Jim Cornette's Montreal Deep Dive Omnibus

In the Spring of 2019, The Jim Cornette Experience featured a three-part Deep Dive looking at Jim's role in the infamous Montreal double-cross between Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels. Presented here are all three parts, including Jim's talk with Dave Meltzer & Jim's look at the aftermath of Montreal: Jim Cornette's Montreal Deep Dive Omnibus!
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
Follow Jim and Brian on Twitter:
@TheJimCornette
@GreatBrianLast
Visit Jim's official site at www.JimCornette.com for merch, live dates, commentaries and more!
You can listen to Brian each week on the 6:05 Superpodcast at 605pod.com

[@InfinityEnterprises]

Take a shot every time Meltzer says “like” or “y’know” and you’ll be dead by the time he finishes 3 sentences.

[@trtorbelfort]

And you know like I just like feel so bad you know like

[@Tom_Van_Zandt]

Double down on taking a shot every time Cornette says some for of the word "fuck" and you'll be dead in 3 words.

[@666Amadeus999]

Take a shot every time Russo says ''bro''

[@michaelhalliday395]

Worse than my teenage daughter 🤦‍♂️

[@firstnameIastname]

Take a shot everytime Cornette clears his throat or coughs/hacks. Make sure the will is updated 😵🪦⚰️⚱️👻💀

[@zippyrodriguez9632]

The behind the scenes political soap opera of wrestling is absolutely fascinating even if you have no interest in headlocks and pile drivers.

[@m.night_schlongislong]

Honestly. I never watched wrestling growing up. Now after coming across Cornette's podcast I find myself watching wrestling from the time periods he talks about and it's amazing knowing what went on behind the curtain.

[@Ottophil]

I hate wrestling. I’m 40 and always mocked the fans. The other day someone said Trump fans are trying to maintain kayfabe even though they know hes a heel. I had to look those terms up. Now I’m a talk is jericho fan, i saw all the episodes of dark side, its a rabbit hole for sure

[@michelledavidson8190]

I'm new to wrestling & I love these podcasts.

[@Kloppsserialbottlers]

I love pile drivers.

[@dirtmcgirt8269]

That's so fukn awesome to hear. Holy shit. I thought there was no way people who weren't fans of wrestling would ever become fans anymore.

[@trollge6607]

listening to Cornette describe the Screwjob as he watched it backstage is the literal representation of watching or hearing an acccurate play-by-play description of a massive trainwreck.

[@HuwhyteMan]

I will forever be grateful that Jim was a meticulous record keeper! Really helps immerse you in these stories and paint a complete picture.

[@timburr4453]

he may very well be Americas best pure wrestling historian

[@gastonphalange]

I have short attention span, but Jim Cornette is the only human being I could listen to for hours and not get tired of

[@TheArgoBots]

Damn too many times a week i wake up and he's STILL speaking. TOTALLY worth listening

[@sese6227]

Same... it's rare I can listen to someone talk for 2+ hours. Corney always keeps it entertaining though, he definitely has the gift for gab.

[@DarksaberForce]

Him and Joe Rogan

[@phillyriq946]

I agree

[@ammagnolia]

I wanna hear him read the Bible

[@SneedPatch]

I could listen to Corny talk about anything wrestling-related all day. The guy’s passion for and knowledge of the business is unparalleled

[@jeremybayne5895]

eat your own fanny!

[@NuclearRicecake]

Jim Cornette is a legend, I could listen to him all day on any topic. I've lost count of all the videos I've watched of him shooting on everyone and everything. Great video.

[@gripsimpson]

I've gotta admit: i Would liked to have seen Jim Cornette with that WCW Title over his shoulder.

[@maxwelljacobfreedom]

Until he talks about politics and completely ignores the other guy touching kids

[@doc8013]

@@maxwelljacobfreedom another embarrassing comment from you on another Cornette video. Your obsession is equally humiliating. Just WOW.

[@heathmcrigsby]

I could listen to him on any topic except politics. Dude has true TDS.

[@wingerding]

@@heathmcrigsby lol yup. It seems hard for some to shake!!

[@dannyh5937]

I haven't watched wrestling since the mid 2000's, but came across these Jim Cornette videos and podcast during quarantine and I am so glad I did. These podcasts have helped me get through these past couple of weeks with a smile on my face. Thank you, Jim Cornette, you're a legend.

[@Batony]

Same here lol

[@flameblade5127]

Yup. I stopped in 2009 when Jeff left and the pg era went to shit. I came back because he returned, and it turns out I didn’t miss much in between.

[@dirtmcgirt8269]

@@flameblade5127 '13 is a really good year. That's about all ya missed.

[@kylericciardi2517]

Yep. Cornette is top shelf. Found him again in 2019 on a trip to Florida.

[@BRUISERBROWNBRAND]

I liked 06-09 too

[@paulcolston9963]

Can we please get Jim Cornette in to the wwe hall of fame

[@Charsi_Escobar]

Caitlyn Jenner will have her first period before that happens.

[@SundayMorningRunner]

@@Charsi_Escobar Nah. He'll get there. But he will be long gone when it happens.

[@devilswrestlingreviews6683]

He's gotta endorse Trump first :)

[@1978mackdaddy]

@@Charsi_Escobar 😂

[@tedgal1984]

Just for the speech

[@TheHarv68]

Jim being cordial with Meltzer is the craziest part of this omnibus

[@CheezyBallsTrippa]

I think this was before Jim had his falling out with Dave

[@randycrawford1132]

@@CheezyBallsTrippait was

[@lillagahnavich7700]

yeah check the date...this was way before he started sucking off Tony, Kenny and the Bucks for their weekly AEW shows, he starts falling out with Meltzer about the end to middle of the next year when Meltzers bias is too strong to ignore for Corny

[@jamesbellegarde2893]

OK you really gotta understand this Jim…… How are any of us stampede wrestling hard-core like the Stiff Von Eric’s and Bill Watts realistic wrestling, and not love Brett Hart! He will drop the undertaker undertaker will drop it to Shawn Michaels problem solved!!! This is the one and only time I will say this because I love Jim Cornette BUT fuck you, Jim!

[@ryancorrigan4149]

@@lillagahnavich7700 Meltzer was already praising Kenny and The Bucks big time in NJPW. I think it's more about AEW. AEW literally ruined Corny. I don't care that he hates AEW, I expected he would, but it's all he ever talks about now. Just constant bitching and moaning about the same topic over and over. And if anyone likes that product then he bitches about them too. Each video becomes more and more unwatchable. I checked out a video that according to its title was supposed to be him having a watchalong of an old Royal Rumble... a 3.5 hour video and no kidding, for the first 2 hours HE BITCHED ABOUT AEW! It's sad.

[@honkeykong4049]

The whole ordeal, including the aftermath with what happened to both Owen and Bret, is like a great Greek Tragedy.

[@PopOutPaulie]

It seriously is. What's even worse is how Vince sabotaged Bret's character on the way out.

[@darthpagan76]

You know what? You are correct in your statement. It never dawned on me until reading your comment.

[@saj8]

@@PopOutPaulie And Bischoff sabotaging Bret's WCW career as well.

[@PandaWeight]

its more tragic tho

[@ammagnolia]

I honestly think what coulda happened was Corny actually did come up with a finish as a double cross and it stuck with Vince. Then later Hunter says his whole, 'if he doesn't wanna do business, well make him' as a response to what they should do as the finish... The story according to Shawn and HHH and Vince. I doubt Russo has anything to do with it. I'm sure once Hunter added his input, Vince was like.... Damn it, we're doing it. We're fuc*#ng doing it!!!

[@josephmatthews7698]

I was at Kemper when Owen died. Absolutely breaks my heart to know he was planning to be a firefighter after the wrestling thing fizzled out. What a good dude who deserved so much better.

[@jimreily7538]

Absolutely right

[@thegamemole3941]

He seemed like one of the only people in the business who made it to those heights and didn’t get corrupted by it. He seemed like a legitimately good dude who stayed humble and just wanted to provide for his family. Wish he could’ve been with us for longer.

[@josephmatthews7698]

@@thegamemole3941 Couldn't agree more. His death will be etched in my memory forever. The tragedy of the Hart family is overwhelming and the more I learn about him as a man instead of a public figure the more I realize how good of a person he is. Besides his stone cold botch which was an accident I haven't seen anyone have a bad word to say about him. Just a really solid dude dedicated to his family.

[@wingerding]

We would have been happy to have him as a firefighter in our hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Homebase of the legendary "Stu Hart's Wrestling Dungeon" and all its legendary graduates! 🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦

[@mox19380]

funny bret wanted to be a firefighter before he became a wrestler and only got in the ring to help his dad's promotion. I always thing how incredible Owen would've been in the ring in '99 with Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Jericho. When they finally moved away from huge guys and on to great in-ring workers. Imagine the matches he could've had with those guys

[@hydroguy6927]

This man belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame. His fingerprints are all over wrestling history.

[@AkrimTabbouli]

How is he not? I didn't know that!

[@AHMED-ly2ml]

He is a library of wrestling. He lives , breathes, eats and shits wrestling. Can't believe he ain't in the hall of Fame

[@broncobalboa]

wwe hof aint worth shit

[@badmoon710]

Trust me, Jim don’t care about being in the wwe hof. Lol he’s got no problem not being in it

[@midnightmoviecult7414]

@@badmoon710 would he enjoy it? Absolutely. Would he prefer it be him and the midnights? Positively. Does he lose sleep over it? No

[@marceledel8619]

The best point Jim made was how everything went to hell after Montreal: Many careers ruined, an entire industry turned inside-out, and 2 tragic deaths in the immediate years that followed.

[@roobear78]

thats not a true reflection of what happend,im a big jc fan but he has a one sided view of history most of the time and also there is evidence of him flip flopping on occasion as well.yes years later wcw would go under and so on and so forth but thats buisness in genral,some others would add that the attitude era brought about the biggest success wwf had,with austin,the rock and such and took buisness to the greatest heights its seen! granted its severly downturned these days but again that could have and has happend before multiple times and long before montreal!As for the deaths tragic but again jim beats on about owens death and how he should never have been up there when he himself took massive risks in scaffold match's in jcp! could have easily died in the one where wrecked his knee but did it willingly and not just for the ppv's im pretty sure it was on the bash and on the subsuqent bash tours they did as well! montreal changed the buisness no doubt,but it certainly never went to hell,that come a good decade after

[@marceledel8619]

Yeah, my bad, That was my poor interpretation of it all.

[@roobear78]

@@marceledel8619 i dont think its a poor interpritation, everything you said is true,it just didnt happen because of or following montreal like jim thinks it did! sure for jim and traditional followers of wrestleing it may seem that way but the truth is outside the bubble society was well on the way to being edgy,gritty,full of attitude and everything else wrestling went on to be, the same year montreal happend a white guy from michigan with blonde hair was propelled to international stardom with the slim shady album,just to give a bit of persepctive to things! i love jim he's a smart,funny and talented guy and you dont have to agree 100% with someone to enjoy there work.

[@ennbee2051]

Who?! Owen and Doink?

[@russoswerve3974]

It kickstarted the start of the best era of wrestling (1998-2007) and made Mr McMahon the greatest villain and helped Austin become the wrestler of the decade

[@jeffreyriley8742]

With his knowledge of wrestling history, it makes perfect sense that Jim would be the one to give the idea for the finish.

[@wingerding]

I believe he got the idea from a couple of matches he worked.

[@kyrofletch7189]

So interesting hearing Dave & Cornette speaking together for once on a topic lol

[@inarar5334]

I think this was one of the last times they were publicly cordial to each other, because the DSOTR that covered Montreal was aired around the same time the rift over AEW and The Elite was starting to widen.

[@brandonr.4910]

Cornette is probably the best verbal storyteller (backstage drama) in the history of the business. He is right up there in the top 5 in terms of wrestling stories (works) too.

[@stephentrout7879]

Foley no-showing bc one of the wrestlers got screwed , bless him! xD

[@christophergargaro959]

Stephen Trout Cornette’s reasoning to Foley on why he should come back was perfect, reminding him that he walked out because a multi millionaire owner screwed a star wrestler who was going from making $1.5 million a year to $2.5 million and another star making $750K a year participated in it. So by walking out and showing solidarity, were either of those two guys going to give Foley any of that money? And as Cornette said - he was back the next night. Also he was dead on in saying Foley was right if this were a face vs heel situation...but this was a heel program. There were no babyfaces.

[@nategreen940]

gggggChristopher Gargaro gggghhggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

[@michelvanbriemen3459]

@Lafe Denton This isn't about bravery though, this is about perceiving a wrong and trying to do right, when the reality of the situation was that everything was wrong and no right could be done.

[@leburz]

@@christophergargaro959 Hitman was a face in Canada, heel in the states. HBK was a heel in Canada, face in the states, and it was QUITE clear at the time. (Shawn sticking the Canadian flag in his nose, wiping his butt with it, etc.)

[@jackrussell3084]

@@christophergargaro959 Cornette should be interpreted as an unreliable narrator (like every other wrestling personality) and not the word of God. He has had a lot of time to consider the "facts" in light of history and how to paint a positive image of himself.

[@whobitmyname]

Anybody else grateful that Jim would have been around in Stamford for those few key years and have all this inside stuff?

[@TaylorComstock]

Understandable, but every time I’ve seen Jim talk about Owen Hart, he sounds on the verge of tears

[@sese6227]

Watch the Dark Side of the Ring on Owen. He was crying....sad stuff.

[@darthdestructor927]

@@sese6227 owen was supposed to get the game gimmick and be the main heel of the wwf along with triple h who was going to be the cerebal assasin gimmick but owen ended up dying..owen was supposed to come off down and then do a work shoot promo about how hes gonna game everyone...unfortunately he passed before that....

[@momentarystudies2951]

Corny

[@MichaelWilliams-so1pq]

Jim cared and was friends with a lot of these guys. Bobby Eaton was a really good guy by all accounts and hearing him talk about Mr. Eaton almost brought me to tears.

[@edwardcorey1071]

Jim managed Owen you travel with the man become friends plus Owen was liked he'll loved by all the boys he!l I cried I was 14 but they were buds

[@sese6227]

Bret dropping the belt to Austin would've been a HUGE mistake. It was wayy too soon, Austin was still building momentum & when he took it off Shawn in 98, w Tyson counting 1,2,3 at Wrestlemania was absolute perfection!

[@BeeBumper]

Taker made the most sense. But they didn't do it.

[@Rschr101]

Shame it couldnt have been Bret dropping the title to Austin at Mania 14.

[@jamaali2358]

would have been better than the boring fast count match

[@keithhensley7061]

Just some fascinating stuff here.Seems like this story will never get old 20 yrs+ after the fact

[@joeldiaz5857]

So true----it's 2022 and im still binging on old-school WWE stuff as if it happened yesterday. It doesn't get old.

[@djkokolo1787]

The only person I can listen to talk about wrestling this long.....thank you Jim.

[@Patrick-ud3vu]

When Jim Cornette says someone else takes wrestling too serious, you know that’s next level!!

[@wingerding]

He didn't mean that he was taking wrestling too serious, he meant that he was taking life too seriously.

[@JennaLeigh]

@@wingerding he literally followed up with 'he took himself and the business too seriously".

[@UltimateSushiLord]

@@JennaLeigh though jim would say on a more recent ep that bret was in the right to take the business seriously after watching some of his matches from his A&E bio

[@JennaLeigh]

@@UltimateSushiLord definitely! I remember hearing Cornette say that he used to think Bret took it too seriously, now he finds it refreshing.

[@westsideflyer7559]

Bret took it pretty serious. The thing I've heard from more than one source: "Bret is a mark for himself."

[@adamrasmussen9939]

1:41:00 I know. I was in grade 9. I had a Goldberg shirt. My friends all had Austin 3.16 shirts. I played it off like all the cool shirts were gone....but I picked it out. I *CHOSE* IT.....and it failed me...

[@theungreatkahli]

Its okay. Goldberg was over as hell, even to my WWF/E fan friends.

[@kenrickeason]

Boy Goldberg was over as hell! You had the coolest shirt.. 3 shirts that was cool.. Stone Cold, NWO and Goldberg..

[@elizabethmccleary7331]

@@kenrickeason mick foley destroyed my elementary school

[@ukrbs06]

At that time, you did got go wrong with Goldberg

[@theblake5356]

@@ukrbs06 Yes he did. To serious fans, Goldberg was a cheap Austin knock-off.

[@mr.mirchenstein6549]

I could listen Jim talk about double crosses and vintage old school wrestling history all day long! I would love to hear more about the really early days. There’s just so many unknowns & cool, interesting & incredible stories.

[@hihaters2004]

Jim killed Diesels title run so effortlessly 😂

[@MaxxCoyote]

@Cas van der Wal Vince is obsessed with Size, and after the steroid trial, Nash was still 320.

[@JuniorRodriguez-nk6rq]

They say when Diesel found out he was getting the strap he tore his quad

[@sese6227]

To be fair, Diesel didn't exactly have a plethora of heels to go up against either. I'm not saying he was a great champ, by any means, but the company as a whole, at that time, was floundering.

[@llynellyn]

@@sese6227 I still find it funny that instead of building Bulldog up to main event level to be a viable opponent for Diesel they gave Diesel a losing streak to make it look like a mid carder could beat him, genius level booking >.>

[@steveg2251]

Diesel killed Diesel

[@radio_nowhere]

3 hours isn't enough for this topic with these two talking about it. Loved it. 👍🏾 10/10.

[@12345Yeah]

@Mike Jones 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 sure thing pal

[@thehighjedi5109]

Some of the best moments on Jim’s podcasts is when he manages to make Brian just bust up laughing. 😆 Wow this was back when Jim and Dave were still friends and Dave was still half way lucid.

[@inarar5334]

Or when Jim invokes Heenan to get Brian to invoke Gorilla Monsoon and his various "will you stop!" reactions.

[@JRoundAbout]

I almost forgot uncle Dave was on the podcast, thought I was extra extra high.

[@mosskey]

4 years ago?

[@heel2face556]

Never watched these omnibus episodes because I didn't wanna sit at home or workout for hours and have to listen to it. But having a job where I can listen to podcasts for a few hours makes these so much better. Love the material.

[@wingerding]

Lol so they're only good when you don't listen to them very closely? 🤣

[@jammiebooker6489]

Haha.....listened to 10 hours of Corny while working dish. Great thing to listen to while working 😊

[@heel2face556]

@@wingerding lol just seeing this. No not at all lol I listen to them intently now, even at home, work, in the car or grocery store lol just first getting into him and his episodes are daunting

[@heel2face556]

@@jammiebooker6489 i literally listen to each show of the week now at work, makes me actually look forward to certain days

[@Jacob-2796]

It's like the old days listening round the wireless. Jim deserves full attention

[@TravelatorH8r]

I listen to this Omnibus once a year, this is the best story ever told in wrestling.

[@emprodabob]

Jim Cornette sparked the attitude era with a "What if"

[@josemuniz4454]

Jim and brian, keep up the great work!!!👍

[@StanStacks]

Bischoff being called out on his “I never offered Bret 2.8m in 96” by Jim (who saw the contract as did Vince) and Dave is serious vindication for Bret. Bischoff is and always will be a liar.

[@rysonthomas8551]

Shut the f up.. You shit head

[@only1icon1801]

Great upload, very informative and thorough with in-depth analysis of what went down and what could have been easily avoided

[@sgord051]

This a great piece of Jim's brilliance, I can listen to him non-stop!!!!!

[@jeyDsixx18]

“We could do 3 hours if I had the voice” -Jim Cornette at the start of podcast ....podcast proceeds to go 3 hours

[@TheJhar22]

It's a compilation of previous podcasts.

[@medes5597]

It's a compilation of three separate podcasts...

[@pearcemark2]

John Doe as someone who listens to podcasts at work to stave off boredom, I quite enjoy a marathon podcast

[@brandonp3455]

Omnibus was the key term.

[@travishowell290]

Do you know what an omnibus is?

[@Dr170]

Travis Heckel is a modern day Da Vinci and all... but I sure wish Bret were holding his giant grisly chunk of Michaels' hair in the video artwork there.

[@rude73dog]

He did draw Bret/Shawn fight with clump of hair in hand in a previous episode.

[@stueymorris]

Da Vinci? Really

[@mrrickson3571]

Who pulls hair? Hookers and bitches. Bret had an unfair advantage in a hair pulling fight by having the greasiest fucking hair in the history of Pro wrestling. You couldn't get any grip on that wet wet headed stringy crap.

[@harrybrown4077]

@@mrrickson3571 LOL hookers and bitches lol. 😂👍

[@randyortonsdickbulge]

Yeah this artist sucks. He’s the original artist I preferred all the different art.

[@YujiNakaSonic]

Re listening to this it’s absolutely surreal to have Dave on the show

[@michaelnemeth5242]

I don't understand why there are thumbs down for this... its incredible insight.

[@wingerding]

I'm guessing the people who think it's a conspiracy don't like Jim's rationality and direct honesty.

[@jackfr10]

"It's me Hart, it's me Hart. It was me all along Hart".

[@teamwipe804]

Awwwww SONOFABITCH

[@jimdraven2432]

Whether Cornette floated the idea or not, McMahon had the last decision whether to do it.this whole situation could've been avoided had McMahon just asked Bret to sign a document stating he wouldn't take the WWF title belt onto nitro or get sued for 7 billion lol

[@mj-7444]

Jim Draven It’s not that simple.Ted Turner, the opposition was a billionaire and a contract doesn’t mean shit and if you trusted the opponent the only opponent that is,Then you and the business will be in their hands.WCW takes Bret Hart and doesn’t do shit with him other than some cheating victories that meant nothing.

[@AppalachianCryptidDoge]

Who's that Pokemon??!

[@josephdelledonne2098]

I remember when Shawn came out on Confidential admitting he was on it, and I was shocked. Something new comes up all of the time, now we find out it was Cornette's idea. Wow!

[@brianhyatt3930]

This podcast got me from San Antonio to College Station. For that, thank you gents!

[@tokesalotta1521]

Something you never hear is how Sean didn't sell the victory. It's like he was too afraid to, in fear of Brett beating him up in the ring

[@derekeagles377]

Jim is such a legend. And grossly underappreciated

[@davidjames9014]

Yep, and usually by those who aren't smart enough to understand his deep intellect and cultural reference

[@derekeagles377]

@@davidjames9014 hear hear good sir

[@AdemVoldy]

6:15 "Shawn's career-ending knee injury didn't last that long." Haha, I love that.

[@batmanwins4584]

Yeah, except it's well documented that Shawn did have a knee injury and Jim let's personal animosity with Shawn cloud basic reasoning skills. People love to crap on Shawn relinquishing the belt, and these are usually the same people complaining WWE doesn't look after the health of their guys. He was injured. Could he have worked? Probably. Should he have? No!

[@Zeke1379]

@@batmanwins4584 funny how he managed to drop most of his titles without losing a match eh

[@batmanwins4584]

@@Zeke1379 No, he didn't. He did not drop most of his titles without being best.

[@Rschr101]

Shawn was a crybaby, and the back injury was exaggerated too.

[@thedoctor3528]

00:00 DSOTR Discussion (JCE 279) 59:07 Discussion with Dave Meltzer (JCE 280) 1:01:27 Double Cross & Expose History 1:15:19 DSOTR 1:21:40 Real reason for screwjob 1:31:52 Bret in WCW 1:42:33 Jim came up with the finish 1:54:21 Who else knew? HHH Knew 2:09:25 Montreal Aftermath (JCE 281)

[@nikcorbosiero9339]

I really appreciate hearing Jim tell stories

[@Ultimatebot92]

Was this released as an omnibus on Spotify? I can't find it. If anyone knows the date/ep number that would be great

[@michelledavidson8190]

Love Jim Cornette's podcast and it's been interesting to listen to.

[@tommymclaughlin3203]

Excellent as always! Such great insight to an incident that is still talked about today!!

[@Ben-cr3xy]

Vince blew off the "double cross" idea in person but Im positively sure that he took that idea right after Jim mentioned it and mentally ran with it.

[@TheseBitchesWantNikes]

Definitely. You know the second Jim threw it out, Vince IMMEDIATELY started planning it out but had to take it off the table in front of the booking committee for show.

[@wingerding]

Well no shit. He didn't just think up the exact same idea on his own a week later...

[@jeffreyriley8742]

I watched the documentary a little earlier. I loved it. I think everyone did a great job. I even liked Scott Hall's stuff.

[@BossFinale]

2 years late, but holy shit. Jim Cornette came up with it. Awesome podcast cornette. Thanks for the insight! I hope this podcast blows up even more.

[@wingerding]

Hell's yah brother! Better late than never!

[@christopherjamesboudoir]

Jim Cornette is a master story teller. He just gets you interested, and you love listening to him.

[@rexsexson5349]

1:30:14 🤣 The sound Russo's brain makes right before he says bro.

[@silenttoxic707]

Hearing Dave on this show knowing their relationship now lol

[@douglasjarnagan3835]

Long story short: Vince didn't have the foresight to get the title off Bret before letting him negotiate a new contract with the competition, and then panicked when the new contract was signed. What an astute businessman.

[@travismcdonald6576]

Douglas Jarnagan I believe McMahon wanted the whole thing to happen and his goal was to spite Bret Hart.

[@calamaty9963]

Fnord Fnordington Trump is President and the dems don’t have a chance. Vince is rich from crappy wrestling. It is what it is.

[@matthewrock4725]

@Fnord Fnordington Vince grew up in a trailer lmao

[@mylesa365]

I mean he’s a billionaire for a reason so I guess he is a pretty astute businessman

[@douglasjarnagan3835]

@SlimBack121 So Bret is supposed to drop the belt in Canada right before leaving for the competition? Any wrestler that would do such a thing is insane. All of the wrestling purists can talk about the 'time honored tradition', but people that say that don't understand why there are creative control clauses in wrestling contracts. It is so the wrestler's image isn't damaged on their way out the door. Bret tried to present Vince with a solution to dropping the title, but Vince declined because he was too frightened about Eric Bischoff announcing on live TV that the current WWF Champion had signed with WCW. It had nothing to do with Bret not wanting to do the right thing. The entire situation was Vince allowing for a bad situation to unfold and then becoming so paranoid with the situation that he felt he had to either damage Hart's character or publicly embarrass Hart to get him out of that situation.

[@eseria7550]

When Dave talked about Bret calling him after his mom had a stroke, I kinda choked up. Thats just a genuine nice story

[@JofoInTheRing]

There still are some good stories with good people out there after all ! 💪

[@markkeegan7535]

Love the omnibus presentations. Its like binge watching whole seasons of your favorite shows on netflix. In the documentary Russo takes credit for coming up with finish and a few minutes later Russo state he wishes he could have come up with that finish. Not sure if it was an editing mistake or Russo contradicted himself.

[@darklordojeda]

The latter.

[@jonathanmiranda4547]

Maybe both? Lol!

[@shoeskomania7066]

Jim: How we gonna get the belt and get a DQ finish Vince: Yes

[@shoeskomania7066]

Ryan Lewis I still got 20 likes. Blow me, Bozo

[@nathankirby4612]

Sho Eskomania you’ve got 52 likes now. What are you going to spend them on?

[@prposalx380]

@@nathankirby4612 your comment is golden. He was all bark, no bite.

[@prposalx380]

@@nathankirby4612 if he got 57 likes and you got one (me), there must be alot of kids or brain dead people on here.

[@TehSchwizz]

The Berliners sounds like an amazing mid 90's anti-American tag team.

[@robertjameson2749]

Yup. East & West Berlin with their joint move, The Wall Breaker.

[@golfdadontherampageiv4163]

Sounds like a donut

[@sevenofcrows7]

@@golfdadontherampageiv4163 I was thinking bagels.

[@Riese79]

@@golfdadontherampageiv4163 It is a Donut without the hole 😄 filled with Marmelade

[@charlieprince8671]

@@golfdadontherampageiv4163 underrated joke

[@HonorinTreason]

This was fantastically interesting. One of the best talkers of all time.

[@tokesalotta1521]

Maybe Vince went down there to make sure they rang the bell

[@zenbane1876]

These talks are making the ongoing shelter-in-place during the 2020 Pandemic so much more pleasant!

[@danbunn32]

I'm not the only one who has been using the spare time to catch up on old Corny.

[@wingerding]

Lol did it continue to be pleasant? 🤣

[@TheBlindEye90]

It happened in 2020? Wow thx for verifying the year.

[@MilMaska]

"It's unsafe for me to work here" - Shawn Michaels

[@whtevr84]

I think the term was "unsafe work environment", followed by Shawn throwing a clump of his own hair on Vince McMahon's desk...a present for Jim Cornette

[@Jim-Tuner]

The response should have been: "Well Shawn. Life is full of consequences. If you want to run your mouth and mess with other guys women, we can't baby-sit you 24/7. You are 0 for life in fights Shawn. You remember upstate new york? When you hit on that girl in that bar and the one soldier, not 19 marines like you tell people, that one soldier on his own kicked your ass in that parking lot and put you in the hospital? We gave you bulldog as a babysitter that night and you let him, the guy we gave you as a bodyguard, get so high at the bar that he couldn't even stand up let alone protect your dumb ass. We made a big investment in you and it isn't working out. You are a messed up pill-head and your not worth all the drama. Just go home and take that hobag sunny & her cuck boyfriend Candido with you." And for Bret: "Bret. Wrestling isn't real. This is a business. You are not really a world champion and these are not real fights in the ring. If you don't understand that, have your dad explain it to do you. We gave you everything you said you wanted and its not enough for you. And honestly Bret, we don't need hair-pulling girl fights in the locker room between main event guys. Either grow up or get out."

[@MarquisLeary34]

@@Jim-Tuner Daaaaaayum, son. There wouldn't be a burn ward big enough to treat that!

[@stephentrout7879]

@@Jim-Tuner Who would you have on top afterwards? Not critizing but I can see why they perserveered with Shawn until 98 - not alot of prime top Talent available minus Taker and Austin and Owen.

[@userjim83]

Which is funny coz he risked getting an STI every time he banged Sunny

[@jyoelmejor]

I can listen to Cornette forever..

[@Kloppsserialbottlers]

You haven't thought this comment through.

[@dont-say-zombie8550]

Also 57 other people

[@wrestlingmattpodcast7499]

Omg me as well. I listen to him everyday hours at a time

[@JAG214]

@@dont-say-zombie8550 It up to 89 now

[@elizabethmccleary7331]

He needs to make a history of wrestling documentary series and go through all his favourite things from his collection and some of his favourite wrestlers from all the different decades of wrestling and allow him to book random events ... I need more of his philosophies

[@potatomcgee6313]

The fact that Vince respected and took back in Foley after he was the only one that no showed shows that Foley is the greatest and Vince knew he fucked up

[@christophergargaro959]

I know several people have taken ‘credit’ for coming up with the Montreal finish but this is by far the most believable explanation. I would be surprised if it didn’t actually occur pretty much exactly like Jim says. Also can totally see Vince just looking at Jim after he shoots every detail about his screwjob idea and Vince just looking at him and saying “hmmph” and moving on 😂

[@Janon48]

Cornette story has also stayed the most consistent

[@totallybored5526]

Here’s what happened. Vince had a problem, he asked a few people what they would do and they all said “just screw him” and after trying everything else Vince went with what he was advised. The people who claim they told Vince to screw Bret probably did, whilst being unaware Vince asked several people for ideas and they said the same basic idea, so they aren’t necessarily lying.

[@Gildedowlmedia338]

@@totallybored5526 I’ve always figured that Jim’s story happened, and McMahon disregarded it but Russo pushed it relentlessly and finally McMahon did it.

[@12345Yeah]

@@totallybored5526 Oh you were there?

[@FirefighterAliveJC]

According to the book Shawn wrote, it was HHH’s idea

[@adamrasmussen9939]

He does a killer Vince impression

[@bleueggos6798]

Love hearing your version

[@CFC-1967]

Been trying to finish listening to this video for 5 days in a row now 😂

[@middleclassboardgamer]

One thing I never got back then. Jericho was on the come up in WCW when Hart went over, it seems like that is the first program that should have been worked back then. The luchadore style guy that had some mat skills vs the excellence of execution would have been so good.

[@jonnydtyler]

‘97 was such a great year for the WWF.

[@daedaethomas47]

Yessss

[@PGO_Gaming]

It was a better year for WCW

[@A-L-o]

@@PGO_Gaming no it wasn't dumb fuck

[@PGO_Gaming]

@@A-L-o You are familiar with the term "83 Weeks" aren't you? That is the term designated for the consecutive time WCW led the WWF in ratings. It started in the summer of 96' and lasted until the spring of 98'. THAT INCLUDES ALL OF 1997. EVERY SINGLE WEEK OF 1997, THE WWF LOST THE RATINGS WAR.

[@PGO_Gaming]

@Fred Bizkit 1997 was a great year for wrestling fans, and the end of 97' was great for the WWF, but what wrestling fan doesn't know that WCW kicked their ass for almost two consecutive years? Can't make this stuff up.

[@johncork9315]

All your promo caricatures and advertisements are excellent

[@463PR]

This is good and it keeps getting better

[@Jacob-2796]

Men will literally research minute details of a ~30 year old backstage drama of a wrestling show instead of going to therapy

[@YogiWonKenobi78]

Nice depth Jimmy..That tennis racket stuck with me through my entire childhood..@nd best heel manager behind Bobby ↖

[@sandradaley4406]

Love haw st8 forward you are sir love listening to these podcast ty jim

[@DC-hy2rg]

Finally got to listen to all of this. So much I didn't know. I'll always think of it as the Montreal Double-cross from now on. It was also nice to hear Dave and Jim together, before Meltz lost his marbles. The epilogue was great too, such awful stuff the Harts had to go through ... but I was glad to hear about how Jim got out of there and got some closure. Amazing listen for any wrestling fan.

[@TP_Gillz]

The entire "screwjob" was perfect for all parties involved, it helped bring eyes into the wwf and started the great villain McMahon and also made Brett look good by being screwed over and keeping his baby appeal. Too bad WCW didn't take full advantage of it... But that's on them

[@gunnertlc7728]

Just like the end to the 1979 Daytona 500. Opened people's eyes back up to the sport

[@1joshjosh1]

That's how I see it now and that's how I saw it at the time. We've all heard that Brett's feelings were hurt but good Lord he made a lot of money in WCW.

[@MM-qi5mk]

It was all a work. No idea why Jim won’t admit it. Brett knew.

[@ladistar]

@@MM-qi5mk damn for real, how do you know it was a work

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@MM-qi5mk Bret knew - Has never said anything about it being a work HBK knew - Has never said it was a work HHH knew - Has never said it was a work Hebner knew - Has never said it was a work Everybody in the entire WWF - has never said it was a work Some idiot on KZbin - duh it's a work, you're all being worked, I am so smart, S-M-R-T, I mean, S-M-A-R-T

[@JWSeltzer1138]

The "God damn you" at 43:52 is the most wholesome, loving GD in the history of mankind

[@Jacob-2796]

Listening to this while high is hell of a story 😭

[@1stand406]

I just noticed that Travis has uncle Dave in a 1-star t-shirt lmao

[@8bitorgy]

If this is a work then it's a masterpiece

[@WilliamBrinkley45]

Think about it, Brett Hart came from a wrestling family and knew damn well that this was all scripted and fake. He knew he would have to give up the title when he left WWF, just like he knew he hadn’t actually won the title as much as he was scripted to win the title. He would have to be the biggest mark on earth if he actually though he could take the belt with him to WCW. This entire “drama” is the greatest and longest running wrestling work of all time and Brett has been in on it from the get go. Everyone involved deserves to win an Oscar award. If Brett actually intended to keep his title, he never would have gotten in the ring and given Vince the chance to take it 30 days before he was scheduled to leave.

[@feebypeels2883]

@@WilliamBrinkley45 Ric Flair literally took the NWA title to the WWF a few years prior. Medusa brought the WWF women's title to WCW and threw it in a garbage can on air. It happens.

[@sese6227]

@@WilliamBrinkley45 That's hogwash. Vince didn't know Bischoff & Co would blow it with The Hitman, on such an astronomical scale. If WCW was worth a damn, they could've used Bret to bury Vince & the entire WWF/E.

[@12345Yeah]

@@WilliamBrinkley45 it wasn't a work 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@colinkelley6011]

I could listen to cornee all day! Hilarious, well spoken and a smartass...the trio of all trios.

[@wingerding]

The thing is that in this day and time you can listen to cornee all day if you want to!

[@mikeyhawkins7268]

His Vince impersonation is 💯🔥 thought he had the boss man there talking for a second

[@Adrian21]

I'm glad Dave Meltzer brought up the fact that Bret agreed to drop the belt to HBK after Montreal. It seem that a lot of people aren't aware of that fact. All that talk about Bret refusing to do business just simply isn't true.

[@locoloboxiii]

Bret refused simply to lose in a situation that would diminish him as champion or as a Canadian hero, at no time did Bret refuse to do business at all. But when a story needs to outsell whatever other story is going on, controversy makes $. Thus, they allowed that part to fade out since no one involved was pushing that fact. Matter of fact, only Shawn specifically referenced not doing business... when he told Bret he would never put him over.

[@MaxxCoyote]

And, in Bret's book, he states that he told Vince that he would put over Austin, Undertaker, or Foley over IN Montreal. Then, to make a point, he stated that he would even put over the Brooklyn Brawler over for the title on Raw in the Garden (New York). But that he was NOT going to put over Shawn after all the shit Shawn had pulled previously.

[@aaronneville1164]

Well, In Bret's own 1997 documentary Bret goes into a private meeting with Vince and basically tells him he would like to "get through today"( which means not lose the title) and FORFEIT the title the following night live in Ottawa. That right there should tell you Bret had NO INTENTIONS of letting anyone beat him. If Bret got his way, he was going to head to WCW having never been beaten for the WWF championship. Whatever way you wanna look at it, Bret was only looking out for himself. That whole scenario Bret came up with only benefits him and essentially screws over the rest of the WWF roster. Considering Bret was raised in the wrestling business and his father ran a promotion, it's strange that Bret of all people would be selfish to that degree.

[@only1icon1801]

@@aaronneville1164 the creative control in Brets contract gave him every right to refuse any stipulation they offered him. Vince had plenty of time and other conclusions to do with Bret and could have done easily. It was a cowardly act from Vince and did not need to go down the way it did.

[@aaronneville1164]

@@only1icon1801 "Didn't need to go down the way it did"......couldn't agree more.....and the 2 people to blame are VINCE (for assuming Bret wouldn't be a huge mark for himself even on his way out, knowing Bret's personality for years) AND Bret Hart (for letting his pride, ego and personal feelings get in the way of simple wrestling business). "REASONABLE" creative control in no way equates to being able to "refuse any stipulation offered". Keep that in mind.....no case. The vast MAJORITY of those in the wrestling business who matter, are on record not faulting Vince at all for choosing to go the route he chose and do NOT sympathize with Bret Hart. Even the very few who did back then take exception to what Vince did, all would end up completely understanding Vince's situation and later agreeing with Vince. That is all the VALIDATION needed. Hell, there's even members of Bret's own FAMILY that don't agree with Bret in the situation and point to Bret's own ego costing him. Now that speaks volumes. Nuff Said

[@SjC420]

I always wondered why nobody pitched making the Survivor Series 97 main event a triple threat with Bret v HBK v Undertaker. Taker could've pinned HBK won the belt then Bret could've came out on Raw cut a promo & quit cuz he got "screwed". Then Taker could've dropped the title to HBK at the DX ppv or the Rumble 98 due to Kane interfering. Then we still get HBK v Austin & Taker vs Kane at Mania 14.

[@davidjsaul]

Probably because Michaels didn't want to lose full stop.

[@WhiteBoy40s]

Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart was a bigger deal/draw match up

[@DUB_87]

Taker was in the Kane/Paul Bearer storyline

[@DUB_87]

@@WhiteBoy40s Adding Taker in that as triple threat would be a bigger draw. Especially since Taker was the top babyface at the time.

[@SjC420]

@@DUB_87 yeah he was but the storyline was Undertaker didnt want to fight Kane because that's his brother & he swore on his parents grave he wouldn't. So since Taker wouldn't fight Kane Paul Bearer had Kane attack random superstars each week which led to Kane vs Mankind at Survivor Series 97. With Kane busy Taker could've been put into the main event & won the title pinning HBK. Then after Bret leaves the December ppv could've been Taker defending against HBK ending in a double DQ due to Kane & DX which would be the reasoning for Taker & HBK to rematch at the 98 Rumble in a casket match. Then everything could play out as it did. HBK becomes champ again due to Kane, Kane sets the casket on fire giving Taker time off. Steve Austin wins the 98 Rumble match. WrestleMania 14 is still HBK vs Austin & Kane vs Undertaker.

[@NYGiants5680]

Shawn Michaels looks more like Dave Meltzer than Dave Meltzer does in this pic.

[@theungreatkahli]

"Ya know"

[@GarrettWebster-mx5wx]

Listening to this in 2024 . It’s sad to see how different the relationship is between Jim and Dave . I’m on Jim’s side but hearing 2 guys talk about something they love is always great

[@zlinedavid]

I believe Cornette. It all fits. Nobody else at that level within WWF at that time had the attention to detail regarding finishes other than him. Nobody on the planet knows more about wrestling history than him. And the fact that they took his idea and only did it halfway sounds about like Vince Russo-level execution.

[@wingerding]

What parts of his plan did they not do? I think he said Russo wasn't involved though.

[@RigbyismyFavCatever]

@@wingerding they brought attention to the fact that this wasn’t how the match was supposed to finish, it exposed the business. They were supposed to call for the bell and get out of there immediately and go off the air.

[@cityguard4847]

@@RigbyismyFavCateverinstead of shutting the curtains they turned on the floodlights.

[@chrishinton9209]

@@RigbyismyFavCatever I think that was probably Vince McMahon’s call. He probably didn’t trust Hebner to call for the bell.

[@JoseFlores-xc7wu]

Am getting my double dose of Cornette today am watching MLW while i am listening to this podcast

[@BeeBumper]

Is that maple leaf wrestling?

[@AlphaDynamics22]

Another interesting reflection: This speaks volumes to how much the belt meant back then. Part of the reason I can't see this happening again is because titles simply don't mean as much anymore.

[@the007mw]

This guy has not-so-quietly been the heartbeat of the BUSINESS of pro wrestling. Love him or hate him (I love the guy), he is the ultimate journeyman of the wrestling world. He's like the "Dos Equis" beer guy 🤣

[@arthurmorgan7086]

Well no

[@stephenlee8743]

Funny listening to Jim and Dave trying not to cut each off when talking. Cause they’re so used to talking over their respective Bryans😂

[@mrkipling2201]

Funny hearing them talking to each other civilly!! Not like nowadays!!

[@Hush_Money2]

@@mrkipling2201 I miss their friendship tbh.

[@B1oodshot27]

Thank you Jim for making a point to clarify that Bret would have handled Vince in a real fight. What a joke that anybody thinks Vince would have the upperhand.

[@totallybored5526]

B1oodshot27 Vince is crazy which gives a person an advantage in a fight with someone who is sane

[@B1oodshot27]

@@totallybored5526 Lol, only somebody who knows they don't have an advantage try to pull the "crazy" card. Crazy doesnt mean fuck all. We are all crazy ;)

[@Zeke1379]

Bret would have broken Vince. Bret would have broken anyone in the locker room aside from maybe Shamrock.

[@patrickmorrissey3084]

@@Zeke1379 and Taker lol.

[@DukeBlueDevilFan08]

Bret would’ve put hands and feet on Vince Vince is just big he’s not agile nor athletic like Bret

[@TownieGirl1974]

Travis Heckel's artwork gets better & funnier with each video.

[@americafirst4585]

And you are more gorgeous everyday

[@mackwinter5637]

@@americafirst4585 what a douche

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

@@mackwinter5637 The "America First" thing was your first clue. Hey, why is it America First if your president kisses the ring of the Saudi royalty and lets our loyal allies get fucked in the ass by a Turkish Ottoman wannabe? If it truly were "America First" we'd have bombed the fucking shit out of any Turkish vehicle larger than a unicycle on the wrong side of the Syrian-Turkish border. I know people who died because of your shitty president kowtowing to some Turkish dictator wannabe, and I know tons of American servicemen who fought side-by-side with Kurds and thought the same thing, that what we did hurts America and was a shameful betrayal. Maybe next time you want "America First" you don't vote for a conartist, you absolute mong. This is your fault. Next time you get the urge to vote, let it pass.

[@johndoe828]

Nobody asked the U.S. military to go to Syria. They are there illegally under international law. The government of Syria doesn't want American troops there. Trump did say American troops were going to leave there at least twice. But since the American President is not really in charge of things, American troops are still there. The military industrial complex with their allies on wall street, the c.i.a and other intelligence agencies, the pharmaceutical corporations and other financial gurus run things. They control the over 90 % of the media who lie to Americans on virtually everything. The powers that be want Americans to fight amongst themselves, whether it be red state vs. blue state, young vs. old, rich vs. poor, white vs. black, democrat vs. republican. Americians need to realize that it is God who blessed America with great resources and they need to lose this sense of American superiority.

[@wingerding]

@@johndoe828 huh? What are you going on about brother?

[@paulcolston9963]

I could listen to jimmy all day everyday.

[@oldironsides4107]

Had the honor of serving him up a double of jack. It was just pee Jim said “ it’s piss it’s fucking piss” So respect for acknowledging you threw back 6 oz of a strangers piss Then I didn’t want to beat him up. So he threw I slipped knees his sternum In guillotine choked him. Peed on him when he was out for 20 seconds of so. Then bullied him on his way out as hes running his mouth then he’s brook a ketchup bottle and sprayed it all over him Then hes not in reality so he wound up and pretended he was going to punch me and then I starched him. Laidnhim clean out. Dumped pickled egg Brine on him and put several pickled eggs in his mouth. And he’s horrified when he came too. Then I just strong armed him tore maybe a 6 inch clean bald spot from the center of his head. He wasn’t even mouthy at Thisbe point he’s just pleading to stop. 😂

[@travishutchison6459]

I remember watching this.. I was 11.. hearing Jim tell this behind the scenes story is just mind blowing when you go from a child's perspective watching on TV and realizing how much really happened and the impact of it.

[@davidkelley8541]

this is sooooo gold.