10 Backstage Stories We Learned From Jim Cornette
Just why did Corny think of Kevin Owens as a stubborn, ungrateful brat.
Bobby Heenan had more wit, and Jimmy Hart was more obnoxious. But Jim Cornette had the whole damn package. With his cheap suits, sharp voice, and ever-present tennis gear, Cornette managed the WWE's monsters during the early to mid-90's. Among his charges were Yokozuna and Vader — massive, mostly silent giants who benefitted from having a smarmy motormouth by their side.
But as professional wrestling turned into sports entertainment, and the New Generation transitioned into the Attitude Era, Cornette's old school wrestling philosophies fell by the wayside. He shifted around the WWE in various roles - as a booker, as a manager, as a talent developer in OVW - before joining TNA, and then Ring of Honor.
In the midst of all this, Jim Cornette became known for his shoot promos. At first, they were the traditional 'worked shoots' that the WWE sometimes partakes in. But in more recent years, Cornette has gone rogue. Maybe it's the result of reaching his mid-50's. Maybe he's fed up with watching his beloved 'wrassling' circle the drain. Maybe he just really, really hates Vince Russo. But whatever the reason, Cornette's promos take no prisoners. He roasts wrestlers, managers, owners, and valets alike, in the funniest, crudest way possible.
Here are The Top 10 Backstage Stories We Learned From Jim Cornette. We're counting down the greatest yarns from Kentucky's racket-wielding, promo-shooting, pain in the ass. Be forewarned: vulgar, graphic language lies ahead.
10. Vader's A Big Teddy Bear
The Man They Call Vader was a big scary, son of a gun. In many ways, he was the second coming of Bam Bam Bigelow — a massive mountain of a man who could move like a Cruiserweight. It was a different era of wrestling — when Vader destroyed Gorilla Monsoon on Raw after the 1996 Royal Rumble, there was a whole 'Get Well Gorilla' letter writing campaign to wish him a speedy recovery.
But backstage, Vader was a big softie, whose feelings were easily hurt. This particular anecdote tells the story of how Shawn Michaels hated to work stiff, and made the big man cry by threatening to have him fired.