Vince Russo Responds to Rikishi’s Heated Rant Over Jey Uso’s Emotional Intercontinental Title Win

The drama between WWE legend Rikishi and former wrestling writer Vince Russo just took another turn, as Russo has now issued a response to Rikishi’s explosive remarks about his son, Jey Uso. The back-and-forth stems from Russo’s controversial comments criticizing Jey Uso’s emotional promo following his Intercontinental Championship win on the September 30 episode of Monday Night RAW.

Russo had previously downplayed Jey’s emotional reaction, calling wrestling titles “props” and implying that wrestlers shouldn’t get attached to them. This sparked a fiery and profanity-laden rant from Rikishi on his podcast Off The Top, where the WWE Hall of Famer fiercely defended his son and the years of hard work Jey has put into the wrestling business. Rikishi also took personal shots at Russo, questioning his credibility to make such statements, as someone who has never stepped into the ring.

Now, Vince Russo has taken to Twitter/X to clarify his comments, responding to the heat from Rikishi. While not apologizing, Russo emphasized that his perspective as a writer and producer is simply different from that of a performer. He wrote:

“What I said about a wrestler getting emotional over winning a title—I’ve said for years. And, while I understand, the fact is that a writer/producer will look at something much differently than an actor, or a performer does. That’s why they are two totally different jobs. Nothing against Rikishi, or Jey, huge fan of both, just two different Points of View.”

Russo also hinted at the complex world of wrestling politics, adding:

“And also remember, merit isn’t the only reason a belt is put on a wrestler, in some instances there is also a little thing called ‘politics’ involved. Trust me . . . I know.”

Russo’s response appears to be an attempt to smooth things over without backing down from his original point of view. By emphasizing the difference between writers and performers, Russo suggests that his comments were never intended to insult Jey Uso or his accomplishments, but rather to highlight the behind-the-scenes reality of the wrestling industry.

Whether Rikishi or Jey Uso will accept this clarification remains to be seen. What’s clear, however, is that this feud has brought attention to the emotional and physical toll that professional wrestlers endure—something Rikishi was quick to defend on behalf of his son.