WWE: Vince McMahon had never heard of legendary rock star, Vince Russo recalls (Exclusive)

Vince McMahon oversaw WWE's storylines for four decades before stepping down in 2022 amid misconduct allegations. Vince Russo, WWE's head writer in the late 1990s, recently recalled a conversation he had with his former boss about Gene Simmons.

Simmons co-founded the legendary rock band Kiss in the 1970s. The musician once contacted McMahon to discuss doing business together. However, the former WWE Chairman had allegedly never heard of him.

Russo appeared on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws with EC3 and host Dr. Chris Featherstone. The 64-year-old amusingly told a story about McMahon asking him about Simmons.

"I'm sitting with him at his house one day," Russo said. "This is a true story. He goes, 'Vince, man, I got this call. This guy wants to have a meeting with me. Supposedly, he's a big rock star with a big band. Vince, I never heard of him.' 'Vince, who you talking about?' 'I don't know, Gene Simmons with some group Kiss.'" [5:26 – 5:49]

Watch the video above to hear Russo reveal two ideas that Vince McMahon rejected due to his lack of knowledge about the entertainment industry.

Vince Russo on the aftermath of Gene Simmons and Vince McMahon's meeting

Kiss struck a deal with WWE's then-rivals WCW to perform "God of Thunder" on the August 23, 1999, episode of Nitro. The band also debuted a new wrestler, The Demon, who was based on Gene Simmons.

Vince Russo added that The Demon would never have been created had Vince McMahon agreed to work with Simmons:

"Bro, I swear to God, I'm like, 'Vince, take the meeting. Take the meeting, Vince, because you two will hit it off.' He had no idea who Gene Simmons and Kiss was, bro. No idea. And, bro, this is '96. That's why [Simmons appeared in WCW], because Vince turned it down." [5:50 – 6:16]

The Demon was portrayed by Dale Torborg, who previously wrestled as The MVP in WCW. He also worked for TNA in the mid-2000s under his real name.

Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws 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