Fans think WWE product is "stupid," Vince Russo says, as ratings fall (Exclusive)

Vince Russo never shies away from giving his honest opinion about the current WWE product. In a recent video, the former wrestling writer pinpointed the reason why television ratings have decreased lately.

Russo was WWE's head writer in the late 1990s when RAW often drew its highest viewing figures. Nowadays, the company regularly breaks gate receipts and merchandise records. However, RAW and SmackDown ratings have fallen over the last two decades.

On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo, Russo said fans with brains view the modern-day product as "stupid." He also repeated his long-standing belief that audiences are ruining shows by chanting and singing too much.

"Here's what they don't understand," Russo stated. "They're playing to those marks in the house that you and I know, we've been through it a billion times before, will buy anything, sing with anything, cheer with anything, chant with anything, and you've got people at home saying, 'Bro, this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life.' I hate to say this, but people with any semblance of a brain, they have literally turned off to the product."

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Watch the video above to hear host Dr. Chris Featherstone react to Vince Russo's WWE criticism.

Vince Russo reacts to alarming WWE SmackDown ratings

The August 29 episode of SmackDown drew 1,147,000 viewers on USA Network. The low viewing figures were partly due to the show being held in Lyon, France, meaning it aired on a five-hour delay.

Although WWE continues to make record profits, Vince Russo still thinks TV viewership is important.

"I never talk about numbers, or I never talk about any of that, because all everybody will tell me is how much money the WWE's making. Great. They're making a lot of money. 1.1 million people watched SmackDown on Friday night. The lowest rating ever."

In a separate video, Russo claimed the state of the product proves WWE's decision-makers "don't care about anything anymore."

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart