Jim Cornette on Local Promos & Bill Watts' Management Style In Mid South

From Episode 118 of Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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[@phuqutoob-pf7pb]

I love Bill Watts stories, he sounds like a man of his own style

[@Carelock]

This is what i come to the Experience for. Jim always is so passionate when telling these stories/relating these events. When he talks modern wrestling you can hear the frustration in his voice. This is so enjoyable to listen to.

[@fanuael]

Jim saying shut up boomer is the funniest thing Ive heard all week.

[@leonardcrabtreeii]

Describing how Bill Watts on t.v. tapings is like how being a sergeant in the military handles a good part of there day. Every one was cool later because we understood it's the job. when things are going on there is no time to screw around.

[@brenthenshaw3585]

I loved Nikolai. He was a regular with the SWO in York, PA, between 2003-05, when I was the ring announcer. He was always singing. At the time he had lost weight, down to about 270-275, and was still wearing the trunks from when he up around 300,and when he lifted his leg to do a kick out the corner, his junk would fall out!

[@Hellwolf36]

He seriously needs to do standups with his impressions

[@thomasanthony5306]

Him and Prichard

[@FlyByNick]

Nikita and Watts look like characters straight out of South Park.

[@melaniel.4269]

How the hell does one confuse Nikolai Volkoff for Nikita?

[@madamefeast4824]

Nikolai

[@lusterthomas2435]

All Russians do look alike 😆

[@BrianIngham]

Watts is what I imagine Cartman's dad looks like

[@FlyByNick]

@@Carelock hey man. Have we met before?

[@Matt-cr4vv]

When you hear these stories you can easily understand why the veterans take a lot of issues with things and people of todays era. I’m not saying they’re right to see the new era as wrong or weak or have issues with them but I can easily understand why they have those feelings at times. Compared to these days times have gotten immensely better for the modern era compared to the lives these guys lived in a prior time. The schedule and environment these guys lived is genuinely absurd to even think about. Working seven days a week most of the time, driving absurd miles every day to make shows, living on basically zero sleep and often not making any substantial money while doing it all waiting to hit the break where they finally do make some serious income. And even if they needed time away they couldn’t take it or risk losing your position, negative sentiment of the times of being seen as weak, or simply the fact you’d make no money. So even in todays times where ot still seems like a tough gig to maintain traveling four or five days a week and such it’s nothing in comparison. And most everybody makes substantial income on the rosters today, with mid level people making half a million a year guaranteed (in a sense we all know the farce of calling it a guarantee when there’s the 90 day out clause). So I can imagine if I lived the life of the past and heard someone of today complaining about anything or lacking respect for something it would naturally grind you to hear. It would be even worse when you see how many people now never even wanted to wrestle but just fell into it when their primary sport didn’t work out and then ascend into making millions for something they fell into compared to guys who had to starve themselves and run themself to death to even have a spot in the business. Back in this time you’d never survive if you didn’t have a deep passion for the business for any length of time. Even if you made good money there’s no way you’d carry that abused schedule for years if you didn’t have a love for the industry at your core. So seeing people who don’t share that respect or love today would easily piss you off if you lived the life they once did.

[@TheWinston86]

"It was a wrestling college" Legit high praise

[@bayfox1235]

I lost count on how many times Jim would cussed in this story of the mid-south

[@CraigSmithII]

Bill Watts sure wanted his guys to do a lot of driving. I would've been flying to most of those towns

[@pooddescrewch8718]

And landing where ? Main Street Bogalusa ?lol

[@SonnyBubba]

A plane ticket to fly to a gig where you might earn fifty bucks?

[@jeffwanta9105]

I've just seen Kenny omega wrestle for the first time and all I can say is wtf did I just watch!?!?!?!

[@thunderrushmovie8834]

Wonderful Drive Thru guys!

[@tombradley37]

Nikolai Volkoff was born in Croatia

[@michaelcoffey1991]

Art from Travis continues to amaze.... The JC rant on this was fun too as I love anytime he can discuss Bill Watts and Mid South. In another universe Bill Watts stays healthy puts Vince and the wwf out of business and saves wrestling for the multiverse......

[@Carelock]

Michael Coffey I want to live in that universe. Jerry Jarrett and Bill Watts both on TBS, like the two feuding Georgia promotions were in the 70s would have been amazing!

[@russoswerve3974]

*saves wrestling for the southern marks while the rest of society never gets to see Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock

[@MrFireforge]

Greenwood is a good town to get robbed in lol

[@michaelgagliano450]

the end commentary speaks volumes BRAVO

[@boygreen2002]

Just finding out my hometown was important to wrestling

[@alkiline9199]

Probably not, Cornette likes to lie quite a bit

[@robdurfee6861]

@@alkiline9199well, you’re lying about that, so seems like you’re the bigger liar

[@charlesguthrie1844]

Yeah my Home town Jim! I'm ten minutes away from KTBS channel 3 to this day..LoL

[@ronaldfielder9584]

Charles Guthrie we didn’t know how lucky we were to have Mid-South on channel 3 every week

[@charlesguthrie1844]

@@ronaldfielder9584 Yes Sir

[@boygreen2002]

I'm down here 2

[@charlesguthrie1844]

@@boygreen2002 Noice

[@dquanissavage6287]

Great Shoot Today Jim!!😎🐐🐐

[@secretaryyamas-u1273]

My Honest Opinion TBS Corporate board wouldn't let these guys just be them far as their knowledge of the Business plus alot of those promoters were set in their ways and didn't wan't to change with growth of the Business for example WCCW had the potential to just as big as the WWF/WWE but Frizt Von Erich didn't wanna do it his production crew saw it Frizt was just tunnel vision and Frizt Von Erich was content with Dallas.

[@richardbursey6308]

He was born in split Croatia

[@cbod14]

That sounds like Bill Watts.

[@bunnyboy78]

❤

[@willreap2257]

Why does everyone call Bill Watts a failure? WCW was not his fault.

[@patrickboian8545]

Theyre selling wolf tickets homie.

[@tonybones9638]

I love the diaz brothers

[@StephanFitzgeraldTay]

Jim, you lived in Alexandria?? I'm sorry.

[@ricardoybarra5056]

Real Wrestling Talk. Jim.C.Is shooting it on the Real .True History. Too many people have short feelings and rush to judge Mr J.C. I RESPECT his take on things.Dont hate .Talk is Cheap.

[@richardcroteau1733]

Yes sir. Jim Cornette is the best wrestling mind in my opinion.

[@fuscinula]

I'd still take Volkoff's stand-up USSR routine over Yakov Smirnoff's.

[@brenthenshaw3585]

Yakov was actually from Ukraine, so his routine was based in the reality of what the USSR was like. Nikolai was from Yugoslavia (Croatia to be more specific), which was a Soviet satellite, but he was able to make you believe he was Russian, with the singing of the Russian national anthem and all that.

[@GodyP]

Cornette hittin em with the ok boomer

[@bayfox1235]

Man why are the so many harsh comments CHILL OUT

[@nickarellano9487]

Good ol corny

[@johnsawh8459]

Hey Jason #SCM

[@MilMaska]

Welcome to the wrestlrock rumble

[@Carelock]

Mil Maska I want to see Travis do some art for that!

[@doctorken2k]

😂😭😂

[@Walkingzombi]

Think if this video didn't have that animated graphic as it's thumbnail how many viewers it would get? Probably 1k? Cornette owes his current success to the guy who does this art work. If not true, they should post videos without it and let's see

[@goodheavens5440]

lol......

[@genxtasy9914]

all I heard was throat clearing

[@glasbarry]

Id love to get ranted at by Bill Watts.

[@versebuchanan512]

Sounds a lot like an executive chef at a fine dining joint. The only acceptable work rate is "FASTER" and the only acceptable answers to any question are "YES CHEF", "NO CHEF", and "I DON'T KNOW CHEF" and the last one is a gamble.

[@Dock76]

It's a bit of a tradeoff isn't it? On one hand, wrestlers aren't getting verbally eviscerated for mistakes anymore. But on the other, wrestling has become so safe, tame, and micromanaged that the fun has been sucked out of everything.

[@phuqutoob-pf7pb]

Safe, aside from all the stunt injuries

[@xSamHuntx]

21 throat clears in 18:26. Some big, some small.

[@GraveMemories]

@P McGill he couldve been a heavy smoker. I clear my throat all the time and i smoked ciggarettes for the past few years

[@GraveMemories]

@P McGill can you not read? "Could have" means in the past too. Im not saying he does, just trying think of a reason why he clears his throat so often.

[@GraveMemories]

@P McGill i can Attest to that

[@Office_De_Receiver_Complaints]

You keep that level of pitch and intensity for nearly 40 years and see if you don't need a little primatine yourself.

[@GraveMemories]

@Lord Belial honestly its not that bad. My dad has smokers cough and he coughs every few minutes. Now THAT can be annoying.

[@TheoONLIous]

Why does Jim Cornette sound like he is going to cry

[@ravensflockmate]

Dont really know about mid south but bill watts wcw product was a dumpster fire

[@vinnysamways63]

F'kin stop swearing!

[@Zebojr2kool]

Jim loves to tell us how great Bill Watts was even though Watts is a failure.