Former WWE head writer Vince Russo has once again shared his thoughts on the current state of WWE and AEW, arguing that both promotions have narrowed their appeal by catering only to hardcore fans. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Russo claimed that the creative direction of both companies has made professional wrestling a “niche” product in 2025.
Russo argued that Triple H and AEW President Tony Khan are producing shows based on their personal tastes rather than a broader audience. According to Russo, this approach has alienated millions of casual fans who once tuned in during wrestling’s most mainstream periods.
“This is the problem with the WWE. This is the problem with AEW. They only want to hear the positive. They don’t want to hear people like Vince Russo… Here’s the problem. Triple H and Tony Khan are writing a wrestling show that they like. And by writing a wrestling show that they like, they have turned the audience into a niche audience because there’s only a niche audience that likes 90% wrestling.”
He continued by contrasting today’s wrestling landscape with the Attitude Era, which he says succeeded by offering a mix of storytelling, characters, and entertainment designed to draw in the general public, not just regular wrestling viewers.
“It’s not about what they like. When I write for JCW, I’m not writing a Vince Russo show. I’m writing a show for the masses. I’m writing a show for the world. These guys are writing a show that they like. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you like. It’s not about you. We all have different tastes. It’s subjective. You want to write a show that’s going to get you as many eyeballs as possible. And what that means, Ariel, is you need to have a little bit of everything. That’s what the Attitude era was. We had something for everybody.”
Russo believes that this broader creative philosophy is what allowed wrestling to flourish in the late ‘90s, and that modern promotions are failing to recognize the importance of attracting non-fans.
“By doing that, now you open up your window. Now you allow yourself to let people come in to watch a wrestling show that would have never watched wrestling before. Tony Khan is writing a show that he loves, but it doesn’t matter what he loves. What does the world want? There are millions of casual wrestling fans out there not watching wrestling anymore.”
Russo pointed to his work with JCW as an example of how he believes wrestling should be presented, crediting Violent J for understanding how to appeal beyond the weekly wrestling audience.
“And again, I’m going to go back to JCW. That’s why I’m here, because they understood that. And Violent J knew we’ve got to go above and beyond those that watch wrestling on a weekly basis. There’s an entire world out there that’s not watching anymore.”
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"Triple H and Tony Khan are writing a wrestling show that they like. By writing a wrestling show that they like, they have turned the audience into a niche audience.
There's only a niche audience that likes 90% wrestling. It's not about what they like… You need to have a… pic.twitter.com/E9bATTJw9R
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 26, 2025
