Former WWE Magazine Writer Keith Elliott Greenberg Talks Vince Russo's Ascent

Before he was writing for WWE, WCW, or TNA, Vince Russo worked for WWF Magazine alongside writer Keith Elliott Greenberg, who recently appeared on AdFreeShows' "The Insiders" to discuss what WWE was like back in the pre-IPO days. Greenberg said that Russo was more than a colleague.

"I like him as a friend and as a human being," Greenberg said. "Did I approve of all the storylines he conceived? Absolutely not. Did some of them aggravate me? Did some of them offend me in some ways? Yeah, maybe. But he's a good man."

Greenberg also said that Russo ascended the ranks of WWE in a whirlwind.

"[His ascent] was incredible, and he would talk about,'I have these ideas, and this is what they should be doing, and I spoke to Bruce Prichard about this, then I got alone with Vince and I pitched Vince on this,'" Greenberg recounted, "He's being a passionate fan, and he's an employee who's showing some initiative, and very quickly he's booking. Maybe it's a testament to how intimate WWE was at the time, that you could work your way in like that, I'm not sure."

Greenberg said he doesn't think that the massive publicly-traded version of WWE would operate in the same fashion, where someone could suddenly have a "seat at the throne," especially since merging with UFC. Greenberg cites Russo's aggressive nature as helping him get ahead in the WWE.

"He was 100% convinced that he had the capability of benefitting the business," Greenberg concluded, "And for a period, at least, Vince McMahon bought into that."