First off, RIP Terry Funk, RIP Bray, and RIP Sheik. The passing of Bray is especially sad and perplexing. Maybe it had nothing to do with wrestling or the business (doubtful), but either way another eery example of wrestlers who died way too young.
On a lighter note, does anyone here listen to Jim Cornette?
I was always somewhat of a wrestling purist myself. Total Bret Hart mark. Forever longing for late 80's - 90s wrestling. Couldn't tolerate anything about WWE after around 2003/2004 when Cena became prominent, all the way up until the Shield arrived and I started casually following along again, although still not enough to call myself a fan anymore.
Around this time I also began to take interest in some of the indy stuff I would see on youtube. Thought Omega was dope when he was the guy in Japan. Became familiar with guys like the Bucks and a few others. Then AEW became a thing, and before it got off the ground, I was incredibly hyped. All Out was sick, and I was officially on the Cody bandwagon. I thought Jericho jumping ship was huge, and that AEW had a real shot at something special and could be the thing that revives pro wrestling.
But as it went along, in the early going, there was something unsettling about the product. The presentation and the wrestling itself was off, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Just figured they had a collection of minor kinks to work out as a brand new company. And then Cornette's show started catching fire, and I started listening, and not only is it one of the funniest shows on the entire internet, but the analysis is so spot on, Jim's love and passion for wrestling is so immense, his knowledge and ability to tell stories from yesteryear is second to none..... and then there's his disdain for AEW.
Again, this is one of the funniest bits you're going to find on the internet if you a) like wrestling and b) are not a butt hurt AEW apologist. The way he rips into them in such a consistent manner is so cynical and intense, yet I can't help but agree with him on everything. It made me realize what a sham it all turned out to be, and I appreciate Jim's way of succinctly breaking down why their sh*t doesn't make sense, what they do wrong from booking and story telling to in-ring performance and technique, how they should have and could have done things differently, and how the product compares to the old days when wrestling was done right.
Jim is such a wordsmith, and does an incredible job analyzing what's wrong with the wrestling business as a whole (WWE included), and also gives credit where it's due and when it's due, so it's not all hate.
This is one of his newer clips, commenting on the backstage dust up between Punk and Jungle Boy. Had me rolling.
RIP mags
