Vince Russo says ex-ECW star asked if he could join WWE (Exclusive)
Vince Russo recently recalled how he had conversations with several Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) stars about joining WWE, including Taz.
Russo was WWE's head writer in the late 1990s. As part of his job, he watched ECW and provided feedback to WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon about wrestlers he might be interested in.
On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo show, the former writer said two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion Taz asked if he could join WWE. He also revealed that Al Snow was recommended to McMahon thanks to his work with the "head" gimmick:
"My role was really [writing] the show," Russo stated. "Guys were starting to call me. I got a call from Taz. I had never, ever, ever spoken to Taz in my life, and I got a call from Taz wanting to come over. I saw what Al Snow was doing with 'head' there, and I'm like, 'Vince…' I wanted Al Snow to come over." [4:59 – 5:28]
Taz, who now works as a commentator for AEW, joined WWE in 2000 after six years in ECW. Al Snow returned to WWE in 1998 after a short ECW stint.
Vince Russo on WWE's relationship with ECW
In the 1990s, Paul Heyman occasionally used lower-to-mid-card WWE Superstars on his ECW shows. As part of a talent exchange agreement, ECW wrestlers sometimes appeared in WWE either temporarily or permanently.
Today, March 15th in Pro-Wrestling history....
Philadelphia, PA - March 15, 1997 - The Dudley Boyz won the ECW World Tag Team Championships from The Eliminatiors, which ended the Eliminators' 2nd title reign.
#PWHS #ECW #Dudleyz #Eliminators https://t.co/OfiEPBhy21
Vince Russo added that Heyman once lied to Vince McMahon by claiming The Dudley Boyz did not want to join WWE from ECW:
"When Paul E. [Heyman] started cutting them off, I'm like, 'Vince, come on, man. Don't tell me those guys don't wanna come here.'" [5:29 – 5:37]
Asked if Heyman simply wanted exposure for ECW on WWE television, Russo replied, "One thousand percent."
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