Former WWE Writer Chris Kreski Passes Away

[justcoz 0]

Where is the mention of Kreski's death on pwinsider? Not that I'm doubting it but I just can't find the actual mention....

[Guest Mos_Def]

I thought Russo was a long time wrestling fan? You know, Russo probably just thought things were skyrocketing with 2 minute matches that he wanted to cut down on the wrestling. It didn't exactly prove to be right when Kreski took over with a stronger depth of talent. I remember reading Russo's greatest matches and champions list(might post it some time) and he had it pretty damn smarkish. The British Bulldogs were the #1 tag team in wwf history. Steamboat/Savage as the greatest match or it was behind Bret/Owen. Bret Hart as the greatest wwf champion. I think Russo knew the wwe could not compete wrestling wise with the deeper roster of wcw. He got burn out for a reason in 1999, but by that time the wwe had guys like Jericho and Big Show jumping ship. It also should be noted he changed the titles of all divisions more times in that 1999 year than anytime in history and that helped bolster the ratings. Still he did build the empire, but his wcw run shows Mcmahon knew how to use the guy's "talents" properly.

You’re probably right, Russo struck gold with the crash t.v 1-2 minute match format, thus giving him more motivation to bury the actual wrestling. Whatever love he had for actual wrestling rarely revealed itself in his booking.

 

As you said, Russo did start out as a typical smark, who appreciated in-ring work, but over time he either was convinced, or he convinced himself that “wrestling doesn’t sell, and is not entertaining." I think at times he tried too much to be the booking inverse of old school guys like Cornette and J.R…

 

By 1999, wrestling was almost an intrusion on skits and interviews.

 

Bear in mind that Russo is the guy that said “nobody would want to sit through and Eddy Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio 20 minute match.” In addition, he wrote columns in the WWF magazine slamming "workrate". Also said that as an American, he doesn’t want to watch foreign wrestlers. Wildly ignorant and xenophobic shit.

 

He cited burnout for one of the reasons why he jumped to WCW, but most saw it as a money grab, and a chance for him to make himself into an on-screen “star”, something that wasn’t going to happen under McMahon.

 

Ratings were great, but the PPV quality and buyrates were ass in 1999.…the wrestling sucked. Even though I like Russo’s WWF run more than most (Survivor Series 1998 anyone?) , there is no question that he was badly exposed in WCW, and furthermore the WWF in 2000 made his run look bad, because the wrestling was so much better and the buyrates and ratings climbed which shattered Russo‘s philosophy. But as I said, you can thank Jericho, the radicals, and HHH’s ascension for the great wrestling

[Mole 0]

Well, Kreski wasn't really the reason 2000 was so good. 2000 was so good because the mid card was the best EVER in any promotion. And the Main Events ruled too.

But if it weren't for the great storylines, it would had been WCW cira 98. Bad storylines with great wrestling.

 

Kreski was the shit.

[Team Angle Pusher 0]

Sad.

 

R.I.P

[Guest Ransome]

Any competant writer could do what Kreski did. Too bad he's dead but don't act like he was the only hope.

Exactly.

 

Problem is that all competant writers are smart enough not to get themselves sucked into the black hole that is professional wrestling.

[justcoz 0]

I still haven't found this reported anywhere? It's a work I tell ya! He's secretly somewhere writing the return to USA episode of Raw!

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

Wow. Just wow.

[cabbageboy 0]

I'm sorry he is dead (if it's actually true) but I have never shared this huge love for 2000 that everyone else here seems to have. In 2000 we had:

 

1. The beginning of HHH's push from hell that lasts to this very day, which included him retaining at WM (a move which pissed me off to the point where I nearly stopped watching Raw). In fact that whole WM main event was screwed up from the get go...what should have been Rock vs. HHH with Rocky winning ended up a convoluted 4 way.

 

2. The entire HHH/Angle angle was totally botched. Sure it was built up well but the whole payoff was the drizzling shits.

 

When Kreski was booking it was the matches and wrestlers that were selling PPVs. His storylines and payoffs were lacking.

[justcoz 0]

You do know I wasn't serious about it being a work. I just haven't seen any other mention of the death beyond here.

 

I enjoyed the McMahon/Helmsley era. I think they should still be playing on their marriage today with the company disgruntled over HHH's dominance and political power and Steph/HHH trying to overtake the company from Vince.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

2. The entire HHH/Angle angle was totally botched. Sure it was built up well but the whole payoff was the drizzling shits.

I'm pretty sure the intended payoff was Angle/Steph, with HHH turning face, except HHH (I think) nixed that idea.

[Papacita 0]

1. The beginning of HHH's push from hell that lasts to this very day, which included him retaining at WM (a move which pissed me off to the point where I nearly stopped watching Raw). In fact that whole WM main event was screwed up from the get go...what should have been Rock vs. HHH with Rocky winning ended up a convoluted 4 way.

 

2. The entire HHH/Angle angle was totally botched. Sure it was built up well but the whole payoff was the drizzling shits.

 

When Kreski was booking it was the matches and wrestlers that were selling PPVs. His storylines and payoffs were lacking.

 

I've never really cared all that much for 2000 from a creative standpoint, but you really can't knock him for the love triangle without taking into consideration the political plays going on around that time.

[Dangerous A 0]

I'm pretty sure the intended payoff was Angle/Steph, with HHH turning face, except HHH (I think) nixed that idea.

That is correct sir. HHH didn't want Steph to be with Angle and breakup in storyline because

 

A) his relationship with Steph had just really started heating up the last 6 months or so by this time behind the scenes and

 

 

B) even though he'd be a babyface, he'd be third rung on the ladder behind Austin and Rock, no matter how hot the angle was. He would rather be top heel than 3rd banana on the face-o-meter.

 

 

And thus began the spiral downward.......

[iggymcfly 0]

There were definitely more problems with the 2000 booking then were listed. To wit:

 

1. Rock and HHH main evented four or five PPVs in a row together. By the time there feud was done, I was so damn bored with it, I could care less who won, which is good because:

 

2. No one won the damn feud. HHH won the "blowoff", only for Rock to win the title back the next month. What was up with that?

 

3. Austin's return. I don't know if Kreski was responsible for this, or if Steph was, but that was the worst storyline ever. When Austin got run over, JR basically went off for weeks about what a bastard HHH was for doing it, but then when he comes back, we have to go through that god-awful mystery storyline. Booooring.

 

Sure, the 2000 booking was way tighter and better organized then the mess that was the invasion or the terrible feuds we've had since. But to say that it was better than the 1998/1999 stuff, that took the WWF from a small cult following to a major cultural phenomenon is ridiculous. There was nothing in that run that was anywhere near as memorable as Rock/Foley, Austin/McMahon, or even Austin/Taker. In fact, HHH/Foley was the only truly great feud produced under Kreski.

[Guest Prof_Plague]

Wow. Just wow.

...Best...quote...EVER!

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

And yet it was 2000 that was the WWF's most profitable year. Ever.

[Papacita 0]

Really, though, how much of that do you think had to do with the debut of Smackdown exposing the WWF to newer viewers? I mean a lot of the newer fans I knew that began watching around that period that time did so mainly because Smackdown made it available to them. And that's without considering all of the other mainstream ventures WWF had going on at the time.

 

Not to take anything away from them, because shows would have to be entertaining to hook those viewers like they did, but I don't think you can just look at numbers as evidence of 2000's superiority because they had a lot more exposure than WWF did in 98.

[JoeDirt 0]

I enjoyed early 2000 aside from the HHH/Rock feud where Rock won the title back by pinning Vince McMahon. Actually, that whole KOTR was a botch. But there were several good PPVs, and TV mixed good wrestling with pretty good storytelling. There seemed to be a good mix of wrestling and entertainment to keep the people into things. Whatever he was writing, it was noticeably better than when Stephanie took over and things really started to plummet.

 

Oh, now that I think about it I didn't like the Vince McMahon turn at Mania and crappy explanation for it. So I really have to agree that it was more the wrestlers and characters who were selling things for the WWF at the time, and not really the angles.

 

Maybe they really WERE riding the wave of Vince Russo!

[Kizzo 0]

Kreski resigned in October of 2000....he did NOT finish the storyline with Kurt/Steph/and Triple H......I'm sure if he had not resigned during the storyline it would have played out better......Kreski was more of a "soap opera" type guy....he loved having family drama played out on T.V.(remember the McMahon feud, and Steph slapping her own mother)....

 

I actually enjoyed the Triple H/The Rock feud.......he was able to hold all the viewers attention with their feuds......and always headling a PPV....many writers cannot achieve that kind of sucess....but he was able too...

 

To be honest....I think McMahon truly liked the guy....he was paying him a ton of money....and basically had control of the creative department(since Vince was planning a football league)....

[Guest Prof_Plague]

C'mon. Steph as lead writer wasn't that bad.