"That should never have happened" – Jim Ross on the real-life slap that led to WWE veteran's release
Jim Ross has given his take on the controversial circumstances surrounding Jim Cornette's WWE departure.
In 2005, Cornette was the lead booker of WWE's Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental system when he slapped Santino Marella backstage after a match. The incident led to the veteran manager's suspension and subsequent release.
Ross, a WWE commentator at the time, spoke about the unfortunate moment on his Grilling JR podcast:
"Cornette's lucky he didn't get killed. Cornette's lucky Santino didn't beat the s**t out of him because he could have and it could have been very, very ugly, quite honestly. In any event, that should never have happened. It makes the decision-maker defenseless." [From 1:53:50 – 1:54:08]
Cornette lashed out after witnessing Marella's match against The Boogeyman at a live event.
The former OVW booker thought the two-time Intercontinental Champion was not taking his job seriously. In actuality, Marella only laughed because he spotted his daughter, current NXT star Arianna Grace, at ringside with a scared look on her face.
Jim Ross learned a lot from Jim Cornette
Not many people have as much knowledge as Jim Cornette about the wrestling business. The 61-year-old has worked in several promotions over the last four decades, including IMPACT/TNA, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and WWE.
JR: “There’s no bigger student of the game than Jim Cornette”:
“I know what kind of mind he has: creative, he loves to take ownership of something. And that’s good business. And he was very valuable in organising [OVW]
“Who out of that stable became a star? A bunch of them” https://t.co/LyFvv8G0rE
Jim Ross believes his former co-worker made an error of judgment during his altercation with Marella:
"There's so many aspects of Cornette's knowledge and stuff that I pulled from and I utilized. He's really gifted in that area, but his temper – and over the years it seems like it's maybe gotten worse – I'm not sure. It's just sad how these things happen. We didn't need him slapping talent, but he made a mistake." [From 1:54:16 – 1:54:44]
Ross also spoke on this week's podcast about Brock Lesnar's financial difficulties in the early days of his WWE career.
Are you a fan of Jim Cornette? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Jim Ross' Grilling JR podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.