Source: Augusta Free Press
Jim Cornette wasn’t a sure bet to return to the professional-wrestling business – in fact, it hasn’t been that long since he made it a point to tell people that he didn’t have anything to do with the industry anymore.
“For the past year, when people would recognize me in public, I would tell them that I was retired, that I didn’t have anything to do with wrestling anymore – because I was ashamed to be involved with what they perceive to be professional wrestling these days,” said Cornette, a legendary manager, announcer and promoter whose lengthy resume includes stints at World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment and now TNA Wrestling.
Cornette still has his misgivings about the direction of the wrestling business – which is dominated by the controversial Stamford, Conn.,-based WWE.
“The WWE, honestly, is what a lot of people, because they have the tenure and the seniority, view as professional wrestling in this country these days. And it’s a toss-up as to whether they’re going to insult your intelligence or your religion or your sexual preference. And I’m not even a religious person necessarily – but I do have intelligence and a sexual preference. And I hate for them to be insulted,” Cornette told reporters on a conference call last week.
“It’s become a joke and a farce – and almost a vanity promotion, where the son-in-law and the kids and anybody who happens to want to kiss the proper butt cheek gets to do what they want to do. But the new talent is being held down – and that’s what got me re-energized with TNA,” Cornette said.
Cornette has been involved with the Nashville, Tenn.,-based TNA since June – and he said his work with the promotion, whose roster includes rising talents like Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles and Petey Williams, among others, has given him the feel of what it was like back in the day.
“When I got down to the TNA tapings and the pay-per-view in June, basically I had the old feel again – these are guys who want to present wrestling, who are not ashamed of the word, who are not ashamed of being involved in the professional-wrestling business,” Cornette said.
Cornette’s on-air role has him serving as TNA’s management director – he has also been billed as the “new face of TNA management.” He avoided getting specific about his behind-the-scenes role – though he hinted that he does have something of a voice in booking and talent development.
“Basically, what I said on television is in great part what my role behind the scenes is going to be. I want people who can draw ratings, who can sell pay-per-views and who can have great matches – and I will do everything in my power to see that those people with those three talents are featured,” Cornette said.
“I’ve talked to several wrestlers on the phone – they’re looking for a place to go. They’re looking, as Samoa Joe said on ‘Impact,’ they don’t want to go to a company where they’re told what to say and what to do and who to be. They want to go to a company where they can show their talent, they can show their ability, and let the fans be the one to decide whether they’re stars or not,” Cornette said.
“You can’t book everybody – and there can’t be 200 wrestlers on the roster. But at the same time, with the talent already in TNA, and the folks that are making overtures about coming, and the acquisitions that are in progress, yeah, I think it’s going to be really exciting,” Cornette said.
Cornette sounded excited just to be back in business – and away from the tentacles of the WWE, with whom he butted heads in his time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, a regional promotion that he ran for several years that serves as a developmental territory for the WWE.
“When you come down to it, wrestling is wrestling,” Cornette said. “You get athletes with conflicts challenging for championships with entertaining personalities – put it on television, and sell tickets to people who want to see what happens.
“They don’t want bad comedy, they don’t want bad taste, I think, for the most part. They don’t want special effects or cars being blown up or penis enlargers being delivered. They want to see professional wrestling and the colorful and entertaining personalities that populate that world in conflict. It’s a very simple formula – and very hard to actually pull off,” Cornette said.
“I think if more people can get the word that there still is professional wrestling on television out there that they’re not ashamed to watch, or that they haven’t been run off away from, I think TNA is only going to gain in popularity – just because of the fact that it’s an alternative to the dog-and-pony show that’s being presented across the country these days,” Cornette said.
