Former WWE writer Vince Russo has shared new details about his final exchange with Vince McMahon, describing their last email interaction as a tense and ultimately ugly fallout. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Russo said the communication took place roughly eight years ago, around 2017, when WWE’s ratings were declining and McMahon was apparently considering bringing him back in some capacity.
Russo said the discussion began after he reached out, explaining that he often felt compelled to contact WWE leadership when he believed the product had deteriorated.
“He actually—I think I reached out,” Russo admitted. “I gotta tell you, Ariel, this is what happens with me and wrestling all the time: I watch it, and for me it gets so bad that I feel like I have to do something about it. Like, I cannot stand here and watch this anymore. And that’s what, on several occasions, caused me to reach out. So I actually reached out, but he did get back to me immediately.”
According to Russo, McMahon responded by entertaining the idea of bringing him back, but with strings attached. McMahon allegedly wanted Russo to informally “audition” by watching WWE programming for a month and providing feedback.
Russo pushed back, saying he would not work for free.
“He wanted me to watch the shows for a month and give him my feedback. So I came back with, ‘Okay, no problem—and what are you paying me for that month?’ And he hit me with, ‘Hey, you should be thrilled to have this kind of opportunity.’ And I’m like, ‘Vince, I’m not a kid just out of college. I’m not working for free. I’m not watching the shows for free. If you want to compensate me, no problem. But the days of me doing anything for free are long gone.’”
Russo said that McMahon’s tone shifted sharply after that.
“And I’ll be honest, Ariel—he got pretty nasty with me. And the last email was really nasty. He was hitting me below the belt. And I didn’t even answer it. I was like, ‘Okay.’ And I didn’t even respond.”
Russo said the entire exchange centered on McMahon considering bringing him back because “the numbers were going down again,” but he refused to jump through hoops to prove his value.
“It was about—he was entertaining the idea of bringing me back because the numbers were going down again. So he was considering bringing me back, and he kind of wanted me to audition for the job. And I’m like, ‘Nah, Vince, I think you kind of know what I can do. I think you’ve seen what I can do. I’m not jumping through hoops. You can continue going down the road you’re going down.’”
When asked if McMahon’s insults were personal, Russo confirmed: “Yeah. Personal insults. Yeah.”
Russo stated their final communication ended there, saying he chose not to reply after McMahon’s final email.
