Who's going to benefit from Russo and Ferrara on creative?

[It's...Baylariat!]

I ask this because in WCW, there was one person who clearly benefited from having Russo and Ferrara as writers: Jeff Jarrett. He seen his greatest push as a wrestler during this time because both Vince and Ed wanted to see a different direction and not see Hulk Hogan as champion.

NOW, they have control writing wise over TNA. And there's some great talent that could benefit from a good push in the main event. Which wrestler will benefit the most from this writing change?

 

[samboisdead]

Well really I dont think anyone will. I think this is the biggest mistake TNA has made yet and it is really going to hurt them. Even if these guys were the genius behind the attitude era which I dont belive they have kept trying to recreate it and do the same old things instead of something new ever sense. You cant go home again the attitude era was great, it is over, face it you will never see another attitude era. So we need something new so I think they should have gotten writers who were involved in wrestling but never got to write before. Anyway as far as your question goes. It is pretty obvious A.J. is the guy they are going to try and push hard.

 

[Jimmbo420]

As everyone has noticed, Morgan and Hernandez are benifiting.

Eric Young is someone who I don't think would normaly get a push, but is getting a considerable one right now. EY has gone from the guy who was scared of his own pyro to the leader of the World Elite.


I also think if and when Mr. Anderson comes to TNA, Russo and him could do some cool things. Ken is obviously a very creative and funny guy, which he has shown us with his series of videos on youtube since his WWE release. Russo from what I've heard likes to get the talents input on the storylines, so I could see the two doing some great things in TNA.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

^^^ Totally agree here. I remember in the Stone Cold Truth documentary Heyman had Austin rant about WCW. Its very possible we could see Russo and Ferrera have Anderson rant about the WWE. I think this could get Anderson super over since he's amazing in promos with a very bitter mood to it (see his promos with Undertaker and Michaels).

 

[Christian Battlez]

Russo has done a great job of pushing the young talent since Jarrett left his position during the scandal with Karen Angle. Ferrara listens to everything Russo asks of him so as long as he shuts his mouth and keeps in line I see these young talents pushes continuing. EY,Hernandez,Styles,and Morgan have all benefited greatly and I expect more to come.

 

[jccool420]

I agree... I'm really surprised that we didn't see the debut of Mr. Anderson at No Surrender, but I'm sure it won't be long until we see him in TNA and I would love to see him come in and get a nice push and hopefully draw some attention to TNA... I think Mr. Anderson will have some great matches with TNA's talent...

Let's just hope we don't see anything ridiculous storyline wise.... I really hope Ed and Vince have matured a little since their last run in WCW...

 

[jscthegreat]

This is gonna kill TNA. This shows Dixie Carter's idoicy when it comes to wrestling. Who's gonna benefit? WWE. Nuff said

 

[Pedro08]

As posted before, Morgan, Hernandez, AJ and EY seem to have benefited the most so far. I would like Daniels and X division guys more of a push, but with only 2 hours of tv a week, it's hard to fit everyone in.

 

[gd]

Not really sure about these two guys running TNA creative, especially based on their repuations in the past. However, you can't argue with the results and from what we've seen from TNA the last few weeks, the product is just as good as it ever has been, so they must be doing something right.

It appears as if the guys who is getting the push mostly because of creative (guys like AJ are getting pushed because they deserve it) is Eric Young, which makes sense because he is kind of Jeff Jarret Verison 2.0. He's a blonde Canadian that I don't care for much at all.

Despite not really winning any matches and failing at the ability to talk in a normal voice, EY has been featured heavily in TNA recently and is involved with guys like Angle and Hernandez, who are pretty much main eventers. I think that this EY push could go on for awhile and possibly lead to some pretty big things.

 

[Super Crazy]

I believe the following five men will benefit :

EY - Leader of a stable and looks to be trying to take on the MEM now. EY has gone from a joke to someone people don't take lightly now. I'd put him in the top 10 heels in TNA right now. If he continues to grow I think Angle will put him over as well as Morgan.

Hernandez - He is currently taking on World Elite/MEM with no back up aside from the people who are also feuding with them. He is being pushed as a dominant force and he is definitely heading towards becoming a main eventer like Matt Morgan.

Matt Morgan - Ever since the best of 3 series with AJ the man has been shining. He's been all over Impact and headlining pay per views and it's great. The WWE really messed up with Morgan. In the end Angle will put over Morgan and Morgan and AJ will be the leaders of the new generation in TNA.

Samoa Joe - Currently the X Division champion. When he said the other night that he would be the X champ for years to come I could see something like that happening. Not for years obviously but for months. I could see Joe getting booked like he was back when he debuted. Just this dominant monster in the ring. You never know how he'll finish you whether it be he Musclebuster or the Rear Naked Choke. Right now Joe is just unstoppable and he has a ton of momentum.

Aj Styles - He just won the TNA World Championship. He is about to hopefully be put over huge by Sting at BFG and will become the leader of the new generation as the TNA Champ and Morgan will be right behind him. Aj is the face of the company and truly deserves any push he is given. I am glad to see him being pushed right now.

 

[blowjoe5]

TNA is, most importantly, followed probably by the guys already mentioned, and more young talent to come. Things we've learnt from the wrestling business. Push young talent, create new stars and most importantly, controversy creates cash. Russo and Ferrara will ensure all of these things.

WWE is arsing about with Cedric the Entertainer and Al f*cking Sharpton playing guest host, making a mockery of their produt, which gives TNA a real chance to do some edgier stuff.

My personal opinion is that TNA, while it retains the who 'impact' thing, will never take off. What made the atmosphere in WWE and WCW shows was the lighting, the slightly dark and dingey feeling to the arena. TNA needs to make its product edgier, darker and get some mainstream publicity. They need shocking stunts and more importantly, big names.

WWE is playing a clever long-term game, but that also gives TNA the chance to steal the older audience. Kids like celebrities, hornswoggle and clean Cena, whereas the older audience likes fast paced, intense matches, dangerous stunts, creative and edgy fueds and storylines, blood and sex. TNA has a chance to do all of these.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

I think Dixie Carter is intelligent. ALthough she knows that are critics of Russo, she goes on interviews and goes against them and says she loves Russo and admires all the creativity he brings to the table. This is from a person who has worked with Vince directly.

She got rid of Jarrett's goons: Mantell, Jarrett, Cornette = I personally think these guys were hindering the product more than helping it.

She brought in the person who seems to keep Russo well grounded - Ferrara. on ultimate insiders, Ed said the reason their relationship soured a bit in WCW is because of all the pressure they were given to raise the rating "overnight" which led Russo to really try and speed things up. Ed wanted to slow things down... and both work well with each other and hopefully they will continue to do so.

I hope TNA is going to invest in them long term because to answer the question the onlyo people that will benefit from them is TNA -- everyone will be financially better once they are given time to raise the rating.

All the young guys will be turned into stars and older guys will be used well. Creatively, the show will be more exciting, entertaining, and edgy. Which is what wrestlin really needs because WWE is really tame, lame, and pathetic at times and makes me embrassed to see that shit on television.

Russo and Ferrara for life and I am excited that TNA has chose them - I just hope they are given a solid year to really turn things around..

 

[X]

I think Dixie Carter is intelligent. ALthough she knows that are critics of Russo, she goes on interviews and goes against them and says she loves Russo and admires all the creativity he brings to the table. This is from a person who has worked with Vince directly.

She got rid of Jarrett's goons: Mantell, Jarrett, Cornette = I personally think these guys were hindering the product more than helping it.

She brought in the person who seems to keep Russo well grounded - Ferrara. on ultimate insiders, Ed said the reason their relationship soured a bit in WCW is because of all the pressure they were given to raise the rating "overnight" which led Russo to really try and speed things up. Ed wanted to slow things down... and both work well with each other and hopefully they will continue to do so.

I hope TNA is going to invest in them long term because to answer the question the onlyo people that will benefit from them is TNA -- everyone will be financially better once they are given time to raise the rating.

All the young guys will be turned into stars and older guys will be used well. Creatively, the show will be more exciting, entertaining, and edgy. Which is what wrestlin really needs because WWE is really tame, lame, and pathetic at times and makes me embrassed to see that shit on television.

Russo and Ferrara for life and I am excited that TNA has chose them - I just hope they are given a solid year to really turn things around..

Seriously, is that you Vince? I've come to the conclusion that no one could possibly be so delusional about Russo and Ferrara. I truly do not understand the confidence you have in them. Their WCW run was terrible, and towards the end of their WWF run the shit they were coming up with was just as bad. Russo has done nothing but hurt TNA with more and more "Crash TV" style booking decisions. TNA is nothing more than WWE-lite at this point, when only a few years ago they were a serious alternative to the WWE. Now they're just more of the same bullshit we've seen for over a decade. Maybe you want to watch the Vince Russo Show, but it's not going to draw people in. Crash TV is dead, and won't be bringing in any massive amount of viewers anytime soon.

Ferrara and Russo will do nothing but continue to hurt TNA. With Jarrett's departure seemingly on the horizon and Dixie making more and more foolish decisions, TNA is only going to sink further and further down with these two morons backstage writing the show. WWE might as well get started on their "Rise & Fall of TNA" DVD right now.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

give examples of what you disliked about their WWF run. They brought the rating to a 6.9 -- if you're going to mention mae young's birth hand, you have to understand that was done in 2000 - and they weren't even writing.

I absoltuely loved their early late 99 run in WCW. It was fresh, entertaining, and developing all the stars. I loved it all.

Russo has "hurt" TNA? Look at the characters being developed: Morgan, Hernandez, Young. Look at the way Abyss is being "used", Mafia has a story, AJ is champion and there's a story with Sting, MMG/Lethal have segments, there's humour, Nash continues his story with Stevie after taking the money (he likes money), Booker T gets to talk, Rhino is heel and has a story with 3D, Pope has a story with Suicide, Women have a huge role on the show, they all have stories (hamada/flash just started one), they're teasing story with ODB/Tara..

Everyone is getting a chance to shine at TNA because they have good writers that can pull it off. So I dont know what the fuck you're talking about.

If you're going to bring up examples of how much they "suck" bring up examples rather than putting a fucking general opinion.. If you're going to bring up the same shit that was brought up for 10 years, then I"m not going to even bother replying

The task is to bring in new viewers that aren't watching, and you're going to do that with "5 star wrestling matches" all the way through. Ed/Vince like wrestling but they understand that they have to bring in hew viewers too - they do put a focus on wrestling storylines, feuds, and emphasis on the title - just adding additional 'creative updated modern' twists to the stories. that keep fans guessing

hahaa.. rise and fall of TNA. you're one of those guys hta have said that for 6 years, right?

They're making money now last I heard. If Ed/Vince are there, they'll be at 1.8 in a year.. and 2.3 the next.

 

[X]

give examples of what you disliked about their WWF run. They brought the rating to a 6.9 -- if you're going to mention mae young's birth hand, you have to understand that was done in 2000 - and they weren't even writing.

Some examples? Sure thing:

Mark Henry w/ a transvestite
The Oddities
Beaver Cleavage
Meat
PMS
Al Snow vs. Big Bossman w/ Pepe
"Kiss My Ass" match at Summerslam '99

Some of the garbage Russo came up with was absolutely laughable, but it was okay because he was helping with some other truly great, great angles and storylines. Problem is that he hasn't come up with a single angle worth a shit since his departure from the WWF.

I absoltuely loved their early late 99 run in WCW. It was fresh, entertaining, and developing all the stars. I loved it all.

Well the fans didn't, because while the ratings saw a slight increase, the WCW PPV buyrates and live attendance continued to plummet while the WWF skyrocketed. The "Powers That Be" angle was garbage.

Russo has "hurt" TNA? Look at the characters being developed: Morgan, Hernandez, Young.

Matt Morgan...not nearly ready for the spot he's being pushed to right now. Hernandez? Again, not nearly ready for the spot he's being pushed to. Eric Young? Will always be nothing more than a joke, always. No one will ever take him seriously.

The booking Russo has done in TNA has been abysmal. I can't think of a single angle or storyline he's booked in TNA that wasn't a rehash of his old work or just plain terrible.

Look at the way Abyss is being "used"

Yeah, he's being used terribly. He could be playing the monster heel right now, but no, instead he's a joke. I don't consider Abyss being paired in a feud with Stevie Richards as his "therapist" and him dating a beautiful woman to be Abyss being used correctly. I consider that terrible, terrible booking.

Mafia has a story

Yeah, and it's the same story Russo has been doing for over a decade now. NWO, MEM, S.EX., it's all the same exact angle.

AJ is champion and there's a story with Sting

That is the one thing I really like about TNA right now. If Russo or Ferrara are chiefly responsible for this angle, then I'll gladly give them kudos for it.

MMG/Lethal have segments

I'm assuming you mean MCMG? I like what they're doing with them on commentary, but they could be used as a real tag team threat. No, instead we're treated to Team 3D winning their 9000th tag titles, which helps absolutely no one.

there's humour

Yeah, absolutely terrible humor. If you find their "humor" to be genuinely funny...well I've lost a bit of respect for you. Because I know twelve year olds who could come up with funnier material than the garbage Russo does.

Nash continues his story with Stevie after taking the money (he likes money)

Dr. Stevie is a terrible angle. Absolutely terrible.

Booker T gets to talk

Have you heard Booker T talk lately? It's hard to even understand what he's saying, Booker is absolutely terrible on the microphone.

Rhino is heel and has a story with 3D

Rhino is a waste of TV time.

Pope has a story with Suicide

One that no one seems to care about.

Women have a huge role on the show, they all have stories (hamada/flash just started one), they're teasing story with ODB/Tara..

Another thing I'll give kudos to Russo for if he's responsible for it. Alot of the large role of women in TNA has to do with Spike, and not Russo though.

Everyone is getting a chance to shine at TNA because they have good writers that can pull it off. So I dont know what the fuck you're talking about.

Apparently you have no idea what constitutes good writing then. If you think Russo is a good writer...well, you're full of shit. You could find about ten thousand writers in Hollywood right now that are better than Russo.

If you're going to bring up examples of how much they "suck" bring up examples rather than putting a fucking general opinion.. If you're going to bring up the same shit that was brought up for 10 years, then I"m not going to even bother replying

What examples would you like? From WWF, WCW, or TNA?

The task is to bring in new viewers that aren't watching, and you're going to do that with "5 star wrestling matches" all the way through.

Good thing I never said anything about having "5 star wrestling matches" all the way through then, huh?

Ed/Vince like wrestling but they understand that they have to bring in hew viewers too - they do put a focus on wrestling storylines, feuds, and emphasis on the title - just adding additional 'creative updated modern' twists to the stories. that keep fans guessing

You vastly overrate their booking. Vastly. Emphasis on the titles? You mean like how the Legends and X-Division titles are absolutely buried? TNA has way too many titles right now, and not nearly enough TV time for them.

hahaa.. rise and fall of TNA. you're one of those guys hta have said that for 6 years, right?

Not really, no, I was a big, big fan of TNA a few years ago. I consider TNA in 2005 and 2006 to be among the best wrestling product America has seen in the last decade. Unfortunately TNA as of now is absolutely nothing like what they were in 2005. Instead of trying to be a real alternative to the WWE, TNA has become content with just being WWE-Lite.

They're making money now last I heard. If Ed/Vince are there, they'll be at 1.8 in a year.. and 2.3 the next.

Right, I'm going to save that line right there. TNA will be pulling in 2's by next year? Not gonna happen, keep dreaming.

 

[samboisdead]

Seriously, is that you Vince? I've come to the conclusion that no one could possibly be so delusional about Russo and Ferrara. I truly do not understand the confidence you have in them. Their WCW run was terrible, and towards the end of their WWF run the shit they were coming up with was just as bad. Russo has done nothing but hurt TNA with more and more "Crash TV" style booking decisions. TNA is nothing more than WWE-lite at this point, when only a few years ago they were a serious alternative to the WWE. Now they're just more of the same bullshit we've seen for over a decade. Maybe you want to watch the Vince Russo Show, but it's not going to draw people in. Crash TV is dead, and won't be bringing in any massive amount of viewers anytime soon.

Ferrara and Russo will do nothing but continue to hurt TNA. With Jarrett's departure seemingly on the horizon and Dixie making more and more foolish decisions, TNA is only going to sink further and further down with these two morons backstage writing the show. WWE might as well get started on their "Rise & Fall of TNA" DVD right now.

I had to qoute this. Xfear usually rips apart my post and we never agree. Well finally we agree on something. Also saying Cornetter, Mantell, and Jarrett suck and its good they got rid of them. Well i dont like Jarrett even though I dont think he sucks so I will not defend him but to call yourself a wrestling fan and put down Cornette and Mantell is blasphemy. Obviously you never saw Smokey Mtn Wrestling and what Cornette could do if given free reign. Whether you no it or not Cornettes little company really launched or at least gave a national audience their first chance to see the careers of Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Kane, the very underated Al Snow, D Lo Brown, New Jack, Chris Candido and I am sure there are a few more I am forgetting. point is Cornette recognizes young talent. The complaint I hear is he is old school but he really isnt now backstage he belives in knowing your role and paying your dues but the product he puts on t.v. is definately not stale. Honestly i bet you could throw a bunch of old 80s style angles on TNA right now and people would love them anyway. It has been so long since we have seen a true classic wrestling angle I bet 90% of todays audience would think it was brand new. Cornette never has had a ton of power in TNA, when he first came Dusty was in charge and their has been someone else their ever since. So Jim didnt want to push Eric Young super hard. Dont no if that is true or not Jim says it is not, but honestly Eric Young is a good worker has some charisma but no way in hell should he ever get main event type status as a wrestler. Cornette hated Santino, as bad as I hate to admit it Santino is great and makes me laugh but for the people that hate on Jim for this have you ever looked up what Santino did to make Jim hate him? Anyone who understands the innerworking of the buisness would be pissed by what he did. Anyway didnt mean to ramble my point is I cant belive any wrestling fan would disrespect two guys who were very benificial in making this buisness what it is to defend 2 guys who were a flash in the pan success and will probably never catch fire again. Also when I said A.J would benifit the most from this. I definately agree he deserves it that wasnt part of the question. The reason he will benifit the most though is because it looks like they will make him the legit face of the company finally instead of just having him main event and hold the title when no ex WWE star has recently been fired so they can give it to him.

 

[DownwardSpiral]

^^^ Totally agree here. I remember in the Stone Cold Truth documentary Heyman had Austin rant about WCW. Its very possible we could see Russo and Ferrera have Anderson rant about the WWE. I think this could get Anderson super over since he's amazing in promos with a very bitter mood to it (see his promos with Undertaker and Michaels).

Because we all saw how well guys like Angle, Team 3-D, BG/Kip and Rhyno bitching about WWE went over when they did it in TNA, right?

Oh, wait...I forgot, they got shit all over for it. Same Kennedy would get, should he be booked to bitch about WWE. He'll come off as a whiny WWE reject like the rest of them do. And then be Heavyweight Champion within 3 months, because unless you're a tag team star, or your name is Jeff Hardy, TNA will push you to the moon because you are WWE's trash.

So far as Ferrara and Russo's re-teaming goes? WCW 2009, ladies and gentlemen. It's been a long time coming. Let's see what Teddy Long has to say on the subject:

He does not approve.

 

[JBK2008]

While TNA has a chance to do something big, I'm sure TNA will drop the ball. I haven't been impressed thus far in the time TNA has been around. Russo and Ferrara did something back in the attitude era, but to this day, it's never been explained. So we'll just have to see what happens here now.

 

[ZERIC23]

I personally believe this isn't a good thing for TNA. I mean AJ was due the push anyway so they wasnt really doing anything big there and the Hernadez angle makes no sense considering they fucked up the money in the bank opps i mean the feast or fire thing. I do believe bringing in russo only makes them a more interesting 2nd tier company full of stars who either have had their day in the E or are waiting for vince to come calling.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Overall, I'm not impressed with what I've seen on TNA the past month or so. Last Thursday, I watched some shitty movie on Syfy and flipped over to Impact every so often. That's how little I care about the TNA product at this time. With the exception of a handful of the TNA Knockouts and AJ Styles having the TNA title, I don't really give a shit about anything else TNA has going on. I kind of like Matt Morgan, but I don't think he's ultimately ready to be where he is. Morgan is someone who has accomplished nothing in wrestling thus far and the first title he'll probably win is going to be a world title? There's just something inherantly wrong with that in my opinion.

 

[PG ERA FAN xfb4]

I think Abyss will the most, if they attempt to recreate him as mankind it would be fucking amazing

 

[Marty2Hotty]

Some examples? Sure thing:

Mark Henry w/ a transvestite
The Oddities
Beaver Cleavage
Meat
PMS
Al Snow vs. Big Bossman w/ Pepe
"Kiss My Ass" match at Summerslam '99

So McMahon isn't the wonderful "filter" that some of you claim him to be for these "atrocious stories" to get into the show, right?

Great discussion on Morgan, Hernandez, and Young - all your opinions only, and many may disagree. The Rock when he first started had lame promos, but Russo invested in him.. Look where he istoday. I see potential in all three TNA stars mentioned in this paragraph

Yeah, absolutely terrible humor. If you find their "humor" to be genuinely funny...well I've lost a bit of respect for you. Because I know twelve year olds who could come up with funnier material than the garbage Russo does.

Some of the comedy TNA does are fantastic. I dont give a shit what you think. Russo is an excellent comedy writer - a lot of the humour Austin/Rock had were part of scenarios and situations that Russo put them in. Have you noticed how "unfunny" WWE became as soon as Russo left the WWE

I love Booker T right now. Him saying 'Whait just a goddamn minute.. I never even liked yo punk ass".. Him talking wit that accent is entertaining to me. I wish they let him do morel

If you think Russo is a good writer...well, you're full of shit. You could find about ten thousand writers in Hollywood right now that are better than Russo.

I dont give a shit what you think. Russo is the greatest writer in wrestling history IMO. NOBODY in hollywood can write like him when it comes to writing for wrestling. It's telling stories in wrestling that hollywood writers will not be able to do. A bad example, say the MEM/WE tension - angle pulls ey in front and morgan kicks EY. Bashir/Kiyoshi are pissed, Angle knocks them out, Brit Invsion comes out. This is great as the beginning fo the show EY/Angle shook hands

It leaves the wrestling viewer thinking and guessing what's going to happen in nextw eek's show.

I dont know what Hollywood writer will be able to write these wrestling-based situations that don't even require dialogue - but really waht happens in finishes and aftermaths. That's what Russo is brilliant at. Ferrara overseeing these is what makes them work even better as a team.

You don t see this shit in WWE. WWE's finishes and aftermath are often lame. The dilaogue isoften written for 6 year olds

What examples would you like? From WWF, WCW, or TNA?

If you're gonna bring up stuff on what you think "sucked", use constructive criticism and say what you liked as well. Obviously you like TNA as you're still watching and talking about it.

I consider TNA in 2005 and 2006 to be among the best wrestling product America has seen in the last decade.

Unfortunately, theratings were .8/.7s at the time - which is why they hired Russo back to begin with.

Save that 2.0 line I said. If they let Russo/Ferrara write and the shows are as good as the last week's every singl eweek. They will reach that 2.0.

If they change directions a few times in between, they wont reach it. It's that simple.

 

[X]

So McMahon isn't the wonderful "filter" that some of you claim him to be for these "atrocious stories" to get into the show, right?

Did I ever claim McMahon was a wonderful filter? I sure did not. You asked for some examples of shitty ideas from the end of Russo and Ferrara's WWF run, and I gave them to you. Or are you going to argue with me that Mark Henry dating a transvestite was creative genius from Russo?

Great discussion on Morgan, Hernandez, and Young - all your opinions only, and many may disagree. The Rock when he first started had lame promos, but Russo invested in him.. Look where he istoday. I see potential in all three TNA stars mentioned in this paragraph

You see potential in Eric Young? Seriously? He will never be a main eventer. Ever. No one will ever take the guy who used to be afraid of his own pyro seriously, especially one as bad on the microphone as Young is. Doesn't help that he resembles a fifteen year old. Anyone who sees potential in Eric Young is delusional.

Some of the comedy TNA does are fantastic.

Really now? Show me an example.

I dont give a shit what you think. Russo is an excellent comedy writer - a lot of the humour Austin/Rock had were part of scenarios and situations that Russo put them in. Have you noticed how "unfunny" WWE became as soon as Russo left the WWE

That's odd, because I thought The Rock's heel turn and sing-a-long he did was actually some of the funniest and best work he ever did. And that was without Russo.

Russo is an excellent comedy writer? Seriously? You think any television or film would hire him to write for them? Fuck no.

I love Booker T right now. Him saying 'Whait just a goddamn minute.. I never even liked yo punk ass".. Him talking wit that accent is entertaining to me. I wish they let him do morel

You're definitely in the minority there. Maybe people would find Booker T humorous if they could actually understand what he was saying half the time.

I dont give a shit what you think. Russo is the greatest writer in wrestling history IMO.

You're shitting me, right?

NOBODY in hollywood can write like him when it comes to writing for wrestling.

You're right. Because wrestling is the absolute bottom of the barrel when it comes to writing Marty. Soap opera writers get more respect and require more talent then wrestling writers.

It's telling stories in wrestling that hollywood writers will not be able to do.

Yeah, because it's not like it's a Hollywood writers job to tell stories or anything.

I dont know what Hollywood writer will be able to write these wrestling-based situations that don't even require dialogue - but really waht happens in finishes and aftermaths. That's what Russo is brilliant at. Ferrara overseeing these is what makes them work even better as a team.

You don t see this shit in WWE. WWE's finishes and aftermath are often lame. The dilaogue isoften written for 6 year olds

Really? Because I'll take the promos CM Punk has been cutting over every single TNA promo of this last year combined. The WWE is a shell of it's former self, and yet it still has better writing than TNA.

Unfortunately, theratings were .8/.7s at the time - which is why they hired Russo back to begin with.

And look how much it's helped, Russo has brought them a whole .1 in the ratings!

Save that 2.0 line I said. If they let Russo/Ferrara write and the shows are as good as the last week's every singl eweek. They will reach that 2.0.

If they change directions a few times in between, they wont reach it. It's that simple.

Not gonna happen. You keep living in your dream world in which wrestling fans actually give a fuck about anything Russo or Ferrara comes up with at this point. Both of them are jokes in the wrestling community, laughing stocks. Especially a scumbag like Ferrara.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

Okay, you're not one to say that Russo was the "brains behind the Attitude era" because obviously you say he's not a great filter. So it's good that YOU agree that Russo deserves credit for the 1.9 to 6.9 increase that occurred during his WWF run.

All that Mark Henry / Transvestite stuff.. I think it was censored here in Canada.. but it was all part of the "anything can happen" crash TV formula that took off when Russo was heading the direction. It was entertaining to the fans watching and people had to talk about it the next day. It was word of mouth like that helped catapult WWE to mainstream success during that time.

Yes to Eric Young. He has turned 180 degrees from a comic character to a compelling serious character. His segment with Jarrett was great. He carries the segments well, and doesn't stutter like AJ Styles. I believe in him and so does TNA's creative. What would have happened if Russo gave up on Rock after Rock struggled for a bit after he joined the Nation back in 1997

The comedy of TNA: I can go on and on.. and want them to release a DVD. Curry Man hitting on the ladies: "action action action" to Angelina Love. Nash's segments the past few weeks, Shark Boy's house where he wakes up from his coma and talks like Austin, AJ kissing Karen during the wedding, Christian asking Nash to be his partner... and Nash saying "i'm busy"
-christian: 'doing what'
-nash: "doing what i do best, sit around, do nothing and get paid"

There was so much funny stuff. The thanksgiving special at kurt's place.. when all the wrestlers show up.

Foley/JB segments are funny

Kip James saying he used to have a porsche. someone says when. he says "when I was over"..

I can't think of all of them, but there is so much great comedy when TNA wants to make things funny and I laugh out loud sometimes.. it's great entertainment.. Maple Leaf Muscle when he imitates Arnold "yah.. yah? yah??." "What would arnold do?"

Scott steiner saying "cross your is and dot your Ts".

Angle/Christian feuding over AJ.. there were so much funny stuff back then. I swear, if they released a funniest moments at TNA, it'd be awesome. Nash vs Mr X had me laughing in tears - especially when nash jumped off the first rope.

I can go on and on but i can't remember all of it...

I remmeber when they were backstage and they were imitating "Yo Mama" and the wrestlers were doing mama jokes and teh wrestlers were crowding..

Curry Man talking and hitting on the ladies are hilariosu. Even Cody Deaner kissing Awesome Kong during Impact after he kissed Angelina one week. That stuff cracks me up.

I dont know of Rock's singalong and whatever heel turn he did.. but his character was essentially created during Russo's run....

I hate posters who say "Russo was only successful because he had McMahon as a filter" - i know this doesn't apply to you becuase you never said mcmahon was a filter to Russo.. so I'm assumign you understand Russo was a large part of the success of the WWF. David Sahadi said WWF was a few weeks from literally closing down before they went that direction. Or are you going to honestly say "he wans't the writer, the credit goes to the wrestlers" bullshit argument like many always throw at me.

--

I love Booker T.. i prefer his accent, what he says now, to his complete babyface character in 2000. He's great... i want to see more with him. I think a lot of what he does now is influenced from his king booker run (which i didn't really see much of)

-- I saw a CM Punk promo and thought it sucked... I can't believe you honestly say WWE now is better than TNA creatively.. Russo made the attitude era succeed and while i admit the wwe probably had a few shows that entertained me, most of their stuff (i'd say 95%) is totally lame bullshit compared to the stuff Russo wrote for them, and what Russo can do for TNA here.. as well as what Russo did for WCW..

I think Glenn said it best - all WWE promos usually just talk about their matches and the belt. There's really no other story because the writers can't think of anything else. In TNA, tehre's so much other stuff going on - World Elite/MEM want to be dominant, Morgan wanted to join the MEM, Abyss just wants to be cared about with Foley, Nash wants money, AJ was goin to quit but Sting brought him back, there's stories going on for almost everyone.

For WWE, it's just about matches and titles.. to me that's nothing interesting in what wreslting used to be called "the male soap opera". WWE's audience will never grow even with their special guest hosts because they dont have a show that captures the masses' attention.

Russo and Ferrara have the mentality to increase their audience - to take it to a 2.0. To do that, you need to write for ppl who watch Spike TV just to be entertained - not to see fake wreslting. Although good action in the ring is great when there's a great heated story..

Yes: I believe Russo is the greatest writer in the history of wrestling. Although I liked Bischoff's contributions to the nWo angle, and the old school late 80s/early 90s cartoon WWF era. Russo can really make things modern for the wrestling viewer and take people who were closet fans and make them proud to be wreslting fans.. maybe that can happen again in an era where peopel are closet fans again

As for Russo writing comedy -- I think a tv studio would hire him if they see some of his work he did in WWF/WCW/TNA -- like a portfolio..

September 2006: TNA's rating was .7 - THe ratings have peaked at TNA to a 1.3 - yes they moved slots and got an additional hour (which some would argue would make it more difficult to hold the rating).

Tell me what was so great about Spike TV era oct 2005 - sep 2006 - what were your favourite characters and stories, because all i remember is james mitchell "stalking" christian's wife = lame. Paparazzi "stalking" sting = lame. Sting's gameshow thing = lame. Jarrett being champion talking shit every week = lame. Raven/Abyss = lame. They tried to build monty brown but didn't do anything = lame. I can't name one good story or angle they did except Kevin Nash vs Mr X..

They brought steiner back to attack Sting.. but i really can't think of any great characters, comedic segments.. it was terribly lame until Russo came in and made things flow better and less like a nashville hillbilly organization

---

Okay.. i have more to lose on this discussion. I say TNA can reach 1.8 one year down the line with Russo and Ferrara (no bullshit demotions or change in directions) and over 2.0 in two years.. maybe more but i'll just say 2.0. You say bullshit.. We'lll see.. Hopefully it wont' take that long and people who see the quality of the product start noticing.

I'm sure and I'd hope Dixie will give them time to really put the product over. unlike WCW who wanted an immediate 1.0 increase in a few months.. Things take time.

 

[Prince Punk]

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Marty Please tell me you have some form of defect as I swear you double posted inside your own post and I was not aware that such a thing was even possible! Congrats on your big achievement There is a cookie shaped like Russo's Ass waiting for you in the "I get on my knees for Russo" booth. You sit here and call Russo the best writer in the history of wrestling? And say that you loved what he did with WCW? I can hear your brain cells dieing, that's not a good sign. The first time I saw TNA I was was flipping through channels and came across this wrestling show on a fox channel and the company was being headed by double J I said to myself "Well what in the hell is this?" I sat there and watched as at this point I knew of very few members of its talent the production quality was not all that great but I'll be damned if I did not watch it when ever I could after that as the X division was something of beauty at that point in time. I did not know any of the names but still found it cool to watch... Now I know well over half of the roster the x division is all but dead ( the X division title is a glorified WWE mid card belt) and the company is pretty much WCW-lite which is even worse than WWE-lite so please don't try and say that Russo is the man as TNA is dead it has been for awhile and the amazing promotion that TNA was when it formed will never be again as even if it does hit those 2.0 marks that you say it will hit its just going to be WCW under a diffrent name with a diffrent backer....