Jim Cornette on The 2023 Wrestling Observer Hall Of Fame Inductees

From Episode 318 of the Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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[@televiper11]

Recency bias is always a problem with Hall of Fames. Also no active wrestler should ever be considered. Retire first.

[@B3Band]

100% this. People are gonna look at this list in 30 years (actually, i doubt that..) and laugh at the guys who were put in before they had a chance to actually build a HoF career. By this logic, Austin Theory should be in a Hall of Fame for beating John Cena at Wrestlemania.

[@Noobie2k7]

I agree with this 100% There are a few exceptions though for guys who had inaane longevity in their career with hof worthy accomplishments. Guys like Undertaker, Sting, Booker T all deaerved to be inducted whole they were still active. Even someone like Paul Heyman is HoF worthy and he's still active as a manager.

[@Rjensen2]

Wrestlers don't ever really retire.

[@rickyvenegas9286]

Exactly idk why Dave Does not understand that!!! How can you be a hall of Famer and still be really really active you should at least semi retire

[@Rjensen2]

@@rickyvenegas9286 He talks about it all the time, and has for years.

[@speezandthebenchmarkshow5319]

The Young Bucks not even being on the list of former wrestlers' votes speaks volumes

[@daveborder7751]

They likely don't watch modern wrestling, rather than it being the Bucks suck & are a thing for Dave & the idiots in the locker room.

[@tonyrhoton6613]

They suck

[@kaysiepena3520]

💯

[@elite_artist351]

No one with a brain would vote for them.

[@moaziz23]

The Young Cucks are literally indie darlings. Thats it. They’d be dark match jobbers on WWE’s Main Event.

[@HkFinn83]

There are no ‘reporters’ in wrestling, just marks with KZbin channels and websites

[@dngn4774]

Letting reporters vote is almost worse than allowing active wrestlers be voted in.

[@daveborder7751]

Pretty sure it is grizzled veteran Matt Brock, roving reporter Liz Hunter, WWF expert Thomas Pillard & WCW expert Donald Wayne.

[@dustystepp9487]

Jim should have his own Hall of Fame. He should induct one person per episode.

[@BLACKxVISUALS]

He should definitely do that, it’d be way more credible

[@UnknownVillain007]

Great Idea for a new segment

[@jimdraven2432]

Holy f@#$ that is an amazing idea!!

[@Tripp216]

Great idea I hope this gets a lot of votes , we need this to happen

[@Kingofweasles]

I am all in favor of this idea. Hell, I'd officially join the cult of cornette if Jim & Brian start doing this, because IMO fuck The Observer and fuck Their "Hall of Fame".

[@jasonfuller2734]

“Bleeder of the Year, as presented by Always Maxi Pads, recipient is…Jon Moxley. This is Jon Moxley’s 3rd consecutive win.” “Badass!” -Jon Moxley

[@jamespaul6315]

Plumber of the year! But for real its insane such a moron landed renee

[@SSJ2Phenom]

​@@jamespaul6315I laughed harder than I should have. Thanks for that.

[@Twinkletoes22987]

Bleeder of the year runner up:Hannibal

[@jamespaul6315]

@@Twinkletoes22987 ughhh he didnt know how to bleeeeeed ughhh

[@Twinkletoes22987]

@@jamespaul6315he wasn’t a bleeder ughhhhhh 😂

[@SSJ2Phenom]

It's amazing to watch people like Meltzer, Alvarez, then the Observer, and AEW as a whole and it's fans lose their credibility and become jokes in real time.

[@heelturnsface]

Why you dressed like Willy Wonka?

[@rollingthunder8223]

Wwe has been a joke for decades

[@SSJ2Phenom]

@@heelturnsface How dare you sir? Willy Wonka ain't never, and I mean NEVER; displayed the level of swag that I have in my display pic. You know what? I was just on the phone with an old friend of mine and I read him your comment and he was quite angry about it! He told me to tell you the following comment word for word VERBATIM!! "Hold on just a minute. Let me holla at ya, Playa! Just for that, tonight you will go 1 on 1 WIT DA UNDAHTAKAH!!!!!!!! Ya feel me? Holla, holla, holla!!!!"

[@GruncleRick]

This is totally unbiased. It is totally in the real world.

[@SSJ2Phenom]

@@rollingthunder8223 I guess. Of course they still had their moments (several in fact) of absolute greatness and brilliance, but over the past 3 years WWE has returned to prominence in a big bad way. Jan 1st, 2022 to now has been WWE's most successful run in almost 15 years. Ratings, attendance, merch, subscribers, and more have all increased dramatically and they're still going up. WWE is back to selling out house shows. So I get it if you're a hardcore AEW fan and you yourself and the others, both in AEW and watching, have drank the Kool aid and convinced yourselves that AEW is somehow better than the WWE, but literally every single metric that we could use to come to such a conclusion says otherwise. AEW'S appeal has dropped so completely that even Meltzer is saying it's bad. Yikes. Jim and Brian continue to be proven right and AEW continues to be proven inept and ran by children who should've all been named Mark.

[@wilcee238]

The Cornette rant after Orange Cassidy gets selected for the Wrestling Observer HOF, will have more cursing than the Director’s Cut of Scarface.

[@XombieLejon66]

Man this segment had everything: -Clowning on Uncle Dave's audience for their choice in wrestlers -a brief history lesson on memphis wrestling and various legends -topped off with clowning on the Buckaroos failing a popularity contest and Dave's thinly veiled apology to them for not being voted into his HOF

[@jamirimaj6880]

where's the apology?

[@thetowerofivory]

​@@jamirimaj6880 maybe more "apologia" as per an explanation.

[@vict4451]

Throw in Brian's "Ishiieeeeee" just for Jim

[@puma8242]

Jim Cornette's continual lack of respect for Johnstons impact on wresting needs to go in the hall of fame.

[@XombieLejon66]

For real. That's a major thing about Corny I disagree on. Stone Cold's music with the glass shattering is just as important to the character (and essential for the audience pop) as smashing two beers together.

[@ElFino013]

It's also often forgotten that Johnston's work with WWF the Music Volume 3, 4, etc. went platinum. Those things made beaucoup dollars for WWF/E.

[@fives.]

Yeah, Cornette's inarguable most silly take is his disregard for Jim Johnston. That dude's work is wildly Pavlovian for *a lot* of people. The Austin glass smash, "Are You Ready?", the riff from Rock's theme (let alone mandating it start with his main catchphrase) are legitimately iconic and made Vince's vision an experience. Edit: also, I would believe Jim when he mentions his synthesis of RATM being affective on the burgeoning nu-metal generation, even though he was in his late thirties/early forties at the time lol

[@TonyDanza4Lyfe]

@@fives.so on point especially the Pavlovian part. One thing he also did that they’ve stopped doing, is he would still have music in the background even if a song started with a catch phrase. Like the, if ya smelllll had drums behind it. Then go listen to pat macaffees theme (a guy I like) and it’s his voice for like five seconds with no music and then it just turns on. It’s not pleasing to the ear especially compared to JJ

[@jessepaiz6356]

This is the same hall of fame that put in MMA legend Sakaraba before HHH, the Rock, and the Midnight Express. Meltzer also at one point argued that Randy Orton and Sting were not hall of famers, yet all the Elite guys who drew way less money than them are in.

[@chico1680]

I love Sakuraba but, in no way did he draw for NJPW or Pride what Rock or Hunter did for the WWF or what the Midnight did for JCP

[@natebaxter9551]

​@@chico1680he was a huge draw on Pride. But that is irrelevant anyway because it's a pro wrestling HOF.

[@topcatmatt]

​@@natebaxter9551oh yeah, The Gracie Hunter fs

[@TomBerishaj]

Dave Meltzer is an inspiration to autistic children everywhere.

[@XombieLejon66]

The Observer is just AEW's unofficial PR division

[@BloodyDooku]

The Young Bucks getting a higher percentage of votes than Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid is such an indictment on Dave's mentally ill readership

[@reginaldshort8486]

Listening to Brian and Jim talk about the wrestlers of the 70s and 80s makes me realize how little I know and how much I missed.

[@dzig228]

JYD & Orndorff not being in the HOF is crazy to me. They were both huge stars in the 80s.

[@yoholmes273]

JYD was awas so over it was insane. No one was more beloved that JYD. and people forget ....Mr. Wonderful was Hogan's first real foe. After Wonderful Pearl Harbored Hogan they has the most lucrative house run of all time. Culminating with the main event of the very first Wrestlemania! How these two men are somehow overlooked is just ridiculous .

[@insupportofjunhado]

That's why Roman Reigns and Kenny Omega shouldn't even be up for discussion. You don't open the new orange juice before you're done with the old orange juice!

[@yoholmes273]

@insupportofjunhado Roman wrestled the same match 7 times total last year. And Kenny is untrained & wrestles blow up dolls. I mean, what are we doing here?

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

JYD's run in Louisiana alone is HoF worthy. Let alone his other work & his WWF run.

[@DateTwoRelate]

"Twinkle Toes McFingerbang" and "Shitstain." Two of the most awesome wrestler names ever!!!!

[@mjdf122]

When Jim Cornette starts with Oh Boy you know it’s going to be good

[@jesterr7133]

or the sigh

[@uncleamptonsfigfed2667]

Please can Jim start his own observer. I think we would value his star system a whole lot more.

[@Jd-zr8bs]

His 💩 lists of the year would be gold

[@uncleamptonsfigfed2667]

@@Jd-zr8bs yes and the shit list.

[@thecatwrangler9448]

I hope he calls it “The Wrasslin’ Observer” and markets it as parody just to tease Dave so the built-in drama heats up twice as fast

[@coachvictor_game]

YES PLEASE I BUY NOW

[@UnhumanNewman]

I definitely value Jim’s opinions, but he hates everything I love about wrestling lol

[@BishopM1]

To me there should be very little active wrestlers that are also in the HoF

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

Agreed. I wouldn't even consider Reigns if I had a vote just because he had his first match in what, 2010? Fucking guy is younger than I am. Not saying he shouldn't get in eventually, but doing it in 2023 is ridiculous. I can't believe he got as many votes as he did.

[@CalSaurous]

Like Jim said, it's absurd that the Observer hall of fame recognises Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi as more accomplished than Roman Reigns and Randy Orton, two of the biggest wrestling stars of the century forever immortalised.

[@demonsuckafucka6828]

At this point, Dave isn't even trying to hide his bias

[@maxxdahl6062]

It's the observer HOF. It's basically a reflection and a self confirmation of Daves tastes.

[@venom74799]

Kenny does backflips so he immediately wins the tin can award.

[@kingslayer2999]

Randy Orton>>>TwinkleToes

[@shai310]

While I do agree with you I think it's fair to mention Randy was injured for most of the year.

[@dmar28]

Yeah Roman and Randy didn't wrestle a 13 star match in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 4000 in the Tokyo Dome so he shouldn't get in yet

[@wildwine6400]

Funny how the WON awards are that much of a joke , the "booker of the year" award has now become an insult

[@Hellwolf36]

Especially considering the previous year's award, Memeltzer had to write that they voted the wrong guy. He cultivated a group of insider smark morons. He reaps what he sows.

[@firstnamelastnamesb]

Not trying to defend Dave or the WON awards, but the Booker of the Award insult is more about Tony Khan's obsession with winning it and his exaggerated opinion of what an honor it is to win (despite the voting panel being so heavily slanted towards AEW) than it is a shot at the "award" itself. It's a sham award with a winner decided by a biased audience, which he treats like it's an Oscar and puts up embarrassing graphics on his show over and acts like it required some kind of work on his behalf when there's literally no chance he could ever not win because WON's audience are the same weirdos that haven't given up on AEW yet.

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

@@firstnamelastnamesb He's also really the only viable candidate. WWE doesn't have a booker, really, and nobody watches TNA, NWA, or MLW. IIRC before AEW started it was all people booking Japanese companies winning.

[@firstnamelastnamesb]

@@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma Almost certainly was, since NJPW was both Dave and the internet wrestling community's favorite promotion until AEW arrived. WWE does have viable candidates in the form of Paul Levesque and Shawn Michaels; the issue is more that the Observer's target audience would vote for literally anything else above WWE. Tony Khan could step down as booker and appoint Vince Russo as AEW's new head of booking, and they'd still sooner pick him than the WWE option. People don't vote for these awards based on who actually deserves them and on quality of work, regardless of the category. It always boils down to "What wrestling promotion is my favorite? They get all the awards".

[@Michael-cz6ob]

Oh boy i can only imagine how elite this list is gonna be

[@Oleksandr.Derkach]

Actually no Elite on the list surprisingly

[@thebigmck619]

​@@Oleksandr.Derkachis cody on the list he was all elite,in fact he says the whole thing was his idea

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

Isn't everyone but Page already in?

[@firstnamelastnamesb]

@@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma Surprisingly, no. The Young Bucks are apparently not in. It's only Omega that is. And if you count him, Kota Ibushi.

[@PacRimElectric]

The way Jim say "Kinny," always give me a chuckle

[@virgilhawkins7368]

He says it like Cartman on South Park.

[@james2651]

Cornette and Russo have a love of South Park in common.

[@vycanismajoris6871]

Paul Orndorff is someone any new wrestling fan should look up. He was a damn prototype. From promos to in-ring ability. Just search youtube for Orndorff at the gym, as he bullies through some npc's (Shawn Michaels one of them) 😂

[@televiper11]

Orndorff was also part of the WWF’s second highest drawing house show feud ever.

[@chico1680]

Like Jim said, tremendous wrestling ability, could cut a great promo and was Hulks biggest drawing opponent during the big Hulkamania run in 86-87. These Observer clowns need to put some respect on Paul's name

[@johnwade7963]

Paul ought to be in on his elbow drop alone

[@EricSchwab-kr2qw]

Paul double crossing Hulk with the piledriver is one of my most vivid wrestling memories and it legitimately ruined my weekend as a young boy. Paul may have been the 2nd biggest villain that wrestled Hogan after Piper.

[@televiper11]

@@johnwade7963and his WCW theme song

[@Jobo9fi]

The never ending burial of Jim Johnston’s contributions to the world of professional wrestling. By Last and Cornette is very sad to see. This man made some of the most iconic songs in television! Over thirty years of work! Now we’re stuck with def rebel and cfo$ I don’t expect them to agree but to just understand why his music means so much to certain wrestling fans especially “Mr.Last The Music Man” ova there!

[@johnberry2678]

Dave basically begged his audience to vote Roman into this years hall of fame because he’s obviously overqualified and they still refused to do so lol

[@Bama20512]

I will say this in all fairness, Roman just got cool only a couple of years ago when he turned heel. Nevertheless he should be in this hall of fame before Omega and Ibushi

[@dngn4774]

I do give him credit last year for essentially telling his fans that Tony Khan did not deserve booker of the year in 2022.

[@firstnamelastnamesb]

@@Bama20512 Even when he was a Face that was getting booed he had a better, more HOF-worthy resume than Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi.

[@robertm.3520]

Even when Dave tries to talk some sense into those idiots, they refuse to listen. They are still stuck in their childish "WWE bad" phase.

[@marvinleong5902]

And Roman probably don't even care whether he gets into Uncle Dave HOF

[@JWS1985]

Slaughter looks like he's in phenomenal shape in that thumbnail.

[@chico1680]

He's in G.I. Joe shape for sure

[@maskedsuperstar7601]

​@@chico1680beat me to it with the G.I. Joe comment lol.

[@samspurgeon4222]

He'll always fight for freedom wherever there's trouble...so he has to stay in shape😂

[@jasonjimerson7046]

Now I know why the Young Sucks are in a fowl mood... They didn't get in Dave's HoF.

[@IrishKyokushin]

They're still active so they shouldn't even be in the conversation until they actually retire.

[@robertm.3520]

​@@IrishKyokushinThey shouldn't be in the conversation at all. They're the shits.

[@thecircus1464]

@@IrishKyokushinneither is Kenny or Kota but they are in

[@IrishKyokushin]

@@thecircus1464 what? That's ridiculous.

[@IrishKyokushin]

@@thecircus1464 what? That's ridiculous.

[@maxxdahl6062]

Before I listen. I'm guessing Booker of the year: "Tony Khan". Promoter of the year: "Tony Khan", Cocaine addict of the year: "Tony Khan"

[@Michael-cz6ob]

Womens Aid supporter of the year 'Mike Tyson'

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@Michael-cz6ob To be fair, Mike's really chilled out and mellowed it seems.

[@Michael-cz6ob]

@@maxxdahl6062 That doesn't change the fact he raped someone :s I couldn't care less if he's more calm now

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@Michael-cz6obFair enough

[@vb2806]

​@@Michael-cz6obhopefully he gets punished for what he has done and not by the law but maybe like a disease

[@BetterCallJamie]

How can anyone take uncle Dave seriously.

[@jesterr7133]

I'll never forget those matches with the Steiners and the Heavenly Bodies. They were great. How can you have tag teams in the Hall of Fame, and not have the Steiners? They are one of the most successful tag teams in the history of the business. They were a top draw in numerous companies. That's crazy.

[@neilclark1681]

I’m from the UK and began watching wrestling as a kid in 1977. - Straight away I began attending monthly live shows. - The Fabulous Royal Brothers are the best tag-team I’ve EVER seen. - The smoothness and fluidity of their team-work has never been matched. - I was astounded when I watched them wrestle. - They were as well-tuned as a Ferrari sports car. - They had some sort of telepathic synchronisation to their moves and double-teaming which left one flabbergasted that two people could be so well attuned. It’s a crying shame that none of their matches were ever filmed. - Decades later when I think of tag-teams my mind immediately reverts back spine-tingling vivid memories of the Fabulous Royals.

[@lewis843]

Do you mean Bert Royal and Vic Faulkner? Because if so, I've seen plenty of their matches on tape

[@neilclark1681]

@@lewis843 You’re right, there’s some of their matches here: kzbin.info?search_query=wrestling+fabulous+royal+brothers

[@KingGhidorah5464]

As Adrian Street put it about Big Daddy, “he turned the show into a farce.” He was the main reason Adrian & Linda left the U.K. and moved to the U.S. to be managed by Jim.

[@hiddensword9387]

That's not true dude, the show was already a farce in many ways. World of Sport wrestling was always presented as more comedy based. Big Daddy was the biggest drawing guy they had at the time like it or not.

[@Halbared]

@@hiddensword9387 Les Kellet, Kendo, Rollerball weren't comedy based.

[@GodlessScummer]

​@@Halbaredhave you seen a Les Kellett match? You can't tell me his matches weren't done for comedy.

[@Halbared]

@@GodlessScummer I just checked a Les Kellet match to see if my memory was faulty, and it was! 100% comedy. I was wrong on Les.

[@GodlessScummer]

@@Halbared yeah his matches were comedic but by all accounts Les Kellett was a feared tough guy IRL.

[@chico1680]

How is Slaughter NOT in the Observer HOF ffs.....

[@The_CuriosityHub]

Because only a few people can go in every year and the world of wrestling is much larger than American casual fans realize.

[@chico1680]

​@@The_CuriosityHub Slaughters impact on the business compared to Ibushi and Omega should automatically put him above them both.

[@LDavis-uz6xl]

​@@The_CuriosityHublook at the total votes and voters for this so called hall of fame....can't take it seriously after that.

[@The_CuriosityHub]

@@chico1680 how much of an impact did he have on wrestling in Japan?

[@The_CuriosityHub]

@@LDavis-uz6xl by that logic the Nickelodeon Awards are more prestigious than the Academy Awards because more people get to vote.

[@televiper11]

I literally don’t understand wrestling anymore when The Young Bucks are gonna make the WON HoF likely next year but The Steiners & The Bulldogs & The Briscoes are on the outside looking-in. WTF?!!

[@moopert86]

Honestly surprised the Young Bucks weren't voted in judging by the voter base. They shouldn't get in as I don't think active full time wrestlers should get in, but that's the voter base's chosed heros.

[@dngn4774]

Really speaks to how cold they went after all of the leaks. They hurt AEW’s rep and their own by extension just to keep taking shots at Punk.

[@hawkfishdaniels7199]

54:30 the speed with which Brian shuts down Jim's notion about his favourite attorney and Tony Khan was hilarious and makes me want to see it happen.

[@Fuckmeltzer1]

The Young Fucks Foh 🤣

[@metallicbigtoe3949]

The Briscoes v Windham and Rotunda, fuck, could you imagine that shit !!!!

[@chico1680]

High level mat wrestling

[@televiper11]

Would’ve ruled hard

[@Thurmanatr16]

Briscoes vs Briscoes

[@coldnightmare199]

Not if it was anything like the blackout match nooooo ty

[@chico1680]

WWEs HOF has more credibility than Meltzers HOF. The Meltzer HOF is nothing more than who Dave and people who think like him find appealing and nothing to do with accomplishment.

[@reallynotmateo8805]

1 is a professional business , 1 is a super mark's opinion , you don't say

[@williammitchell4417]

And Stephanie could still kick Meltzer's @$$!!!

[@marvinleong5902]

If you ask those older and retired wrestlers who voted, those haven't been inducted probably preferred WWE HOF over Uncle Dave HOF

[@therealityofitall4819]

WWE Hall Of Fame is not a real Hall Of Fame.. Even Scott Steiner tore it apart.. You WWE Marks make me laugh 😂😂😂 The Steiner Brothers aren't in it and that's a crime within itself cause Scott's problems with Triple H.. WWE Marks will put down anything to make their overrated crap of a wrestling program look good.. Dave is more credible than all you clowns put together.. WWE Marks make me sick..

[@therealityofitall4819]

​@@reallynotmateo8805 1 hold personal grudges and 1 doesn't see things like a WWE Mark.. I corrected that for you..

[@paulc1553]

Least the Buckaroos missed out.

[@animegamesmoviesandotherst3037]

Wrestling Observer lets call it what it is, Dave's PR for Kenny, the Young Buck, and all the stuff he likes. In fact if I was a wrestler I see it as a badge of honor not being in this.

[@Robby_C]

The disconnect between people who have been in the business vs people who think they are part of the business has never been more stark. Anybody who actually understands wrestling puts Roman in top-10... and anybody who thinks they are an expert on the internet doesn't even put him in the top 20... insanity..

[@HotRodM4]

The worlds upside down

[@highlordlaughterofcanada8685]

I'm by no means an expert, but why are active wrestlers even being nominated for a Hall of Fame to begin with? Nothing against Roman but the guy hasn't even been wrestling all that long, especially compared to someone like Sgt Slaughter, who had a long and storied career across several generations of wrestling fans.

[@Robby_C]

@@highlordlaughterofcanada8685 I mean, i honestly don't understand why any active wrestlers would be put in a hall of fame...

[@highlordlaughterofcanada8685]

@@Robby_C Exactly

[@TomBerishaj]

@@Robby_C It's because a lot of wrestlers never really retire. And they want to honor them before they die.

[@Nofunleaguesportschannel]

The snowman gotta be booker of the year for sure lmfao ☠️☠️☠️

[@jamespaul6315]

I love how tony acts like these awards mean anything

[@The_CuriosityHub]

​@@jamespaul6315cornette did an hour long video complaining, he obviously thinks they mean something and so do all of the people like you that commented 😂

[@jamespaul6315]

@@The_CuriosityHub what do they mean? What are they worth? Please explain :)

[@TomFoolery350]

I mean who else? just give him the fake award for the next 10 years 🤷‍♂️

[@The_CuriosityHub]

@@jamespaul6315 its worth whatever energy you choose to give it, and cornette and his audience give it a ton of energy every year.

[@patrickdoherty4527]

Meltzer said people won't vote for the Bucks because they haven't been stars in WWE. When was Omega a star in WWE?

[@teecakes]

Probably Omega had some dark match for WWE at some point in the early 2000s, they also voted for Ibushi who was only in WWE for a hot minute to do the Cruiser Weight Classic and I think a few episodes of 205Live

[@simobut7174]

Jim is correct and 100% spot on about big daddy I’m from the uk and I seen him as a kid him and haystacks just creeped me out in the early 80s …he appealed to kids and old blue rinse ladies …England had some talent like Alex wrights dad Steve rollerball rocco dynamite kid kendo and Davey boy

[@daveborder7751]

Rollerball Rocco was great-my favourite to watch. But the reality is none of those guys were going to be on top, without Daddy British wrestling would have been dead as a commercial product. Jim I don't think saw much WOS-it wasn't just about great technical wrestling-but about psychology/antics/theatre-Jim Breaks was not over like he was because he was a great wrestler, but because of his crybaby theatrics, Catweazle wasn't a great worker, but he knew how to manipulate a crowd, same with Nagasaki. Adrian Street & Brian Maxine who was also a cabaret artist were over because of their routines of winding the crowd up & let's not forget Les Kellett.

[@azapro911]

Kenny Omega is in but Randy Orton isn't, you don't need anything remotely near Jim's level of wrestling knowledge to see how messed up that is.

[@dngn4774]

Shy of Taker I really can’t think of anyone in their time who has had as much respect from the locker room as Randy Orton. He might not have the flashiest style but he’s someone you can definitively say wrestling is worse without.

[@markabboud4855]

Stevens and Patterson, and Stevens and Bockwinkel should definitely be in as tag teams as well.

[@daveborder7751]

Funks should be in next year-especially with Terry's passing.

[@markabboud4855]

@@daveborder7751 I was gonna add them also. Totally agree

[@zlinedavid]

They should allow a special inclusion for Stevens & Bockwinkle, because what is that team without Bobby Heenan?

[@daveborder7751]

@@zlinedavid A great team-Bockwinkel was a great talker, so it isn't like they were totally reliant on a great manager. You could have put Adnan or Mr Fuji with them & they still would have been great.

[@the_bigsteppa6873]

In Dave's defense, he questioned why Roman reigns and Becky lynch didn't get in... but against him he complained harder about why the young bucks didn't get in 🤷‍♂️

[@adamlennard1828]

How in the hell is Omega in and Orton not? Randy has been a huge star in the biggest company including headlining Wrestlemania’s (yes 25 was boring but a main event is a main event). And his fellow professionals talk about how effortless his makes things look but because he doesn’t do video game moves because he’s a handsome, tall guy the IWC marks hate him.

[@williammitchell4417]

Randy selling out WrestleMania vs "Kenny" getting a 5 star match at the Tokyo Dome!!?🤬

[@Rjensen2]

Haven't you been paying attention these last several years? For better or worse, one is favored, one is not.

[@tripvic7629]

When Brian mentioned Ishiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, he clearly didn't pronounce all the i's

[@mike2884]

Don't forget Sgt slaughter appeared on the gi Joe cartoon and had his own gi Joe action figure lol...I'd say that's pretty big .

[@erickvasquez5407]

I can vouch for Blue Panther one of the great masked wrestler from Lucha Libre/AAA/CMLL. If you liked Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio then you'd like him. Los Hermanos Dinamitas were great heels they should be in.

[@MCB741]

The thumbnails continue to be gems

[@ProjectDevilEye]

Honestly I'm very very surprised Paul Orndorff didn't make that list, he's a name synonymous with what helped to shape actual professional wrestling.

[@Halbared]

An outlaw Hulk Hogan...brilliant. Daddy was as if Benny Hill became a wrestler.

[@Twiztedgoalie]

Omg. El Dandy is totally going to get in just for the memes. Who are we to doubt El Dandy.

[@SDreamer83]

He's a jam up guy.

[@james2651]

​@@SDreamer83A serious professional.

[@johnbithell287]

My earliest memories was watching wrestling at 12 o'clock on TV after the cartoons. Never liked Big Daddy, boring as hell, but he got over with the "easy...easy...easy" chant. The grannies loved him. Pretty weird that oaps were filling the seats.

[@indiasupportstrumpwwg1wga927]

what is an oaps?

[@mrodriguez16ks]

Why are active wrestlers being considered for a hall of fame. Its like shohei ohtani being put in the baseball hof next year

[@teecakes]

These Observer voters have extra huge bias when it comes to recent acts, hence why they think Ishiiiiiii deserves to go in this year bc of his 2 years of wrestling on AEW for "Booker of the Year" Tony Khan (the voters also voted for Tony 3 years in a row)

[@chrischar9428]

Because how many guys really retired

[@mjdf122]

We need the Jim Cornette Hall of Fame

[@televiper11]

I’d like to hear some arguments for & against The Grand Wizard. To me, he’s gotta be in. He managed The Sheik at his peak and more importantly “Superstar” Billy Graham as WWWF champ when he was nuclear hot and a massive draw. Wiz was also a great promo.

[@Rjensen2]

He deserves to be in, but he did not manage Sheik at his peak.

[@televiper11]

@@Rjensen2 you are right. I went back and double checked. Thanks for the correction.

[@DateTwoRelate]

McMahon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......

[@Rjensen2]

@@televiper11 That honor would probably go to his wife.

[@iamkonner4813]

It’s mind boggling to me Seth Rollins was dropped yet the Bucks are 20 or so votes from induction. Not saying he should be in it but the difference in total votes is astonishing.

[@daveborder7751]

Dave-they would be in if not for those damn pesky retired wrestlers

[@BlackMoore82]

Antonino Rocca and The Brisco's are already in the Cauliflower Alley Club and Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Hall's that mean a lot more then the wwe version and Meltzer's club.

[@omoladeadegbayibi4459]

Between this and the pwi one seeing jim become hysterical best back to back videos ever😂

[@EmberMcLain87]

I hope this drive thru is up when i get home. Really need a good does of jim and brian

[@naxireal869]

To be fair if I was an active wrestler I would have thought Orton was in for nearly a decade. Oh brother, isn't he one away from breaking Flair's record which I expect them to do now.

[@J.K.Valentine]

I think he’s a 13 time champ, he’s a few off. Cena has flair tied though

[@user-do2ev2hr7h]

Dave's particular opinions on modern wrestling aside it's just ridiculous to induct currently active wrestlers.

[@daveborder7751]

The Funks were still wrestling until fairly recently so I don't get that argument-most wrestlers never retire, or do so at a highly advanced age. Flair only retired a year or so back-but it would be stupid to have a HOF without him Hogan, Abdullah etc-who all went in back in 1996.

[@user-do2ev2hr7h]

Point taken but even so when guys in their 30's or early 40's who have never even implied a first retirement it stretches credulity. At the very least it could be like the rock and roll hall of fame where a set (and lengthy) number of years is required.

[@daveborder7751]

@@user-do2ev2hr7h I think they have to have been wrestling for 15 years, or be 35 is the qualification period. Liger would have been in back in 1996-but he had to wait a few more years for those reasons.

[@shaolin1derpalm]

I was watching Mid Atlantic 83 84. And the heel turn was awesome. Gerry's snark was epic.

[@BLACKxVISUALS]

We need the Jim Cornette HOF Awards !!

[@kingslayer2999]

Waiting for Cornettes reaction to MJF injuring himself at Full Gear like a Goof doing a unnecessary elbow drop from top rope to the outside floor 😒

[@darthraider450]

Might take a while, he switched off after the Hangmaam Swerve match.

[@chico1680]

​@darthraider450 Brian still probably trying to convince Jim to watch lol

[@DavidOwen-yv8wz]

And then making himself cry while gushing about AEW allowing him to express his art and being all he can be.

[@vb2806]

I won't like that video. Cornette does mental gymnastics for the people he likes

[@dngn4774]

@@vb2806Another year or two of this and I think Cornette will even disown MJF. He’s overlooked a lot in this face run and he’s probably not leaving in 2024.

[@televiper11]

The Briscos heel turn was the greatest tag team turn ever.

[@Sh0tgunJust1ce]

I love how Dave had to write out a special participation award for the Young Bucks because they didn't get voted in. He couldn't make his bias more over the top if he tried.

[@Jeff_HellensBridge]

I was born in 1985 and I remember as a kid being fully aware of Sgt Slaughter well before someone like Hulk Hogan or Sting. His attachment to GIJoe was huge.

[@shaunkenneally7597]

Say before, say it now Thank you jim for always reminding how awesome Pro wrestling WAS.

[@NaZtRdAmUs]

"I used to hate Slaughter when I was a kid, he was a great heel.

[@MrWCLewis12]

I LOVE listening to segments like this. Learned a ton. Laughed a ton too.

[@mockingbird9646]

These are the kind of segments i truly enjoy. Not an hour or more, referencing names i know and educating me on names i dont, THIS is the key reason i am subscribed to the channel. Thanks for the education guys

[@CharizardMaster69]

27:59 because Jim Johnston is a big reason why anyone loves Stone Cold, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Triple H, etc. What do you always hear when someone mentions any of those guys? Their work was great, their promos were great, and their themes were perfect.

[@Rjensen2]

Oh, that's just total horseshit. 😂😂😂

[@daniellebrackett4905]

The guy was responsible for such a range...Undertaker to DX... he should be there.

[@Getwright-]

Stone Colds music is still more over than most wrestlers

[@Rjensen2]

@@Getwright- So what? It had NOTHING to do with Austin's success.

[@joshbouman1654]

​@@Rjensen2You gonna try and claim he would've gotten all those iconic pops without the glass?

[@metallicbigtoe3949]

Big Daddy was a disgrace, wrestling in the UK has still never recovered...

[@XombieLejon66]

I know he was a relative of the promoter so that's why he had a spot, and he wasn't really good. But he seemed popular enough. Why do people dislike him?

[@metallicbigtoe3949]

@XombieLejon66 he couldn't move, never mind wrestle, he'd run at wrestlers and bouce his belly off them and they had to take huge bumps for it, it looked ridiculous. The country got caught up in the hype, it did not live up to that hype lol 👍

[@Rjensen2]

​@@XombieLejon66He wasn't popular at all, if crowd size is taken into account.

[@Halbared]

@@XombieLejon66 He was a cultural phenomenon. He was on telly all the time. But all he could do was belly bump. He was as mobile as 1990's André.

[@chrisjamesr77]

It's probably been said a million times before in these comment sections, but damn, I just love listening to Jim and Brian talking about wrestling history.

[@ilanwoll9795]

Oddly, if you said Reigns is more deserving than Kenny to Omega, he would agree with Jim

[@chico1680]

For all the reasons Jim stated, Mr Wonderful qualifies and for all the reasons Brian stated, Orndorff doesn't. Where's the lie?

[@billy9069]

Just wanted to point out to non UK fans. Big Daddy regularly had an audience of 4.5 million viewers and peaked at 7.5 million viewers. From a country smaller than a lot of states.

[@BuJammy]

Big Daddy didn't kill British wrestling. He was one of the biggest stars in Britain in the 70s, and the idea that he was only in that spot because his brother was the promoter is ludicrous. Even if it were true, he was a huge star, so his brother made the right decision.

[@mrbooth7]

Big Daddy, and Giant Haystacks, were amongst the first 'acts' i saw live as a young Wrestling fan in the UK, probably back in the mid 80s. Even at 6/7 years old, i saw they were an absolute mess!

[@ThomasMiddlehurs1984]

The fight had something like 16 million watching. We still have Big Daddy Comics at home and annual. ITV killed British wrestling but there's a reason kids in the UK were Hulksters.

[@UnholySama]

Can we PLEASE have an omnibus of every time Jim says ISHIIII 😂

[@PatI-zg9gm]

Orndorff belongs in every wrestling hall of fame.

[@wwedbzguy]

There goes Brian apologizing again for background noise that no one else can hear.

[@JACQUEZJOHNSON23]

roman regins is a hall of famer and I stand by it

[@chico1680]

Longest reigning WHC since Bob Backlund in the 70s-80s and is actually a draw yet he doesn't qualify but, Ibushi and Omega who have accomplished less do according to these dirt sheet marks. It's embarrassing.

[@petersonofleo11]

Meltzer created a monster that he can't control. Meltzer was like guys vote for Roman but his base is literally the lowest of the low of the IWC that they don't vote for him and Meltzer knows that not having Roman in it kills his credibility even more.

[@bobwatson1162]

As a casual wrestling fan most of us don't know most of these wrestlers especially the ones from Japan.. maybe they should have an international section for those people

[@darthraider450]

At least the buckeroos aka the male bella twins didn’t make it

[@TJFreeq]

Dave Meltzer look like the bad guy from "Elmo in Grouchland".

[@EwanCumia]

Ishiiiiii made it.

[@L3ghair]

You two vastly undersell what Jim Johnston did for the business. Most of the iconic wrestling themes were done by him.

[@allanr9163]

It seems they crap on him (or his place in the wrestling business) every time he's brought up. It's bizarre.

[@JormunB]

I think you just made Jim and Brian's point for them: he created iconic wrestling themes. Period. He didn't cut promos, book matches, run a territory, draw money, bring down the house inside the ring, or otherwise do anything of note within the wrestling business. There are some really memorable logos and graphics: should the graphic artists responsible get a shot at the hall of fame? What about the belt-makers? Or the people that makes wrestling gear? Where do we draw the line with technical professionals adjacent to the business itself? For the record though, I mostly agree with your thesis statement, and I lean toward Johnston going in, given how willy-nilly and inclusive the hall of fame is.

[@L3ghair]

@@JormunB There probably should be some sort of "contributors" wing or something in a wrestling HOF for all of the people who designed the music, graphics, etc. It makes sense to recognize them for their contributions to the business, especially when you're dealing with the person responsible for the themes of The Rock, Stone Cold, Mankind, The Undertaker, Kane, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and lord knows how many more iconic wrestlers.

[@bettysteve322716]

l'm 60 plus and l can still remember watching Spiros Arion and Mario Milano as a child, on GTV9 Saturday morning wrestling, replay from the Friday Night Festival Hall shows. (Melbourne Australia).

[@LaurenceGill2000]

Big Daddy should absolutely be in any hall of fame. I'll tell you right now if you interview the whole population of the UK and ask them to name wrestlers, Big Daddy will be the most popular. If youre having guys that were 'huge in Japan' or 'huge in Mexico', then you cannot fail to have Big Daddy

[@Shiny101]

Hitler was popular too

[@SSJ2Phenom]

This is the HoF, not the awards. What's with all the "of the year" comments?

[@jasonfuller2734]

Don’t take it so serious boss.

[@SSJ2Phenom]

@@jasonfuller2734 I'm not taking it seriously at all. I really want to know what's with all of the "of the year" comments. If there's something happening that I don't know about, someone please tell me.

[@chico1680]

​@@SSJ2Phenom I think some folks are confused by the two since Meltzer does a HOF thing and a best and worst of year award deal

[@benespinosa6725]

Lmfao I've been waiting for this these awards don't mean shit I just like jim talking shit about Dave Meltzer anytime he gets 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@williammitchell4417]

Travis the Arteest😂😂 Corny wanting to "Exterminate" the Cuckamunga Jabronies!!!😂 🤣

[@XKenny77]

Blue Panther and El Hijo del Santo came to England about 20 years ago as part of an art exhibition. They wrestled two matches on two separate nights - one at a theatre and one in the student bar at the university where the exhibition was held. I went to both nights. Both guys must have been pushing 50 by then, and they did these two 40+ minute matches. They were absolutely mindblowingly good. It's great to see George Kidd get in. He was hardly on TV because TV never shot in Scotland and he was making so much money working in Scotland (and the roads to London where most of the TV was shot in the 50s and 60s were terrible), but literally everybody who was around in that era says he was the absolute best in the business. Johnny Saint was his successor both in style and in being the perennial lightweight champion. After he retired, he hosted a chat show on the local ITV station for several years too. He was hugely respected. Jackie Pallo was a huge TV star in the 50s, and he drew money in the UK for decades. He and Mick McManus are the two names that everyone who was alive in the 1960s and 70s in the UK remembers. EVERYBODY knew those guys. Big Daddy is a weird one. He was a very big star beyond the confines of the business, but his gimmick burned some shit out. He wasn't the only reason the business died here, but he did play a role. He's always been the real dividing line for HOF membership. How do you balance the positives of being the biggest TV and house show draw of a generation, and a major crossover TV star, with being arguably the worst worker in the entire business? Johnny Saint is great, and guys like Danielson, Punk, Hero and Cabana rode his dick for years when they were coming up, which has since led to lots and lots of young guys in the US getting very into him. The Michinoku Pro guys loved him too. Zack Sabre Jr. has made a living with a lot of Saint's shit in Japan for a while now. A lot of guys could still learn a ton from watching him.

[@davidhandley9007]

Very interesting read, and some really well thought out points. However, it's wrong to say big daddy killed or contributed to the death of British wrestling. He and haystacks were the last stars that kept the UK scene alive, crowds were dwindling, and love crowds and TV crowds picked up with haystacks and daddy. The Wembley match outdrew the fa cup final on TV, shows you just how popular they were. They gave British wrestling a new lease of life, it was dying long before they had their run, business simply picked up under them. What killed British wrestling was Gregg dyke and the loss of the TV deal, and wwf being introduced into UK.

[@XKenny77]

@@davidhandley9007That's half true, but it's a bit like saying Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon saved wrestling in the 80s because they got the biggest crowds. In actual fact, the industry as a whole was shrinking the whole time. At one point Dale Martin was running nine shows per night. That all dwindled during the Daddy era, as more and more focus got put on one big star instead of spreading the love as widely as possible. TV ratings declined pretty steadily through that whole period and Daddy became a comedy figure to anyone who wasn't a fan. He was largely responsible for the exodus to All Star, because the talented younger lads really didn't want to be Daddy's fall guys any more, and that damaged the power of Joint Promotions. Daddy is a unique figure. It would be hard to write anything about British wrestling without mentioning him. He was a massive mainstream star with near 100% name recognition in the country. He was one of the worst headline wrestlers in all of history though, and his legacy is the near death of British wrestling. Oh, and the story about outdrawing the Cup Final is bullshit. John Lister has covered this in a few places.

[@kurtvanderbogarde8402]

George Kidd and Johnny Saint were the First and Second comings of a brilliant escapist/reversalist techical World Lightweight Champion who between them, made such a title a draw over 50 years in spite of all received wisdom about the lighter weights. We have loads of footage of Johnny Saint but only a little bit of George Kidd from the final months of his career in 1975-1976. Only one of these shows even a hint of his brilliance - a contest where he dominates and pins the opponent in 3 minutes while on his back - and even with that bout, seeing only that one and saying that you've properly seen George Kidd is like saying you've seen all there is to see of Johnny Saint off the back of his 2011 bouts with Mike Quackenbush for Chikara. Kidd did however wrestle 22 earlier TV bouts between 1962-1969 and almost cetainly some - if not most or all - of these are in Granada TV's vault of 16mm kinescopes of 1960's ITV wrestling and might get dug out some day for us to see.

[@Kratosx23]

Man, as a massive Asuka and Bray Wyatt fan, and a huge fan of Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes, next years ballot is going to break my heart when none of them go in.

[@chwenhoou]

These days, being nominated by Uncle Dave's dirt sheet is like being the cool kid at the mental asylum.