Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru Episode 48
Release date: April 9, 2018
Recap by: Paul Briody
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Top stories/moments of interest:
• Usual format in which Brian Last asks Jim Cornette email questions from fans about current wrestling and wrestling history with great chemistry between the two.
0:00 – lntro. Plug for the upcoming Jim Cornette graphic novel from IDW Publishing and its Kickstarter campaign that starts on April 17. You can sign up for the newsletter at idwlimited.com/newsletter/signup.
8:33 – Brian asks for Jim’s opinions on the legacy entrants to the WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2018. Jim finds it funny that two huge names in wrestling like Jim Londos and El Santo have to go in as part of a package but “Kid Rock’s on the f******’ stage in a f*****’ twenty minute segment or whatever.” They wonder if Boris Malenko and Hiro Matsuda got in to fill quotas (Malenko was Jewish and Matsuda was Japanese), same goes for Rufus R. ‘Freight Train’ Jones whose “work was rotten” and was “one of the worst promos of all time.” Sputnik Monroe, on the other hand, belongs in any wrestling Hall Of Fame. Lord Alfred Hayes was important to the WWF and Stephanie loved him. He was also a great heel manager, although there’s not much surviving footage. Jim was excited to see Cora Combs being inducted because she was a pioneer of women’s wrestling and a fellow Kentuckian.
22:33 – Jim’s asked about Alberto El Patron being released by Impact and how he’d handle changes at the top of a card. Jim: “I wouldn’t be in that position because I wouldn’t have brought him back the first time.” Jim had heard that Alberto caused a lot of headaches for Impact management and so can’t understand why they rehired him. Jim talks about Jake Roberts no-showing a SMW show in Marietta, Georgia that was “eight miles from his f*****’ house.” Impact only has themselves to blame regaining Alberto El Patron. Plug for ‘Golden Boy’ Jerry Grey’s gofundme page to help his battle against stage four cancer: tinyurl.com/gofundgoldenboy
26:35 – Jim’s asked about his thoughts on Al Snow buying OVW. Jim: “I hope Al knows what he’s getting into and I’m glad Danny (Davis) knows what he’s getting out of.” Jim’s limited in terms of what he can say but wishes Al well, promoting wrestling isn’t easy. “I hope he’s got good mental health insurance.”
28:47 – What are Jim’s favorite championship belts? The Lou Thesz belt from the 1950s is his favorite world championship and his favorite territory belt is the old Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship belt that they used in Nick Gulas’ territory from 1952- 76 “for sentimental reasons.” Jim’s favorite belts that he ever held was the NWA tag title belts that The Midnight Express won in 1986.
33:20 – Why didn’t a Rock/Shawn Michaels match ever happen? Jim never pitched the match because he “wanted Rock to get over” rather than buried. Some Shawn Michaels ‘being a d***’ stories. Brian: “Did you see he cut his hair?” Jim: “Which one?”
36:07 – How do you successfully book a winning streak coming to an end? The ideal candidate would be a young, up-and-coming heel who’s not a flake or a head-case. Goldberg’s streak ending had its flaws, as did The Undertaker’s.
43:16 – Jim’s asked about a riot at a WWF house show in December 1997 after a two minute casket match between The Rock and The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels leaving the building with Triple H and Chyna after a fan threw a piece of paper at him! The cops were called when fans continued to throw objects an tear gas was used. Jim remembers it well, it was in Little Rock, Arkansas. The show featured Danny Hodge as a special guest referee. Shawn Michaels’ diva antics just made a bad situation a lot worse. More examples of Michaels’ disrespectful behavior, particularly towards agents such as Pat Patterson and Gerald Briscoe. Jim: “If Vince put up with it then everyone else had to put up with it.” The ‘Curtain Call’ was a big turn-off for Jim and the power and influence held by those involved didn’t match their drawing ability, or lack thereof.
52:33 – What are Jim’s memories of Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog at an In Your House show in which he managed The Bulldog? It was probably the best match that Bulldog had while Jim was managing him. Jim remembers apologizing to Vince after an “abysmal” PPV world title match between Bulldog and Diesel around the same time. In the Bret/Bulldog match Bret bladed, even though he wasn’t supposed to because he had a vested interest in getting Davey Boy over. Great match.
56:57 – Does Jim remember any wrestlers having problems traveling within territories during the gas crises of 1973 and 1979? 1973 predated Jim getting into the business but he certainly remembers wrestlers complaining about it in ‘79. Lots of them moved over to diesel cars and Jim understands that ‘73 was worse. Fun Roller Derby discussion, Jim can’t believe it’s a ‘shoot’ today!
1:01:16 – What are Jim’s thoughts on Scott Hall? Jim: “He was the best worker of the guys that hung out with Michaels… Scott could work.” Jim was “soured on him” after the Curtain Call but didn’t have any particularly negative interaction with him. Jim’s not a fan of people adding to the public image of former wrestlers being “drunks or drug addicts.” It’s “almost remarkable” that he eventually became a good worker after seeing his work in the late 1980s.
1:03:39 – Sound usage in wrestling! The sound of the ring is important. When Jim first went to work for the WWF they were still using the old rings with “very little give”, which was fine during the Hogan-era when “nobody was taking any bumps, really” but when the likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were trying to take bumps in them it was like “an egg hitting a frying pan.” After mentioning it to Vince, Jim introduced a ring with more give and the talent was able to take more bumps. Kevin Dunn ruined it by having blankets laid under the canvas because the noise was throwing off the microphones for TV. Jim: “Shoot the f*****’ TV around the wrestling, not the wrestling around the TV.”
1:12:06 – Outro with all the usual plugs: jimcornette.com, tinyurl.com/cornyyoutube, @TheJimCornette and @GreatBrianLast on Twitter, and 6:05 Superpodcast. Also, a story about The Midnight Express’ merch woes in WCW circa 1990.
Rating: 7.5/10
Good episode featuring Jim’s no-nonsense opinions on wrestling, past and present, with lots of humour in there, too. Lots of Shawn Michaels bashing this week!
Time stamps:
0:00 – Intro
8:33 – WWE HOF 2018 Legacy inductees
22:33 – Alberto Del Rio/El Patron
26:35 – Al Snow buying OVW
28:47 – Jim’s favourite title belts
33:20 – Why no Rock/HBK match?
36:07 – Booking a winning streak
43:16 – Riot at a WWF show in December ‘97
52:33 – Bret vs Bulldog with Corny managing
56:57 – The gas crises of ‘73 and ‘79
1:01:16 – Scott Hall
1:03:39 – Sound in wrestling
1:12:06 – Outro
About Paul:
I’m just a guy, from England, who watches wrestling and listens to podcasts!
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