's all just to keep advertisers happy
He's a narcissistic, sexual predator who would rather sell his company than give it to his own flesh and blood. When old age takes him the world won't have lost much.
this was a great episode!
*VINCE MCMAHON IS NOT JUST A TERRIBLE PERSON, HE I A TERRIBLE EXCUSE OF A HUMAN BEING.*
Ed funny at the end saying can u telll them I’m terrible they suck they didn’t wanna bring him home bullshit lmaooooo
Another good show
Ed just said "blank as a fart" and I had literal Lol moment
Thank you for the videos and interviews. Have to ask- "If " Mr Russo and ferrera are such GREAT writers... then why have Mr Russo and ferrera created something special in wrestling since 1999?Wrestling has been dead for 20 years!Thank you
It's simple. The wrestling business wears you down. Would you like to be separated from your family most of the year and focus on wrestling all the time? Russo and Ferrara were burnt out and tired of the wrestling politics.
peckerdecker
If mcmahon was the filter, why have the ratings gone down since they left.
They increased Wcw ratings and had 2 million people watching tna
thanks for the replt. mr russo and ferrera were busy during 1997- 1999. that was 18 years ago. so working a hectic schedule for a mere 3 years burns out a person for 18 plus years? hilarious!
Yeah it does because Russo and Ferrara fell out of love for wrestling. It got in the way of what really matters, spending time with your family. Russo missed his son's first home run because of wrestling. Vince McMahon only cares about his business and not about the concerns of his employees.
@LTopomcFly exactly, these people who opine that "if russo was worth the hype, he'd re-create that boom without mcmahon" don't understand it takes resources to experience a run of success in wrestling, turner spent hundreds of millions to get wcw to compete in the 90s, yet people expect russo to draw 8 million viewers to a run-down welfare promotion like tna, that's why we laugh at russo-haters
I do not like watching pro wrestling no more because it's dead and the attitude era is gone. I don't like the pg era because that is for kids. I am not a fan of it.
Russo wrote the best TV EVER
Vince is all about Vince
Why was bio-Paul's head in your drawer back then Vince!? By the way you should get Ed back on more often. This was a good interview/chat.
So not having a great life is quitting WWF and then making fun of a man that suffered Bell Palsy
"Why am i giving time to this thing I'm not even enjoying" - I had the exact same moment of clarity, but mine was in 2005. For about 2years I'd been putting Raw on out of habit and turning it off or flicking after 40minutes. Then I just stopped and never went back and from a I hear, its been s**t ever since and not been missed even slightly.
Ed Ferrara still works for WWE??
Nope.
Russbro, Ed is morphing in to Kevin Sullivan.
I swear you mention baseball in every podcast u do lol
Stop waving your hands so much, jesus
Is Ed really working at NXT?
That slurping and sniffing is killing me...
6 years too late bro
I'm sorry if I was WWF and Vince McMahon I'd probably try to punish you guys too for going to the enemy and trying to put me out of business not to mention how Ed tried to humiliate Jim Ross on WCW tv
Doubt it VKM fired JR for a lot less so I doubt VKM cares that much for JR.
@@darthbigred22 JR got fired?!
Vince Russo, are you a MSU fan?
Does Ed work in NXT??
Listen to Elvis, Vince. While I love the Beatles, myself.
I thought it was brother love
It's not it's just ed Ferrara
55:30 Shane McMahon
This is a Dammm good Video !!!
Tyler Brunet give it a like Tyler
Dudes really think they are wrestlings saviors boy please y’all was not the only writers head writers yes made all the good ideas and angles NO
Bro!
Why would Vince McMahon still be working at 70? Did these guys ever consider that maybe he just loves what he does and to him it doesn't feel like work. These guys sound like 2 bitter broads talking about an ex they both dated who moved onto a younger chick, got married and lived happily ever after.
Blueblur 22 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 yes!!
Anyone working that long is insane. You have kids, you have grandkids, normal people retire.
Plus if your passion is killing your own product other than cooking up scams he's done a fantastic job of that already
Vinny mac is nothing but a narcissistic sexual predator. End of.
BRO !
Bro, bro, bro!
Vince M. doesn't like you bc you are not a man and you told him over the phone.. He is a man's man and you are not!! Drive up to his office or house and shake his hand don't call him and tell him over the phone clown boy
If Russo & Ferrara were so damn great and geniuses. Why is WCW dead TNA dead. Wrestling is dead thanks to Russo and Ferrara
WCW was dying before Russo was in. Bischoff was getting burnt out and came up with the same crap with the NWO. When Russo did came in, he tried to save it, but management, standard and practices, and some wrestlers refuse to budge. Plus Time Warner CEO pulled the plug.
TNA went dead when the moment Hulk Hogan came in, when Russo raising the ratings slowly.
Jonathan Ascencio wrestling is dead period. The is nothing worth watching
That is debatable at best if wrestling is dead. People are still trying to figure out how it died and when it did.
Jonathan Ascencio ECW ruined wrestling (even though I enjoyed it) and Vince killed it when he bought WCW
Look how long it's been you're posting this 6 months ago these guys have been out of the business for 10 years wake up
T like these same 2 dudes were the head writers at wcw and we saw that shit show lol so miss me with all this Bs lol because if u guys had so many good ideas why didn’t it translate over to wcw or tna ? exactly
He says bro to much I can’t stand this Fkr
These guys swear they wrote the best tv ever lmao and literally have sucked since did nothing in wcw did nothing in tna just made it worst
Lmaoooooooo
These guys were a cancer to the wrestling industry!
Great podcast
The attitude era was popular DESPITE Vince Russo, not BECAUSE of him.
Dude he was the head writer. Like him or not, his job was literally WRITING THE SHOW.
Did he do it all alone? No.
Was he a MAJOR part? Yes
What are the beats playing in the beginning ?