"Never been in a position as a money draw talent like CM Punk" - Wrestling veteran doubts AEW's recent signee will help close the gap to WWE
AEW recently added the legendary Jeff Jarrett to not only its roster of wrestlers but also as the new Director of Business Development. However, Jim Cornette - while praising Jarrett - doesn't believe the veteran will be able to compensate for what CM Punk's absence has done to the promotion.
Jeff Jarrett has wrestled in more promotions than most legends today, bringing decades' worth of experience to AEW. While not as experienced as The Chosen One, CM Punk has arguably one of the biggest followings in pro wrestling and drew millions to All Elite Wrestling.
In the latest episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the former wrestling manager compared the two wrestler's accomplishments while praising each star.
"Punk returned – I’ll give each man their proper respects, CM Punk didn’t grow up in the wrestling business and start his own promotion multiple times, but Jeff has never been in a position as a money draw talent like CM Punk was," Cornette said. [From 12:10 onward]
CM Punk's AEW debut is a moment of the decade. https://t.co/ekHdD2tRBh
Cornette continued, claiming that Jarrett will not be able to bridge the gap between AEW and WWE:
"So Punk came and did bring pay-per-view buys and ratings, and they still couldn’t get closer to the WWE. Jeff Jarrett is not going to bring the numbers in those categories as Punk did as a wrestler." [From 12:31 onward]
Jim Cornette isn't the only former WWE personality to question Jarrett's debut despite praising the veteran. A bonafide Hall of Famer recently slammed Tony Khan for picking up yet another name he has no space to book.
Have you missed out on AEW Rampage? Catch up on the show's results here.
Cornette believes that Jeff Jarrett might be a massive asset to AEW, but that he should have had a far more critical role
Jeff Jarrett has won ten different World Championships across the multitude of wrestling promotions he's appeared in. Despite this, The Chosen One is largely recognized for his time with WCW and TNA.
I gotta say, I don’t hate the idea of Jeff Jarrett wrestling some big profile matches in AEW…
Especially now that he has his TNA ‘My World’ theme with him.
#AEWDynamite https://t.co/flpfapMPPf
During the same episode, Jim Cornette proposed what he believes Jeff Jarrett should be doing in All Elite Wrestling instead:
"Jeff Jarrett should have been brought in as a guy who has dealt with every g***mn wrestler in some fashion and whether some people like him or not, he was the one that kept all those desperate, egotistical personalities in TNA on the same page. I would not only have Jeff’s input in promoting live events, but I would also have him as your talent relations guy!" [From 12:58 onward]
According to Jarrett himself, he is potentially the last person that Vince McMahon hired before he was forced to step down in WWE.
Tony Khan has likely picked up an incredible asset, but will he be enough to finally bring AEW closer to their biggest wrestling rival? only time will tell.
If you use quotes from here, please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.