Vince Russo Responds to Jerry Jarrett's Book

[Guest Shoes Head]

What a disappointing response.

 

In his new book, Jerry Jarret told his son Jeff that reading Russo's TNA scripts were "Like reading a book by someone on LSD."

 

Here is Vince Russo's full message board post as a rebuttal:

 

Dear Marty,

 

I am completely taken back by your effort to defend me concerning Jerry Jarrett's e-mail. What an honor to have somebody spend that kind of time in your favor.

 

I thank Jerry Jarrett for making it crystal clear why I have come to despise the wrestling business over the past 12 years. Jerry's e-mail to Jeff clearly and matter-of-factly shows you first hand what kind of situations and individuals I have had to deal with throughout my career.

 

Let me just say it right now--I hate the wrestling business. The only thing that keeps me involved is all the young men and women in TNA who I truly care for. My interest is to counsel them and school them in a business that will just chew them up and spit them out . . . if they let it. My greatest joys come in this business today when I get to spend some quality time with the talent. This past Sunday AJ Styles and his wife invited me, my wife Amy and my daughter Annie to his church. It was the best time I had in the "wrestling business" in the past two years. To me--that's what it's all about.

 

I'm just sitting here stunned--trying to figure out what makes one individual discredit another. What? To me there is only one answer--again--tear others down=build yourself up.

 

I pray foir Jerry Jarrett and I mean that. I hope one day he will be able to find the peace, love, happiness, contentment and joy in his heart that I have discovered in mine.

 

Please let Jerry's e-mail be a lesson to you all. If you can't share love . . . it's not worth sharing.

 

I thank you so much for remaining loyal. I appreciate the fact that you can see through it all and realize--WE WERE ENTERTAINED AT THE TIME AND THAT'S ALL WE EVER ASKED FOR.

 

Your will always be family.

 

Vince

[Guest Quik]

So wait... Jerry Jarrett owns TNA, blasts Russo, but he's still employed by the company? Zuh?

[Guest Shoes Head]

As an on air talent, yes. It's like if Vince said Eric Bischoff submitted a script and it was incoherent nonsense. It doesn't matter because Bischoff doesn't have a spot on creative anyway.

[Jingus 0]

Jerry Jarrett hasn't owned TNA in well over a year, Panda Inc. are the majority stockholders.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I find it funny that it was Jerry Jarrett that wrote almost all of the early months' episodes, which featured such shit as Puppet the Midget Killer beating off in a trashcan, the Dupp Cup, Glenn Gilberti's PPV talk show segment, and a barage of matches ending with run-in's and non-finishes, and yet he has the gaul to insult Russo, who at least did stupid shit that was successful on a national level.

 

Also, Russo never started a wrestling company just to hype his kid.

[Magus 0]

Random thoughts...

 

-If Jerry thinks Russo sucks so bad, why doesn't he just get rid of him? He knows Russo's useless, we know it too. Why keep him around, other than to make Russo feel like shit and punish the viewers?

-If Russo hates the business so much, why doesn't he just FUCKING QUIT? Oh, he's staying out of the goodness of his heart because he loves the boys... cry me a river, bitch. You can leave any time you like, so don't play the fucking martyr.

-If Russo was REALLY serious about being a minister, why does he stay in the business? And why the FUCK does he feel the need to soak up the adulation of his little trolls? Don't encourage a bunch of fanboys to keep idolizing you just because your ego gets a kick out of it.

-I love how he's acting like he doesn't understand how one human being can say something slightly mean to another. Don't act so fucking innocent and pious, Vince. You're praying for Jerry's soul? Keep your prayers to yourself. And you said yourself that its a cruel business, so STOP acting like such a victim.

-And finally, I think its great that he wants to be a minister, but if that's truly the case, he wouldn't be wasting his time in the wrestling business and he'd try to go about it like a NORMAL GUY. He talks like some sort of saint, but he's acting like just another publicity hound trying to gain the admiration of the masses. His problems could easily be solved, but he saw The Passion one too many times and he's gotten on a martyr fix.

 

Christians like this piss me off.

[Guest Marty2Hotty]

It wasn't Jerry who brought Russo in, it was Jeff along with Jerry's okay.

 

Russo's response was from a post I made on the following link:

http://p205.ezboard.com/funofficialvinceru...picID=995.topic

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Vince Russo = Terrible

 

Religious Vince Russo = Fucking Worse

[Guest Loss]

Jerry Jarrett's fears are totally valid and correct. I agree with him 100%.

 

Vince Russo is probably the worst thing to ever happen to pro wrestling in the long term. He bombarded the audience with so many angles that they no longer meant anything. The belts were worthless because titles changed hands too often and the product was looked at as trash TV. He didn't make wrestling seem legitimate or worthy of respect, or it would have been more than a passing fad.

[Guest Staravenger]

Not that it matters, but I never really found Russo to be annoying...except for that horrible WCW tenure. Vince McMahon probably enjoyed his work, considering he had Russo working on storylines as far back as 1996 (minor storylines that is) and had him writing up until he left WCW in October 1999.

[Guest Loss]

I do think Russo is valuable on a committee. I don't like him scripting TV shows, I don't like his attitude that anyone can wrestle but that not anyone can act and I don't like his attitude that the fans won't watch a match that lasts longer than 4 minutes.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I find it funny that it was Jerry Jarrett that wrote almost all of the early months' episodes, which featured such shit as Puppet the Midget Killer beating off in a trashcan, the Dupp Cup, Glenn Gilberti's PPV talk show segment, and a barage of matches ending with run-in's and non-finishes, and yet he has the gaul to insult Russo, who at least did stupid shit that was successful on a national level.

 

Also, Russo never started a wrestling company just to hype his kid.

Russo was behind the midget beating off in the trash can, the Johnson's, and a lot of the early stuff as well. He was supplying TNA with ideas from the beginning.

[Guest Staravenger]

Russo was employed (briefly) with WWF when TNA started, and wasn't around until week 5...at the earliest. The Johnsons was 100% not him. the Dupp Cup...maybe, the Midget beating off, definitety.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

I gotta say, Jerry is right on, and it is apparent he never gained any control in the company. I would really love to see it done with his formula. Even in that e-mail, he was already worried about Jeff being overexposed. Sounds like he understands.

 

Then again, I've seen some of his old Tennessee shows, and they suck.

[Guest Loss]

Then again, I've seen some of his old Tennessee shows, and they suck.

WOW! Surely you jest ...

 

Lawler is perhaps the best interview in history, or a strong candidate for it. They were the masters of getting the most out of green slugs through good booking. They knew how to do cheap heat right. Memphis was one of the best territories ever, and it lasted far longer than any of the other promotions after Vince hit it big. There was a reason for that.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

I'm sorry, I've never actually seen complete shows, only matches. I didn't like the style at all, and can't think of one great match from that territory. However, you may be right about them being able to link it all together to make good tv.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Then again, I've seen some of his old Tennessee shows, and they suck.

WOW! Surely you jest ...

 

Lawler is perhaps the best interview in history, or a strong candidate for it. They were the masters of getting the most out of green slugs through good booking. They knew how to do cheap heat right. Memphis was one of the best territories ever, and it lasted far longer than any of the other promotions after Vince hit it big. There was a reason for that.

Loss, I'll give you credit on that.....very well thought out. Yet, to me and many others Memphis is the WORST place for wrestling if you hate their "southern style" of booking. But What you said is definately correct, it's just not my cup of tea.

[Guest Loss]

I'm sorry, I've never actually seen complete shows, only matches. I didn't like the style at all, and can't think of one great match from that territory. However, you may be right about them being able to link it all together to make good tv.

The Memphis style isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's very basic booking and it's based on heels cheating and faces being honorable tools loved by teenage girls. It's true 'rasslin, to say the least. I personally love it.

 

Heels on crutches trying to weasel out of title shots ... heels hiding weapons in their kneepads ... gimmick matches galore ... terms like "yella-bellied" being thrown around on a regular basis ... sign me up!

 

As for great matches, the problem is that there are few that are commercially available, at least in entirety, and just as few full matches are available from TV. I will say that Memphis is the area where Shawn Michaels first played the heel. It's the area where so many stars from the 80s (Hogan, Savage, the Midnight Express & Jim Cornette, the Rock & Rolls) cut their teeth and learned how to talk people into arenas.

 

I personally love Southern-style wrestling and booking. It's what the NWA was until being absorbed by TBS. It's what Mid South was. It's what SMW was. It's what Mid Atlantic was. It's what Florida was, and what Georgia was. And it's definitely what Memphis was.

 

Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, the Midnight Express, the Rock & Roll Express, the Fantastics and Barry Windham all championed the Southern style. I don't see what's not to like.

[Guest Loss]

I should also mention how much wrestling has changed since then. The goal of wrestling wasn't to be "good" or "bad" at that point, it was for it to be effective, which Memphis definitely was, whether it was in popping the crowd or filling Mid South Coliseum. Imagine WWE running the same building every week and being expected to draw straight sellouts every time out. It would oversaturate the market, and it wouldn't happen.

 

TV was also secondary to house shows until the Monday Night Wars. They weren't expected to give out "good TV" in those days, they were expected to fill you in on the storylines and showcase promos to make you come to see wrestling the next week. Most of the matches were joined in progress because they wanted you to buy a ticket to see the match in full. I prefer those days, because fans didn't watch wrestling to be "entertained" so much as they did watch wrestling because they cared so much about the characters that they wanted to show them support.

 

I don't know that such a dynamic will ever be recreated, and the reasons for that is that we've been constantly reminded that what we're watching is fake for the past 5-10 years.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

It's not as much the Southern style as the Memphis style, and they are different. Mid-Atlantic and Mid-south were vastly different from Memphis. Memphis seems to be the mother of all stupid cartoon gimmicks. I just didn't like it.

[Guest Loss]

Ok, in that sense I agree with you totally. It got on my nerves too. But stuff like the Jerry Lawler/Andy Kaufman feud and the Lawler/Dundee/Mantel stuff and the Lawler/Savage feud and the Lawler/Idol/Rich feud and the Lawler/Funk feud were brilliant.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

But stuff like the Jerry Lawler/Andy Kaufman

 

Yeah, I was gonna mention that I have all of this on tape, and it is done to perfection. No good wrestling at all, but incredibly entertaining.

[Jingus 0]

A few of my own points:

 

1. As much as I hate the town itself with burning passion, Memphis has put out some damn good wrestling over the years. Almost everyone either started out there or went through there when they were still young and green, and it improved them a lot. (Thus leading to a running joke in the business about how Tony Falk somehow had everyone's first match one way or another, whether it was Austin, Jarrett, Rock, Angle, or even James Storm.)

 

2. Memphis has also put out some really shitty wrestling over the years. Once the crowds started slowly dying out throughout the 90s, they turned to a lot of stupid shit to try to keep people's attention. The constant revolving door bookers didn't help matters there either.

 

3. Russo was involved with TNA from the very beginning, even to the point of supplying the name "TNA". Russo and Jarrett are close friends, and have been so for years. (Not to mention having Russo's former writing assistant Ed Ferrera as a commentator from the very first show.) Russo was hanging out at the shows even back before they moved to the Asylum. Come on, with Russo hanging around and being friends with so many people involved, how can you think that stuff like the Johnsons wasn't his idea?

[strummer 0]

As a kid, I saw very little Memphis wrestling. From what I saw, I came to the conclusion that it was basically a violent version of the WWF that happened to be in the South. The matches were real short, often featured just punching, kicking and resting. There were tons of gimmicks, Colossus of Death comes to mind most vividly. There were also two fat guys dressed as bees who just punched and sold nothing, can't think of their names. There was a lot of talking, especially in the Kaufman angle. I remember Bundy getting a big push, also Kamala. The matches often ended in screwjobs and there were a ton of stipulations. It was a more violent version of the WWF in the 80s.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Russo was behind the midget beating off in the trash can, the Johnson's, and a lot of the early stuff as well. He was supplying TNA with ideas from the beginning.

Actually, Jerry Jarrett was behind that. Russo said it himself that after he saw the midget beating off in the trash can (keep in mind he was still with the WWF for his brief tenure in 2002 at the time), he went "oh God, the fans are going to think this is my fault." There's an interview with Russo saying that somewhere.

 

Also, let us not forget the horror of THE HIRING OF DUTCH MANTEL. All Jerry and Jeff's fault right there, and nothing Russo has done has been that bad to a company. Even WCW bounced back from Arquette being champion.

[Magus 0]

I'm sorry, I've never actually seen complete shows, only matches. I didn't like the style at all, and can't think of one great match from that territory. However, you may be right about them being able to link it all together to make good tv.

The Memphis style isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's very basic booking and it's based on heels cheating and faces being honorable tools loved by teenage girls. It's true 'rasslin, to say the least. I personally love it.

 

Heels on crutches trying to weasel out of title shots ... heels hiding weapons in their kneepads ... gimmick matches galore ... terms like "yella-bellied" being thrown around on a regular basis ... sign me up!

 

I like that in a promotion, actually. I'd have no problem with it as long as great wrestlers were allowed to have their best matches (Daniels), and popular gimmicks aren't scrapped just because they don't fit the typical face/heel formula (Raven). That booking style, however, is one I'd be interested in seeing.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I can't stand Memphis style booking, simply because it's TOO simple. With today's society, nobody is a hero or a villain anymore, it's all just shades of gray. I do like the "shades of gray" approach to wrestling booking that Heyman and Russo pioneered, and feel a blend of shades of gray and Memphis might make a good product.

 

Unfortunately, Memphis booking makes all of the heels the same, all of the faces the same, and almost all of the matches your typical punch/kick fest that so many people hated the WWF for in the late 90's, so I don't see how it'd be a good idea to bring it back at all.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

I'm just sitting here stunned--trying to figure out what makes one individual discredit another. What? To me there is only one answer--again--tear others down=build yourself up.

 

I don't get it, wasn't that the basis of damn near his whole tenure with WCW ie: Oklahoma etc?

[Magus 0]

Unfortunately, Memphis booking makes all of the heels the same, all of the faces the same, and almost all of the matches your typical punch/kick fest that so many people hated the WWF for in the late 90's, so I don't see how it'd be a good idea to bring it back at all.

That's what I'm talkin' about. Get rid of those two elements--have some **** matches and allow for character depth--and I'd pay to watch a Memphis-style show.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I think the main reason why the "Memphis Style" wouldn't work is the simple fact of the "slow burn" style of fueds just wouldn't work now with the fact that the public seems to have shorter......actually, WAY shorter attention spans than they did years ago. Also, the cartoony aspect would turn of legions of fans especially if they are the ones that hate having their intelligence insulted at the turn of a hat.