Forgiven: One Man's Journey from Self-Glorification to Sanctification by Vince Russo Page B
Authors: Vince Russo
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do?” I was so concerned that I called in the police to help maintain order. What a promotion
— but at Will the Thrill’s, that was the way we did things. We deco-rated the entire store like a snake pit, with running water fountains, hanging moss and everything. What a bunch of marks we were and, to his credit, John Arezzi knew it. John’s show, “The Pro Wrestling Spotlight,” was struggling and John needed help. He asked me if I would be interested in advertising on the show. Fully realizing that John might be nothing more than a shyster smelling the money of a mark, I decided to get in on the game anyway, because I saw an opportunity. I needed a new profession, and I saw John as my ticket into the world of professional wrestling. Sure, on the surface he seemed a bit shady, but he also seemed to have all the right connections. With my business savvy and his black book, I could make this thing work. Exactly where I was going with it I had no idea, but I had to go somewhere, because Will the Thrill’s was hanging on by its short hairs.
So, I was on to my next chapter. Little did I know at the time that it would be a chapter I would continue to write for more than a decade.
71
BCB7D610-957A-4FEF-BB89-D3E233FB808F
Chapter 14
MY DINNER WITH JOHN
I began doing business with John Arezzi in late November, 1991. And what a venture it was. I paid for a good chunk of John’s show every week. Amy thought I was out of my mind. My video stores were going out of business, and here I was handing money over to a stranger so he could play on the radio every Sunday morning. But John was just business — he had a love and a passion for wrestling, and he was focused on success. But again — why did Amy stay with me? I never fully realized what I put her through until I started actually getting it down on paper! It was always the Ralph Kramden get-rich-quick scheme. Everything was the next big thing. Man, were my priorities out to lunch. It was always about me, me, me — with Amy having little or no say in the matter.
From a business standpoint I thought Arezzi’s show had a lot of potential. While there was room for it to grow on a production level, John was very passionate about wrestling. Like me, he grew up with 72
BCB7D610-957A-4FEF-BB89-D3E233FB808F
Forgiven
it, and that love never left him. I also felt the show could grow as far as our audience was concerned. It was on a local radio station with a weak signal, drawing the same audience and the same callers week after week. We definitely needed to expand if it was going to become profitable. So I did some research, and contacted other radio stations in the New York City area that were selling airtime. Within a few weeks, we struck a deal with wevd in the heart of New York City.
With 50,000 watts of power behind us, we were now ready to make some noise. We kept the show on Sundays, but we moved it to 11 p.m., a time slot where more listeners would have their ears to the radio.
Now reaching the entire tristate area (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), our show grew dramatically — as did its price tag. The hour on wevd cost us roughly $1,500 per week. My video store alone was not going to carry that, so we — mainly I — had to come up with other income to pay for everything.
Doing what I did best, I went back to writing. John and I began to publish a biweekly newsletter, The Pro Wrestling Spotlight. Within a month, business was beginning to pick up. We took in more than 500
subscriptions, but remember, it cost us money to have the newsletter laid-out, typeset, printed and mailed. In other words, a good portion of the dough to stay on the radio was still coming out of the pocket of the dying Will the Thrill’s Video. I’ve got to tell you, I was busting my butt to make this thing work. I even hit the pavement in search of sponsors. But I didn’t feel John was putting in the same effort I was.
I felt he was using me for the money; but then again, I also
— but at Will the Thrill’s, that was the way we did things. We deco-rated the entire store like a snake pit, with running water fountains, hanging moss and everything. What a bunch of marks we were and, to his credit, John Arezzi knew it. John’s show, “The Pro Wrestling Spotlight,” was struggling and John needed help. He asked me if I would be interested in advertising on the show. Fully realizing that John might be nothing more than a shyster smelling the money of a mark, I decided to get in on the game anyway, because I saw an opportunity. I needed a new profession, and I saw John as my ticket into the world of professional wrestling. Sure, on the surface he seemed a bit shady, but he also seemed to have all the right connections. With my business savvy and his black book, I could make this thing work. Exactly where I was going with it I had no idea, but I had to go somewhere, because Will the Thrill’s was hanging on by its short hairs.
So, I was on to my next chapter. Little did I know at the time that it would be a chapter I would continue to write for more than a decade.
71
BCB7D610-957A-4FEF-BB89-D3E233FB808F
Chapter 14
MY DINNER WITH JOHN
I began doing business with John Arezzi in late November, 1991. And what a venture it was. I paid for a good chunk of John’s show every week. Amy thought I was out of my mind. My video stores were going out of business, and here I was handing money over to a stranger so he could play on the radio every Sunday morning. But John was just business — he had a love and a passion for wrestling, and he was focused on success. But again — why did Amy stay with me? I never fully realized what I put her through until I started actually getting it down on paper! It was always the Ralph Kramden get-rich-quick scheme. Everything was the next big thing. Man, were my priorities out to lunch. It was always about me, me, me — with Amy having little or no say in the matter.
From a business standpoint I thought Arezzi’s show had a lot of potential. While there was room for it to grow on a production level, John was very passionate about wrestling. Like me, he grew up with 72
BCB7D610-957A-4FEF-BB89-D3E233FB808F
Forgiven
it, and that love never left him. I also felt the show could grow as far as our audience was concerned. It was on a local radio station with a weak signal, drawing the same audience and the same callers week after week. We definitely needed to expand if it was going to become profitable. So I did some research, and contacted other radio stations in the New York City area that were selling airtime. Within a few weeks, we struck a deal with wevd in the heart of New York City.
With 50,000 watts of power behind us, we were now ready to make some noise. We kept the show on Sundays, but we moved it to 11 p.m., a time slot where more listeners would have their ears to the radio.
Now reaching the entire tristate area (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), our show grew dramatically — as did its price tag. The hour on wevd cost us roughly $1,500 per week. My video store alone was not going to carry that, so we — mainly I — had to come up with other income to pay for everything.
Doing what I did best, I went back to writing. John and I began to publish a biweekly newsletter, The Pro Wrestling Spotlight. Within a month, business was beginning to pick up. We took in more than 500
subscriptions, but remember, it cost us money to have the newsletter laid-out, typeset, printed and mailed. In other words, a good portion of the dough to stay on the radio was still coming out of the pocket of the dying Will the Thrill’s Video. I’ve got to tell you, I was busting my butt to make this thing work. I even hit the pavement in search of sponsors. But I didn’t feel John was putting in the same effort I was.
I felt he was using me for the money; but then again, I also
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