Christian Wrestling Doesn't Pay, so Russo Heads Back to TNA
WWE (then WWF): Took the company from "Saturday morning cartoon" programming to "adult entertainment," with the help of performers like Steve Austin, The Rock, DX, and Mick Foley--quite possibly the greatest roster of talent ever put together.
WCW: The earth started to shake, and his reputation as a "creative genius" began to crumble as he pretty much gutted and destroyed the highly entertaining cruiserweight division, and raped the WCW World Title of all its glory and prestige by playing hot potato with it (under Russo's regime the title changed hands an average of 2.6 weeks), even putting it around the waist of the goofy-faced David Arquette whose brother, Alexis, is a transsexual. But hey, if that weren't bad enough, Russo took it a step further by putting the belt on himself, too!
TNA: Started a stable called SEX (Sports Entertainment Xtreme), which ended up being pretty lame. First, Russo made himself the leader of the group on camera; secondly, spelling "Extreme" as "Xtreme" is childish and uncool. Everything else he did in TNA was so forgettable I can't remember any of it. After leaving the company to become a born again Christian, Russo would return for a short time as strictly an on-air personality playing the face of the "championship committee." The fans weren't buying this newly righteous Russo, so after a few months, despite Russo being nothing but a good guy, he was kicked to the curb and replaced by the translucent Dusty Rhodes. Step up? Eh...I think not.
Since leaving the national wrestling scene, Russo had gone on to write a book about himself (SHOCKER!) and pretty much denounce everything he'd ever done in the business up until being born again. Did this mean he gave all the money he made off those "poor decisions" he made all those years prior? No. But I guess God doesn't consider keeping money earned through sinning a sin. Is it just me, or is being a recovering sinner a whole lot easier than being a recovering alcoholic? God's got nothing on AA, folks.
Back to the story at hand: In addition to writing a book and finding God, Russo began promoting faith-based pro wrestling through his company, Ring of Glory. While it boasted a quality roster, the company made no money, and through all my intense online research (heh-heh), I couldn't find a single story of Ring of Glory converting anyone to Christianity.
There's your brief history of Vince Russo's tumultuous wrestling career. The only thing left to ponder is whether or not TNA re-hiring Russo is the right move for TNA. So, is it? Honestly, I don't see how it could hurt. With his hiring, it helps lend credibility to the rumor that TNA is on the brink of announcing a better (and bigger) timeslot on SpikeTV. If this is true, Double J and Dutch Mantell are going to need some help filling that extra time; and who better than Vince Russo who, despite all of his faults, has never had a problem with establishing new stars at the expense of old ones. Given the amount of untapped potential on the current roster TNA--especially in the X-Division--there is no telling what Russo could do here. Another promising aspect of Russo's roller coaster past is that for all of his faults, he never looked back. He's always looked forward, and tried to innovate whenever possible. No, it didn't always work out--hell, most of the time he fell flat on his face--but with WWE currently struggling to keep fans tuned in due to a stale product, they are ripe for TNA's picking. And, considering that pro-wrestling is due for an upswing in the ratings and fan attention, the re-hiring of Russo to the booking team could be the likely first step toward making TNA the legitimate number two company.
Let's just hope Russo doesn't team up with fellow born againer, Sting, to create a Jesus Freak stable of some kind. The only way I could enjoy it is if they bring in Reverend Slick to manage, and rename "The Stinger Splash" the "Bible Thump," justifying the new name due to Sting now dressing like a Pastor with a Bible tapped to his chest for quick access. Maybe quote the Bible throughout his matches as a means to taunt his opponents?
Yeah, probably not.
Posted 09/23/06 by JK | Filed under: Pro Wrestling
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