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Former WWE writer Vince Russo says The Valiant Brothers were instrumental in him becoming a wrestling fan as a child.
Jimmy and Johnny Valiant wrestled for various promotions in the 1970s, including the WWWF (now known as WWE). Managed by Captain Lou Albano, the heel duo held the WWWF tag titles for a then-record 370 days. Johnny Valiant also won the WWF tag titles with another storyline brother, Jerry Valiant, in 1979.
On Sportskeeda’s “Writing With Russo” show, Russo explained how The Valiant Brothers’ personas drew him to wrestling even more than the in-ring product:
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“I remember as a kid putting on a UHF channel looking for something to watch. I remember this vividly, bro. All of a sudden, it’s The Valiant Brothers and Captain Lou, and I was like, ‘Woah.’ I’ll be honest with you, Chris, if I would have tuned to that same channel and it was a wrestling match, I would have probably went right past it.” [9:10-9:40]
In the video above, Vince Russo also gave his take on why legendary wrestling personality Jim Cornette seemingly dislikes him so much.
Vince Russo explains his approach to writing
The 61-year-old was WWE’s head writer in the late 1990s before joining WCW, where he became the company’s World Heavyweight Champion. He later worked as a writer for IMPACT/TNA.
Vince Russo added that his preference for entertainment over traditional wrestling is based on his love of the over-the-top characters he saw as a child:
“The Valiant Brothers and Captain Lou were so larger than life. I was like, ‘Woah, what is this?’ and from that day forward that was my upbringing in the business. That’s why I wrote the way I did.” [9:42-10:00]
Captain Lou Albano, Jimmy Valiant, and Johnny Valiant joined the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996. The Valiant Brothers were the first tag team to be inducted into the elite group.
Who was your favorite wrestler as a child? Let us know in the comments section.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling’s “Writing With Russo” and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
