by Bob Morris

Reality-based angles in wrestling sell, right? Not the way Vinny Roo wants to do them.

Russo's never-ending quest to try to get these reality-based angles over has worn out its welcome with a lot of people, yet he continues to persist. He has defended himself often by pointing out how many people watch reality-based programming on TV, while still brushing off anybody who disagrees with him as just negative towards WCW.

First of all, if Russo didn't cop such an attitude with those who disagree with the way he likes to run house, there might be a lot less backlash than there is. But just brushing aside somebody who disagrees with what Russo does as "being on WWF's payroll," you only serve to alienate that person further instead of actually making them see your point.

But I digress because that topic has already been addressed many times over. Back to "reality-based angles."

The problem with Russo trying to introduce these angles into WCW programming is, at one moment, you confuse the common viewer as to what exactly they are supposed to be watching. The whole deal of having it be "work the one moment, shoot the next" leaves fans not knowing what to believe…and if you confuse them, you lose them.

When Russo brings up all the reality-based shows on TV, what he forgets is those shows don't suddenly jump from "this is an act" to "this is real" with every segment. It's made clear that the reality-based shows are all things that are actually happening. They don't try to jump from fiction to reality when the producers think the mood suits it.

And when the commentators are constantly screaming to the viewing audience "this isn't part of the script" it sounds even more insulting to the viewer's intelligence, as if they can't figure it out for themselves. This is especially true when you have two people who have been feuding for some time, and then you inexpicably jump into "reality" in the middle of a match, when you should be wrapping up the issues that are before you without jumping to something else in mid-stream (the perfect example being what happened at the end of the Hancock/Guns match at New Blood Rising).

Reality-based angles work best when you aren't trying to tell people "this is a shoot." Anyone who remembers the angle where Shawn Michaels collapsed on Raw will also remember that the commentators weren't constantly shouting "this isn't in the script." They allowed the angle to sink in with the viewers and let them decide how effective it was…and those who will remember it will remember it was done very well.

But when you have Tony Schiavone and company taking the Sledgehammer of Plot and nailing it over your head that THIS IS A SHOOT, it really loses its effectiveness. Not to mention the fact that Russo has relied so much on the "worked shoot" angles that nobody buys into any of the angles anymore.

What really seems to be Russo's problem is that he is simply trying to capture lightning in a bottle again, by repeating what he did with the Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon feud in the WWF. Every single worked shoot angle Russo has tried to come up with has been essentially him trying to find a way to hit it big with another angle that is based on some real-life situation, and hope he scores with it. And thus far, he has failed every time.

Besides, what really allowed the Austin/McMahon feud to work was (a) people cared about Austin's character, (b) it could be boiled down to the simple case of "nobody likes their boss" and thus make it easy for fans to relate, (c) the hatred toward McMahon came about because something happened in full view of the camera, instead of being off camera, and (d) it was done so over the top, without any serious overtone.

On the other hand, Russo's attempts to cash in on having him feud with Goldberg is based on "behind-the-scenes" reports that the two don't get along, and he now expects people watching what they see on camera to automatically get what is going on backstage. Not to mention the fact Russo is trying to make this all out to be serious, with nothing that really stands out as being over the top. Hence, fans have no reason to care.

The truth is, wrestling has always been an escape from reality. Fans don't really take too well to reality-based angles, because it's not what they want to watch when they watch wrestling. They want to be able to get away from reality, which is why the best storylines are those which aren't reality-based.

Most people know that Lance Storm doesn't really hate Americans, nor that Booker T and Jeff Jarrett really want to tear each other up, and their storylines have been the better ones in WCW. And the truth is, a Nash/Steiner/Goldberg three-way feud could have worked without playing up the reality side of things. All one has to do is declare "all three of these guys want a World title shot at any cost" and that right there has the making for a hot feud. No need to insert reality into the mix at all.

Russo should stop spending his time trying to capture lightning in a bottle, stop dismissing all fans who criticize him, and pay attention to the golden rule of wrestling angles…the KISS rule (no, that doesn't mean involving the Demon in every angle; KISS stands for "Keep It Simple, Stupid") and abide by that rule every time. The WWF has stuck by that rule for the past several months (as evidenced by the HHH/Angle/Steph triangle, which is an angle most anyone can relate to), and while the WWF might not be growing by leaps and bounds anymore, it has maintained a consistent audience and is showing no signs of slowing down.

The more Russo clings to the notion that "reality-based angles will sell," the more likely he is going to find WCW fans being confused…and eventually being lost.