Vince Russo justifies four-letter WWE name change (Exclusive)

Vince Russo became WWE's head writer in the late 1990s after initially working for the company's official magazine. In an exclusive video, the 64-year-old explained the logic behind Shawn Stasiak's repackaging.

Stasiak, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Stan Stasiak, became known as Meat in 1999. The 15-time Hardcore Champion's on-screen persona was involved in a romance angle with the Pretty Mean Sisters (PMS), who used him as their boy toy.

Russo spoke to host Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo about the outlandish storyline. He revealed that Stasiak received the new name due to his relationship with PMS members Jacqueline, Ryan Shamrock, and Terri Runnels.

"He was with them, right?" Russo said. "That's what it was. To them, he was just a piece of meat." [2:39 – 2:45]

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Watch the video above to hear Russo address Runnels' recent criticism of the Pretty Mean Sisters' name.

Vince Russo's first impression of Shawn Stasiak in WWE

Although Shawn Stasiak became a chiropractor after retiring from wrestling, Vince Russo initially thought the former WWE star looked like someone who lacked intelligence.

Using Adam Copeland, aka Edge, as an example, the veteran writer added that he often named wrestlers based on their appearance and personality.

"Come on, look at Shawn Stasiak," Russo continued. "Does he look like he's the sharpest knife in the drawer? Even though, bro, the guy is a chiropractor, he's a doctor, he's very, very smart. But when you look at that guy, he looks like an absolute meathead. When I first sat down with Adam Copeland, this guy's cool, he reeked cool. A lot of it, bro, was just what you think of the first time you see somebody." [3:29 – 3:59]

Stasiak wrestled for WWE from 1998 to 1999 before returning for another run between 2001 and 2002. He also became a three-time World Tag Team Champion with Chuck Palumbo in WCW in 2000.

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