Interview: Jim Cornette Lists The Revival, Ronda Rousey as Some of His Favorite Current Wrestlers
Iconic wrestling manager Jim Cornette made waves recently by announcing that he was returning to [...]
Iconic wrestling manager Jim Cornette made waves recently by announcing that he was returning to the pro wrestling world as a commentator for the upcoming NWA Crockett Cup as well as Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Cornette has often spoken about his distaste for the modern professional wrestling product, calling out certain wrestlers for their goofier antics and lack of psychology in the ring. But in a recent interview with Comicbook.com, the former Midnight Express manager listed some of his favorite wrestlers working today, starting with Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival.
"I love those guys (The Revival) because they get it," Cornette said. "And for the wrestling purists and the old timers, the expert eye, they do the little things that fans don't notice, but it makes everything flow so much better. They're tremendous talents."
He also named the Briscoe Brothers from Ring of Honor and Bobby Roode and Chad Gable as a pair tag teams he enjoys watching in the ring.
"I'm a big fan of The Briscoe Brothers, who are with Ring of Honor, and are in the hunt to be at the Crockett Cup," Cornette said. "And I've worked with those guys a number of years ago, and they're just ... To me, they're one of the great tag teams, because they're real, they're brothers and they're legitimate.
"I've always been a fan of Bobby Roode's," he continued. "I'd not seen that much of Gable, but he's tremendous. ... The problem is that the WWE doesn't present the tag team wrestling as equivalent in stature to the main even singles guys. And that has hampered the perception of tag teams, and I think it's up to Ring of Honor, the NWA, and some of the other promotions to bring it back and show that it's every bit as big an attraction as singles wrestling."
Another wrestler Cornette said he thinks very highly of is reigning Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey.
"She's the female Kurt Angle, in that she just became good almost instantly," Cornette said.
On this week's Monday Night Raw Rousey turned heel for the first time in her WWE run, brutally attacking both Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Cornette said trying to push Rousey as a heel should be no problem.
"The point is, she's over. She's over, whether they're cheering, or they're booing her. She's over," Cornette said. "She's good, she's a draw. People are interested in what she's doing. If she comes out and people are sitting there going, 'Well, you want some popcorn filled before the next match starts?' Then there's trouble. As long as they're making noise, I don't think they have to worry."
Other stars Cornette said he's a fan of included Lynch, Flair and All Elite Wrestling's Cody Rhodes.
When it comes to current wrestling managers, Cornette said he sees a ton of potential in Lio Rush — but only if he stops being portrayed as a wrestler.
"Lio Rush, this little guy is a perfect heel manager, updated for modern times. They even call him the hype man, right? He could be a little Mini Me next to Bobby Lashley, with the track suit when Lashley wears the track suit, or a little suit (with) chains and everything, and run his mouth. And he's got that face and that physical charisma. You just want to punch him, right?
"And instead, they have him ... he's in wrestling tights, wrestling better than the rest of everybody on the show, at like 5' 3" and 125 pounds," he continued. "And they beat him to death, and he pops right back up, but he still does all of his stuff. And he's the only guy that got over with me on the entire program (while watching a random episode of Raw). I couldn't stop watching."
Cornette said if they want to focus on having Rush be a manager, then he should wrestle only once or twice a year.
"They should take him off the air, forget that he ever was trained to wrestle, make him the hype man, and then make people pay once or twice a year to see somebody beat the hell out of him," he said. "And I mean, he's a million dollar managing talent, because you just want to slap the guy. It's the same thing Bill Watts said to me. He said, 'The first time I saw you in the ring in Memphis, I wanted to slap you.' But he's completely in the wrong place. As a wrestler, he looks like he's 12 years old."
Along with his NWA and MLW appearances, Cornette is scheduled to host a live edition of the The Jim Cornette Experience at the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on March 23.
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