Why Jim Cornette Should Manage FTR In AEW

Okay, before the All Elite fans throw virtual rocks at me on social media or Jim Cornette threatens to boil me in oil, hear me out on this.

With The Revival’s recent debut for All Elite Wrestling and their even more recent appearance on Jim Cornette’s podcast, the circumstances that would see the Louisville Slugger return to ringside went from being merely hypothetical to theoretically possible. The racket-wielding manager went as far as to playfully joke about what it would take to get him in the corner of FTR in an AEW ring. Granted, I’ve written before that the former leader of Smokey Mountain Wrestling went too far with certain comments at specific times, but I also mentioned that he’s one of the brightest minds of the industry. As I’ve said several times in the past, I’m more disappointed than anything that someone that could or should be a valuable resource to the professional wrestling industry made himself more or less unemployable to every major company of the modern era.

That being said, I doubt the leader of the Midnight Express loses any sleep over it because he made good money in his heyday, and his podcast has a cult following that allows him to make good money through merchandise on his website, as he often talks about the painstaking process of packing hundreds of orders to have to wheel off to this local post office.

Personally, I find his routine rather tiresome at this point because if there’s a Youtube clip about AEW, you already know that his comments will be negative, and I think in some ways, despite his commitment to review their shows, he goes into it with a confirmation bias. Obviously, professional wrestling is subjective, but regardless of if an AEW match is almost unanimously praised, Cornette finds a negative spin on it. To be fair, some of that could be him playing to his base because those that invest in the Cornette business with his stellar offerings on historical aspects of the sport expect that to be his reaction. On the flip side, when it comes to the history of the industry, his insight is brilliant. Also, he actually does make some valid points about All Elite Wrestling, but tends to muddy his own argument when he goes to such extremes.

While I completely believe that Cornette legitimate doesn’t like any of The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega etc. type of matches, I sincerely doubt he actually wants to see them boiled in oil or any other of the colorful comments of torture he uses on his podcast. Make no mistake about it, the former kingpin of OVW has his critics and he has earned them with some of his more outlandish claims on the state of modern professional wrestling, but that’s what could make this work more than anything.

For those that say it’s impossible for All Elite Wrestling and Jim Cornette to do business together, the cliche of never say never in the wrestling business still applies because there are modern examples to prove it. Bret Hart left under the most hostile circumstances possible and he eventually returned to WWE. Jeff Jarrett held up Vince for more cash to drop the IC title in 1999 and was fired on live TV a few years later, but is currently employed there as a producer. Sable, Brock Lesnar, Ultimate Warrior etc. all left on negative terms and eventually made their way back. The reason they did it is really the only reason to be in business and that’s because it can draw money. Yes, I understand that we’re talking about AEW, and I’ve used several examples from Vince McMahon, but like it or not, he’s the most successful wrestling promoter in the history of the sport. A major reason for that is because one way or another, Vince can put personal difference aside to generate the cash. I’m just speculating here, but with as many lessons as WCW and TNA provided about what not to do, maybe they can pick up a few from Vince on some of the successful strategies.

Can you imagine the heat and the buzz if Jim Cornette showed up to whack The Young Bucks with the racket, assisting the Revival to get the victory? At a time when professional wrestling is so over-exposed and everyone believes they know where the line of reality and entertainment is, it would certainly be an easy sell if Cornette got on the mic to express his disdain for The Bucks. It would be one of the few angles of the past decade that had any legitimate heat behind it. In some respects, the pairing of Cornette with FTR is too good to pass up, especially because of the visceral reaction a live AEW crowd would give the legendary manager.

I’m sure diehard fans on both sides of this debate already stopped reading this article a few paragraphs ago, but if you’re still following along, the concept of Cornette in enemy territory isn’t exactly breaking new ground. One of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport was when Cornette showed up in the ECW Arena because fans knew he was legitimately sour on the product and that aspect of reality added to the shock value. If he can take $750 and a trip to Morton’s steakhouse from Paul Heyman to do a run-in at a dingy bingo hall, the chance to work with a team he expressed interest in managing in the past to make a few appearances for a billionaire is a decent option.

Granted, he might have a concern of sacrificing his credibility with his fan base, especially because he makes a decent living without having to leave his house, but basically all he has to do to tell that audience that he’s only expressing his real-life thoughts on the product while getting the chance to work with FTR. He’s not a sellout, he’s simply moving his message to a bigger platform. If this somehow happens, it’s a win-win for everyone involved because Cornette gets another payday from TV and more buzz for his online projects, and it undoubtedly puts a spotlight on AEW as well as FTR. This is a chance for All Elite to do something the WWE hasn’t been able to do in recent years, regardless of the dozens of writers on the creative team, give the audience an angle that they can be emotionally invested toward and aren’t sure how much of it is actually entertainment.

All that being said, I understand that all of this is moot because there’s probably a better chance that Sunny will find a way to avoid jail again before Cornette inks a contract with Tony Khan. But, wouldn’t it be an incredible angle? To clarify, while I don’t agree with some of the things Cornette has said and wrote an article about it in the past, he was very polite during an e mail correspondence about The Big Bossman about two years ago. I also had a chance to meet The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody among others at an ROH show in Pittsburgh in October of 2017 and they were all very polite. All Elite Wrestling isn’t perfect, but I enjoy a lot of the product and I really hope they can be successful because we’ve already seen the impact the organization had on the industry. Plus, FTR is such a talented team, and despite Cornette’s criticism, The Bucks are a great team too. Sure, it won’t happen, but wouldn’t it be a great angle for the company.


Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
