One thing upset Vince Russo about the Hulk Hogan WCW Bash at the Beach 2000 incident (Exclusive)

Hulk Hogan placed his foot over Jeff Jarrett at WCW Bash at the Beach 2000 to briefly win the World Heavyweight Championship. Vince Russo, a key figure in the controversial angle, recently addressed why he was upset before the show.

Russo was a WCW writer and on-screen character in 2000. The 64-year-old originally booked Hogan to unsuccessfully challenge for the title before attacking several wrestlers. The Hulkster allegedly agreed to the idea before changing his mind an hour before the event.

Hogan had the power to alter his storylines due to a creative control clause in his WCW contract. Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling host Mac Davis, Russo clarified he had no problem with the WWE icon changing the idea. However, he thought he should have given more notice.

"Bro, it's an hour before showtime," Russo said. "Eric [former WCW executive Eric Bischoff] comes and gets me, 'Vince, you better go to the trailer and talk to Hulk because he's not doing your finish.' And I'm like, 'He approved it.' That's where I was hot, Mac. Don't approve it and then at the freaking 12th hour, now you're not gonna do it? That's where I got upset. Not that he was playing the creative control card. But, bro, don't pull it an hour before." [9:51 – 10:27]

What Went Wrong for Hulk Hogan? Watch Here!

Hulk Hogan passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. Watch the video above to hear more Russo stories about his experiences working with the two-time WWE Hall of Famer in TNA and WCW.

How Hulk Hogan's idea impacted Vince Russo

According to Vince Russo, he received permission from Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan to badmouth the latter in a scathing post-match promo. He then reversed the title change and set up another bout later that night, which ended with Booker T winning the gold from Jeff Jarrett.

Explaining that decision, Russo said he and several other WCW higher-ups agreed during a meeting that Booker T should be the new World Heavyweight Champion:

"I said, 'If you could put the belt on anybody right now, who would you put it on?' And I went around the room. Mac, it was unanimous, Booker T. It wasn't seven to one, six to two. Unanimous. So we made the decision, Booker T was leaving Bash at the Beach with the title." [12:05 – 12:30]

Hulk Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo after Bash at the Beach 2000. Three years later, the legal complaint was dismissed after a judge ruled that Russo's promo was nothing more than a wrestling storyline.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling 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.

Know More

Edited by Danny Hart