Eric Bischoff didn’t need a long speech to clap back at Vince Russo. He just took one good swing and left the rest lying there.
Sami Zayn’s WWE World Title win over Cody Rhodes in Saudi Arabia already had fans split, but Russo went nuclear over it. During 83 Weeks, Conrad Thompson read Russo’s reaction to the title change, and it was about as subtle as a chair shot to the face.
Russo claimed WWE handing Sami the championship felt like the wrestling version of everyone getting a trophy just for showing up. He also said major WWE partners like ESPN, USA, and Netflix should be looking sideways at the company over the move. Then Russo dragged David Arquette’s infamous WCW World Title win into the mess.
“Remember when Little League turned into everybody getting a participation trophy? That’s what this is. That’s exactly what this is and it’s a joke. I got to tell you, bro, if I was ESPN, if I was USA, if I was Netflix, I would be beside myself. I would look at this company and say, ‘You’re supposed to be the greatest wrestling company in the entire world, and you really believe this is the best you can do.’ That’s what I would be saying this morning. This is legitimately the equivalent of David Arquette beating Diamond Dallas Page. That’s what this is the equivalent of.”
That was all Bischoff needed to hear. Conrad pointed out that Russo calling Sami Zayn’s title win a disaster while bringing up David Arquette was an interesting choice, considering Russo’s own history with that WCW decision. Bischoff didn’t even bother breaking down the Sami comparison piece by piece. Instead, he went right at Russo himself. Bischoff made it clear he believes Russo is great at sounding like he knows the answer, but that does not mean he can actually deliver when it counts.
“Not much. Vince Russo, it’s, you know, he’s really good at this talking. He’s really, really good. He can talk a great freaking game. That’s what makes him dangerous because while he can talk a great game, he can’t deliver one.”
Bischoff wasn’t done there either. He said Russo’s mouth does a lot more heavy lifting than his actual creative track record.
“He’s like, ‘Oh, for everything.’ The guy is not nearly as creative as listening to him speak would lead you to believe he is. He’s self—I don’t know. Hey, he is entertaining to listen to, that’s for sure.”
Russo comparing Sami Zayn to David Arquette was clearly designed to get a reaction, and it did. The problem is that Bischoff turned the conversation away from Sami and right back onto Russo’s own reputation.
What do you think about Eric Bischoff taking a shot at Vince Russo over his Sami Zayn title criticism? Did Bischoff nail it, or was Russo right to call out WWE’s decision? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
