"They are not buying it" - 62-year-old veteran on why WWE has lost millions of viewers (Exclusive)

WWE veteran Vince Russo thinks the lack of physically imposing performers in the business is driving away older wrestling fans.

Though WWE is making more money than ever due to various revenue streams like broadcasting and streaming rights, its ratings have taken a substantial hit from what it was until the last century. The Attitude Era in the late 90s was the peak of the global juggernaut's popularity, as it hit record numbers weekly.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing with Russo, Vince Russo explained why not just WWE but wrestling, in general, has declined in popularity. The 62-year-old veteran feels that those viewers who watched wrestling in the bygone era were no longer interested as most of today's performers weren't jacked.

Russo mentioned that most wrestlers in the past were capable of sending shivers down the spine of fans by just walking down the ramp.

"So when you have people whose fathers watched, grandfathers watched, they watched it, and all of a sudden, they are seeing guys on their screen who are 150 pounds, 170 pounds. They are not buying it, bro. Back in the day, every person that walked down that ramp looked like they could kick your backside, said Vince Russo. [3:30 - 4:00]

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WWE veteran Vince Russo is not fond of online fans

On a recent episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, Vince Russo revealed that when he worked for promotions like WWE and WCW, he never paid attention to what online fans were saying. He explained that he was focused solely on catering to the casual viewers and ensuring the ratings followed an upward trajectory.

"I swear, when I was writing television for all three companies, I never went on the Internet. I didn't care what they said. My measuring stick was the ratings. That's it. Who was watching this show on television. I never ever went on the internet and read any of this c**p, ever, bro. All I care about, to do my job, is that number. How many people are watching this show? I don't care about the opinions of this niche crowd. How is that gonna benefit me?," said Vince Russo.