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Vince Russo has explained why Riddle’s current WWE target audience is holding him back from becoming a megastar.
In the late 1990s, Russo worked as WWE’s head writer when The Rock and Steve Austin were two of the biggest stars in entertainment. Both men appealed to a variety of audiences, from children and teenagers to parents and grandparents.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Dr. Chris Featherstone, Russo expressed concerns that Riddle’s comedy gimmick is only aimed at children.
“When we talk about Austin, when we talk about these iconic characters… ‘Taker [The Undertaker] and Rock… and then you talk about who did they appeal to?” Russo said. “Bro, they appealed to everybody… man, woman, child, young, old, everybody. When you look at a Riddle, there’s a certain appeal. It’s not gonna be across the board, bro.” [9:35-9:59]
Watch the video above to hear Russo’s thoughts on Riddle vs. Roman Reigns. He also discussed the recent venue change for Money in the Bank.
Vince Russo highlights another WWE Attitude Era star to prove his point
Sable was one of the most prominent members of the roster during her initial WWE run between 1996 and 1999.
Like The Rock and Steve Austin, Russo believes the majority of fans liked Sable because her character was not aimed at just one demographic.
“Let’s look at Sable,” Russo added. “First of all, the guys, the college kids, forget about it [they loved her]. But here’s what was equally as important: she was booked as a strong female character, so now the females didn’t hate her because she was gorgeous. The females admired her because she was a strong woman.” [11:42-12:09]
As one of WWE’s most talented in-ring performers, Riddle undoubtedly has a lot of fans from different age groups. However, as Russo referenced, many of his promos include jokes that are seemingly designed to make children laugh.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
