Vince Russo believes both AEW and WWE need to do more to make individual wrestlers and moments feel meaningful, taking aim at different aspects of the two companies’ presentation in recent comments.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Russo discussed AEW’s handling of established former WWE talent and argued that simply giving accomplished wrestlers opportunities to have strong matches isn’t enough.
According to Russo, the credentials of those performers were already established before they arrived in AEW. In his view, the responsibility falls on Tony Khan and the company’s creative direction to give them characters, storylines and a clear purpose that distinguishes them from everyone else on the roster.
Russo argued that without that additional creative material, even recognizable wrestlers can eventually blend into the rest of the lineup.
Describing the impression he believes AEW’s presentation can create, Russo said: “Now, they’re just another wrestler on the roster.”
Russo expressed a similar concern about making things feel meaningful while reviewing WWE’s Sunday Night Main Event on Coach and Bro, although his criticism focused on match presentation rather than character development.
The former WWE writer took issue with the repeated use of spots involving wrestlers reaching the announce table throughout the card, arguing that using the same device multiple times diminishes its effectiveness.
Russo’s preference would be for WWE to protect those types of sequences and save them for matches where they can have the greatest impact.
He specifically pointed to the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton main event, arguing that a match of that importance should have access to dramatic elements that audiences had not already seen repeatedly during earlier bouts.
Russo summarized his overall argument by saying: “You got to start making things mean something again.”
While Russo’s criticisms of AEW and WWE concerned different aspects of their respective products, both centered on the same principle: presentation matters. Whether it is giving established talent a distinctive purpose or protecting major match spots from overuse, Russo believes wrestling companies need to avoid allowing performers and moments to become interchangeable.
