Great point! I always make that point too. Sometimes you have to be stubborn with people to earn the best outcomes. I’ve learned that lesson as a professor.
Bruh... for real. I was 14 in 1997 when the Attitude Era really started to dominate wrestling and I can't believe how much he doesn't sound like Jerry "The King" Lawler in this interview
Most of yall only know king from the attitude era of Raw. But lawler was actually even bigger and better known for his run in Memphis wrestling and the NWA territories throughout the 70s and 80s, that's when lawler was really huge and really became a wrestling icon. He was actually a baby face more often than not and he was pretty much the face of Memphis wrestling. He only came to the WWF in 1992 as the heal jerry "the king" lawler. And was a part time wrestler and full time commentator for vince but was still a full time wrestler and the owner and top promoter of Memphis wrestling. I believe he only joined wwf as part of a deal he had with Vince McMahon for the Memphis territory to be a talent developmental promotion wich it was from the 90s on into just very recently.
@@alo4912 Jim was on Lawler’s “Dinner with the King” podcast, i think its called and Lawler literally laughed the entire time at everything Jim said. Flair did the same on WOOOOO Nation 😂😂😂😂
@@alo4912 Memphis wrestling is a lot influential than people give credit for. Even modern day njpw's Gedo said that he copied a lot from Memphis style wrestling , from match styles to booking even the interviews.
@@louis3141 it's amazing how bad alcohol is for you and how we ok that and poo poo other recreational drugs. I like alcohol for the record but your point stands which is not drinking does wonders for your health and appearance.
Cornette isn't wrong. A super kick or a pile driver used to be a match ender. Now you can give a guy a Canadian Destroyer off of the top of the building and they kick out at 2
I think Cornette saw the direction the business was going in 2001 and was trying to cut the decline in the bud before it got to the current state of every match going 30 minutes with everybody kicking out of everything. I mean Jim wasn't wrong in his criticism there hasn't really been a breakout star that started after 2005.
I stopped watching with any regularity in 2000. It had gotten terrible by then. Hasn't seemed to recover at all. Cornette talking shit about the modern product is better than the modern product.
Cornette was initially positive after WWE bought out it's competition. He thought from people's desire for the alternative a new territory-type era could be born out of the indies. Dint eventually take the direction he wanted to though
For any of you newer to wrestling people, check out Jerry Lawlers's matches from the 80's in Memphis wrestling. When he would make a come back, he would pull down his shoulder strap and throw up his fists like "ok Im done with this shit, now we gonna fight". He would start taking punches, selling each one less and less until the last one he would no sell. The crowd would go apeshit. Dude has one of the most real looking punches in the business.
Funny since the "modern" wrestling Lawler is talking about here isn't even modern wrestling anymore and, as much as Cornette didn't like the "modern" wrestling back then, it's still leaps and bounds better than what current "modern day" wrestling is.
It's as if everything is getting suckier and suckier as time goes along. That goes for all forms of entertainment and media. Nothing seems to be getting better and no one seems to be innovating. The best stuff is mostly lame rehashes of old stuff.
I listen to Cornetts podcast with brian last every day. I love his opinions on the business and modern wrestling and I love to hear his stories about the old days in the business, he often mentions Lawler and the memphis territory. Its nothing unordinary about seeing lawler speak in a calm voice, I've watched jerry all my life growing up and I have watched a lot of his old stuff from the 70s and 80s just because my dad was a wrestling fan as a kid and my dad turned me on to all the old classic Memphis wrestling stuff and guys like jerry the king lawler and super star bill dundee and ricky mortin and Terry funk and even further back to Jackie Fargo and his crazy brother rough house Fargo, jim cornett started his career down in Memphis. And there was the mouth of the south Jimmy Hart, the macho man randy savage came through Memphis and had a feud with Lawler back in the day before he made it to the wwf, hulk hogan started in memphis omg I could go on and on and on.
It's all a matter of opinion. Old fart fans from 30 years ago will always prefer the 'glory days' more than anything currently happening. They are stuck in the past,and will automatically hate on anything they can't relate to
@@Spoeism He was a good heel color man opposite good guy play by play JR. Honestly his mid 90s sporadic heel runs were great as well, some of the hardest hitting promos of the early Attitude era. I 'd bet Peacock probably censored the Goldust one.
Actually now that he's watching regularly once again, he's finding some positives in the products compared to labelling the whole thing as waste like 4-5 years ago
@@4zafinc Yes but still admits on a constant basis that he only watches it coz he gets paid to do so. Otherwise he wouldn't watch it at all. He's still no where near liking wrestling.
@@tarnyshd__dash__4850 For a guy who came into wrestling in the early 80s I truly wonder what era he is ever talking about other than his own childhood.
For better or worse, Corny knew how to deal with high maintenance individuals, and gain their respect - thats why he achieved relative success in the business. I envy that trait, and thats the most positive thing i can say about him.
@@Oh_I_Will HBK, Bret, Taker, fucking New Jack. Cornette was the one who created and worked with some of the biggest wrestlers in the history of the business. He also kept Russo under control.
THIS! IWC drones really think that Cornette is the only one who hates modern wrestling in general, and they actually propagate online that he started that mentality. So the main reason why millions of fans turned off wrestling forever in their lives is because they listened once to Cornette and agreed with him, right? lol
Wrestling today is terrible but Jim didn’t even like the Attitude Era (the era where WWE saw it’s highest numbers)😂. Like Vince Russo said his mind is stuck in 1975😂
@@jamirimaj6880 Uhhhh guys this was back during the Attitude era. Corny went to OVW in 99...now I doubt he cared about SCSA being crucified so that means he either hated SCSA, Mankind winning, HHH winning, or the Rock finally going face.
Yeah Corny can be a douche sometimes, but he's just so damn entertaining to listen to and even though I don't always agree with him, if you're a fan of the business you can't help but respect him. I actually think he doesn't hate modern wrestling as much as he used to. His rants are his gimmick now and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yeah, Cornette just wants bookings and wrestling matches that makes sense. I mean the dude adores the likes of MJF, Darby, and Reigns, and I can see why.
Between his on-air racism, wishing death on wrestlers, awful comments about female wrestlers getting pregnant and him pressuring wrestlers to have sex with his wife, I find you can quite easily not respect him.
Im a fan of old school wrestling also. I still enjoy the current wrestling also it really is different. When I go back and watch wrestling even in the mid 1990s it is way different. I was a WCW fan when the wars happened and I enjoyed WCW because they really focused on the wrestling matches and made them feel like a huge sporting event. That’s what I like. I like it when wrestling is about what’s in the ring. That’s why I really enjoy AEW.
I think one thing that people don't talk about when it comes to critiques of modern wrestling psychology, is how how wrestling always runs parallel to our current cultural ideas of what a staged fight looks like. In the 70s and 80s you had action movies and boxing. Those were the two main sources for seeing combat on screen. So imo, it would make sense back then for wrestlers to emulate a fighting style that reflects those things. I think that's why offenses were a little slower by comparison. A lot more focuses on punches than kicks. A lot more big strong guys doing power moves. Cause that's what Arnold or Stallone would have been doing at the time on TV. Fast forward to now and you have anime, you have fighting games, you have MMA. So when younger wrestlers are coming up with their offense, even subconsciously, they are probably drawing more from Goku vs Vegeta or Ryu vs Ken, or McGregor vs Diaz than they are a more slower paced style of fighting if that makes sense. And I think if we track the evolution of combat on screen it probably runs parallel to the evolution of offense in wrestling.
You know, the last of the Greats. Cena will be the last superstar. It ended with him and most likely before to be honest, but he was the last big house hold name in rasslin', it will never happen again. We don't live in a world where one or a couple people can hold the lime light of a certain area of performance like it used to be. Same with music, same with actors, the rockstar is dead, the action hero is dead, the comedian is dead and the wrestler is now dead as well
@@DrMurdercock Actor Anthony Mackie has said something similar in a interview. He said that with the rise of superhero movies in these times, there's no need for the big blockbuster action heros anymore. Iron Man, Black Panther and Wonder Woman are the attractions, not the stars who play them. I apply that same thought to pro-wrestling because with superheros and the MCU, they're the new larger-than-life stars. Watching their movies you get everything pro-wrestling is supposed to do, but better: comedy, action, drama, suspense, sci-fi, storytelling and big-fight battles. So the question is, what do I need pro-wrestling for when I can just go watch Marvel and DC movies?
@@DrMurdercock I hear ya, I just feel like wrestling is moreso creatively bankrupt, as no one is really telling must-see stories or delivering a product thats never been done. Thats what really matters at the end of the day.
Jim is right. Modern wrestling pushed many of us away. There's more people now than there was 20 years ago, and less ppl watch wrestling now than they did
He still doesn’t look much older than that now, I see him all the time at a few spots I go to in Memphis. He’s always been super cool to me, I just keep it quick and try not to bother him. I’m like that with any public figure I meet
@@furnitureconsortium that maybe on camera with makeup highlighting I but he doesn’t look crazy AT ALL in person. I’ve had a convo one on one looking right at him. I recognized him quick and he didn’t look that much older than when I’ve seen him on raw back in the day
The point Jerry made about the importance of young wrestlers learning how the business used to be is proven perfectly when you look at the talent that Jim helped train in OVW
Well it sounds like Jim grew up idolizing King, King knew Jim as another guy in the business or a friend or however he feels but there is a difference in how each knew the other.
This looks like a very old interview clip, the King doesn't look that good right now. This is prob late 90s or early 2000s with King talking about how Jim was pushed out of the wwf and didn't like the attitude Era stuff.
Now Jerry knows the business was better before everyone got smart and the boys could work in multiple territories. Jerry never left Memphis but he didn’t have to. Good to be the king
I remember coming home from school or when i stayed home and at 4 pm I would watch Lawler wrap the chain around his fist. I forget what promotion it was but I also remember the lighting kid aka Sean waltman on there also
The reason I love and Respect Jim Cornette and he doesn’t always get it right,dont get me wrong….but he’s a guy who can stand on some principle in a business full of grifters. Jim has had his viewpoints since 1990 and when he got sick of it,he started his own company. Even today,he can talk shit on the business from a place of a comfort selling his burger towels,tshirts and action figures and do his podcasts and not reduce himself to being made a fool of for a check. A lot of old wrestlers will say anything to stay apart of the crumbling wrestling business but love him or hate him,Jim dont put his name on bullshit he dont believe in…i can respect that.
I grew up in Louisville, and spent many Tuesday nights at Louisville Gardens. I once even saw the Dream Machine break Jimmy Hart's cane over an audience member's arm. Lol!
@@Oh_I_Will he did talk in a relaxed calm tone a few times in uswa promos. the difference might have been Jerry would throw in some insult jokes at opponents
Is the modern wrestling business rational? The reason Corny is so popular is because his podcasts are a haven for everyone that can say, "I used to watch wrestling but I don't anymore." He's not crazy, there are tons of wrestling fans from the 90s and prior that just can't watch the garbage they put out today.
Well this new wrestling it’s involved into the last two yrs is not even fun to watch most of it. They need to learn how to make it look better that’s what Jim is always saying and he right.
@@jeffbrumbaugh5366 It's not even the last two years with AEW it's been like this in some places more so than others in a while especially with the viewing preferences of the younger fans over older ones. I don't know if he's right or not because how to make it look better sounds subjective in view but improvements can be made here or there whether it's in-ring technique or pacing, the use of production, or working a lot stiffer/lighter. I would rather have different variations in wrestling and different perspectives and open up the audience to all different kinds so the product doesn't get stale than have it all be too similar and safe.
This is old. I bought this shoot interview like 20 years ago. I would imagine Lawler and Cornette would both kill to have wrestling from the year 2,000 back over the crap they call wrestling now
Yes but I meant if he looked back on that period I’m sure he would realize how much worse it’s gotten since then. I was struggling with a lot of things at that period as a fan. But now it has gotten to the point where I’m being insulted as a fan if I try to watch the crap that they pass off as wrestling these days. Not all wrestling but the National promotions
Jerry is a great guy. He could take the credit, but he wasn't sure. It was Jarrett by the way. Watch 3 corny drive thru podcasts and I am sure 1 will mention it was Jarrett
this is SO misleading. Ive talked to 6 people who THOUGHT & BELIEVED this was Jerry talking about Jim, within the past few weeks, and not some interview from 20 YEARS AGO....How about EDITING the title to "2001: Jerry Lawler on Jim Cornette not liking modern wrestling and his mind for the business"
In TNA he was an on screen commissioner, but also a producer/agent backstage, but he butted heads with Vince Russo too much. Jeff Jarrett, the guy who hired him, got sent home for dating Kurt Angle's wife behind his back and lying to owner Dixie Carter about it. Russo slowly got rid of all of Jarrett's original guys until only Cornette was left. Finally Russo got him fired and in walks Ed Ferrara just days later, his old lackey from WWF and WCW. As Lance Storm once said: Trading Jim Cornette for Ed Ferrara is like trading your house for a tent. In Ring of Honor he was a co-booker with Hunter Johnston and producer/agent. He clashed with upper management in that company. He started out working for Kerry Silken, trying to save the company at his request, and Jim did, by getting it sold to a big TV conglomerate. But when they took over, their upper management clashed with Jim constantly by running the company on a shoe string budget and not caring about the talent to the point where Jim got frustrated by spending his own money to pay the talent at times and running shows by himself. He eventually threatened a member of management, Greg Gilligand, and got himself let go from there too. Jim is a great trainer, manager, and mind in the wrestling business, but he doesn't always play well with others. As Jim himself once said about himself: "I don't burn bridges, I demolish them."
@@unr3alGaming I see thank you for this. Its a shame that Cornette can't seem to stay within a company because he does have a great mind for the business.
People like music from earlier eras compared to today too…that’s not the Music industry’s or Wrestling’s fault….that’s the Listeners and/or Wrestling Fans fault
@@WrestlingFace Deciding to enjoy or not enjoy something has nothing to do with being stubborn or ignorant. Quite the opposite, really. If I were ignorant to what wrestling was, I might enjoy sports entertainment. But sports entertainment is nothing but a mockery of what pro wrestling is, or was. Enjoy it if you like, but almost every time I've tried to give it a chance in the last 21 years I can't do it. Thinking people have to keep liking something no matter what that thing presents them is embarrasingly ignorant.
@@feebypeels2883 It's extremely ignorant and stubborn to not adapt to change and not be willing to change your ways and get with the times. If you don't like something don't complain about it for 30 years. I'm a Cornette fan too but c'mon dude get out of his ass 😂 you can live in the past all you like, but don't be ignorant and complain about everything now just because you don't like it
@@WrestlingFace Did I even mention Cornette? No. You did. You act like wrestling can never be terrible. Do you go along with everything new without any regard for the quality? Not trying to argue, I'm just curious because I don't understand that logic.
Jim does like modern wrestling? Especially if it's good. He doesn't like dangerous spectacle for the sake of spectacle. Especially when it ends up with people getting hurt.
But... that's what old school wresters did to other wrestlers all the time. Even he admits, "rarely" how abusive they where to local talent. Go watch the old squash matches from the 80s. You'll see what I mean. Jim essentially wears blinders in the business. And refuses to let go of a period in time. People who refuse to change will never be a success. You can say Jim has been but he's been fired from every where he worked. His podcast is the only reason he matters now. And the guy who works with him is a millionaire who came from money. He's the only reason Jims podcast is still around. Believe it or not his podcast isn't the most listened too. And according to podcast consumer tracking report no wrestling podcast hits top 50. Nor does one hit the top 100 with iheart radio.
@@lastwolflord oh he's done turkey. His last shot was the NWA and he fudged that with his African motorbike analogy. But the idea he doesn't like modern wrestling isn't correct. I think he just tends to like the European style (Walter/Balor/Bate/Dragunov/etc) than the new luchamerican style you see commonly in AEW. I love a Fenix match as much as anyone but when he nearly killed himself for a ring dive on free TV I agreed it was too much.
As a WWE Attitude Era/Ruthless Aggression Mark (I stopped watching Smackdown & Raw after WWE went PG in around 08/09) This is the first time ever I’m watching Jerry in a shoot interview
Modern wrestling is like a Universal Studio stunt show... all production and stunts, almost no story, bad scripts and don't care about the illusion. 90s to 2000s An action movie, you know it isn't real, but it is still a bit more grounded in reality but with more fun and interesting storylines and characters 80s wrestling: Cartoon characters making basic stories and stunts. Popular but shallow. Old School wrestling: Steinbeck novel
Everybody hates on Jim Cornette but look at the names he had when he was running ovw and just to name a few which are Bobby lashley, randy Orton, John cena, Batista, Mickey James, Brock Lesnar, and the list goes on and on until wwe started fcw then that turned in to nxt
Cornette does like modern wrestling. Modern wrestling isn't cinematic matches; goofy comedy; and stunts with obvious cooperation. It's what NXT and ROH are doing.
Yea, fast forward 20 years later and nothing much has changed. Except from the “cartoon era” of the WWF we have the gymnastics display of today. Cornette, I would think, hates today more than the then, WWF.
I think Cornette saw the direction wrestling was headed at the time of this interview. The cosplay era that we have now didn't just happen overnight, it was a slow deterioration of booking and training Corny just saw where things were headed 20 years before everyone else.
In a shoot he did when he still ran OVW Cornette likened the kind of wrestling he liked and the WWE style as different flavors of ice cream. They could have what they liked as long as he could have what he liked. Don't think he feels that way now as it's harder to find the flavor he likes and the other stuff tastes even worse.
The guys Jim trained in OVW have been the backbone of the WWE for the last 15 years.
Great point! I always make that point too. Sometimes you have to be stubborn with people to earn the best outcomes. I’ve learned that lesson as a professor.
these were also guys recruited and signed by Jim Ross
But trained a lot of them
The proof is there. As disagreeable as Jim seems, you can't deny the results.
Plus Jim could take a bump and make it believable better than most today
It's pretty sad that everyone only remembers Lawler as a commentator. He was one of the greatest in ring workers of all time.
His commentary did make him relevant again though, and him and JR were the greatest play by play duo in the history of any sport in my opinion.
not sad at all
AAAWW ME TOO THAT'S VERY SAD 😢😭😭😭 NOT LOWLIFE
GREAT HEEL👏🏽
Still is
It's crazy how different his voice is when he's not "The King" on commentary.
When I think of Jerry Lawler, I think of him wrestling in Memphis.
@James you good, dude?
@James smoke some weed brother
Puppies
I think now you ll hear his Voice 🤣
This was the way he used to talk before Vince got a hold of him. Check out some of his work with David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, etc.
As a Ruthless Aggression era guy seeing The King not acting like a cartoon character is super surreal lol
Oh dude…you should pull up Memphis Wrestling classics, etc with Tommy Wildfire Rich, Bullet Bob, Austin Idol, etc…you’ll luv it!
WWE, takes wrestlers with a serious nature and kill their believability
Bruh... for real. I was 14 in 1997 when the Attitude Era really started to dominate wrestling and I can't believe how much he doesn't sound like Jerry "The King" Lawler in this interview
Most men don’t talk, laugh, and scream in falsetto 100% of the time. Haha.
Most of yall only know king from the attitude era of Raw. But lawler was actually even bigger and better known for his run in Memphis wrestling and the NWA territories throughout the 70s and 80s, that's when lawler was really huge and really became a wrestling icon.
He was actually a baby face more often than not and he was pretty much the face of Memphis wrestling. He only came to the WWF in 1992 as the heal jerry "the king" lawler. And was a part time wrestler and full time commentator for vince but was still a full time wrestler and the owner and top promoter of Memphis wrestling. I believe he only joined wwf as part of a deal he had with Vince McMahon for the Memphis territory to be a talent developmental promotion wich it was from the 90s on into just very recently.
Corny always praises Jerry whenever he can in his podcasts
I remember once jim said "I copied more stuff from Lawler than anyone else" lol. It would be cool to hear Lawler on Jim's podcast
I think Jim said the GOAT to him is either Jerry Lawler or Terry Funk.
@@alo4912 Lawler used to have a podcast and had Jim on there and was a real hilarious episode
@@alo4912 Jim was on Lawler’s “Dinner with the King” podcast, i think its called and Lawler literally laughed the entire time at everything Jim said. Flair did the same on WOOOOO Nation 😂😂😂😂
@@alo4912 Memphis wrestling is a lot influential than people give credit for.
Even modern day njpw's Gedo said that he copied a lot from Memphis style wrestling , from match styles to booking even the interviews.
I just saw Jerry yesterday at my local comic-con. It's 2021 and he hasn't aged a single day.
You’re messing, right?! 😅😅
@@chshaw87 for a guy with constant surgery, Jerry really does good for his age.
I was just thinking is this a really old,interview?
Well he doesn't drink
@@louis3141 it's amazing how bad alcohol is for you and how we ok that and poo poo other recreational drugs. I like alcohol for the record but your point stands which is not drinking does wonders for your health and appearance.
King has to know that Corny is his biggest fan.
Cornette is flair and lawlers biggest fan.
@@Giveme1goodreason and Terry Funk
@@snakeman6124 but never hulk hogan or Shawn Michaels.
@@Giveme1goodreason Of course not!!!!
@@Giveme1goodreason He respects both bc they are legends but he doesn’t like them
Cornette isn't wrong. A super kick or a pile driver used to be a match ender. Now you can give a guy a Canadian Destroyer off of the top of the building and they kick out at 2
Or cobo hall lmao 🤣
I hear ppl are using stunners no like they are body slams.. that’s just stupid
That's true. The DDT was also a great finisher, not anymore.
Like Cornette says you need to bring an AK-47 to the ring to beat someone
@@charliekk3377 wrong my man…That would be a 2 count
This was 2001 ! LOL Cornette hasn't budged on his position in 20 years !
I think Cornette saw the direction the business was going in 2001 and was trying to cut the decline in the bud before it got to the current state of every match going 30 minutes with everybody kicking out of everything.
I mean Jim wasn't wrong in his criticism there hasn't really been a breakout star that started after 2005.
And this video just proves he's right.
I stopped watching with any regularity in 2000. It had gotten terrible by then. Hasn't seemed to recover at all. Cornette talking shit about the modern product is better than the modern product.
Cornette was initially positive after WWE bought out it's competition. He thought from people's desire for the alternative a new territory-type era could be born out of the indies. Dint eventually take the direction he wanted to though
@@24magiccarrot Depending on what you mean by breakout star then there have been several but they got cut down at the knees for dumb reasons.
For any of you newer to wrestling people, check out Jerry Lawlers's matches from the 80's in Memphis wrestling. When he would make a come back, he would pull down his shoulder strap and throw up his fists like "ok Im done with this shit, now we gonna fight". He would start taking punches, selling each one less and less until the last one he would no sell. The crowd would go apeshit. Dude has one of the most real looking punches in the business.
The brief period where Lawler walked out of WWE was probably the realest we ever saw him.
Funny since the "modern" wrestling Lawler is talking about here isn't even modern wrestling anymore and, as much as Cornette didn't like the "modern" wrestling back then, it's still leaps and bounds better than what current "modern day" wrestling is.
Yeah this has to be early 2000s
It's as if everything is getting suckier and suckier as time goes along. That goes for all forms of entertainment and media. Nothing seems to be getting better and no one seems to be innovating. The best stuff is mostly lame rehashes of old stuff.
Damned if that's not the truth! Well said.
I listen to Cornetts podcast with brian last every day. I love his opinions on the business and modern wrestling and I love to hear his stories about the old days in the business, he often mentions Lawler and the memphis territory.
Its nothing unordinary about seeing lawler speak in a calm voice, I've watched jerry all my life growing up and I have watched a lot of his old stuff from the 70s and 80s just because my dad was a wrestling fan as a kid and my dad turned me on to all the old classic Memphis wrestling stuff and guys like jerry the king lawler and super star bill dundee and ricky mortin and Terry funk and even further back to Jackie Fargo and his crazy brother rough house Fargo, jim cornett started his career down in Memphis. And there was the mouth of the south Jimmy Hart, the macho man randy savage came through Memphis and had a feud with Lawler back in the day before he made it to the wwf, hulk hogan started in memphis omg I could go on and on and on.
It's all a matter of opinion. Old fart fans from 30 years ago will always prefer the 'glory days' more than anything currently happening. They are stuck in the past,and will automatically hate on anything they can't relate to
Hated the King like I was supposed too. Listening to Jim's show showed me how important the King was to the glory days of my youth in the 80s and 90s.
Lawler’s contributions are well documented….I guess you missed out on that era
70s
Lawlers prime was the 70s with Kaufman.
Check out the Lettermen interview.
i miss the days of memphis/uswa when him and jeff jarret had to beat the hell outta each other every month or two ......
@@Spoeism He was a good heel color man opposite good guy play by play JR.
Honestly his mid 90s sporadic heel runs were great as well, some of the hardest hitting promos of the early Attitude era. I 'd bet Peacock probably censored the Goldust one.
Man if you thought Jim didn’t like wrestling in 2001, wait till you get to 2021!
Actually now that he's watching regularly once again, he's finding some positives in the products compared to labelling the whole thing as waste like 4-5 years ago
@@4zafinc Yes but still admits on a constant basis that he only watches it coz he gets paid to do so. Otherwise he wouldn't watch it at all. He's still no where near liking wrestling.
@@tarnyshd__dash__4850 For a guy who came into wrestling in the early 80s I truly wonder what era he is ever talking about other than his own childhood.
His opinions are relevant to his fellow whiners lol
Someone send this interview to the Drive Thru so that Corny can talk about it.
Corny already has…like a few years ago
Do you know which one
@@rottenrose121 episode 57 of drive thru
don't think corny could disagree with anything the king said right?
Lawler didn’t say anything that most have noted over the years
For better or worse, Corny knew how to deal with high maintenance individuals, and gain their respect - thats why he achieved relative success in the business. I envy that trait, and thats the most positive thing i can say about him.
Cornette is insane 😂
Which high maintenance wrestlers???
@@Oh_I_Will HBK, Bret, Taker, fucking New Jack. Cornette was the one who created and worked with some of the biggest wrestlers in the history of the business. He also kept Russo under control.
Jimbob is overrated. Never did anything and couldn't even take a bump properly.
@@ChristopherJames1993 pfft lmao kept under control? Dream on, Russo was more successful than Jimbob
Jerry Lawler has looked 45 years old for 45 years. God Bless him!
Him and Arn Anderson
Right but his wives never hit 30
I would say that Jim cornette knows more about wrestling than anyone else living today.
He might. Especially with his obsessive record keeping of every place he went
Corny isn't the only one who doesn't like the current state of professional wrestling.
THIS! IWC drones really think that Cornette is the only one who hates modern wrestling in general, and they actually propagate online that he started that mentality. So the main reason why millions of fans turned off wrestling forever in their lives is because they listened once to Cornette and agreed with him, right? lol
Can i get an AMEN?!
Wrestling today is terrible but Jim didn’t even like the Attitude Era (the era where WWE saw it’s highest numbers)😂. Like Vince Russo said his mind is stuck in 1975😂
@@DADON99 to be fair, that 1975 mindset has lead to some of the biggest stars being created by Cornette. Cena, Orton, Lesnar and Batista.
@@jamirimaj6880 Uhhhh guys this was back during the Attitude era. Corny went to OVW in 99...now I doubt he cared about SCSA being crucified so that means he either hated SCSA, Mankind winning, HHH winning, or the Rock finally going face.
jerry's real speaking voice is super soothing.....wow.
He has really aged well.
@Ryan Wilson He looks pretty much the same with a bit more paunch and a bit less hair. And a different 20-something year old girlfriend.
Yeah, this was almost 20 years ago. He's still aged well though for a wrestler.
Yeah Corny can be a douche sometimes, but he's just so damn entertaining to listen to and even though I don't always agree with him, if you're a fan of the business you can't help but respect him. I actually think he doesn't hate modern wrestling as much as he used to. His rants are his gimmick now and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yeah, Cornette just wants bookings and wrestling matches that makes sense. I mean the dude adores the likes of MJF, Darby, and Reigns, and I can see why.
@@35PHaaton yea! He always puts stuff that he likes in modern wrestling over! They just don’t give him a lot to put over most of the time!
Between his on-air racism, wishing death on wrestlers, awful comments about female wrestlers getting pregnant and him pressuring wrestlers to have sex with his wife, I find you can quite easily not respect him.
@@35PHaaton don't forget cm punk, Jim Cornette enjoys the heck out of cm punk's work.
Those things are hater pushed propaganda without context. None of it is the way its been made to sound.
Im a fan of old school wrestling also. I still enjoy the current wrestling also it really is different. When I go back and watch wrestling even in the mid 1990s it is way different. I was a WCW fan when the wars happened and I enjoyed WCW because they really focused on the wrestling matches and made them feel like a huge sporting event. That’s what I like. I like it when wrestling is about what’s in the ring. That’s why I really enjoy AEW.
Great choices
I think one thing that people don't talk about when it comes to critiques of modern wrestling psychology, is how how wrestling always runs parallel to our current cultural ideas of what a staged fight looks like. In the 70s and 80s you had action movies and boxing. Those were the two main sources for seeing combat on screen. So imo, it would make sense back then for wrestlers to emulate a fighting style that reflects those things. I think that's why offenses were a little slower by comparison. A lot more focuses on punches than kicks. A lot more big strong guys doing power moves. Cause that's what Arnold or Stallone would have been doing at the time on TV. Fast forward to now and you have anime, you have fighting games, you have MMA. So when younger wrestlers are coming up with their offense, even subconsciously, they are probably drawing more from Goku vs Vegeta or Ryu vs Ken, or McGregor vs Diaz than they are a more slower paced style of fighting if that makes sense. And I think if we track the evolution of combat on screen it probably runs parallel to the evolution of offense in wrestling.
3:40 The new guys being Brock, Orton, Cena, Benjamin and Batista
You know, the last of the Greats. Cena will be the last superstar. It ended with him and most likely before to be honest, but he was the last big house hold name in rasslin', it will never happen again. We don't live in a world where one or a couple people can hold the lime light of a certain area of performance like it used to be. Same with music, same with actors, the rockstar is dead, the action hero is dead, the comedian is dead and the wrestler is now dead as well
@@DrMurdercock Actor Anthony Mackie has said something similar in a interview. He said that with the rise of superhero movies in these times, there's no need for the big blockbuster action heros anymore. Iron Man, Black Panther and Wonder Woman are the attractions, not the stars who play them. I apply that same thought to pro-wrestling because with superheros and the MCU, they're the new larger-than-life stars. Watching their movies you get everything pro-wrestling is supposed to do, but better: comedy, action, drama, suspense, sci-fi, storytelling and big-fight battles. So the question is, what do I need pro-wrestling for when I can just go watch Marvel and DC movies?
@@tonware I have been coming to terms with the fact wrestling is dead. And been dead long before I came back. IT sucks but its true.
@@DrMurdercock I hear ya, I just feel like wrestling is moreso creatively bankrupt, as no one is really telling must-see stories or delivering a product thats never been done. Thats what really matters at the end of the day.
Jim is right. Modern wrestling pushed many of us away. There's more people now than there was 20 years ago, and less ppl watch wrestling now than they did
@Dave you do realize the bucks and omega along with Tony and Cody are saving wrestling right?
@@Hacksaw_HIM_Thuggin lol no
@@hermonymusofsparta lol yes
@@Hacksaw_HIM_Thuggin 🤣
If only I worshipped Cornette and no opinion. Maybe I’ll be accepted.
2001 - how time flies
I didn't realize until the end this was 2001 lol. King still looks that good that I figured it was recent
Oh!🤣
He still doesn’t look much older than that now, I see him all the time at a few spots I go to in Memphis. He’s always been super cool to me, I just keep it quick and try not to bother him. I’m like that with any public figure I meet
Same here!
Yeah, this was pre-plastic surgery Lawler, lol
He looks absolutely horrible now with all of the Botox and everything else he did to his face
@@furnitureconsortium that maybe on camera with makeup highlighting I but he doesn’t look crazy AT ALL in person. I’ve had a convo one on one looking right at him. I recognized him quick and he didn’t look that much older than when I’ve seen him on raw back in the day
Man, the guy takes care of himself... still looks good for his age. Good for him.
dude barely looks 60 and he's like 80. Amazing he's kept in such shape
If AEW has events in Memphis or Canada, it would be great for Jerry to guest commentary with J.R. on Dynamite or Rampage
Lawler should wrestle if AEW is in Memphis. Him against MJF would be fun.
@@MrStonecold71 nah…a legends match instead….v Tully Blanchard or someone else in that age bracket
@@Oh_I_Will Or Flair?
Aew is shit.
@@NintendoPsycho Cry more
The point Jerry made about the importance of young wrestlers learning how the business used to be is proven perfectly when you look at the talent that Jim helped train in OVW
Great interview. I unknowingly become part of the Cornett cult without realizing it lol. Good to hear others take on Cornette.
Being born in 82, I'd be really interested to hear those similar sounding interview/promos.
20 years later and its it still how Cornette is seen by others in their business, people say its a work but no
This makes me sad. Jim loves King & raves about him. King doesn't sound like a huge fan of his... Sounds like he just kind of likes him.
Well it sounds like Jim grew up idolizing King, King knew Jim as another guy in the business or a friend or however he feels but there is a difference in how each knew the other.
Why does Beck need to like me cos I like his music?
Doubt he's aware I exist
He sounds like he still considers him a huge mark just like how he met him lol
I think Corny is just fine with the fact the Lawler just kind of likes him.
This looks like a very old interview clip, the King doesn't look that good right now. This is prob late 90s or early 2000s with King talking about how Jim was pushed out of the wwf and didn't like the attitude Era stuff.
I love how you can here the Kings real southern accent. It’s great.
This was TWENTY YEARS AGO damn
Anyone notice King talks a lot with his eyes closed?
Cornette was one of the best heels ever.
Cornette made the midnight express great.
Cornette didn't look comfortable in the wwf.
Now Jerry knows the business was better before everyone got smart and the boys could work in multiple territories. Jerry never left Memphis but he didn’t have to. Good to be the king
I remember coming home from school or when i stayed home and at 4 pm I would watch Lawler wrap the chain around his fist. I forget what promotion it was but I also remember the lighting kid aka Sean waltman on there also
Wasn’t Memphis…
Cornette is right, wrestling was better during the territory days,
Two of the best promo guys The King and The Mama's Boy
I don't like how wrestling changed either. I miss 1980s and early 1990s wrestling
The reason I love and Respect Jim Cornette and he doesn’t always get it right,dont get me wrong….but he’s a guy who can stand on some principle in a business full of grifters. Jim has had his viewpoints since 1990 and when he got sick of it,he started his own company. Even today,he can talk shit on the business from a place of a comfort selling his burger towels,tshirts and action figures and do his podcasts and not reduce himself to being made a fool of for a check. A lot of old wrestlers will say anything to stay apart of the crumbling wrestling business but love him or hate him,Jim dont put his name on bullshit he dont believe in…i can respect that.
I grew up in Louisville, and spent many Tuesday nights at Louisville Gardens. I once even saw the Dream Machine break Jimmy Hart's cane over an audience member's arm. Lol!
Lawler has one of the most iconic voices of all time, I feel like he should have a star on the Walk of Fame
@Charming Billy yeah, lemme just do that real quick
Funny way back in 2001 Corney was already fed up with modern wrestling, lol.
he said he wasn't a fan of goofy 80s wwf
the calm way Jerry speaks here reminds me of his uswa days
Doesn’t sound anything like his USWA days…
@@Oh_I_Will he did talk in a relaxed calm tone a few times in uswa promos. the difference might have been Jerry would throw in some insult jokes at opponents
The hulk hogan of Memphis Yeah I said it lol
Cornett is a LEGEND 💎
Corny is king. We need historians like him to preserve the history of this once great sport/entertainment
No,this 'sport' has enough gatekeepers,we don't need another
Dont forget, this video is 22 years old
Lawyer!
Lawler!!!
L
@Jimmy John Call Stephen P. New.
Never would of guessed that's how he really talked.
Very good analysis of Cornette
People say JR is the best commentator ever, but Lawler was the standout of that duo IMO 👑
They played off each other beautifully! Like Monsoon and Heenan before them...or even Vince and Ventura.
This is twenty years old
Everyone loves jimmy that’s what wrestling is
He sounds so different while on commentary, he's like a different person here
Hes not being reminded by vince at gorilla to be a goof for the “Universe” 😒
UNDENIABLE ICONS!!
LAWLER & CORNETTE!!!
This took place about 3 months after the classic Cornette interview, and Jim was FAR more idealistic and rational than he is today.
Is the modern wrestling business rational? The reason Corny is so popular is because his podcasts are a haven for everyone that can say, "I used to watch wrestling but I don't anymore." He's not crazy, there are tons of wrestling fans from the 90s and prior that just can't watch the garbage they put out today.
Lawler, Cornette and Ross. Legends in the game.
I wouldn’t include Ross in that mix…but yea…King and Corny…no doubt
@@Oh_I_Will why not Jim Ross? If nothing else growing up hearing his voice on commentary then now on AEW it's a bit comforting I've got to say
Wrestling wouldn't exist without Jerry and corny
Heel King… was the greatest. Jerry was a great heel commentator 🙂✌️.
Wrestlers Not Submitted To The Sharpshooter Anymore
He was really good at kissing "my ass" imparticular. Sometimes he would kiss it too much.
I remember Jim showing up his racket saying his mother gave him the money to buy him a wrestler.
When Bill pushed his head in the cake I split a side laughing
Jim Cornette is absolutely correct on his assessment of current “wrestling”.
This interview is from 2001. He’s hated “current” wrestling for the last 25-30 years.
This is an old interview from the early 2000s, wait til Jim sees the state of wrestling now in 2021
King looks really good. He looks like he hadn't aged since the days of The Attitude Era.....
This is from the Attitude Era i believe, 2001.
Cornette is the genius of wrestling. The man is a trustworthy individual. AEW should consider jimmy for an executive position.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
He was right.... ,Wrestling hasn't't been good in two decades.....
Jim cornette got crazy memory. The king is right.
Jim cornette likes the old shool style of wrestling he loved it but wrestling evolves and he can’t get over it.
Well this new wrestling it’s involved into the last two yrs is not even fun to watch most of it. They need to learn how to make it look better that’s what Jim is always saying and he right.
@@jeffbrumbaugh5366 It's not even the last two years with AEW it's been like this in some places more so than others in a while especially with the viewing preferences of the younger fans over older ones. I don't know if he's right or not because how to make it look better sounds subjective in view but improvements can be made here or there whether it's in-ring technique or pacing, the use of production, or working a lot stiffer/lighter. I would rather have different variations in wrestling and different perspectives and open up the audience to all different kinds so the product doesn't get stale than have it all be too similar and safe.
Gymnastics
This is an olddd interview
This is old. I bought this shoot interview like 20 years ago. I would imagine Lawler and Cornette would both kill to have wrestling from the year 2,000 back over the crap they call wrestling now
No, because corny also hated most of the shit going on in 2000 as well. Sure, it wasn't as bad, but it was still fake as all hell
Yes but I meant if he looked back on that period I’m sure he would realize how much worse it’s gotten since then. I was struggling with a lot of things at that period as a fan. But now it has gotten to the point where I’m being insulted as a fan if I try to watch the crap that they pass off as wrestling these days. Not all wrestling but the National promotions
Jesus Christ. This man doesn't age.
Jerry is a great guy. He could take the credit, but he wasn't sure. It was Jarrett by the way. Watch 3 corny drive thru podcasts and I am sure 1 will mention it was Jarrett
Heard
Listened
this is SO misleading. Ive talked to 6 people who THOUGHT & BELIEVED this was Jerry talking about Jim, within the past few weeks, and not some interview from 20 YEARS AGO....How about EDITING the title to "2001: Jerry Lawler on Jim Cornette not liking modern wrestling and his mind for the business"
Cornette is right... Wrestling back in the day was a hundred times better than wrestling now.....
What happened with Jim leaving both TNA and ROH? Didn't he have high positions in those companies or was he an on-air personality?
In TNA he was an on screen commissioner, but also a producer/agent backstage, but he butted heads with Vince Russo too much. Jeff Jarrett, the guy who hired him, got sent home for dating Kurt Angle's wife behind his back and lying to owner Dixie Carter about it. Russo slowly got rid of all of Jarrett's original guys until only Cornette was left. Finally Russo got him fired and in walks Ed Ferrara just days later, his old lackey from WWF and WCW. As Lance Storm once said: Trading Jim Cornette for Ed Ferrara is like trading your house for a tent.
In Ring of Honor he was a co-booker with Hunter Johnston and producer/agent. He clashed with upper management in that company. He started out working for Kerry Silken, trying to save the company at his request, and Jim did, by getting it sold to a big TV conglomerate. But when they took over, their upper management clashed with Jim constantly by running the company on a shoe string budget and not caring about the talent to the point where Jim got frustrated by spending his own money to pay the talent at times and running shows by himself. He eventually threatened a member of management, Greg Gilligand, and got himself let go from there too.
Jim is a great trainer, manager, and mind in the wrestling business, but he doesn't always play well with others. As Jim himself once said about himself: "I don't burn bridges, I demolish them."
@@unr3alGaming I see thank you for this. Its a shame that Cornette can't seem to stay within a company because he does have a great mind for the business.
If Cornette didn't like the state of wrestling in 2001, boy.. listen to him now 🤣🤣
People like music from earlier eras compared to today too…that’s not the Music industry’s or Wrestling’s fault….that’s the Listeners and/or Wrestling Fans fault
@@Oh_I_Will yep.. they don't adapt to the changes of time.. it's stubbornness and ignorance imo
@@WrestlingFace Deciding to enjoy or not enjoy something has nothing to do with being stubborn or ignorant. Quite the opposite, really. If I were ignorant to what wrestling was, I might enjoy sports entertainment. But sports entertainment is nothing but a mockery of what pro wrestling is, or was. Enjoy it if you like, but almost every time I've tried to give it a chance in the last 21 years I can't do it. Thinking people have to keep liking something no matter what that thing presents them is embarrasingly ignorant.
@@feebypeels2883 It's extremely ignorant and stubborn to not adapt to change and not be willing to change your ways and get with the times. If you don't like something don't complain about it for 30 years. I'm a Cornette fan too but c'mon dude get out of his ass 😂 you can live in the past all you like, but don't be ignorant and complain about everything now just because you don't like it
@@WrestlingFace Did I even mention Cornette? No. You did.
You act like wrestling can never be terrible. Do you go along with everything new without any regard for the quality? Not trying to argue, I'm just curious because I don't understand that logic.
He didn't like it then, imagine hwo he feels now.
Jim does like modern wrestling? Especially if it's good. He doesn't like dangerous spectacle for the sake of spectacle. Especially when it ends up with people getting hurt.
But... that's what old school wresters did to other wrestlers all the time. Even he admits, "rarely" how abusive they where to local talent. Go watch the old squash matches from the 80s. You'll see what I mean. Jim essentially wears blinders in the business. And refuses to let go of a period in time. People who refuse to change will never be a success. You can say Jim has been but he's been fired from every where he worked. His podcast is the only reason he matters now. And the guy who works with him is a millionaire who came from money. He's the only reason Jims podcast is still around. Believe it or not his podcast isn't the most listened too. And according to podcast consumer tracking report no wrestling podcast hits top 50. Nor does one hit the top 100 with iheart radio.
@@lastwolflord oh he's done turkey. His last shot was the NWA and he fudged that with his African motorbike analogy. But the idea he doesn't like modern wrestling isn't correct. I think he just tends to like the European style (Walter/Balor/Bate/Dragunov/etc) than the new luchamerican style you see commonly in AEW. I love a Fenix match as much as anyone but when he nearly killed himself for a ring dive on free TV I agreed it was too much.
This video is at least 20 years old. Lawler can't look this young.
His real voice always throws me
jerry lawler is incredible here, i hate his personality on raw
As a WWE Attitude Era/Ruthless Aggression Mark (I stopped watching Smackdown & Raw after WWE went PG in around 08/09)
This is the first time ever I’m watching Jerry in a shoot interview
Modern wrestling is like a Universal Studio stunt show... all production and stunts, almost no story, bad scripts and don't care about the illusion.
90s to 2000s An action movie, you know it isn't real, but it is still a bit more grounded in reality but with more fun and interesting storylines and characters
80s wrestling: Cartoon characters making basic stories and stunts. Popular but shallow.
Old School wrestling: Steinbeck novel
Only crappy wrestling in the 80’s was WWF….don’t lump the NWA and territory’s into Vince’s sheet sandwich
So being a photographer gets you in the business. **Noted**
Paul Heyman got into the business as a photographer, as well.
Jim was absolutely correct. Today's Wrestlers don't hold a Candle to the Great Wrestlers of the Past.
How old is this interview? Lol
Older than Lawler's love interests. I think it was filmed in 2008.
@@RyanPelley1 can you say mr tinkertrain
January 2001
"Let's talk about Jim Cornette......what're your thoughts about Jim Cornette?" HARD HITTING JOURNALISM
This is from 2001, i would like to hear his opinion now?
Jerry is talking about wrestling in 2001... Today Corny would say that 2001 was great compared to today
Everybody hates on Jim Cornette but look at the names he had when he was running ovw and just to name a few which are Bobby lashley, randy Orton, John cena, Batista, Mickey James, Brock Lesnar, and the list goes on and on until wwe started fcw then that turned in to nxt
Cornette does like modern wrestling. Modern wrestling isn't cinematic matches; goofy comedy; and stunts with obvious cooperation. It's what NXT and ROH are doing.
Again it's all a matter of opinion. You can like what you like,just don't state it as fact
Yea, fast forward 20 years later and nothing much has changed. Except from the “cartoon era” of the WWF we have the gymnastics display of today. Cornette, I would think, hates today more than the then, WWF.
I think Cornette saw the direction wrestling was headed at the time of this interview. The cosplay era that we have now didn't just happen overnight, it was a slow deterioration of booking and training Corny just saw where things were headed 20 years before everyone else.
In a shoot he did when he still ran OVW Cornette likened the kind of wrestling he liked and the WWE style as different flavors of ice cream. They could have what they liked as long as he could have what he liked. Don't think he feels that way now as it's harder to find the flavor he likes and the other stuff tastes even worse.
I don't like it either. Everyone has an opinion.
Let me guess…you hate today’s music too….you sound like my Parents growing up who hated everythyg from my era