"Who's the Joke on?" - Former WWE writer slams The Elite for mocking CM Punk amidst AEW's alarming drop in ratings
Vince Russo has slammed the way AEW stars Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks mocked CM Punk during a dip in ratings.
The Elite only returned from suspension following the 'Brawl Out' incident at Full Gear. But after losing their comeback match, the trio have been embroiled in a Best of Seven series for the AEW Trios titles they had inaugurated before they were stripped of them.
During the second bout in Chicago, CM Punk's hometown, the trio made use of several references to him and his situation. Kenny Omega even hit PAC with a GTS.
Vince Russo took to Twitter to berate their behavior, citing drops in audience numbers and questioning whether they have their priorities in the right place considering their role as EVPs of the company.
"AEW Marks can't UNDERSTAND why I don't take their company seriously? Your initial audience on TBS is down 600k from where you started OVER 3 years ago. So what do you do? You have three EVPs of the company mock a wrestler who's no longer there. Who's the joke on?" - Vince Russo via Twitter
.@AEW Marks can't UNDERSTAND why I don't take their Company Seriously? Your initial audience on @TBSNetwork is down 600K from where you started OVER 3 years ago. So what do you do? You have three EVPs of the Company mock a Wrestler who's no longer there. Who's the Joke on?
The Elite were 2-0 down heading into last week's AEW Dynamite. Matt Jackson scored the pin this week after a high-octane bout to drag the series back to 2-1. They will face each other for match four at Winter is Coming.
How did fans react to Vince Russo's AEW criticism?
Russo can be divisive when it comes to wrestling fandom. Known for some of the more 'out there' angles to be used in wrestling, his critique is often met with both ire and awe.
This time it proved to be no different, with a number of fans offering their thoughts on the matter. One such tweet was a shot at WWE's ratings which have suffered a drop as well.
@THEVinceRusso @AEW @TBSNetwork Isn’t WWE Smackdown’s audience down almost 2 million from when they started on Fox OVER 3 years ago?
@THEVinceRusso @AEW @TBSNetwork Smackdown is down 1.6 million and Raw is down 800k since the same week. The industry popped for the debut week. It was never meant to be the forever rating for any of them.
@THEVinceRusso @AEW @TBSNetwork Dude CM Punk is still with the company. He’s legit injured and he’ll be healthy in time for All In 2023 and it will be Omega vs Punk and it will be their biggest box office. Punk will have NUCLEAR heat when he’s back. This is all build up.
@THEVinceRusso @AEW @TBSNetwork AEW's issue is that it introduced itself as an alternative to WWE...but kinda didn't give us anything new outside of more of a workrate based product, which is fine but like thats all it is. Storylines are about as flat as something written by Vince Russo.
@THEVinceRusso @AEW @TBSNetwork Vince isn't wrong, if your audience hasn't grown in the first few years then that's about all you're going to get. What AEW is doing isn't bringing in new viewers and when people have opinion of the product the AEW diehard cult fanbase responds with "this isn't for you then".
@THEVinceRusso @AEW @TBSNetwork Sometimes It’s so boring to watch ! No entertainment , no continuing storylines , just everything thrown against the wall to see what sticks! Am I wrong ?
Then there were some who agreed with his estimation of the spot and others who felt he was being unfair. Some also argued the point he made on CM Punk no longer being with the company. There were those who felt he would return to face the Elite in 2023.
What do you make of Vince Russo's comments? Let us know in the comments below.