During episode 370 of The Jim Cornette Experience, legendary manager Jim Cornette referred to AEW’s Jon Moxley as “a balding plumber from Cincinnati” in response to Wrestling Observer naming the former WWE Champion as the 2020 ‘Wrestler of the Year’.
Speaking with co-host Brian Last, Cornette discussed his disdain for many of the recipients featured in the 2020 Wrestling Observer Awards – including Tony Khan as ‘Best Booker’ and Jon Moxley as ‘Wrestler of the Year’.
Responding to the revelation from Last that Moxley had won the prestigious award -named after wrestling legends Ric Flair and Lou Thesz – Cornette was quick to react.
“Oh, bulls***…”
Following his immediate display of disappointment and dissatisfaction, Cornette would continue pointing out the name sakes of the award and how, in his opinion, Moxley does not align with the skill set and values of either performer.
“So an award named after Lou Thesz and Ric Flair goes to a balding plumber from Cincinnati that looks nothing like, or works nothing like or has no reputation, anything like Lou Thesz or Ric Flair”
This is not the first time Cornette has expressed a dislike for the former AEW World Champion. Cornette has been very outspoken regarding his belief that Moxley is not a main event talent and criticising Moxley’s signature hardcore style referring to it as “stupid s***” in January this year.
Cornette and Last would recap many of the award’s previous winners over the last two/three decades focusing on such names as Ric Flair, Vader, Misawa and Steve Austin, with Cornette even making a light-hearted remark about Meltzer’s love of Japan:
“Well at least we came back to America, remember what I said about…I said in the nineties they went to ECW, Smokey Mountain and Japan.
Last would defend Meltzer’s selection of All Japan talent during the nineties referring to them as “fantastic”, a remark that Cornette himself did not dispute instead commenting:
“The point is um…and Jon Moxley fits in with that!?
Recently on various episodes of both The Jim Cornette Experience and Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru, the 12-time Wrestling Observer ‘Manager of the Year’ has slammed AEW for their decision to advertise and produce the ‘Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch’ at the upcoming AEW: Revolution PPV.
“So we’re gonna see another garbage match where they’re gonna take all kinds of bumps and do all kinds of stupid s**t with barbed wire…They’re gonna take chances on legitimately injuring themselves. They’re probably gonna get cut up for real. For a match that had a phony build-up, that nobody believes, that just makes them look more goofy and outlaw. Like they’re one of these hardcore death match promotions… Instead of something that you could legitimately respect as an endeavour that’s being placed on national television. And it just buries the wrestling business again.”
“It’s gonna be ridiculous. And these things never work. They can’t put this television f*****g programme together flawlessly from an editing standpoint just formatting the f*****g thing. How do you think they are gonna do at advanced special effects?!…It’s stupid, it never works, it just looks low rent and cheap and sideshow-ish…I have high expectations that this is gonna be a technical fiasco and another outlaw garbage match between two f*****g guys that don’t know how to work.”
Recently – speaking with Gary Cassidy of Inside The Ropes -Jon Moxley recently responded to critics such as Jim Cornette and others who share his opinion regarding AEW’s upcoming Main Event stating simply ‘don’t watch’:
It’s the good thing about AEW, we’ve got a little something for everybody, but there’s really no way to sugarcoat an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match, you know, so if you don’t want to see it, then don’t watch. If you think your kid is going to be a little bit too young to watch it, a little bit too violent for them, don’t watch it.”
In order to know for sure how violent the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match will be, fans and curious individuals a like will need to wait until AEW: Revolution airs on FITE, March 7th.
If you use any of the quotes above, please give a h/t and link back to Inside The Ropes for the transcription.