Violent J knew exactly what came with bringing Vince Russo into Juggalo Championship Wrestling, and that was actually part of the appeal.
During his conversation with Chris Jericho on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Violent J explained how JCW was looking for a way to bring more attention to the promotion after using recognizable wrestling names to boost interest and YouTube views.
The problem was that simply bringing somebody in could only create a temporary spike. Violent J wanted somebody capable of changing the entire company and keeping people interested after the initial curiosity wore off. That eventually led him straight to Russo.
Violent J admitted he wasn’t even sure JCW could get Russo when they first reached out. His philosophy, however, was to aim as high as possible before moving down the list.
“I didn’t think we’d be able to land Vince Russo. But every time we do something like that, just like in music, if we’re going to do a collab with somebody, we go right to the top star, you know what I mean? Get turned down from there.”
There was also plenty of history between the two sides. Violent J pointed out that Russo was the man who originally helped bring Insane Clown Posse into both WWE and WCW.
“We just started talking to Vince and talking to Vince, and months were going by. I’m begging him to watch the shows. ‘Watch the shows, brother. Watch the shows,’ because I knew he had wild-style ideas, and he was a guy that brought us into WWE when we first went in there.”
“And he also brought us into WCW, you know, and so we knew him and we had a history with him.”
Violent J also wasn’t pretending Russo’s reputation within professional wrestling didn’t exist. In fact, he saw the controversy surrounding Russo as another reason people would pay attention to JCW.
“I knew the controversy, and the number one thing is people are going to have to look. It’s like you can diss Russo all you want, but you’re going to watch. You’re going to have to see what he’s doing.”
According to Violent J, it didn’t really matter whether viewers were tuning in because they loved Russo’s work or because they wanted to tear it apart afterward. Either way, they were watching JCW.
“Whether it’s to sincerely love it or tear it to shreds online or whatever, you’re gonna watch. You know what I mean? Especially when he’s been gone as long as he has.”
What Violent J didn’t expect was developing such a close personal relationship with Russo once they started working together.
“The one thing I didn’t expect was to genuinely get to understand Vince Russo as the human being. And I really like the guy, man.”
He described Russo as far more emotional behind the scenes than the hard personality people may associate with him publicly.
“He presents himself as hard and everything, but he’s an emotional dude, and I love the guy, man. I really do. Like, I’ve grown really close to him, you know what I mean?”
Violent J went even further when describing their creative relationship.
“I just feel like we have a lot in common, and together we’re like a mega power. You know what I mean? I really feel like that.”
Russo’s name has always been capable of creating a reaction in wrestling, and Violent J clearly understood that before bringing him into JCW. The difference now is that Violent J believes Russo has become much more than somebody brought in to attract eyeballs — he views him as a major part of JCW’s creative growth.
Do you think bringing Vince Russo into JCW was the right move, and has his involvement made you more interested in checking out the promotion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
