10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Oct 7)
7. Jim Cornette Felt His Ranting Shoot Promos Were Pointless
As anyone who lived through the time knows, the Attitude Era was one of the most exciting periods in pro wrestling history. More so than ever before, there was a buzz about the then-WWF. Vince McMahon closed the door on his cartoon-like approach, ushering in an era of aggression that was entrenched in shock tactics and sexuality.
Part of the package was lifting the lid on what was happening behind the scenes. In 1997, long-serving manager and announcer Jim Cornette was called upon to cut a series of weekly shoot promos on everything from WCW to Raw Is War itself. Fast-talking and full of venom, these segments were not Cornette's idea.
Talking during a live event promoted by Inside The Ropes in London, Cornette told how Vince McMahon approached him about filming the promos. To the manager, they were fairly pointless, simply because they didn't help sell any tickets.
Instead, they were taking a few minutes of valuable air time to focus on negativity without any real pay off. It's intriguing to know that Cornette wasn't the one who pitched the idea in the first place, and that he wasn't a huge fan.