"That wasn't even my idea" - Former WWE writer Vince Russo quashes WCW veteran's big claim (Exclusive)
WWE veteran Vince Russo has responded to Buff Bagwell, who claimed that the former broke his promise of never appearing as a character on WCW Nitro.
A few days back, in an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Bagwell recalled how Russo had vowed to remain a behind-the-scenes guy upon joining WCW in 1999. The wrestling veteran then claimed that Vince Russo broke the promise in mere three months and began working on an on-screen character on Nitro.
Now, the former WWE writer has shared his side of the story in the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Outlaws. Russo first mentioned how people, in general, tend to forget things as they get older.
The 61-year-old revealed that his voice work as part of "The Powers That Be" in WCW was not his but Kevin Sullivan's idea.
"Two things with wrestlers. Number 1 and this isn't just with wrestlers. Bro, as we get older, we forget a lot. I have forgotten a lot. And number 2, wrestlers like to embellish. So let me address the first three months I was in the company. I was doing the George Steinbrenner Seinfeld gimmick, which was Kevin Sullivan's idea. That wasn't even my idea that was Kevin Sullivan's idea. All you heard was my voice," said Vince Russo.
Furthermore, Russo pointed out how he was never under a talent deal with WCW and was contracted to only work as a writer for the company. Vince Russo added that performing as an on-screen character on Nitro was never under his radar.
"Bro, never did I have any want to be on camera. So him saying I went around and promised everyone that I was never gonna be on camera, those first three months, it wasn't even on my radar! I got hired as a writer. I did not have talent contract. I got hired as a writer, that was my job. The idea of me running around and promising WCW talent I was never gonna be on TV, that's a little much," added Russo. (2:30 - 3:49)
Check out the video below:
WWE veteran Vince Russo says he was away from WCW for the next three months
The former WWE writer also mentioned that after "The Powers That Be" angle culminated in three months, he went home for the next three. Vince Russo argued that in such a case, the claim made by Buff Bagwell about him becoming an on-screen character on WCW Nitro within three months was untrue.
"The Steinbrenner thing, where I was not on TV, was three months. Then I went home for three months. So now there's a six-month period where I was running around on TV. No, bro, for three months, I wasn't on TV, then I went home for three months. So his timeline is a little bit off," recalled Vince Russo. (4:05 - 4:33)
20 years ago today was the first WCW Monday Nitro of the Vince Russo/Eric Bischoff era. https://t.co/3gHZdEjoes
Russo worked for WCW from 1999 until the promotion folded in 2001 when WWE acquired it.
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