On his Inside the Ropes radio show, former TNA / WWE head writer Vince Russo commented on TNA President Dixie Carter and using title belts as props:
Russo on Title Belts as Props: “The first time I saw wrestling, it was clear to me it was entertainment. I knew it wasn’t real. The characters were great, over the top. The storylines were straight out of soap opera digest. To me, it was entertainment and that’s why it always was. You have this title belt, it’s not real, these matches aren’t real, nobody is winning this belt. We’re writing it that way. So you use that belt as part of the entertainment. I feel that way to this day. When I saw Capt. Lou Albano and the Valiants, I got it, I understood what it was. That was always my philosophy.”
Russo on TNA’s brand recognition / identity crisis: “…I think there’s a lack of patience. Ratings don’t happen overnight. Ratings happen when you commit to something and you stay the course. That’s why the attitude era worked. Vince stuck with it, we didn’t let the rating affect us on a weekly basis, we rode it out. Unfortunately, that was never the mindset at TNA. There was a lot of emphasis on the rating week to week, then creative is being directed to jump all over the place. It might take a year, but if you stay with it and believe in it, it’s going to work. It’s not going to work if every six weeks or two months you’re changing course and going in a different direction. I feel TNA have been guilty of that for a very long time.”
Vince Russo’s one word to describe TNA President Dixie Carter: “Confused.
You can read more excerpts from Vince Russo on everything from WWE to TNA at ProWrestling.net.
