Opinion: 5 things Jim Cornette ought to do for a better 2020
Disclaimer: The views of the author do not reflect those of Sportskeeda
Putting politics, philosophies and other personal feelings aside, Jim Cornette has done a lot for the wrestling business. Simply put, few people have worked in and around the wrestling business longer than Cornette, who has worked with just about every major American wrestling promotion of the last 40 years in some form. And in running Ohio Valley Wrestling -- WWE's former developmental territory -- in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was instrumental within the training of many eventual-superstars including John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Kane, Big Show and Brock Lesnar.
Fast forward to late 2019, and the name "Jim Cornette" means a lot of different things to a lot of people. Some people see Cornette as a deserving future WWE Hall Of Famer, as both one of the best wrestling managers of all-time and a key behind-the-scenes figure. Other people may opt to focus on Cornette's activity from the last decade -- including his shoot interviews, podcasting and on-air commentary -- and view the man less favorably because many of his personal viewpoints. But the key is that Cornette remains a high-profile figure within the wrestling world, someone who gets a reaction in a day and age where it can be hard to get a reaction.
With New Year's Day just around the corner, many of us have begun thinking about our New Year's resolutions and the like. Below and on the following pages are 5 things which may do Jim Cornette some good, personally and/or professionally, if done in 2020.
#1: Make amends with some of his enemies
If you watched all of the Beyond The Ring series on VICELAND, odds are that you were thoroughly entertained by Jim Cornette. "The Vault of Castle Cornette" was on full display as you got to see the historian side of Cornette. Within such, he explained the true origin of the "screwjob" within the world of professional wrestling.
On Beyond The Ring, you also saw Cornette explain his hatred of Vince Russo, former head writer for WWF, TNA and WCW. Cornette pointed out that his main goal in life is to outlive Russo so he can urinate on Russo's grave.
Whether or not Cornette's long-term disdain for Russo was amped up for the cameras, Cornette is no stranger to an off-screen rivalry among wrestling industry peers. Among the people who Cornette appears to currently dislike -- per publicly-made remarks -- are WWE executives, All Elite Wrestling executives, Ring Of Honor executives, IMPACT Wrestling executives, National Wrestling Alliance executives, and wrestling journalists (including the seemingly-universally-beloved Brian Zane). That's not to say he has a problem with everyone at those companies, or that he hasn't said a lot of favorable things about recent episodes of NXT and AEW Dynamite, but there seems to be a whole lot of venom traveling outbound from Louisville, Kentucky.
According to the American Heart Association and countless other reputable medical organizations, stress can lead to heart disease and ultimately kill you. This isn't to say that Jim Cornette has to be friendly with Vince Russo anytime soon, but why not let bygones be bygones with a few of these folks for the sake of long-term health, wellness and quality of life?