Cornette Given Leave of Absence by WWE

[Guest Desperate Housewife]

Apologies.

 

 

Everyone else seems to bash the WWE blindly, despite it being, you know, entertaining, great to watch, that sorta thing

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Everyone else seems to bash the WWE blindly, despite it being, you know, entertaining, great to watch, that sorta thing

There is a trend to overlook the good things WWE have done, but it's not without its faults, and they're usually great big ones.

[Guest Desperate Housewife]

It depends on your definition of "Bad Idea".

 

People here seem to equate "Person X" getting pushed/not getting pushed as the worst thing to happen to the WWE, ever,

[Guest slmon]

Honestly, I don't know much about Cornette. But most of the stuff I saw about him on the net I don't care for. He strikes me as way too old-fashioned. For example, didn't Cornette not recognize a potential star when he had one in Carlito Colon? From what I've heard, Carlito was barely used in OVW. Seems Cornette couldn't see that Carlito could be a hit with appeal to urban and ethnic viewers of WWE, specifically the UPN audience of SD!

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Honestly, I don't know much about Cornette. But most of the stuff I saw about him on the net I don't care for. He strikes me as way too old-fashioned. For example, didn't Cornette not recognize a potential star when he had one in Carlito Colon? From what I've heard, Carlito was barely used in OVW. Seems Cornette couldn't see that Carlito could be a hit with appeal to urban and ethic viewers of WWE, specifically the UPN audience of SD!

Like anyone, Cornette has had his hits and misses, but he's had more hits, both in terms of seeing potential stars and knowing when not to put certain people on TV. He knew enough that Sylvan Grenier and Nathan Jones were kept off of OVW TV, and given how well each man worked in WWE, it's easy to see he made the right call. Cornette is old-fashioned in some ways, and it can be a negative at times. But he also has without a doubt one of the finest wrestling minds.

 

As for Carlito not being used much in OVW, while that does seem weird now, given how over Carlito is, when he was in OVW, Carlito was not ready for prime time, in terms of work or mic skills, and having seen him in action in OVW I can testify to that being accurate. Carlito was one of those who happened to pick things up enough that he doesn't seem out of place in WWE, but he's the exception and not the rule.

[Promoter 0]

You guys should know by now that Vince wants his storylines and characters to be his creation to get all the credit. If not completely re-tooled then he twists in his vision.

[Guest slmon]

"Carlito was one of those who happened to pick things up enough that he doesn't seem out of place in WWE, but he's the exception and not the rule."

 

God - I appreciate your take. (BtW, I presumed that Carlito came to the US already with his mic skills, etc. having worked (I guess) in many capacities in his father's wrestling federation in Puerto Rico). "Weird" is definitely one word for Carlito not playing a big role in OVW. As a Carlito mark, "scary" is another. To think that this guy might never have emerged because of an old-fashioned POV bugs me. Who else with star potential might also be being buried now due to Cornette's "Southern" (read "outdated" style)? And "weird" definitely describes a situation in which a guy is buried in the minors only to be cast into a starring role almost immediately upon hitting the majors! WWE Creative got it right in this one instance, thank God (the other God, that is). *g*

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Did you actually watch Carlito in OVW at all ?

[claydude14 0]

Many are blaming Kevin Fertig (Mordecai) for Jim Cornette's latest outburst, an outburst that was seen as the final straw in what led WWE to give him a 4-6 week leave of absence.

 

Fertig and Daniel Puder teamed up against Kendo Suzuki and El Diablo at the OVW TV taping last Wednesday in a match mainly designed to give Suzuki and Puder some work before a live audience.

 

During the match, Fertig came to the ring with a baseball cap on backwards and basically goofed off during the bout, not taking it seriously. Jim Cornette, who is very old school and traditional, sent word to the ring that he needs to stop his antics. Instead of stopping, Fertig took a fan's sombrero and continued his behavior. Upon his return to the back, Cornette ripped into Fertig with a very colorful promo. The outburst looks to have been the final incident that led to Cornette getting taken off the OVW team for the time being.

 

Fertig has grown very unpopular in some circles. While he is talented, he is said to be taking a lot of shortcuts and very concerned with "popping the boys" rather than improving. Fertig also has a civil case coming up due to beating up a guy at a Louisville bar awhile back.

 

Some feel that Cornette will eventually be fired since John Laurinaitis is interested in getting rid of the "old school" guys and replacing them with young guys that are loyal to him. Jim Ross apparently prevented Cornette from being fired and reduced his punishment to a 4-6 week leave of absence.

 

Tommy Dreamer will be handling most of Cornette's OVW responsibilities for now.

 

Credit: PWInsider.com

 

Fucking Mordecai. This Johnny Ace wanting young loyal guys is pretty scary. Dudes been a dick as President of Talent or whatever he is.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

John Laurinaitis really knows how to win friends and influence people. Get back on your skateboard John, and skate the hell out of town.

[Guest JericholicEdgeHead]

Jim Cornette IS OVW..he is the guy who ran the show...if they get rid of him I bet OVW will be shut down before the end of the year.

 

I had a feeling John Laurinaitis was involved with all of this. Vince and Steph are completely clueless if they let this guy continue is schemes.

 

Cornette lives and breaths pro wrestling and it's a shame he is seemingly being pushed out due to being "old school". Cornette is a MUCH bigger asset to WWE than Laurinaitis and most of the other "yes men". I really wonder if WWE will be around long once Vince is gone.

[Zack Malibu 0]

Funny how in the Observer recently, it said that Fertig was paranoid about all the releases lately, knowing he's not too popular and could be on the bubble. Now it seems he's going out of his way to piss people off.

 

Regarding Johnny Ace, this guy is doing himself no favors when it comes to being held in a high regard by fans or talent. Ironic that he played perhaps the biggest heel to date for OVW, and now truly is one.

 

Cornette, while maybe he got a little colorful in his reprimand, was not out of line for scolding Fertig, yet much like the Hardy situation, it seems that Ace is looking for each and every excuse to vent his dislike/frustrations with someone.

[Guest Heppyhack]

Right. So a worker doesn't do as he's told by his boss, despite multiple warnings, and when he gets rightly told off about it, the boss gets suspended? The wacky wacky world of WWE employer relations just keeps on rolling, doesn't it?

 

Johnny Ace seems to have a wonderful knack for annoying just about everyone in the company, doesn't he? Still, it's not like Cornette wouldn't have options. I wonder if there's any other nationally televised wrestling promotions currently looking for a talented booker...

[BUTT 0]

During the match, Fertig came to the ring with a baseball cap on backwards and basically goofed off during the bout, not taking it seriously. Jim Cornette, who is very old school and traditional, sent word to the ring that he needs to stop his antics. Instead of stopping, Fertig took a fan's sombrero and continued his behavior.

What a retard.

[BUTT 0]

You know, I can understand how WWE could benefit from using some of Cornette's ideas, but for those who say stuff like "How can they explain two hated rivals suddenly becoming 'brothers'?", WWE really doesn't have a responsibility to follow OVW's gimmicks and storylines. For all intents and purposes, they are two different promotions. But it is dumb to play against a wrestler's strengths, or have a guy spend months developing a style or character only to have it changed when they get to WWE. Perhaps the WWE creative team and Cornette could work together to develop these guys so that they can work on the things that they will actually be doing in WWE. Pipe dream, I know, but it wouldn't hurt.

[King Cucaracha 0]

During the match, Fertig came to the ring with a baseball cap on backwards and basically goofed off during the bout, not taking it seriously. Jim Cornette, who is very old school and traditional, sent word to the ring that he needs to stop his antics. Instead of stopping, Fertig took a fan's sombrero and continued his behavior.

What a retard.

Fertig the goofy retard?

 

I don't think anyone on this board could have predicted that...

[The Decemberists 0]

But I thought Vince or Johnny Ace or whoever COULD NOT FIRE him because they do not own or run OVW?

 

If that's changed then could someone tell me, because I know that as of Cornette's 2003 shoot interview that was the case, although obviously that's a few years ago.

[Zack Malibu 0]

You know, I can understand how WWE could benefit from using some of Cornette's ideas

I can some up the best use of Cornette's ideas for WWE in one simple sentence.

 

Book a strong tag division.

 

This guy has booked his teams and his tag titles so strong in OVW that I dare say they mean more than most of the championships on the main roster. MNM, Heartbreakers, Thrillseekers (although rumor is that Johnny Jeter doesn't want to be typecast as a tag guy), Seth Skyfire and Mac Johnson, and earlier on with the Disciples of Synn, The Troubleshooters and the Jersey Shore Crew. Those are more full fledged tag teams than the main roster has had in some time.

 

As for following OVW storylines, no, they do not have to do that. OVW booking is so old school and Southern the majority of the time anyhow that it'd be foolish for WWE to book those same angles because it goes against everything they've presented in the past. Still, some continuity and focus on what you've got going on in developmental would be nice. There is no excuse for having a guy work babyface and then shift gears, tell him he's turning heel, and call him up 2 weeks later. There is also no excuse to not listen to the concerns of the man in charge of developmental, which is something they have done numerous times when Cornette was vocal about people not being ready, only to see them pulled anyways.

[Guest JMA]

I guess Ace is still mad about Cornette turning on the Dynamic Dudes.

[Guest nokia]

A classic Cornette promo from a ROH show;

 

(Cutting a promo on Bobby "The Brain" Heenan)

 

"Vince Couldn't kill you

Wcw couldn't kill you

Hell...Cancer couldn't kill you

But god..I'll give it a try"

 

Or something like that

 

Jim will be missed by the loyal ovw followers..

[Zack Malibu 0]

A classic Cornette promo from a ROH show;

 

(Cutting a promo on Bobby "The Brain" Heenan)

 

"Vince Couldn't kill you

Wcw couldn't kill you

Hell...Cancer couldn't kill you

But god..I'll give it a try"

 

Or something like that

 

Jim will be missed by the loyal ovw followers..

Uh, he didn't get fired or die, so I really can't say he'll be "missed". It's not like he's no longer around anymore. It's a temporary thing.

[Guest FromBeyondTheGrave]

During the match, Fertig came to the ring with a baseball cap on backwards and basically goofed off during the bout, not taking it seriously. Jim Cornette, who is very old school and traditional, sent word to the ring that he needs to stop his antics. Instead of stopping, Fertig took a fan's sombrero and continued his behavior.

Fertig is so awesome.

[Guest MideonMark]

This is taken from Wrestling365 newsletter which I know isn't exactly Dave Meltzer but anyway heres more on the situation-

 

There was a company memo circulated on 5/6 stating that Cornette would

be on leave until 6/15 to avoid burnout. This follows two recent

incidents that made Cornette blow up backstage, in typical Cornette

fashion, that led to some of the wrestlers complaining to WWE officials

about him. The first incident was at the 4/27 tapings with The Dudleyz

who were sent to Louisville to specifically train and scout tag teams.

They wanted to work that night so Cornette booked a dark match teaming

them with The Heart Throbs against MNM & The Blonde Bombers (Tank & Chad

Toland) with Jillian Hall as manager, who recently got her WWE call up.

The first thing you have to bare in mind with Cornette is that he has

strong opinions on how wrestling should be presented. He believes in the

philosophy that if a wrestler is hurt in a match or angle they shouldn't

come back the next week like nothing has ever happened. He also doesn't

like the OVW wrestlers doing risky spots such as flying off the top

rope, balcony's and so forth. Cornette told Bubba Dudley they could work

out the match how they saw fit but wanted The Bombers put over because

they were his tag champions. The match went to according to plan but

afterwards, to pop the crowd, Bubba power bombed Jillian Hall off the

top rope through a table. At this point Cornette started flipping out

going nuts backstage because he had booked an angle for Hall to be

suspended the week after and didn't want her injured because she could

show up on WWE TV at any time. This ties into his philosophy regardless

of whether it was a dark match in front of 100 fans or 10,000 fans.

After this went down Cornette left the building and wouldn't speak to

anybody. Bubba apologised to him the next day but Cornette was still

fuming and had to change his booking plans.

[Celtic Jobber 0]

WWE suspended Cornette because of Bubba Ray Dudley's bitching...

 

Taken from this week's Figure 4 Weekly (courtesy of Death Valley Driver forum):

 

Then came The Big One. It involved a dark match between the Dudleys and the Tolands (the current OVW Southern Tag Team Champions), managed by Jillian Hall, who Cornette had written weeks of storylines around despite the fact that she will also likely be called up soon (she’s the one that got breast implants and a total make-over to appear more beautiful for WWE, and their idea is to give her a huge unsightly mole a la Austin Powers). The Dudleys agreed to do the job, so Cornette told Bubba Ray they could come up with something afterwards to send the folks home happy.

 

Bubba, who learned much of whatever it is that he knows working in ECW, decided that they would superbomb Jillian off the top rope straight to hell through a table afterwards. Even though this happened off TV, Cornette’s deal is that the people whose intelligence you do not insult are the hardcore paying fans who come to TV every week (well, TV is free, but you get the point). Therefore, he figured there was no way they could use Jillian a week after this happened and he felt forced to scrap all those plans as well. He was, as you can imagine, outraged. He left the tapings without saying anything to anyone, and at some point later on ended up cutting a profanity-laced promo on Bubba, asking him why he would superbomb a 125-pound woman through a table when there were plans to use her the next several weeks on TV. Bubba did not understand why this was such a big deal and was greatly embarrassed to be chewed out in front of a bunch of rookies. It should be noted that there are people who have blamed both Bubba and Cornette for being unprofessional in the situation.

 

Bubba ended up complaining about the deal to John Lauranitis, saying he wasn’t going to go back to OVW if Cornette was there, and the decision was made to give Cornette a “five-week leave of absence”. You read that right, there was a situation with Bubba Ray Dudley and Jim Cornette in Ohio Valley Wrestling and the decision was made to remove Cornette.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Bubba is one heck of a baby. If I'm getting paid a downside of $250,000 a year and I'm still in the middle of a long ass holiday, Cornette can shout and yell at me all day if he wants to.

[Carnival 0]

Stupid move on Bubba's part. Cornette had the right to be upset. But we don't know to what extent he chewed him out.

 

But still chill with the ego bubba.

 

that Hall girl should no sell the powerbomb, and just say that the dudley's are weak.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I don't care if Cornette called him a cumsucking gutterslut. Problems between talent should be sorted between the talent, with mangement only being involved as a last possible resort. Unless Cornette came at Bubba with a .45 Magnum, Bubba should just have gone to Cornette in private and sorted it out like that. By moaning to Lauranitis, he showed himself to be a total pussy.

[Vyce 0]

Is that a shock? That Bubba's a pussy? The guy's a total asshole.

 

What we should really be up in arms about is the fact that when given the choice between standing up for Cornette, who has been a long-suffering employee who has helped build and prepare at least a dozen (or more) of their current WWE superstars, or Bubba, a guy so stale and boring they have to keep him off television for the time being......they chose Bubba. You should all be outraged.

[Scroby 0]

Wait, did the darkmatch happen at a OVW show or at a Smackdown show?

 

If it was a OVW show I would understand why Cornette would be upset but I wouldn't understand why Cornette would be upset if it had happen at a Smackdown dark match.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

It happened in OVW, but that doesn't really matter, because Bubba would still be a pussy for crying to management.