Veteran says Vince McMahon banned WWE staff from calling him by his first name
Vince Russo recently recalled how Vince McMahon issued a bizarre mandate after he joined WWE in the 1990s.
Russo initially wrote for WWF Magazine before he became a member of the company’s creative team. As WWE’s head writer, he played a key role in RAW dominating WCW Nitro in the television ratings toward the end of the decade.
Appearing on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, Russo was asked if McMahon ever had a problem with his first name. He confirmed that the WWE Chairman did not want anyone sharing his name, so he told staff to refer to the writer simply as Russo.
“The mandate came down officially that literally people I worked with had to call me Russo because there could only be one Vince,” Russo said. “That is a shoot and, bro, I swear to God, I was like, ‘Are you freaking kidding me? Is this a rib?’” [10:09-10:29]
Russo came up with ideas for dozens of WWE’s action-packed storylines at the beginning of the Attitude Era. While many like to focus on in-ring performances in wrestling, the one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion preferred the storytelling aspect of the business.
Vince Russo’s honest thoughts on Vince McMahon’s rule
He's here. #SDLive @VinceMcMahon https://t.co/toA8IZsGJI
Although Vince McMahon is the most important person in WWE, Vince Russo could not understand why his former boss issued strict instructions regarding his name.
Fortunately, as Russo worked his way up the WWE ranks, people stopped referring to him only by his surname.
“They were dead serious,” Russo continued. “I said, ‘Guys, he’s not the only one in the world with the name Vince. That’s my name. I don’t want people calling me by my last name. I find that very, very rude. Somehow, some way it wore off. But yeah, bro, at the beginning you were supposed to call me Russo because there could only be one Vince.” [10:30-10:56]
Russo reviews RAW every week on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Legion of RAW show. Last year, he reached out to Vince McMahon to offer his services as a WWE consultant. The two exchanged emails, but talks broke down after McMahon asked him to provide feedback for free.
Please credit the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.