Jim Ross Recalls Vince McMahon’s Reaction To Vince Russo Leaving WWE
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently shared on his “Grilling JR” podcast some insight into the unexpected exit of WWE’s head writer Vince Russo and his assistant Ed Ferrara to rival WCW in October 1999.
The departure, occurring amidst preparations for WWE’s No Mercy pay-per-view, sent shockwaves through the company, and Jim Ross expressed his initial surprise at the development.
It was still a little bit surprising. I would have thought that they would have come to some sort of happy compromise prior to the final decision being made.
Ross, however emphasised WWE’s resilience, citing the depth of talent both behind the scenes and in the ring.
We had a lot of people on staff who could do their job. I thought that the company reacted positively. We had some depth, and we had people there. Pat Patterson and Bruce Prichard, myself to a lesser degree. And Vince, of course. So it was pretty good. And we had some talents coming into their own. The ladder match of the Hardys and Edge and Christian was extraordinary. So that bailed our ass out of that show.
The sudden vacancy in key creative roles left little time for regrouping, given the relentless nature of weekly television production. Ross revealed that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was caught off guard and displeased by the news.
I think Vince was surprised and not in a pleasant way.
Jim Ross also gave his opinion on the motivation behind Russo and Ferrara’s departure.
They just were burned out. And they tagged out too late. I mean, they got to the end of the rope, unfortunately.
Despite the challenges, Ross acknowledged the significant contributions made by Russo and Ferrara during their tenure. However, the abrupt nature of their exit left no time for goodbyes or a smooth transition.
They did a nice job. The results speak for themselves. I didn’t see them on the way out. I just know that it was a surprise and not a pleasant one. We didn’t have any time to regroup because we had another show to do. So it was an interesting time for us there at WWE.
Even though WWE was ahead of WCW in the rights to sports entertainment supremacy at this moment in time, their move to WCW marked a significant shift in the wrestling landscape, intensifying the competition between the two promotions during the height of the Monday Night Wars.
What Change Does Jim Ross Think AEW Should Make?
Jim Ross believes that AEW should limit their pay-per-views to three hours, saying that he believes that the four and five-hour PPVs are “daunting,” and having having a three hour pay-per-view will be more accessible to most audiences.
H/t to 411mania.com