Wrestling INC: What were some of the backstage differences between the WWE and WCW?
Russo: There was one and it's what eventually killed me in WCW. When I was in the WWE, Vince McMahon had my back a million percent. I never for one second had to concern myself with politics. If you screwed with me, you screwed with Vince. That's how successful we were at the time. At WCW, I had zero protection.
The minute I walked in there, I was fair game. People were talking behind my back, plotting behind my back, and looking to bring me down. I had the same work mentality that I had from the WWE — all I cared about was writing the best possible show I could. While all this was going on, I didn't try to counteract it, defend myself, and protect myself because my job was to write the best show possible. My mentality was if higher-ups, who was Bill Busch at the time, if he wants to listen and believe these people then so be it. In my mind, I'll be gone and these guys will be in charge and I knew what those guys were capable of. My whole thing was I know what's going to happen, but I'm not going to worry about defending myself every second.
Wrestling INC: Was it harder working with talent in WCW compared to WWE?
Russo: No question about it. In the WWE, I gained the trust of everybody. What we were doing worked and the ratings kept growing. As the ratings rise, the guys make more money and that's all they care about at the end of the day. There was trust and we did work together. For WCW, people have to realize I was there for three months before I went home. That's how much time I was there with Ed writing the TV and working with the talent before I went home. To have to prove myself and show my intentions were good, that was more than I could handle.
Wrestling INC: What are things you would have done differently when you first joined WCW?
Russo: I went in with the best intentions and was fairly confident that I knew what needed to be done. I thought I got us off on a strong foot. I left myself wide open to be buried right behind my back, but I did that knowingly and have no issue. There isn't anything I would have done differently.
Wrestling INC: I wanted to bring up the Bash at the Beach 2000 incident with Hulk Hogan. It was booked for Jeff Jarrett to lay down for Hogan and later you would cut a promo with Booker T then defeating Jarrett for the title later that night. Is that true, or was it a shoot?
Russo: What you saw to my knowledge, recollections, and conversations that day, what you saw on TV was exactly what was supposed to happen. It was according to script and plan. From beginning to end, everything laid out exactly how it was supposed to be laid out.
Wrestling INC: Was the plan then for Hogan and Eric Bishoff to comeback and feud with you guys?
Russo: There was no plan at that time. You have to understand, on Friday before we left for Bash at the Beach, agent Johnny Ace said Hulk Hogan was given a storyline and agreed upon it. So I'm walking in Sunday, thinking there's no issue. All of a sudden at three in the afternoon I get this monkey wrench thrown at me that Hulk's not doing what he already agreed to do. At this point, I need to get this show done. There's no time to think about where we're going from here. I had to get us through that night. From where we went, it wasn't discussed in detail. I know Hulk said 'I'll have my belt and Booker T can have his belt and then I can return and we can go from there.' I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I just wanted to get this night done and once this is over we can talk about it.
Read more at http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2014/0604/576697/vince-russo-on-why-he-left-wwe/#hDpmpARQI49KOHgP.99
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