Al Snow on Vince McMahon, Internet Darlings and more

[@imfreviews]

Wow, this is powerful stuff from Al Snow. Big respect to that guy.

[@rollandcurtisfromVermont]

Road Dogg vs Al Snow for the WWF Hardcore title in the Attitude Era would be worthy of the Wrestlemania main event today.

[@shanebagin]

Telling a story in a wrestling ring is art. This is why I love the " Old School Wrestling." Thanks for being old School Al. This is why I enjoy OVW instead of AEW in Milwaukee. Thanks for bringing back real professional wrestling again. No I am not a damn mark. I just appreciate great storytelling, promos, and wrestling.

[@VSEntertainment1]

Cody rhodes has said that he does not believe that wrestling is an art, which clearly shows why he is part of the problem that wrestling faces today. This generation of "talents" are a bunch of marks that are cosplaying wrestling.

[@danielburger1775]

@@VSEntertainment1 Back at All In, someone asked Vince to do Starrcast. Cody shot that down. His 2 main problems with Russo were 1) Vince is homophobic. When asked to give an example of Russo being homophobic, Cody couldn't. 2) Russo is "too old-fashioned" and "carny". Because he believes there should be heels whose job it is to get the fans to hate them, and want to see them get their asses beat up. Cody said that "everyone today just wants to see great matches". Big Dust must have been spinning in his grave.

[@Chuck_EL]

​​@@danielburger1775 Imagine if End Game just was a solo movie that came out with no backstory, that would of made no money , and everyone would ask "Why should I care about the deaths here , I don't know their stories" Then you have people online and tweeting how "awesome " the fighting scenes were and bragging how it made a quarter of what it made to "prove" how over it was That's the equivalent to the Indy darling smarks the iwc and the mark wrestlers doing what they're doing with their spots to a spot smark on the IWC (talking to you Adam Blampied and Dave Meltzer)

[@kujo62]

Excellent rope work

[@8Bitorbust]

Very crisp.

[@vernonhampton5863]

I still don't understand this term.

[@dannyb3109]

5start rope work aswell lol

[@8Bitorbust]

@@vernonhampton5863 Makes 2 of us.

[@Amos_Huclkeberry]

That's not even a real wrestling term.

[@alanw9620]

Man Al Snow is such a great mind for the business, he could really benefit WWE or AEW in a big way if used correctly

[@danielburger1775]

None of the modern people would listen to him.

[@juice6941]

@@danielburger1775 Many modern wrestlers are too dumb to understand that record low ratings means that they’re not doing their jobs right. They actually crave supposed five star matches over making the business as popular as possible.

[@stevieavail5773]

No one would listen to Al Snow in AEW. He hates Meltzer and those AEW boys hang on every word that Meltzer says.

[@Amos_Huclkeberry]

​@@stevieavail5773I've never listened to Dave Meltzer.

[@TheBrister]

I haven't been emotionally invested in a pay per view because of one single match since Austin turned heel in 2001.

[@mattleee]

For me it got too sh+t to watch a year earlier. McMahon Helmsley era was a depressing and miserable drawn out affair

[@mrjeremyleblanc]

Al has such an interesting viewpoint

[@neilsun2521]

I never see or hear anyone talk about today's wrestling when I'm out and about. But 20 years ago you'd always hear the current product getting mentioned in casual /general society.

[@mattleee]

Todays product is extremely embarrassing

[@garydevlin8178]

And when you do see a shirt passing by it’s always old school, never any of todays guy’s merch

[@1krani]

So glad Al-sensei is becoming more frequent on this channel. Ask him about gimmick matches some time, Vince. I recall he had some genuinely interesting things to say about your run as WWF head writer.

[@Wefdog85]

Him and Vince do a weekly show together

[@bubbag3176]

Fuck what he’s talking about.. show me a hurricarana and I will show you a 5-star match-Dave Meltzer

[@atimetraveler4910]

Al snow is lowkey the greatest mind in wrestling.

[@DarksaberForce]

Along with Raven

[@rdu239]

there is a reason why his stable was called the job squad

[@theBlueShred]

That's why OVW has ZERO buzz.

[@firstnamelastname956]

*highkey

[@leepop123]

So right " ...snow said it "

[@FCENT0409]

The more I listen to Al the more I wish he ran his own promotion! With Russo as the head writer!

[@TheNerdDogg]

Al actually runs OVW now.

[@FCENT0409]

@@TheNerdDogg I know but it would be great if he was running one of the big promotions.

[@firstnamelastname956]

It wouldn’t work today lol Al likes workers and is all about working to earn your keep, there’s so few of those guys/girls who actually put in work to be the best at their craft. I blame the internet, honestly…. It made everyone feel like they’re more than what they really are without having the actual experience in that field or without wanting to put in actual effort to be the best they can be. Nobody wants to do that anymore, not only with wrestling but everywhere.

[@realnumber_9]

Today's pro wrestling scene, doesn't contain the business mind, that wrestling and wrestlers of the past processes. Class is in session, with Al Snow

[@thomashenley1903]

Another downfall of the territories is that promoters pressed the panic button prematurely. The only promoter that focused on his own work was Jerry Jarrett, and probably the reason Memphis lasted longer

[@nightrain9288]

Solid input by Al Snow, but he just lacks the modern pace and crisp ropework

[@neilsun2521]

The modern pace is painfully slow. (Slow at moving a story along.)

[@aoisora1445]

@@neilsun2521 modern pace moves so fast there is no time to even get a story started, the story is there, and then its gone...

[@1krani]

@@aoisora1445 No story, just guys doing moves until it's time to either do a spot or provoke crowd noise.

[@neilsun2521]

@@aoisora1445 That's the problem. They don't seem to have time for stories, or characters even.

[@firstnamelastname956]

“Rope work” lmao ok bud

[@mattcaporuscio6956]

Head had the best rope work during the 90s.

[@Chuck_EL]

Head was a bigger draw than all the smarks online's Indy flicks and kicks darlings combined

[@floggyWM1]

you said "rope work", LOL!

[@gojirajenkins8528]

Al keeps it real

[@WrestlingFace]

With all due respect to Al Snow, Vince did KILL the territories, he knew by buying all their talent it would benefit him and put them all out of business, he became top dog and that's exactly what he wanted to accomplish.

[@omnidimensional]

3:49 - Brock vs. Taker, WM30 | I attended live and expected Taker to win. So technically I cared more at the finish. I don’t care for it like I used to nowadays. I mainly care that the talent themselves do well and don’t severely injure themselves in the ring.

[@gregorylewis9185]

He has a great grasp on the business. He should be at least a consultant for either WWE or AEW. They need to figure out how to get casual fans and even the marks invested in characters not just cheering for guys who do long matches and cram in 5,000 fancy moves. Obviously the new generation of wrestlers can do all kinds of impressive moves. But you need to make it mean something in context.

[@neilsun2521]

Good point Al. And when the wrestlers today have had a big match and they say afterward "I really hope that gets 5 stars" it pretty much says it all. All the wrestlers today look like my next door neighbour; that was never the case when it was good.

[@aoisora1445]

looking like your next door neighbor was not the problem though, those guys did exist, but they often had gimmicks, they would sell, they had a match which made sense...

[@Chuck_EL]

That was Brit Baker who said that , I'm a fan of hers and that made me cringe She should of said "I hope I got over with the fans and makes me a draw" And that's never their mindsets

[@412StepUp]

I thought that Russo just hooked Al up to a bad mic. But I’ve seen Al on other channels doing a show and being interviewed, and his voice sounds the same. His voice definitely changed from what it used to sound like.

[@Foxo-Matti12]

the hell happened to Vince's hair lmao

[@christhornycroft3686]

Most wrestlers today make Lex Luger seem like a good worker. At least he got over and drew money in WCW. Nobody draws money anymore. The promotion itself draws the money. 20 years ago, people bought Wrestlemania to see Austin and The Rock. Now far fewer people just watch Wrestlemania. Who’s on the card? You can probably throw some names into a hat, but where they go is anyone’s guess and nobody cares. Is anyone buying a PPV to watch Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns? There’s a sucker born every minute I guess.

[@412StepUp]

I have no idea how anyone could care about a wrestling match without a good storyline/angle to go along with it.

[@gojirajenkins8528]

Remember the match with that little dog and Big Boss Man

[@jimmccormick6091]

You can say what you want about Al Snow. You can't say he is wrong. You can't say he doesn't know what he is talking about. You can't say he's all bluster. Here is a guy who is/was and will be neck deep in wrestling. Here is a guy who has spent more time watching/observing/thinking about what it is that he is doing/how to do it better, and how to improve his place in it all. I don't have any cause to want to go anywhere near a wrestling ring (other than if I did get in to wrestling, my BFA would lose a LOT of weight FAST, cuz I would have no value. If you want to learn about wrestling, GO TO HIS SCHOOL.

[@devinport.]

Facts facts facts

[@gojirajenkins8528]

Jeff is high again back there haha

[@1krani]

Once again, Al-sensei demonstrates why he is pro wrestling's future lord and savior.

[@corycru8442]

we could also say Al Snow was never over head was over technically😢

[@cowboy9275]

All straight up told the truth

[@israeloagiledintlhe4166]

"I'm a wrestler" is an excuse for not having a captivating personality, And WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and SummerSlam have been selling themselves for the past 10 years...

[@averagecarpentryskills7148]

Why people aren't watching wrestling is because there's no one you can't see on there that you couldn't see in real life. Used to the WWF or WCW was the only place and time you could see these larger than life characters. There wasn't a Hulk Hogan or an Undertaker or a Goldberg or Steve Austin or The Rock in a movie or t.v. show or any of the major sporting leagues. Sure there were movie stars, and sports stars, and rock stars, but these larger than life pro wrestlers were like a combination of all of that somehow and it made you want to watch. It was like watching real life comic book superheroes but now I guess people have comic book movies and the wrestlers look like insurance salesmen or kids at the checkout in a fastfood restaurant.

[@fmthebaron]

Al sounds like his throat is full of gravel.

[@TheCaptainSlappy]

Let it Snow.

[@IAMAdamJay]

No bro counter?

[@RolininBucks]

So Al Snow was just a profesional wrestler? Because I know he's not a worker fitting his description.

[@maximillianrexcarpediem1469]

The most emotional investment in WM for me was: 1. Knowing Drew's first big moment was ruined by Covid and being happy to see him get his moment in front of a live crowd. 2. Seeing the run-ins in the Cody-Roman match and relieved that they didn't try to break Hogan's record just because the marks can't forgive him for saying a word they don't like over a decade ago.

[@goodman_1955]

After Austin Rock WrestleMania 2001 it's gone to the dogs

[@vernonhampton5863]

The N7 hat got you an up.

[@hamsterGUZ]

what's wrong with Als voice?

[@TheGreenGaze]

what ever happend al snow bro

[@GLPitt1]

Too many physically talented "wrestlers" who don't understand the other aspects of the business. If you want to do lots of flips, go wrestle in Mexico. If you want to throw lots If fake punches, forearms, & kicks then go to Japan. If you want to do faux submission wrestling, go to the UK. But as far as US & Canada, you need a character & need to be selling yourself. Working the crowd. Protecting your body & your "opponents" body so you can maximize earning potential.

[@firstnamelastname956]

What you just described is a fundamental of pro wrestling… regardless of the company

[@SasukesSharingan.]

Shows how good roman v sami was roman v cody is.

[@tome7319]

Totally agree with Al, but to answer his questions. Last match to sell wrestle mania: rock v. cena Last great feud/match: cm punk v. MJF

[@imjstmichael86]

Tell that to Jim cornette lol

[@pierresrouji7280]

K’mon Mex

[@brian-ld4vd]

Vince destroyed professional wrestling him and Eddie Mansfield.

[@toxicculture4682]

“the brand” hahahahahaha

[@gopherstate777]

Vince stole wrestlers and paid them not to give notice and no-show. He paid tv stations to not air the opposition's product and to play his tapes in their place. In short, Vince would take so many wrestlers from a territory that you would think you were watching the original. Al Snow knows that. So I don't buy into his premise. It seems very obvious that Al wants a job at the WWE as a trainer. But I think wrestling as Shawn Micheals has said, "It's different now"! I hope Al can come to terms someday, that the old wrestling is gone and gone forever. And you can blame Vince for killing it.

[@1krani]

If the wrestlers beneath the ones Vince poached knew how to work a match and sell tickets, those territories would have kept going. Vince didn't kill jack. DDP became a world champion in WCW thanks to "dead" wrestling philosophy he learned from Jake Roberts. Brock Lesnar remains a huge draw because he adheres to old school "Keep trying to win" wrestling philosophy rather than indie mark spot-baiting and flip-flopping.

[@sedricmartin7917]

Uneducated opinion but you actually worked in the business so I get it 😂🤦🏾‍♂️

[@Minmataro718]

last time i really gave a shit who won or lost was Cody vs Roman at mania. Which is crazy because i just watched that insane Omega v Osprey match at forbidden door. I was routing for Cody and it was heart breaking what happened to him. I ultimately couldnt give two shits about the forbidden door match beyond just seeing spectacle.

[@Saltoftheearth008]

Top Dolla needs to brush up on his rope work 😂

[@johnnymedrano7081]

Promotions catering to the "smart" fans has ruined Pro Wrestling fir everyone-period. My children don't even like it.

[@firstnamelastname956]

Get new kids then

[@treyperkins2667]

Keelah selai Jeff

[@imjstmichael86]

Btw Al snow Idk if u were a friend of Jim cornette lol I'm bout 95% sure that friendship is over when he hears this lol

[@MichaelJones-pl7xh]

I think Jim would agree, they just make the same argument from two different angles but it is the very same point.

[@imjstmichael86]

@@MichaelJones-pl7xh wrong.....Jim cornette disagrees with the very oxygen Russo breaths and anybody who agrees with Vince Russo u can bet u just contracted Jim cornettes hate like covid

[@absolutez3r019]

Jim Cornette is mentally unstable. He's bitter that wrestling changed and moved out without him. And rages on everyone if they expose the business, that was exposed way back in '89. That said though, he'd agree with just about everything said here

[@davidblank420]

Where the bros are the bros, bro.

[@jacobfloyd8782]

Okay Al. Explain the early to late 90s after Hogan left and before Austin got popular. Where was Vince’s genius when WWF almost went under? Where were all the “workers” then? He’s talking out of his ass and people buy it just because he was a third string clown in the business. Al has done really well with OVW since taking over. Their top guy is a guy who’s almost fifty and has never went anywhere in almost thirty years of wrestling. Sounds bitter.

[@televiper11]

Al really knows a lot about the business side of wrestling considering he never drew a dime in it. And less people watch wrestling after Russo destroyed WCW than did. before it so he really shouldn’t talk about the numbers being down.

[@jayreede5832]

LOL Troll and miserably fail harder, crybaby neckbeard

[@johnnytoure9819]

i love Mr. Snow but he needs to gargle or something

[@imjstmichael86]

Beaver cleavage tho Vince? Come on man

[@8Bitorbust]

HA!!!

[@FreshwaterSquid77]

Don't be so reductionist. Look at the big picture.

[@al5306]

This idea that "wrestling is less popular now because TV ratings aren't what they used to be" is stupid. You know what else is down right now? DVD sales. Why? Because technology changed and made watching content easier and more affordable for people. Cable ratings only trend down year after year. More and more people are subscribing to streaming services and watching what they want when they want. To that end, WWE trended more than the Super Bowl this year and they're still drawing big houses for their PPV's where all their big matches are on. They're also the #1 sports channel on KZbin and the #5 most watched channel in America. Celebrities are more a part of the product today than they were in the 90's and that doesn't happen if this stuff isn't popular anymore. The rest of what Snow is saying is true, but treating television ratings like they're just as important now as they were in the 90's is silly.

[@homelessjesse9453]

I go by 1) crowd size and 2) crowd reaction. Both are pathetic. During the Attitude era, not only did the WWF sellout full on stadiums, but the crowd was electric. Now it seems they're very quiet as they stare at their smart phones.

[@neilsun2521]

The ratings today are not just 'television ratings', they count streaming; downloads; etc; as well. And the live crowd pops are non-existent today.

[@al5306]

@@neilsun2521 They aren’t nonexistent. You’re being hyperbolic. Nielsen ratings do not count downloads. They cover television, on-demand, DVR, and select streaming platforms. The majority of people today are not watching WWE on television or on demand or on DVR. most of their audience comes from streaming and most of that streaming is done on KZbin. Each main roster show averages between seven and 10 million views combined in the first week they go up. You can act like everything is doom and gloom, but the data doesn’t show that. you are speaking from feelings, not facts. There is also no way to measure crowd reaction. That’s not a real thing that you can do. you only bring that up because it feels correct to you.

[@jayreede5832]

@@al5306 So much stupid/factually incorrect nonsense in one (and every) comment Congrats LOL

[@redgurl567]

It's all Vince Russo has. His precious High Ratings from the 90s. If you take that away. He never did anything, other then edit a magazine I loved in the 90s. Not Hating the Bro. I like Vince Russo. Even his hypocrisy. Anyway.