Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru – Episode 59
Release date: July 2, 2018
Recap by: Paul Briody
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Top stories/moments of interest:
• Usual format in which Brian Last asks Jim Cornette listener questions about current wrestling and wrestling history with great chemistry between the two.
0:00 – Intro. Jim reveals he’s a Rocky Horror Picture Show fan (“I liked the movie, it was going too far away with that performance art stuff”), Brian is not! Brian: “I would never be a part of something where people are throwing garbage at each other.” Jim used to tape all of his albums to cassette so he could play them in the car and he still has them by the hundred, dating back to the 1970s! They then move into a brief Enzo discussion. Jim: “He could join up with the Insane Clown Posse and it can be the Insane Clown Penis. See, they wouldn’t even have to change their monograms. I don’t know…”
7:12 – You can get tickets to meet Corny in Philly at keystonecomiccon.com. Great value for money if you’re in the area!
10:34 – Was the Atlanta Omni truly ‘The Madison Square Garden Of the South East’ like Crockett would make it out to be? It was at the Omni where Jim took the bump off the scaffold. When the Omni opened in the early 70’s, it was the most state-of-the-art building in the area. Many great matches and events took place there from different territories around the country, adding to the building’s historical cache. Closing the city Auditorium hurt because the Omni was too big a building to run more than once a month and by the time JCP was the dominant company in the area, Atlanta never really came back as a regular town, although the big shows at the Omni always drew well. It was no longer the “jewel in the crown.” Problematic building to run – “Crockett was making more money in Baltimore, in Philly, in Greensboro, in Charlotte.”
15:15 – Who is better on color commentary, Heenan or Ventura?
Jim: “Oh, Jesus, Heenan, of course.” Brian thinks it’s much closer. Jim: “Truthfully, I think Jesse Ventura was better on television getting himself over as a color commentator than he was as a color commentator. Bobby was a better color commentator. Jesse was better to stand there and get himself over with f**kin’ Vince.”
Brian: “I disagree. I think Jesse is the best heel color commentator that wrestling’s ever had.”
They agree that Dutch Mantell is overlooked as one of wrestling’s best heel color commentators. Corny admits that he’s seen a lot more of Heenan than Ventura, but he intends to address this. Brian talks about Summerslam ‘89: Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura were commentating and Jesse showed Tony no respect whatsoever, especially during the Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude match. Funny.
22:16 – Can Jim add any personal insight to the stories of TNA management’s mistreatment of Daffney?
Jim: “There was no reason why TNA Wrestling could not get this girl’s f**kin’ medical bills taken care of except Dixie’s a f**kin’ douchebag.”
26:44 – Was Lord Littlebrook basically The Fabulous Moolah for little people? Yes! Brief history of little people wrestling.
30:49 – How did the Midnights spend their spare time during their stint in WCCW? They went out to dinner more, Jim started tanning, they’d occasionally go to a movie or just “hang out, and breathe, and enjoy ourselves.” They’d sleep late!
Jim: “We never went to a movie for a year in Mid South. We never went to the mall for a year in Mid South. In Dallas, we did a lot of s**t that we just didn’t have a chance to do for a f**kin’ year.” There was less crowd heat in Dallas than Mid South, so going out in public was much safer.
35:17 – Was the Dallas Sportatorium really the most famous wrestling arena in the world?
Jim: “Good God, no.”
Brian misses the days when different arenas had their own identities. Yep.
37:09 – Was Brian Adias really a “longtime childhood friend of the Von Erichs” as he was always announced and did he work anywhere else? Yes, he was Kerry’s best friend growing up and therefore didn’t really work anywhere outside the area, maybe Portland.
Jim: “I don’t see him having the personality or the flash that Vince would’ve wanted.” Good WCCW discussion. Awful payoffs!
48:49 – Any comments about Nailz?
Jim: “He was a real f**kin’ weird guy.”
He once had a tryout in WCW when Flair was booking where he had a match and then an interview with Corny.
Jim: “Nobody was overly thrilled.”
Nailz called Flair a week or so later and Flair told him that they didn’t have anything for him and he told Flair: “Fire somebody, I need a job right now.” Jim can totally understand Vince not wanting Nailz around.
51:14 – Jim talks about ‘the green jacket’ in WCCW, a well-remembered angle where Jim’s jacket was stolen by Scott Casey and was mostly ad-libbed by the talent.
55:49 – What are Jim’s opinions of The New Midnight Express – Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart and the Hell in a Cell match between Mankind and The Undertaker (King of the Ring ‘98)?
Jim, on The New Midnights: “It was just rotten. I’m pretty sure it was sold to Vince simply because… everybody who recognized me would ask me about the Midnight Express – while I was on TV managing the WWF champion.”
Funny discussion on the entire New Midnight’s fiasco including a timing mishap by Chyna on pay-per-view. On the Hell in a Cell match, Jim didn’t know that Mick would take the bump from the cage to the floor.
Jim: “I was mortified.”
Corny confirms that the bump through the cage was unexpected. Mick couldn’t remember parts of the match and had to ask Jim if he’d done the thumbtacks spot afterwards, in the back. Corny told him after the match not to ever try to top it because he’d likely kill himself. Brian then asks about rings, particularly on the indies, and Jim confirms that he convinced ROH management to upgrade to much more professional and safer rings as soon as Sinclair bought the company.
1:11:47 – Outro
Plugs: Twitter: @TheJimCornette, @GreatBrianLast #CornyDriveThru; CornyDriveThru@gmail.com; JimCornette.com; 605pod.com; kfrpod.com; tinyurl.com/cornyyoutube; the law offices of Stephen P. New.
Rating: 7.70
Back with a bang, with loads of hilarious stories from the old days.
Time stamps:
0:00 – Intro
10:34 – Atlanta Omni
15:15 – Heenan or Ventura?
22:16 – Daffney
26:44 – Lord Littlebrook
30:49 – Midnights’ leisure time in WCCW
35:17 – Dallas Sportatorium
37:09 – Brian Adias/WCCW
48:49 – Nailz
51:14 – Green jacket
55:49 – King of the Ring ‘98
About Paul:
I’m just a guy, from England, who watches wrestling and listens to podcasts!
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