WWE veteran does not regret quitting after Vince McMahon caused burnout (Exclusive)

Vince McMahon oversaw WWE's creative direction for four decades before being replaced by Triple H in 2022. Vince Russo, the company's head writer in the late 1990s, recently reflected on his decision to leave.

In 1999, Russo joined WCW alongside fellow writer Ed Ferrara. The two men played a big role in WWE's television ratings success in the early days of the popular Attitude Era. They also went on to become on-screen characters in WCW.

Russo spoke to host Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo. Regarding McMahon's work ethic, the veteran writer admitted he could not keep up with his former boss.

"I did not make my five-year anniversary at the WWE," Russo said. "That's [Vince McMahon's demanding schedule] why. Bro, my tank was on E. That's why people say to me, 'Do you regret going to WCW with everything that happened?' Absolutely not. Vince burned me out so badly, bro, that I don't regret leaving for a second, man." [11:48 – 12:13]

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Watch the video above to hear Russo's stories about his days traveling with McMahon after WWE events.

Vince Russo on Vince McMahon's unique creative meetings

During their time in WWE, Ed Ferrara and Vince Russo worked closely with Vince McMahon on creative ideas and show scripts. The co-head writers often spoke to the former WWE Chairman after events while traveling on airplanes.

Russo revealed that he and Ferrara frequently got in people's way while collaborating on ideas:

"The stewardesses, they're trying to work, and there's freaking me, Ed, and Vince with our freaking notepads going over the shows, and they were like, 'Seriously, guys?' And I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, talk to him [Vince McMahon].' It's not us. But, bro, that's how he was. Once he left the house and was officially on the road, there was not five minutes of downtime, Chris. Not five." [8:10 – 8:38]

Russo decided to leave WWE after McMahon advised him to focus on work and hire a nanny to look after his children.

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