"Absolutely split locker room" - Vince Russo discusses how the backstage politics of WCW was different from WWE (Exclusive)
Former WWE head writer Vince Russo recently spoke about the 'split' locker room when he first moved to WCW.
Vince Russo joined the now-defunct promotion in 1999 after a very successful stint with World Wrestling Entertainment. He contributed to the Stamford-based company's success during the Attitude Era, which finally helped WWE beat WCW in the Monday Night Wars.
Russo's run with WCW, however, wasn't as successful or memorable as WWE soon bought the company.
On a recent episode of Legion of RAW, Russo recalled that WCW's locker room was split between the established stars and the up-and-coming talents. The veteran claimed he gravitated towards the younger stars, leading to more problems because of the backstage politics.
"Absolutely split locker room. You had all the superstars over here and everybody that was being kept down there. It was as clear as day, bro. You had a split locker room. Of course, because of who I am, I'm always drawn to the younger guys who need to get a chance because I knew and understood wrestling politics. I knew that wasn't going to fare well for me, but I had to start thinking of the future of WCW." [9:30 - 10:07]
You can watch the full video here:
You can catch the full results of Monday Night RAW here.
WWE eventually bought out WCW in 2001
The Monday Night Wars marked a massive shift in the pro wrestling business, changing its landscape. By the end of it all, Vince McMahon was standing tall as the single biggest promoter in the world.
He acquired WCW logos, trademarks, and the video library for a meager $4.2 million from AOL Time Warner in 2001.
The buyout led to several WCW stars making appearances in WWE. The likes of nWo, Booker T, Goldberg, DDP, Scott Steiner, and even Eric Bischoff showed up on TV.
What are your thoughts on Vince Russo's description of WCW's locker room? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use the quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and add an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.