Does Eric Bischoff plus Vince Russo equal Success?

Eric Bischoff did it once; can he do it again?

That is the question WCW has pondered. Six months after being relieved of his daily duties, Brad Siegel, President of TNT, announced on March 22nd that the man responsible for turning around WCW would return in a creative capacity.

Vince Russo, who was hired away from the WWF back in October, will also return to WCW. Russo was removed as head writer in January, and had remained at home awaiting word of his fate with the company.

Siegel met with Bill Busch, the Vice President of WCW, and offered to keep him on staff in control of finances. Busch made the decision to resign, which was mutually agreed upon.

Busch’s tenure as WCW boss was nothing sort of a catastrophe. Business continued in a downward spiral, and morale had reached an all time low. Busch was also responsible for the moronic releases of Chris Beniot, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Eddy Guerrero. Busch decided to stick with head booker Kevin Sullivan, and allow the Radicals to jump to the competition.

Bischoff and Siegel had met on several occasions dating back to January regarding his future with WCW. Bischoff had requested a release, and Russo wanted a buy out from his two-year contract, but Siegel acted on neither request.

WCW posted pictures of Bischoff and Russo on their web site promoting the change in leadership. Russo was quoted, "Its going to be a new beginning."

My reaction to a Bischoff/Russo team? Water meeting oil!

Bischoff and Russo enter this union with totally opposing philosophical differences. Bischoff is of the mind-set that the company must push the stars of the past - Hogan, Page, Piper, even if they are well past their primes. Bischoff also believes in longer televised matches, which was necessary when “Nitro” expanded to a three-hour format.

Russo favors pushing the younger stars - Kidman, Mysterio, Jarrett, as opposed to the aging veterans. Russo also prefers his brand of “Crash TV,” shorter matches with more angles, segments, and interviews.

The biggest loser in the Bischoff-Russo association is Ric Flair. “The Nature Boy,” 51, has been at odds with Bischoff for nearly two years, stemming from a lawsuit filed by Bischoff against Flair for missing a Thunder taping in 1998. Flair claimed to have given proper notice as he attended a wrestling tournament his son Reid participated in Pontiac, Michigan.

When Russo arrived in WCW, he immediately pulled Flair and Hogan off television. The argument over using Hogan as a main player may result in an on air feud between Bischoff and Russo.

The final analysis is simple, if the Bischoff-Russo alliance fails; the future of World Championship Wrestling is bleak.

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