Hi, I've been reading discussions on these forums for a while now, but just finally registered. "long time listener, first time caller"....
I think having Russo in charge of TNA creative is a good idea in theory. You honestly cannot fully credit (or discredit) Russo for the demise of WCW. He was given the reigns of a company that was doomed before he even arrived. I don't think anyone (and that includes Satan himself) could have truly saved WCW from the shit-storm that happened pre-Russo....you all know what I'm talking about.
I mean, the guy did have a lot of moronic ideas (one example that keeps getting brought up is the Arquette fiasco - that's like the gift that keeps on giving), but Russo also had a lot of good ideas that never fully came to fruition...he also had some semi-decent ideas that were rushed, simply due to time constraints (since he & everyone else knew WCW was a sinking ship) and there was also the pressure to get the ratings out of the toilet and sell some tickets.
By the time Russo arrived, most of the good "younger" talent (benoit, jericho, guerrero, giant/big show, malenko, even saturn, etc) had either already jumped ship, or were about to jump ship and definitely weren't giving WCW their "all". Morale in the locker room must have been at an all-time low.
Given what he had to work with: the dinosaurs, the shit mid-carders that were left, and the time-frame he had, it was pretty much impossible for ANYONE to pull WCW out of the shit. It's no wonder the final WCW main-event was Booker vs. Steiner for the strap, they were the only good workers left that weren't (even though they were right on the edge of becoming) fucking fossils.
The whole thing he did with Vampiro was pretty lame, but given enough time to develop the character, I think fans would have bought it. Fuck the whole Gene Simmons/Demon feud....that was absolute shit, and no one would have, or could have gotten into it.
The stuff he did with the luchadors (sp?) when he first got over there was hilarious (pinata matches?!? ...priceless). The stuff with the cat buying Glacier's entrance with the snow and lasers was hilarious. Basically self-deprecating humor, and the laughs were definitely not lost on me. Again, no ground-breaking stuff there....just a nod to the fans, saying "Didn't this shit suck? We're taking care of it, don't worry".
I thought the idea of refreshing Sting's character was a good idea. Even when Steve shot down the idea of being burned (just like Kane) and also refused to wear that mask (again, just like Kane...although the mask they were going to put on Sting did look extremely cool), Russo decided to make Sting dark as hell again.
Sting started coming out with the crow, black roses, hiding in the rafters and "haunting" Nitro, being more creepy & mysterious (which really just meant that he didn't talk as much anymore, and the face/heel blur). Again, this was pretty much the same thing WCW did when Sting started painting his face like the Crow back in '96 when the NWO was blossoming, but it still breathed "new" life into his character. Plus, shutting the lights off and blasting "seek & destroy" for his entrance just made him seem like such a badass. Fact of the matter is, Russo made Sting "cool" again, and made fans mark like crazy when the lights would go out and the lightning would start crashing.
The NWO 2000 could have been a good concept as well. However, putting Bret in there was obviously a bit of a stretch...seeing him be buddy-buddy with Nash and Hall was a bit over-the-top. Again though, making Bret the "evil leader" of the "new" stable was a cool idea in theory....not so much when it debuted on TV. It definitely didn't have the same impact it did when Hogan did it.
Unfortunately, NWO 2000 ultimately sucked balls because the concept was rushed. Russo knew that he was working within tight time constraints, and just kind of threw it out there. If he had a year or more to build up to the idea, and develop better story lines, it could have been a fantastic reincarnation IMHO....or it could have just sucked balls like it ended up doing anyway.
My real point is that Russo just didn't have enough time to "save" WCW from itself. Quick side-note, completely off topic, it should have either been Sting or Bret that ended Goldberg's streak, and it should have happened cleanly with the sharpshooter/scorpion death lock. I would have loved to see that bald bitch tap to one of those dudes.
The main difference between WCW & TNA is timing. WCW was a company in a downward spiral that NO ONE could have saved....unless by some far-fetched scenario they suddenly snagged ALL of WWF's major talent at the time (Rock, Austin, 'Taker, Mankind, etc)....personally, I don't even think one of them (not even Austin or Rock) could have saved WCW by themselves.
With TNA, Russo actually has the potential to create some major players, and compared to WCW, he imaginably has all the time in the world to do it. Why? Because TNA is a little upstart company that hasn't really grabbed the ball and ran with it yet. They've got their "originals", but who really gives a shit yet? Samoa Joe used to be cool....Matt Morgan could have potential, but he's got a shit character and no one gives a flying fuck about him yet. Abyss is a cool concept, but it's been done to death...plus his new program is just ridiculous. AJ styles and Daniels are gold in the ring, but no one gives a rat's ass about their characters.
Christian was given a chance, and look at what he did over there. I really don't know if Russo had anything to do with that (most likely not), but Christian was practically a nobody in WWF by the time he left (at least they weren't going to give him anything more than the IC belt), and he climbed his way to the top of the TNA pecking order (and even better, he deserved to be there).
What TNA needs is someone to breathe new life into these youngsters, and I think Russo is the man who could pull it off. Keep the MEM, Sting, Foley, and Jarret if you must, but keep them away from the title scene....maybe not immediately, but develop story lines that moves them into other programs, that don't involve belts in any capacity (sans maybe tag division, or the joke of the "legends" championship). Much like WWE did with Shawn Michaels, Taker, Flair, and how they should with HHH and Batista.
I don't think TNA needs to steal aging suckbags like WCW did, but that's all they're really doing now. Granted, Angle can still draw, but he's the only one. Everyone knows it's currently a WWE/WCW retirement home over there. If something doesn't change, and change soon, the company is doomed.
If they get their shit together, and Russo develops real "stars" through his edgy booking style, TNA could, COULD be real competition for the WWE within a year or two. It might be preposterous, but stranger things have happened.
Thanks for reading this ramble-fest, and I hope you enjoyed my first post.