I’ve been a fan of pro wrestling consistently since 2002, and perhaps no one is more polarizing in the wrestling community (that I’ve seen) than Jim Cornette. The legendary manager, writer, and booker who started off as a photographer has certainly built himself a legacy over the past 40 years. His wildly successful podcast with Brian Last, that I listen to parts of every week, has been a financial and popularity boon for him. The man’s been very vocal about AEW, feuding with the likes of Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and even Miro for a brief period. If ever there was a personality that the wrestling community opinion was split on, it’s Cornette.
Let me preface this by saying his body of work speaks for itself. There is no denying his contribution to the industry as a manager, writer, and promoter had a positive impact. Think what you will of him, but his track record is superb. I’m of the opinion that he’s overall a net good for the business at the present time, but I don’t agree with him on everything.
One thing I absolutely enjoy is his acerbic wit. The way he tore apart Nancy Grace and Sarah Sanders had me nearly doubled over with laughter. Not only because it was funny, but those two reprehensible human beings got exactly the sort of verbal lashing they deserved. Especially with Grace exploiting wrestling tragedies to further her own ratings and peddle falsehoods over the last two decades. I only wish he had been able to have her as a guest on his show so he could have done it to her face. There’s not a human being on Earth who can cut a better promo or shoot on someone than Cornette, and weaving between being serious or funny is a master talent of his. He personified everything a wrestling manager should be, and promotions these days could learn a thing or two from that.
A major drawback to Cornette is his temper, which he himself admits has been a problem over the years with “vibing” and having to leave somewhere before he goes off like Mount Pinatubo did over 30 years ago. A classic example would be his reaction to criticism by Pro Wrestling Torch writer Bruce Mitchell and Editor Wade Keller over what was perceived as racist booking by Smoky Mountain Wrestling. While Mitchell’s criticism was over the top (and considering Mitchell was fired for attacking Brodie Lee’s widow in a column, Cornette’s opinion of him has a lot of merit), there was absolutely no excuse for him to call up PWTorch founder Wade Keller three times and threaten violence against him and his family members. I get being mad about criticism directed at oneself, but responding by threatening violence is uncalled for. We may think about doing such things, but that’s all it should be. A thought, not calling someone up and leaving threatening voicemails.
A more chronic example is Jim’s history of telling people he doesn’t like to go kill themselves. Former announcer Jim Smallman and current AEW wrestler Peter Avalon have been the recipients of that line of attack. This is based on his dislike of Smallman’s apparel and Avalon’s physique. While I don’t think Avalon belongs in a wrestling ring, telling someone to go kill themselves and doubling down on it is unacceptable. He should know better than to say stuff like that.
A major pro is that Cornette’s points about AEW booking and ring styles are well-founded. He knows what does and doesn’t get over with viewers and crowds. As far as things that shouldn’t happen, his scathing tear-down of the musical number MJF and Chris Jericho did back in October 2020 was spot-on in my mind. I was horrified when that happened and quickly fast-forwarded to the next segment. There’s no place for musical numbers on what should be a fairly serious pro wrestling show, and that segment lost a substantial number of viewers as well. Crap like that devalues the wrestling business as a whole. If you want to see a musical, go to a Broadway show. Keep that off my TV screen.
Another chief criticism he was with Tony Khan’s promotion is the constant spot-fest matches that occur, mainly excessive dives, turnbuckle spots, and unsafe maneuvers that puts a wrestler’s head in physical danger. Throughout its three years in existence, AEW has been hit with rashes of injuries. Britt Baker alone has had her nose broken twice, a fractured tibia, ligament and tendon tears, and a broken wrist. Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson have suffered concussions, with Cole’s being especially bad. Kenny Omega’s style of ring work left him wrestling with vertigo and various other health problems. Rey Fenix and Kris Statlander have had multiple injuries, CM tearing his triceps while doing a plancha in his mid-40s, and that’s just to name a few. Most of these injuries could be avoided with opponents taking better care (in Baker’s case) and slowing down to work more methodical matches (Fenix for example). Besides preserving the health of the wrestlers, it would also make high spots mean more if they’re done on occasion. Dives and street fight matches are fine in moderation with good storylines, but everyone doing them all the time takes the value out of it.
To get back to the con side of things, my other problem with Jim is his history of stupid jokes and less-than-impressive attitude towards women’s wrestling. He has a history of making Ethiopia starvation jokes, one of which led to his resignation from NWA commentary. Starvation jokes aren’t funny, especially when they can be perceived as being racist with fried chicken being connected to black people. Do I think Cornette is a racist or homophobe? No, not in the least, but his remarks over the years have led to these types of accusations. It’s better to not say these things at all, especially for someone like him who can think of better words to say in literally a second or two.
His views on women’s wrestling leave a lot to be desired, which is particularly evident when his co-host Brian Last gives insightful opinions on AEW female segments and matches. Cornette couldn’t even be bothered to watch some of the match Baker had with Hikaru Shida at Double or Nothing 2021. It was a good quality match in my opinion, nothing phony or stupid about it. I wouldn’t mind it if he actually offered useful opinions on the women’s division, but he rarely ever watches any of the matches or segments. Brian Last does, which is why I tune out Cornette and only listen to Last when it comes to women’s wrestling. When the only points you can bring up have to do with a female wrestler being cute (as he said of Julia Hart) and criticizing the women for bleeding or having any hardcore moments at all because it takes away from the men doing it, that’s just being lazy and almost sexist. He’s better off not saying anything at all and leaving Last to talk about it. Cornette is very wise in most aspects of wrestling, but women’s participation is not one of them.
I will leave off on a pro for Jim, and that’s mainly his stories about his daily life around the house or back in the days when he was traveling with the boys in the territory days. Whether he’s talking about raccoons, deer, a mattress donation gone wrong, fart stories, the Arby’s sauce, food in general, or ripping Santino Marella for being a major black eye on pro wrestling (which I completely agree with), I find him a great listen. It also helps that he and I share the same views on politics in this country, although he expresses it far better than I could ever hope to. In the end, I don’t hate or love the guy. I do enjoy his podcast, despite my issues with some of the things he says. It’s better to have him around, and I won’t be canceling him. I’m sure someone may bring this column to his attention. If you do comment on it, Jim, I look forward to your response, whatever it may be…
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