10 Wrestlers Who Had Major Backstage Heat With Vince Russo

Vince Russo

10- Leilani Kai

Former WWE Women's Champion Leilani Kai claims she had major heat with Vince Russo in WCW after he supposedly double-crossed her. Kai arrived for a straight match but was informed by Russo that she would be wrestling in a mud match instead, which she opposed. Insensed, Kai claims she cussed out Russo backstage. Later, she choked on buffet food, which led to her spot being changed to a comedic backstage scene involving a bath in the "brown stuff." Russo has disputed Kai's account, claiming the mud spot was always the plan, but her hatred for the writer persists to this day.

9- The Undertaker

The Undertaker held a grudge against Vince Russo, a fact Russo didn't learn until after he left WWE for WCW. Russo's constant requests for The Undertaker to work through various injuries were the reason for the heat, as The Dead Man was famously struggling with a physically deteriorating body at the time. Russo was genuinely shocked by this revelation, stating he never knew Taker was hurt and would not have asked anyone to work injured. This heat was one-way, as Russo claims he only had respect for Mark Callaway. Later, Russo denied a claim that he suggested Taker retire during his 2002 return to creative.

8- Rowdy Piper

Roddy Piper, an old-school territory guy, was not enamored with the Monday Night Wars era, accusing head writer Vince Russo of prostituting the business. When Russo joined WCW, there was instant heat, which escalated when Russo and Ed Ferrara presented Piper with a scripted, profanity-laced promo. The grudge became more personal, culminating in an appearance on NWA-TNA's weekly pay-per-view. Piper used his promo time to blast Russo for the tragic death of Owen Hart. A tense face-to-face exchange ensued, where Piper infamously delivered a shoot slap to Russo's head before the Harris Twins diffused the situation.

7- Dustin Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes originally succeeded with the Goldust character in WWE, with Vince Russo writing much of his bizarre material. However, after leaving in 1999 and joining WCW under Eric Bischoff, Russo was put in charge as Rhodes was debuting his new "Seven" character. Rhodes developed a strong dislike for Russo, even hating him at the time. When the controversial Seven gimmick was canceled due to pressure from Turner Broadcasting, Rhodes felt Russo was messing with him. In his autobiography, Rhodes criticized Russo's booking further, particularly the frequent jobs he was forced to do for Russo's close friend, Jeff Jarrett.

6- Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo have been in a long, petty back-and-forth rivalry, with Bischoff frequently targeting Russo on his podcast. Bischoff was brought back to WCW in 1999 to work alongside Russo in a creative capacity. Initially, Bischoff liked Russo and felt they could collaborate, but his wariness grew over time. The two also worked together later in TNA and blame each other for that company's various failures. Both men having a public outlet has led to much squabbling, and the video notes that both are responsible for some of the absolute worst concepts that have ever made it to mainstream wrestling programming.

5- Samoa Joe

The heat between Samoa Joe and Vince Russo stemmed from Russo's time in TNA, specifically the ridiculous angle where Joe was kidnapped by a van full of ninjas. Although the angle was reportedly Eric Bischoff's idea, Joe later roasted Russo for bringing him back without any on-screen explanation for the kidnapping. Russo fired back, blaming Joe for returning after his time away weighing "50 lbs more than he did before" and scolding the Samoan Submission Machine for throwing him under the bus years later. Russo also took credit for the infamous TNA 'bus crash' angle, proving both men were involved in questionable creative choices.

4- Goldberg

When Vince Russo arrived in WCW in late 1999, Goldberg was arguably the company's biggest star, known for a simple, successful formula. Russo ruined this by turning Goldberg heel at The Great American Bash 2000, aligning him with Russo and Eric Bischoff. Neither fans nor Goldberg appreciated this monumental, whim-based decision. Years later, Goldberg refused to negotiate with TNA due to Russo's involvement and even believed Russo was sent by WWE to destroy WCW. Russo claims Goldberg was difficult, citing his alleged refusal to lose to Scott Steiner and accusing him of intentionally injuring him with a spear through a cage.

3- JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield)

Two big, opinionated personalities from different worlds, JBL and Vince Russo, were not friends while working in WWE. Russo considered JBL a loudmouth bully and doubted the Bradshaw character's potential due to his strong Texas accent. Russo even claimed he pitched the infamous Brawl for All tournament to shut up Bradshaw, who was allegedly constantly bragging about his toughness. JBL refuted this, suggesting his smack talk was mostly in jest given the other legitimate tough fighters in the locker room. JBL has since blasted Russo for his "hairbrained" creative ideas and what he perceives as a history of failures since leaving WWE in 1999.

2- Hulk Hogan

The infamous fiasco at Bash at the Beach 2000 highlights the conflict between Vince Russo's creative vision and Hulk Hogan's contractual creative control. Following a "worked-shoot" angle where Hogan "beat" Jeff Jarrett to win the title and left the building, Russo cut an unauthorized shoot promo assassinating Hogan's character on the air. Terry Bollea (Hogan) sued WCW for defamation, though the lawsuit was later dismissed. When TNA tried to sign Hogan in 2003, they temporarily fired Russo at Hogan's insistence. Hogan often blamed Russo for WCW's ultimate demise, though they eventually worked together in TNA from 2010 onwards.

1- Jim Cornette

Jim Cornette has reserved special scorn for his mortal enemy, Vince Russo, for the better part of three decades. A wrestling traditionalist, Cornette despised Russo's flippant approach to writing television and accused him of actively trying to kill the business he loved. Their heat began when they worked together in WWE in the mid-'90s. Russo, alternately known as Vic Venom, claims he holds no ill will toward Cornette. However, Russo took out a restraining order against Cornette in 2017 after allegedly being physically threatened with violence. Russo believes Cornette's hatred is part of his gimmick, but the vitriol from Cornette remains legendary in wrestling circles.