By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast with Vince Russo
Host: JP John Poz
Twitter: @TwoManPowerTrip
Website: www.tmptempire.com
Interview available at Tmptow.podomatic.com
On Hulk Hogan: “I never had a problem with Hulk Hogan having creative control, bro. If he negotiated that in his contract, great for him. My problem always was, you know, he agreed to do the second script that I wrote. And then when I get there, I find out he’s not doing it. And, we had a couple of hours before showtime. That’s what really bothered me. I mean, when he came back and didn’t like the first script, okay, bro. No problem. I’ll write a second one, bro. If he didn’t write, if he didn’t like the second one, I would have wrote a third one, but he agreed to the second one. And then I get to the building and I’m finding out, you know, a couple of hours before the show, no, I’m not doing it. And I’m like, bro, you agreed to this on Friday. You know what I’m saying? That, that, that was my heat with them, you know, saying that this was fine and then changing his mind. Not that he played the card. That wasn’t, I had no issue with that whatsoever, man.”
On Dark Side of the Ring’s Bash at the Beach 2000 episode: “Knowing what went down, the episode made me more confused than when I even started and I was there and I know what happened and, I don’t think as far as what actually happened and what came out of that, I don’t, I don’t think it served anything. But here’s what I really think came out of it, and I don’t even think they meant for this to come out of it, bro. I think what really came out of this, bro, was Hulk’s… decision to play his creative control card, because it looked like the way this came across to me, it looked like he didn’t give a shit about Booker, he didn’t give a shit about anybody else, and I’ll tell you what, bro, Jeff Jarrett really made it look that way, and that really says a lot, bro, because like Jeff Jarrett, you know, was one of the boys and Jeff’s basically saying, you know, bro, the dude’s got creative control, that’s fine and well, but at the end of the day, he doesn’t give a shit about anybody, but himself. And the thing is, bro, here’s the thing, John, if you’re not in the wrestling industry and you’re watching this. It’s so easy to say, man, bro, you know, Hulk, what, what an egomaniac, so selfish, didn’t give a shit about anybody but himself. It’s so easy to say that, but bro, when you’re in the business, you understand it’s every man for themselves, bro. Nobody, it’s not just Hogan. Nobody gives a shit about anybody else, bro. They’re, they’re all vying for the same spot.”
WCW Bash at the Beach 2000: “I am not anti-Hogan at all. I’m not, bro. I don’t, I don’t have a bad bone in my body whatsoever towards Hulk. Like I said, bro, with that whole thing, you agreed to it, bro. Then I’m finding out you’re changing your mind. That, that, that was where I was, you know, upset. You know, I, bro, I’ve said this all along on the record. If Bischoff was not involved. I would have had a great relationship with Hulk. There’s no doubt in my mind. Because when I was one on one with Hulk, bro, it was always good. We had phone conversations when Eric wasn’t involved. And all those times were good. But it wasn’t that, John. This is exactly what it was. Bro, he was getting paid so much money from Turner. Per appearance, he was getting paid so much cash, him having that belt, bro. Now he has power now in his mind, he’s got the belt. He’s the champion. They’ve got to continue to use him on television. So he continues to get that hefty payday and bro, I’m not even blaming him for that.”
On Steve Austin and The Rock: “When they started bringing up the success of the Attitude Era and they’re talking about me and then Meltzer has the balls to say, well, you gotta, you gotta understand, uh, well they had Rock and they had Austin. Yeah, bro. And before I started writing, who was Rock and Austin, he was the Ringmaster and Rocky Maivia. Okay. Who do you think was writing that shit for them, bro? Because if Vince Russo did not come along, okay, would they have continued to be the Ringmaster and Rocky Maivia? Okay, but those guys were nothing. When I started, you know, writing for them and, and, and again, bro, it, they, they were just as much of a part of like, especially Austin getting in my ear, ‘I’m better than that. I could do this. I could do this. I could do this.’ And, then he formed into Austin. But that’s the thing, when Meltzer is so ignorant. Yeah, bro. It’s The Rock and Austin. And somebody’s got to give them good material every single week. What do you think’s doing that, bro? That, that, that’s the part of it that I’m like, get that F out of here, man. Please.”
On Dude Love: “That’s the story going forward with Dude Love that, you know, he should and he doesn’t get that title shot. Then he turns on Vince and then he reveals Vince was behind the Dude Love character. I’m never going to do this again. So, that finish was important with Dude Love because that story went in a whole other direction. Here’s the beauty of this, you know, and cause they’re kind of running into this problem. You know, like with Roman Reigns, bro, the whole point of Dude Love was to create a new opponent for Steve Austin. That’s what the whole idea of Dude Love and it, and it worked beautifully, but that, that goes to show like, you know, Austin’s so hot. And there’s really nobody to put him in there, you know, ‘takers with Kane, you know, everybody’s taken. And we literally created an opponent for Austin in Dude Love. And I think that was the best part of the whole thing.”
Other topics include Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Kane, Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, and more.
Bro.