Vito’s first wife passed away from pancreatic Cancer, leaving him as a single father to four children. He still chose wrestling over his children for a long time before realizing what really mattered most in life. He’s so happy now, that he eventually woke up and was able to spend some family time with his kids before it was too late.
Vito informs that when you were on the road with the boys back in the day you had to wear an invisible cloak of armour, where you’d shield all your emotions. Russo agrees with that, saying he spoke to several guys who looked him in the eyes and said they were okay when he knew that they were struggling with alcohol or pill addictions.
Even Superstars like The Rock and Stone Cold never let their guard down backstage. Every time Russo spoke to those guys backstage he was speaking to their wrestling characters, not Dwayne Johnson or Steve Austin. He thinks it’s a very strange phenomenon that these performers are terrified of letting their real selves shine though, and he believes it’s necessary for WWE to have sports psychologists on hand to help the wrestlers with the physical and mental abuse that accompanies the wrestling business.
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!
