"I was so embarrassed" – WWE Legend blasts Max Dupri's segment on SmackDown
Former WWE manager Jim Cornette shared his thoughts on Max Dupri's Maximum Male Models segment on SmackDown.
Last week on the blue brand, the former IMPACT World Champion unveiled Mansoor & Mace, whose names have been tweaked to mån.sôör and ma.çé, as his new clients. They modeled up and down the aisleway and posed for the cameras while Dupri provided commentary from the ring.
Speaking on the latest episode of Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru, the WWE legend expressed his displeasure with the segment, saying he felt "embarrassed" for Dupri:
"It was Mansoor and Mace, and now it's mån.sôör and ma.çé with Max Dupri (...) Where do I start? I was so embarrassed for – I met this guy when I did the NWA commentary and also he was in TNA when it was Global Force [Wrestling] and him talking as Eli Drake (...) when he was Eli Drake and later when he was LA Knight, he could talk, he was glib (...) In NXT there, he was experienced, he could work, they put him in with these other green guys to have good matches, he was a classic pro-wrestling style pro-wrestler (...) Whatever we saw on Friday night on SmackDown was the first time I've ever seen it." (from 14:27 to 17:35)
ma.çé and mån.sôör are MAXIMUM MALE MODELS.
#SmackDown @MaxDupri https://t.co/7uU57BxEg5
Jim Cornette compares Max Dupri's gimmick to The Red Rooster
The Red Rooster was a gimmick portrayed by former WWE wrestler Terry Taylor in the late 80s. As part of the gimmick, Taylor wore red tights and a ring coat, styled his hair like a rooster's comb, and strutted like a fowl. Many people regard it as one of the worst gimmicks in wrestling history.
During his podcast, Jim Cornette said he believes that Max Dupri's character is worse than The Red Rooster:
"But the thing is, I was embarrassed and I felt bad for Eli/LA. Because he's talented. This is worse than The Red Rooster. First of all, the fans, just this presentation, within seconds were 'What-ing' him out of the building. And the problem was, he is so uncomfortable at doing this." (from 19:10 to 19:39)
NEXT WEEK on #SmackDown
MAXIMUM MALE MODELS unveil their 2022 Tennis Wear Collection!
@MaxDupri https://t.co/fjMG2t9txw
Maximum Male Models will unveil their 2022 Tennis Wear Collection on this week's episode of SmackDown. It'll be interesting to see how things pan out.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru and H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription.