Jim Cornette on Lumberjack Matches

From Episode 447 of the Jim Cornette Experience
Guest Artist: Rick Lonon ( / ricklonon )
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[@theblinkerx]

Whenever Jim goes on these history lessons, it bugs me that the boys of today would rather listen to Dave Meltzer, who wishes he could’ve instead of guys like Jim who actually did

[@gladememmott3001]

Well Said

[@maxxdahl6062]

Because it's a feedback loop. Dave hopes they'll verbally blow him if he keeps giving his favorites good reviews.

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

Emphasis on "boys" and yup.

[@authorbandc8814]

THIS!!!

[@undefeateddynasty7974]

@@maxxdahl6062 sadly it works.. Hell, The Petite named their finisher after him

[@nygblue24]

It went from the lumberjacks beating the wrestler up outside the ring to them just sending the wrestler back into the ring.

[@jasonlane1528]

The only lumberjack matches I liked were the Mid-South / UWF ones because when you got thrown outside it legit look like those guys were trying to kill you.

[@lordpardus7348]

UWFi guys were pretty much legit. You probably do NOT want to go full contact with guys like Yamazaki, Kakihara and guys like this. I LOVED UWFi. I really wish more federations would show off that style. BattleARts followed, but also folded. I absolutely loved UWFi, RINGs and BATTLEARTS.

[@jasonlane1528]

@@lordpardus7348 uh, actually I just meant the UWF (Universal Wrestling Federation) who had super tough/psycho wrestlers like Matt Bourne, Jim Duggan, Ted DiBiase, Buzz Sawyer, Dick Slater, Steve Williams, Butch Reed, Jake Roberts, Rick Steiner & the Sheepherders.

[@lordpardus7348]

@@jasonlane1528 I think I came to USA after that. I seen all of those guys in other federations: WCW, WWF and, in case of Steve Williams, AJPW.

[@nicknaaasty]

“Jim, ya nose is bleeding.” “Oh no, not my nose.” 😂

[@benespinosa6725]

Jim Cornette's knowledge of old-school wrestling is fascinating.

[@firepenguin38]

He's a legit historian

[@buried2getover499]

Nah, huh, that's you.

[@randomname2308]

wrestling is his life after all

[@benespinosa6725]

@@firepenguin38 which is awesome

[@benespinosa6725]

@@randomname2308 I Absolutely Agree

[@TheChristianNomad]

I always thought the Lumberjack Match was a cage match without a cage. It would come after a heel would keep running away, or a heel champion who kept getting DQ'd to avoid losing. And then after weeks of trying to get a match with a finish, they'd finally call for a lumberjack match in order to guarantee the heel doesn't run away.

[@KakashiBallZ]

I always loved lumberjack matches. I would die laughing whenever the babyface was thrown into a sea of heels 🤣🤣🤣

[@robertcolbourne386]

Jim telling old stories is the best ! He is such a great story teller !

[@john_blues]

"That was the night that I had to wait to get sewn up at the hospital until Jimmy Hart got painted yellow.". Man, I love these old wrestling stories! 😂

[@patrickboian8545]

I loved these types of matches as a kid. I would be laughing so hard when they would push the heel back in or the heel lumberjacks would beat up the face.

[@user-uo1qr6vn1q]

Love listening to these two talk about the current shitshow that is today’s wrestling, but this type of stuff is even better. When a guy knows the business well enough to give a dissertation about the history of lumberjack matches, and even been part of a few himself, it only makes his criticisms of someone like Page claiming he doesn’t need advice from anyone, all the more appropriate.

[@richardpreston7333]

Jim might be the best oral historian on the internet for *anything* these days, never mind pro wrestling

[@drg5352]

@@richardpreston7333 It's his encyclopedic knowledge and passion of the subject, combined with one of the best talking abilities in wrestling (or any) history.

[@Justin-bo5pg]

I've always liked a good Lumberjack Match.

[@quentinkaasa47]

Like when Booker T found out he was now the newest member of the nWo. 😄

[@charleybarley914]

To be fair the Cameltoe Clutch would be a heck of a finisher

[@willsnyder4399]

Bill Dundee and Doug Gilbert had a fan's lumberjack match at the Midsouth Coliseum back in mid-00s using leather straps.

[@ChristopherMikrowelle]

I wish Jim could be the manager of Cm Punk. Cm Punk vs Kenny Omega with Cornette as Punks manager would be the most exciting story ever.

[@northernking4787]

The “media scrums” would be better than the in ring action! 🤣

[@seamus_easton]

@@theblinkerx 100%

[@mosho3611]

That would blow Omega's tiny little mind

[@sayheyguy]

Hopefully Corny will be one of the talking heads on that new show from The Rock "Tales From the Territories" that's coming to Vice. Otherwise that'll be a huge waste.

[@rphillip1086]

You need 8-10 lumberjacks or else it will look stupid- one of my new favorite quotes of Cornette.

[@TheHermitsQuarters]

Like Brian said, as a kid I liked seeing all the mid and under card talent on the more modern shows. Especially when I was a new fan and wanted to just see as many people I hadn’t seen before just to put faces with names. I remember during the earliest Survivor Series PPVs Jesse Ventura saying something about how he would have liked to participate in a 5 on 5 match because, “…you get to beat someone up in front of all your (heel) friends!” A similar take or spin on having to do a lumberjack match would go a long way towards framing it as a positive. Both for the wrestlers in the match who apparently disliked the extra work for less pay according to Cornette here and for the fans. I could see the argument where this idea wouldn’t be as applicable when you are more in a throng of lumberjacks on the floor and not the spotlight of the ring though. Wonder the old timers take would have been if they got an extra payout? Doubt they would have done many lumberjack matches if it cost the promoter though!

[@danielgallagher3270]

15:30 "Do they have caverns in England?" - yes, Cheddar Gorge might be an apt example.

[@jeffrichards1537]

I can remember watching lumberjack matches in the N.W A. / W C W. Seeing all those guys take a few shots on someone and then toss them back in seemed fun for all

[@insupportofjunhado]

WWE used lumber jack fairly often, but they also misused it a few times. I remember with the guests hosts they had Freddie Prince Jr. surround the ring with face lumber jacks to punish Randy Orton, except Randy Orton didn't have a history of getting counted out, nor did any of the baby faces really want his blood. So they just picked him up and placed him back in the ring when he got knocked out. Didn't really add anything. Now if you've got a running heel, or one that has abused most of the face jacks, then you've got something. If you've got a mix of faces and heels on separate sides of the ring, you've got something. On the indies All Pro Wrestling did the everyone is armed version to force the wrestlers back in the ring.

[@lordpardus7348]

In 2019 I was in Galli Lucha they have shows in Villa Park, IL. Awesome guys, great show. Gringo Loco competes there a lot, and guys from Lucha Underground show up there regularly, especially Drago and Aerostar. Well one day they asked men from audience to be volounteers lumberjacks. Believe it or not, the guy told us to hit them but very softly, and warned all of us what they will do to us if we fucked up. I took no chances, and started hitting full force, but ALWAYS missing. I would point with my eyes where I would hit, and the guy would dodge. They told me that what I was doing was PERFECT because I WAS hitting full force but missing, and wrestlers did great job of pretending they are "scared". The owner even told me that I did great job. Wonderful memory - THANK YOU GALLI LUCHA.

[@georgemaranville3305]

I always described Battle royals as a bunch of wrestlers hoping that no one is actually paying attention to them in the audience or if it’s on TV that the camera is not focusing on them

[@84sp84]

There’s something to the earlier wrestlers hanging around. I was at a Memphis wrestling spot show in Houston, Ms around 1986 and Hector Guerrero was supposed to wrestle Bill Dundee but wasn’t there at bell time. Tommy Lane of the Rock n Roll RPMs had worked earlier and filled in with Dundee. Later in the night I saw Hector come in and speak with Eddie Marlin, giving his apologies I suppose.

[@mosho3611]

The last Lumberjack match I enjoyed was Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose at Summerslam 2014, I thought it was a fun match.

[@AHalevonEric]

A small promotion in AZ had a lumberjack match once where they gave fans flip flops to lay into wrestlers with in this crowded little brickwalled venue.

[@MilMaska]

"There is a way to work a strap" - Jim Cornette

[@JayJohns03]

Didn’t Cody and pockets have a “slumber”Jack match just last year

[@QAZ-OMEN]

Wwe occasionally still does lumberjack matches

[@jmwvirgil]

Lumberjack matches serve the same purpose as a cage if you haven't got the budget for one.

[@joshsmith1911]

In Milwaukee there is a local promotion who runs a free show full of under card guys with a big locker room clearout and battle royal at the end. You can just sit there and tell the guys who are dragging. It's pretty funny. But my kids love it.

[@SonnyBubba]

When you show up for a loser leave town match driving a U-Haul….

[@syko2695]

Lumberjack matches just strike me as weird

[@danielburger1775]

Lumberjack matches, they're ok.

[@maxxdahl6062]

They were pretty fun if done sparingly.

[@syko2695]

@@totallybored5526 Point taken but at least they usually match the story being in some way related to someone's death

[@mikejejenich7116]

My favorite matches. Were the lumber jack matches…… when the heels. Outside the ring would beat the crap outa the babyface. When the heel inside the ring threw him out the ring👋

[@SirVic42]

Lumberjack Matches were also called "Bunkhouse Brawls". Same concept, just the back story was about cowboys instead of lumberjacks.

[@kevindouglas5333]

If Koko B Ware could beat the tar out of Keirn then I doubt Adrian would ever have a problem

[@shawngreenidge3591]

Did Jim just say that they don't do Lumberjack Matches anymore???

[@jeffreypetersen2474]

“Every body went overboard!”🤣

[@Patrick-ud3vu]

That was quite the entertaining history lesson!

[@aaronbaker2035]

MORE OF THIS AND LESS AEW WATCHING!! You guys have gotten away from what many of us want to hear about. The past is way more interesting than the crap on my TV today.

[@znalniaskas]

Honestly, with Roman Reigns and his family always messing with his opponent during matches a Lumberjack match or a Hell in a Cell kind of match vs a babyface challenger would actually make sense.

[@heisensaul5538]

I think Jim would agree with what I have to say about him as a rookie in that country whipping match. I also feel that Lawler, Dundee, and Adrian would say the same thing: Welcome to the NFL rookie!!! lol

[@jaynorthrop7456]

They had a Titanic battle royal, everyone over the top! LOL

[@tylercornford1823]

This is just a reminder that Jim may be the best wrestling historian alive today

[@TommyTiger619]

Titanic battle royal. Lol that story was hilarious.

[@tobiasfarragut292]

Take a bump out!!…- B. Dundee

[@getmoneybpt]

In the parking lot 😂

[@joelkappler2778]

Aew did lumberjack match, probably be the most recent one

[@GregHuffman1987]

i managed to look up cornette just as this was uploaded lolz

[@tonyxu3878]

Jackie Chan giving Cornette a wedgie! Love to see it.

[@namemcnamerton4249]

I think it’s a belt based beating

[@HitParade]

🤣🤣🤣

[@sandmantn77]

That's Bill Dundee.

[@tonyxu3878]

@@sandmantn77 Bill Dundee was Jackie Chan’s greatest role.

[@sandmantn77]

@@tonyxu3878 lol

[@CharCharTV]

When they use to run matches here in Campbellsville, Ky at the ole armory one of buddies got chosen to be a lumberjack one time. When the babyface would get thrown out all the other fans that were lumberjacks would help the babyface get back into the ring lol not my buddie when the babyface got thrown out to his side he whooped the fire out that boy with the strap lol whole place started booing him. Now that's good shit right there!

[@dillondruggz]

exprience exprience exprience exprience exprience

[@Matt_Duncan]

I'm a lumberjack and it's okayyy''

[@jamesreding6336]

Lumber jack luke wrestled in Washington

[@robertmaclauchlan2981]

I very seen those at aew

[@leeswea_dagoat4961]

Jim has told story before lol so well 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jonathandenatale6878]

Why did they stop doing Lumberjack matches? It seems like you could do a lot of spots, and as much as guys like diving on people who are just standing there, why not? 🤷‍♂️

[@theophrastusbombastus1359]

You won't see lumberjack matches anymore, especially in AEW, as they're all about flying outside and landing on a bunched up flock of quails - before having a ten min fight outside the ring.

[@jackdavide5742]

Bill Dundee looks like a giant!!

[@yoholmes273]

I vivdly remember how disinterested & upset Frenchie Martin was to be a Lumberjack for the Main Event of Boston Garden with Macho Man vs returning Bruno Sammartino.

[@jonathandenatale6878]

Its always Tupelo

[@Halbared]

Malvern caverns.

[@bryansansone3301]

"For free and on the sperm of the moment." - Jim Cornette, grossly unappreciated rambling

[@Thejonesguy]

Jim eats corn the long way

[@JesusSaves80]

Jeez I just watched a video with Bolin in it. This guy is terrible

[@TheeKingRayzor]

I'm the only one who thought Jackie Chan was picking up Jim Cornette in the thumbnail?

[@heisensaul5538]

I do believe that is Bill Dundee that is giving Jim a wedgie in the thumbnail.

[@larryjackson2184]

Are we really pretending WWE doesn't still do lumberjack matches? April 22 - Drew McIntyre vs Sami Zayn is one of the most recent examples. Edit - And it looks like AEW had one last November.

[@john_blues]

He did say "I don't think" they do lumberjack matches anymore. That's 1 for each promotion in the last year. And let's not forget the god-awful Zombie lumberjack match.

[@survivingwatson7430]

yeah you just named 2 in 10 months. youre helping his point. 2 in 10 months means theyre not actively doing them anymore. everything happens once in a while

[@larryjackson2184]

@@survivingwatson7430 Any more than that would be way too much. There have been 10 in the last 3 years and that's too fucking many. The only point being helped is the one on the top of your head. Don't bother replying, I'm quite done replying to stupid for the day.

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@john_blues Nah he said "They don't do them that much anymore." not, not at all.

[@john_blues]

@@maxxdahl6062 I agree. My first comment wasn't clear. I was actually making the point you made.

[@RobertR1611]

I think the WWE had a few "Lumberjill" matches in the past. Not sure when that started.

[@jayharv285]

Based on what I found the lumberjill match was first used in 2006 between Lita vs Mickie James

[@devicebackup664]

I pray that Jim manages Cm Punk on aew one day

[@Patrick-ud3vu]

At first glance, I thought that was Jackie Chan.

[@jamesreding6336]

Duch salvage did the coal miners match

[@blackvolume3500]

Sorry if I'm late, but what happened to Travis Heckel? Is he okay?

[@firepenguin38]

I think so. Cornette says he'd be ok. Health issues

[@sledgehammer9739]

Human nature.

[@veegob5287]

AEW has completely destroyed the battle royal with BS.

[@WyattHolliday]

I hate most gimmick matches, but a Lumberjack Match is the worst.

[@jayharv285]

No it isn't trust me. Look at the scaffold match, the bungee match, or the Chamber of horrors.

[@WyattHolliday]

@@jayharv285 Man you right. I overlooked some stinkers, lol!

[@drg5352]

The Tower of Doom and the Alliance to End Hulkamania would like to speak to you.

[@WyattHolliday]

@@drg5352 Ahahahaha! You right.

[@hurley00770]

Omg I'm so irritated because I sent almost this exact question in like 3 months ago and thought it was gonna be mine☹️

[@constablekennedy7705]

I’m Surprised we don’t get Lumberjack Matches more Frequently from Booker of the Year Tony Khan in AEW …..

[@andrewisjesus]

So those Mid-South arenos couldn't have been that f****** scary. I'm going to want snow all they got to do is bring Trump back all of his supporters were the people who believed in wrestling and Jerry Springer

[@movementencouragedfitness5945]

5th! Lol ;)

[@movementencouragedfitness5945]

Actually 10th because it had 9 Likes 😂

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

Nobody gives a fuck! LOL

[@grahamdoherty9000]

First

[@GregHuffman1987]

3rd!

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

No one fucking cares.