Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane.
Russo opens today’s show speaking about the missed dropkick spot at the recent Ring of Honor show which featured The Young Bucks. Russo was vocal about his disapproval of this spot but he wasn’t trying to talk crap or looking to start fights, he just feels that we need to start calling these type of things something other than ‘professional wrestling’.
Lane mentions that on one of his shows this past week, The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer was perplexed over people being on their phones while sitting ringside at wrestling shows. Russo says he doesn’t blame these people for being on their phones at all because they’re obviously bored out of their minds.
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet mentioned this past week that the Hype Bros were more deserving of a main card spot at Clash of Champions than the Triple Threat US Title match. Russo calls Satin a jackass, and mentions that Satin probably hates Baron Corbin because he was a football player and a legitimate athlete, and Satin can’t relate to that.
At another point last week, Meltzer said that RAW has probably been losing viewers in the last hour because of long matches which feature talents who aren’t over. Russo says that nobody’s over on RAW right now, so who are WWE going to put in the ring?
Lane mentions that a fan tweeted Meltzer last week, saying that in 26 years The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Okada will be held in similar regard as Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat. Meltzer responded by saying that Okada is in a different league right now. Russo thinks that’s simply ridiculous and he can’t believe that anyone in their right mind can think that way.
Meltzer went on to speak about Pete Dunne, questioning why Dunne’s not a full-time performer. He believes that WWE needs to use him more because he’s over with the WWE Universe. Russo says they don’t use Dunne full-time because he’s about 5’2” and the only competitor who he can believably compete against is El Torito.
Russo says he was sorry to hear about the passing of Tom Zenk this past week, and he was blown away when Meltzer claimed to have helped Brian Pillman lay out his 1992 match with Zenk. Russo thinks that claim is a pile of garbage and he adds that it’s easy for Meltzer to lie about this because both guys are dead and are unable to defend themselves.
Wade Keller of Pro Wrestling Torch said this past week that WWE’s viewership wouldn’t drop so significantly if there were longer, more competitive matches. Russo says the matches are often long and competitive now, and they have to be because WWE doesn’t have any creative people writing the shows. If Keller was correct about this point of view, RAW’s ratings would be increasing right now.
Russo says he doesn’t understand why someone would pay an imbecile like Keller $8 a month to read these terrible opinions. At another point this week, Keller said that he disagrees with Russo’s friend, Disco Inferno, on basically every opinion regarding the professional wrestling business.
Russo points out that Disco Inferno had a 20-year career which included in-ring competition and attending backstage creative meetings. Keller has done neither of those things before, and it’s insane for him to have the nerve to claim that he knows more about the business than someone with Disco Inferno’s experience.
Russo comments on Jim Cornette’s feud with the Internet Wrestling Community after the missed dropkick spot at a recent ROH show. At one point, ProWrestlingSheet’s Ryan Satin decided to get involved, picking a fight with Cornette. Russo points out that for someone who claims to hate drama so much, Satin sure finds a way to get involved in a lot of disputes.
Russo thinks that Satin’s legacy in the wrestling business is going to be getting beat up backstage at a wrestling show at some point. Satin’s making enemies left, right and centre, and at some point in the future a wrestler is going to show him some ‘old school’ attention backstage or in the parking lot after a show, and Satin will never open his mouth again.
That sums up today’s episode of Vince Russo’s The Brand. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya tomorrow for another recap!
