Best Russo stories or ideas.

[Guest converge241]

I know Russo had copious amounts of misses, but is there anything he did that you like?

 

I have a prefrence for:

The booking leading up to and during the Survivor Series title tournament.

In specific the tease of the Rock turn and the handling of Foley

 

and in general the whole booking from September 99 up until the finish of the Bret-Goldberg match at Starrcade 99. I was really into WCW more than WWF during that time period. Russo was really full of energy and he was trying to fit everybody in and i thought if you take out that horrible ending to Starrcade and not have him get the rug pulled out from him with Sullivan, it might have led to greener pastures.

I'm probably in the minority there....

[Guest goodhelmet]

I guess the angles and matches leading up to Summerslam '98. Everything else was crap

 

Then again he did a shoot on Hogan which makes me smile inside.

[Guest The Electrifyer]

I actually liked his idea of GTV

[Guest converge241]

GTV!! they've got goldust under contract again why dont they bring it back and give us some closure?

they might not want to cause it was Russo's idea but they did use it after Russo and rhodes were both gone right?

[Guest Rose of Pain]

IMHO I thought that leadup the Survivor Series 98 was some top notch TV. However it all went down the shitter afterwards. (ROCK BOTTOM and ROYAL RUMBLE 99 I am looking at you.)

[Guest Rose of Pain]

Except for Foley's title win that is. Of course

[Guest converge241]

Foley's title win was a great decision all around. I was there live at the tapings and it was one of the best wrestling moments ever. endless Foley chants. extra bonus points cause it aread against the "FINGERPOKE OF DREADED MALAISE"

[Guest areacode212]

Well...at the time, I really, really, really hated the Big Show/Bossman feud (the one where Bossman kept mocking BS's dying/dead father, in case you needed to be reminded), because I thought it was so stupid and tasteless. But in hindsight, that shit was hilarious, because it was so over-the-top offensive. Today, they're *still* doing ridiculous storylines (Japanese shampoo, cutting Steph's car in half), but they aren't nearly as funny as Russo's.

 

Another one I enjoyed was Jeff Jarrett as the evil mysogynist, attacking everyone from Mae Young to Lillian Garcia.

 

The buildup to Survivor Series '98, the swerve at the end, and Foley's title win were also great. I just wish Foley had held on to the title for much longer, instead of having it ping-pong between himself and Rock.

[Guest cabbageboy]

I don't think Russo was even there during the Bossman/Show feud, I think that might have been booked by Terry Taylor of all people.

 

Russo's good stuff:  Survivor Series 98, Summerslam 98.  And or course anything with Austin/Vince from the time period.

[Guest converge241]

good catch cabbage boy that was around dec 99 when russo was in WCW. i think area code was thrown off by the very "russo-ic" or "russo-ness" of that one.

How is it that russo cant lay claim to the best two dead daddy stoylines:

Papa Malenko vs. Pappa Show

that stuff is right up his alley

[Guest areacode212]

Hmm, I could've sworn that was a Vinnie Roo idea, but maybe because, as converge241 said, it had Russo written all over it.

[Guest Tony149]

The Bossman/Big Show stuff was Terry Taylor's idea. Although Taylor & Banks were still with the WWF before jumping to WCW in late Nov./Dec. The Bossman/Pepper stuff was Russo's idea. I'm not going to lie. I liked all of Russo's WWF work. He always found ways to use the midcarders and mix them with the main eventers ie. McMahon/Austin vs. Owen Hart & The Rock in May '98.

[Guest RedJed]

Pretty much all of 98's WWF TV was not too bad at all. The spring/summer of 98 (after Mania to SummerSlam) I felt was really good. So many people were getting over at the time, it was nuts. The NOD-DX feud and McMahon/Austin both come to mind as the best of the best.

 

What he did best in around 99 was him bringing in the hardcore division as a component of the ppvs and TV, incorporating backstage action, which would suck live, but was good if you were watching it on TV.

 

When him and Bischoff first started working together, that was also not too bad for that first month or so. That Nitro that they both first returned on is still one of my all time favorite WCW Nitros ever.

[Guest imajackoff?]

The Russo/Ferrara team was pretty good when they had Vince to reign them in when their ideas got too out of hand.  My fav storyline of this era that hasnt been mentioned yet was the UT/Steph "wedding".  UT forcing Vince to ask Austin to deliver the "papers" in exchange for Steph and Austin saying no.  At the last moment, Austin  makes the save in spite of Vince.  This was cool because it was highly believable and compelling with everyones behavior consistant with their character. Ironicly, this angle would culminate with the beginning of the end as far as wwf storytelling creativity: VM as the Higher Power.

[Guest ])r. ])eath]

Well...at the time, I really, really, really hated the Big Show/Bossman feud (the one where Bossman kept mocking BS's dying/dead father, in case you needed to be reminded),

LOL! The fued brought the best sentence in wrestling history to light.

 

"You're a big nasty bastard, and your momma said so.."

 

Do you remember that?

My god the Bossman sucks

[Guest Will Scarlet]

I always seemed to take a liking to the Val Venis-Kaientai feud because I like Val Venis, I like Kaientai, and anything that gets a hot Japanese woman on my TV is a good thing.  Not to mention the feud was just so dumb that I enjoyed it.

[Guest converge241]

My fav storyline of this era that hasnt been mentioned yet was the UT/Steph "wedding".  UT forcing Vince to ask Austin to deliver the "papers" in exchange for Steph and Austin saying no.  At the last moment, Austin  makes the save in spite of Vince

 

That was one of my biggest mark out moments ever. They built that night up so well, and then Shamrock et all get their ass whipped and then at the last second the glass breaks.

good stuff

[Guest muzanisa]

Just the fact that there was always more going on in the Mid-card. In the present WWF I'm not overly fond of Rock, Austin, the NWO or HHH (but reserve the right to change my mind about any and all of them at any time) so Metal is turning into my favourite show. Russo always kept the mid-card fresh.

[Guest Risk]

I liked Shamrock as the guy looking for Steph.  He beat the sh*t out of the Brood and caught Christian after a Bloodbath.  I couldn't believe he made Christian talk.  He just looked so unstoppible.

[Guest dreamer420]

All he had to do was lock in that ankle lock and Christian gave it up.

[Guest]

Well...at the time, I really, really, really hated the Big Show/Bossman feud (the one where Bossman kept mocking BS's dying/dead father, in case you needed to be reminded), because I thought it was so stupid and tasteless. But in hindsight, that shit was hilarious, because it was so over-the-top offensive.

 

At the time I loved it, and still do. That was probably the funniest angle the WWF has even run. I remember I had a friend over the night of the famous SmackDown! episode where Bossman came to the funeral and drove off with the caskat. Me and my friend were on the floor rolling. We were still laughing through the commercial break and well into the next segment of the show.

[Guest Metallica]

IGN's/411's Blake Norton told me that the Shawn Michaels - Owen Hart concussion angle in November 95 was Russo's idea, although he was only the magazine writer back then.

 

Still, that's my personal most memorable and believable angle the WWF has done, I didn't even know it was an angle until I emailed Blake to ask him about it in 2000 lol

 

Yeah, I was a mark in 95 and didn't have any reason to think Shawn's concussion was fake.. ???

 

Other good Russo stuff - The Rock n Sock connection, DX invading WCW, Mankind going to the hospital to visit Vince..

[Guest Sykotic2002]

I liked alot of his 1998 work.  The whole Austin/McMahon storyline, whether or not Undertaker and Kane were in cahoots, DX v. Nation, and The Rock joining with The McMahons.