Vince McMahon Regretted Vince Russo’s WWE Return
Vince McMahon wasn’t always one to apologise throughout decades of running WWE but when Vince Russo disastrously returned to WWE, he had no other choice.
It goes without saying that Vince McMahon was notoriously difficult to work for. From reports of him ripping up Raw and SmackDown scripts mere hours before they were due to go on-air to firing and suspending talent and personnel without good reason, the ex-WWE Chairman was perceived as a nightmarish boss.
He did, however, briefly display his emotions following Vince Russo’s ill-fated return to WWE in 2002. As recalled by ex-WWE writer Brian Gewirtz in his recently-released book There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales From The Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE, McMahon actually had remorse for the signing of Russo:
“Vince [McMahon] sat in silence as he contemplated what he was going to say next. For the first and possibly only time I can recall in my sixteen years in the company, Vince apologized. ‘This isn’t going to work…I’m sorry I brought that a**hole back’.”
Vince Russo returned to WWE as a creative consultant in 2002, lasting just two weeks in the role before allegedly leaving on his own accord. Among the ideas proposed by Russo during this period was a second attempt at the WCW invasion, featuring key stars like Goldberg, who’d been missing from the original go-around.
He’s subsequently worked for IMPACT Wrestling and Aro Lucha, the former of which saw him bombarded with numerous “Fire Russo” chants.