#ray traylor

[astralbondpro]

November 27, 1986 -

Jim Cornette falls from the scaffold and crashes in a heap at the NWA's Starrcade 1986 event. The plan was for Big Bubba Rogers to catch Cornette, breaking his fall. As you can see, the plan failed. Cornette would end up tearing tendons, breaking a bone, and damaging the cartilage in his knee. The subsequent blood drained from his knee was said to fill a bedpan.

[streamondemand]

'Monk' – Tony Shaloub is an OCD Sherlock Holmes on Netflix and Peacock

It’s a jungle out there and Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) should know. In Monk (2002-2009) he’s an obsessive-compulsive Sherlock Holmes who fights his fear of heights, of the dark, of germs, and pretty much everything else in the wake of his wife’s still-unsolved murder. It’s a challenge just to get out of the house. Luckily for us, he has a mind that won’t be stilled and when he’s onto a mystery,…

[whimsylueur]

Who are your top 5 ships and do you have any theme songs to go with them? (Your taste in music is pretty spot on! Like Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton??? Literally Pleasant/Sorrows lyric for lyric)

HAHAHAHA THANK YOUUU WOW! I have to say, I’m already in the works for drawing a scene with a similar concept, you know how in Resurrection when Skug is performing Heroes by David Bowie for Xena? (Stares wistfully into the distance, whispering) Hell yes.

I’ll use this opportunity to just write my ideas and mayhaps I will drop a couple doodles at a later date. This is a mighty interesting ask, cheers for that.

Here we go:

1. Skulduggery Pleasant/Valkyrie Cain: DUHH. Now, I could give you a playlist, but I’m merciful. So there will be three, and oh God just trust me on these ones guys. Edit: there will be four

2. Serafina Dey/Mevolent: This genuinely is my favourite ROMANTIC ship. Guys they would cross dimensions to be together :( that’s almost on par with Valduggery. And yes, I know they’re goth as fuck but,

I will not explain further.

3. Tanith Low/Ghastly Bespoke: THEY DESERVED TO BE HAPPY. (Shaking fist in Dublin’s general direction)

This song for sure would have been playing if they got their reunion scene from Cassandra’s vision in Last Stand of Dead Men. All I’d add, have a building blow up in the distance behind them and everything would have been perfectly epic.

4. Vaurien Scapegrace/Thrasher: I am vehemently opposed to their lack of involvement in Phase 2, I love that they’re okay and living peacefully together with Clarabelle but maaaan >:^(

5. Valkyrie Cain/Militsa Gnosis: Easily a great ship. Miss Gnosis was laying it on fucking thick and I have nothing but respect for her grind.

Bonus: Temper Fray/Kierre: I know they didn’t get much “screen time” but it was so alluring to me, I can’t believe how instantaneously I was invested. Good job, Landy, I’m hooked.

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

Jim Cornette: A Wrestling Icon

In honor of Jim Cornette’s birthday, I wanted to write an article celebrating his storied career in professional wrestling.

Jim Cornette is a wrestling manager, agent, booker , promoter, trainer , photographer, color commentator, promoter, and a part time professional wrestler . He is also an author , wrestling historian, and the host of popular podcasts , ‘ The Jim Cornette Experience’, and ‘ Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru’ alongside producer and co-host, Brian Last. Cornette began his storied career in professional wrestling at the age of 14, working at the Louisville Gardens in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. He would have jobs such as a photographer, ring announcer , magazine correspondent, PR Correspondent, and a time keeper. Cornette also befriended Christine Jarrett, a wrestling promoter , and the mother of the promoter of the CWA ( Continental Wrestling Association ), Jerry Jarrett ( The father of Jeff Jarrett. Christine is Jeff’s grandmother.) . The CWA is also known as the Memphis Territory. The photos that Cornette took while in the Memphis Territory would be published regularly in a Japanese wrestling magazine , called ‘ Gong’. The photos would be a regular occurrence from 1977 to 1982.

In 1982, Jim Cornette would begin writing the programs for local arena shows , continuing to have his photography work published in popular wrestling magazines , and being a contributor to Championship Wrestling Magazine . Thus, the same year , Cornette would be hired as manager by Jerry Jarrett after attending a match between Jerry ‘ The King ’ Lawler and ‘ The Nature Boy ’ Ric Flair. Cornette would also state that this would be the first time he would be allowed to enter the locker room after being tolerated at live wrestling shows and TV tapings for almost ten years. Cornette would choose the name , James E. Cornette as the one he would use during shows. This was a tribute to promoter, James E.Barnett. On September 25,1982 , Cornette would make his debut as a manager for Sherri Martel , who would become a manager herself and later be known as ‘ Sensational Sherri’. Cornette adopted the gimmick of a spoiled rich kid turned clumsy manager who would be fired by his clients after their matches. Wrestlers in this angle would consist of Crusher Broomfield ( also known as Akeem and One Man Gang ) , and Dutch Mantell. Cornette would go on to make his Mid-South Wrestling debut in 1983 and manage the tag team, The Midnight Express. He would also adapt his signature tennis racquet. Cornette said that he got the inspiration for that from a movie. He would have feuds with stars such as Magnum TA before taking The Midnight Express to WCCW in 1984. They were looking for more bookings as they couldn’t get a huge rivalry with the Von Erich family . Therefore , they would leave Dallas, Texas, and head to Charlotte , North Carolina to Jim Crockett Promotions.

While in JCP, Cornette would lead The Midnight Express ( Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane ) , to success as the three time NWA United States Tag Team Champions. Nevertheless, Cornette would be known for the tennis racquet and his extremely loud mouth. He was a Heel manager as The Midnight Express were a Heel Tag Team. They would have to have a police escort making their way to ring and going back to the locker room at house shows as well as to the city limits due to being hated by fans. This was also a precaution to their safety due to worrying about being attacked by fans as well. Cornette would suffer a knee injury at Starrcade ‘ 86 after falling off of a scaffold. Cornette said the stunt went too far due to his fear of heights , also known as Acrophobia. This stunt happened during a match between The Midnight Express and The Road Warriors. Thus, Big Bubba Rogers ( Big Boss Man / Ray Traylor ) , an ally of The Midnight Express, would be the one to catch Cornette instead of Bobby Eaton after he fell. He became a Color Commentator in 1989 , while Jim Ross ( JR ) , would be the play-by-play commentator for JCP’s Saturday Night TV shows. He would also become a Booker for WCW the same year. He would return to WCW in 1993 after leaving in 1990 as a part of a talent trade with Smoky Mountain Wrestling ( SMW). He would manage The Heavenly Bodies ( Stan Lane and Tom Pritchard ) and feud with The Rock N Roll Express ( Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson ). He would start his own promotion, Smoky Mountain Wrestling , in 1991.

With SMW, Cornette would begin a partnership with Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF) in 1993. Thus, SMW would have financial trouble and in November 1995, would shut down. Cornette would sell the promotion’s rights and videos to McMahon the same year . He would say that he chose the wrong time to start Smoky Mountain Wrestling due to a recession in the business.

While in the WWF, Jim Cornette would be a booker , color commentator, and a manager. He would be in his most well known role as a manager for being the American Spokesperson for the WWF Champion , Yokozuna, in 1993. He would be a full time employee of the WWF in 1996. He would take on the role of scouting talent and developing them for TV and house shows. Cornette would start his own Heel stable called, ‘ Camp Cornette ’ , which consisted of himself , Owen Hart , Yokozuna , Vader , and The British Bulldog ( Davey Boy Smith ). Cornette would become a full time color commentator in 1997. Therefore , he would leave the company the same year due to having conflicts with Vince Russo and Kevin Dunn. At the height of the Attitude Era, in 1998, he would return with a stable consisting of Barry Windham , The Rock N Roll Express, and Jeff Jarrett. They would be known as the NWA Invasion. He would also manage a new Midnight Express and Dan Severn. He would also provide color commentary the same year . Cornette would also participate in the Gimmick Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 17 in 2001.

Cornette would go on to be the head booker and part owner of Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) in 1999. OVW was the lead developmental territory for WWE before FCW ( later to be known as NXT.). He would influence the careers of John Cena, Randy Orton , Batista , and Brock Lesnar as they were training there. He did the same for stars from the Attitude Era such as Al Snow, Sunny , D’ Lo Brown , and Kane in SMW. He would be let go from WWE in 2005 after being involved in two separate incidents . One being slapping Anthony Carelli ( WWE Legend and TNA Director of Authority, Santino Marella. He is the father of WWE NXT Wrestler and Liasion , Arianna Grace ). He would also appear in TNA , ROH, and ECW. He would return to OVW in 2010. He would make an appearance in What Culture Pro Wrestling ( WCPW ) in 2016 and 2017. He would make appearances in WWE from 2017 to 2020 and return to TNA in 2017. Cornette would also appear in NWA in 2018 and 2019 before appearing in Major League Wrestling ( MLW ) in 2019. He retired from managing in 2017 and announcing/color commentary in 2019. He would go on to make a numerous appearances on ‘ Dark Side of The Ring ’.

Jim Cornette’s most well known match would be with Paul E.Dangerously ( Paul Heyman ) in a Tuxedo Match in 1989 at the Great American Bash in WCW. He would be defeated by Dangerously.

Jim Cornette is considered one of the greatest managers of all time according to fans, including myself.

My Final Thoughts:

Jim Cornette is a legend of professional wrestling. In my opinion, he deserves to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. To me , he has one of the most storied careers and it amazed me how he paid his dues in the business at a young age. I also admire how he honest he is about wrestling now and on DSOTR. Knowing he is a wrestling historian , I’ve studied him and he is also a reason I started this blog . So, happy birthday, Jim! Hope it’s a good one!

Love You All,

- Kay

[darkarfs]

Fucking Jesus, Jimmy Hart is as high as Mick was at King of the Ring 1998. How did they expect either Ray Traylor or John Tenta to climb THAT?

[docrotten]

COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970) – Episode 221 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“This is the voice of World Control. I bring you peace. It may be the Peace of Plenty and Content or the Peace of Unburied Death.” Is that a multiple-choice question? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out some apocalyptic science fiction and horror with Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)!

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 221 – Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Thinking this will prevent war, the US government gives an impenetrable supercomputer total control over launching nuclear missiles. But what the computer does with the power is unimaginable to its creators.

Directed by: Joseph Sargent

Writing Credits: James Bridges (screenplay); D.F. Jones (based on his 1966 novel Colossus)

Cinematography by: Gene Polito (director of photography)

Visual Effects by: Albert Whitlock (special photographic effects)

Selected Cast:

Eric Braeden as Dr. Charles Forbin

Susan Clark as Dr. Cleo Markham

Gordon Pinsent as The President

William Schallert as CIA Director Grauber

Leonid Rostoff as Russian Chairman

Georg Stanford Brown as Dr. John F. Fisher

Willard Sage as Dr. Blake

Alex Rodine as Dr. Kuprin

Martin E. Brooks as Dr. Jefferson J. Johnson (as Martin Brooks)

Marion Ross as Angela Fields

Dolph Sweet as Missile Commander

Byron Morrow as Secretary of State

Lew Brown as Peterson

Sid McCoy as Secretary of Defense

Tom Basham as Thomas L. Harrison

Robert Cornthwaite as First Scientist

James Hong as Dr. Chin

Serge Tschernisch as Translator (as Sergei Tschernisch)

John Davey as Military officer on phone (uncredited)

Paul Frees as Colossus (voice) (uncredited)

Fred Holliday as Military Computer Entry – Missile Launch (uncredited)

Robert Quarry as Scientist (uncredited)

Don Ross as Logan US Air Force (uncredited)

William Traylor as Party Guest (uncredited)

Given the current state of humankind, it makes perfect sense to turn planet management over to a supercomputer, right? Enter Charles Forbin and Colossus, his mountain-size, 70s-style, omnipotent computer. Of course, “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley and leave us nothing but grief and pain, for promised joy!” (Robert Burns) And they “gang agley” in a hurry!

The Grue-Crew are agog at the cast – Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent, and a mountain-full of recognizable character actors, many of whom have horror cred – so there is much fodder for their talkabout! By the way, is it still science fiction if it’s happening today?

At the time of this writing, Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) is available to stream from Vimeo, and is available on Blu-ray formatted, physical media from SHOUT! Factory. 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Doc, will be Nightwing (1979), adapted from the 1977 novel by Martin Cruz Smith. Vampire bats, fellow babies!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

Check out this episode!

[gracendgratitude]

a little life - a book i would never recommend to anyone

I have never had a strong interests in books with melancholic themes, and I have also never read stories about LGBT relationships. A Little Life is the first fiction book about LGBT love I have ever read, and it is also the most heart-wrenching novel I have ever come across.

A Little Life is definitely a hard read, considering the incredibly detailed and graphic potrayals of a life so terribly ruined. At a point when I have reached the chapters where Jude meets Caleb and was sexually abused (again), this time fully concious about how wrong it was yet still allowing it to happen, I dropped the book for a month until I decided to resume reading it.

One of the reasons why I suddenly decided to drop this book was the sheer length of it (720 pages!), and most of it was spent to describe Jude's traumatizing history of being sexually abused by possibly everyone he has encountered from birth to age sixteen. Some gave the book the title "trauma porn", and personally I believe they were partly right. Certainly there is no need to torture a fictional character to this extent, and Jude's problems can easily be shortened by hundreds of pages. But there is a reason behind Hanya Yanagihara's storytelling.

The story is not an easy read because it is not supposed to be. As a normal person with a roof over our head, food on our plates, and a healthy, functioning body, there is no way we can ever relate to the traumas of Jude's life. It is incredibly hard, therefore, to fully understand our main character, to see how a life so terrible can actually be that of someone else. We are not standing in the shoes of Jude, but in the shoes of Harold, Willem, Julia, Richard, Andy, those who try in vain to rescue a helpless creature from the hyenas of his past. We may not go through the pains of Jude's episodes, the endless nights of him being sexually abused, the shame, the fear, the self-hatred that led him to cutting himself, but through every page, we experience every bit of the fear and frustration of those around him, unable to understand how trapped he really is in the past, unable to figure out how to pull him out of the hole in which Brother Luke and Dr. Traylor have pushed him.

It is supposed to be long because life, itself, is long, or at least there are certain periods in life that are longer than others, and those cannot be explained in only a few pages. The periods of calm and contentment fly by deliberately quickly, with moments fleeting by just enough to bring about a ray of hope for our characters, followed by the long, tedious and agonizing periods of pain, sadness, frustration, anxiety, hopelessness, despair. It is exactly how we experience life, as moments of happiness fly by unbelievably fast, and before we realize, we are back with our usual, boring routine, waiting for blissful moments like that to return once again.

I will not ever recommend A Little Life to anyone, despite the beautiful writing Hanya Yanagihara and my love and admiration for the characters. The book covers extremely heavy topics, which can leave you feeling speechless and haunted for days. Yet, admist the melancholy, the story also highlights powerful lessons about the inevitability of our very own existence, about unconditional love, friendship and companionship, about the resilience, and at the same time, fragility of humans.

[daytona-winchester]

Before the Big Bass Man also known as The Boss on WCW became a wrestler he was a corrections officer.

He was known as an officer of the law in Cobb County Georgia. In WCW he was known as a corrections officer.

But when Ray Traylor went to WCW he known as The Boss. But was quickly stripped of that title because that character was too close to The Big Boss Man which was under the copyright of WWE.

Once Traylor lost the nightstick and handcuffs he was completely lost

He went by the name of The Guardian for a while dressing like a Guardian Angel but that was short lived.

Then he settled on his real name Ray Traylor

In my opinion Big Boss Man had one of the greatest entrances.

He twirl his nightstick like a baton although it was suttle it was still impressive to watch.

The Big Boss Man or The Boss both were my favorite characters.

I didn’t feel that Ray Traylor was the same wrestler after he lost both those characters.

[90s00wcwwwf]

SuperBrawl VIII

February 22, 1998

Cow Palace, San Francisco, California.

Sting faces Hollywood Hogan for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The Outsiders challenge The Steiner Brothers for the WCW Tag Team Championship. Plus Lex Luger faces “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Booker T faces Rick Martel for the Television Championship, and more

Link to Superbrawl 98, HD,SD,LQ etc.

News & Notes: After the botched Jackknife at Souled Out, JJ Dillon banned the powerbomb. He threatened to disqualify and fine anyone who uses it. JJ also said they would cuff Nash and escort him from the building if he did the Jackknife. This didn’t faze Nash. He gloated about what happened. Kevin now wanted people to call him Big Sexy the Giant Killer. Then Nash defied WCW and gave Ray Traylor the Jackknife. Dillinger and company cuffed Nash and led him away. On Thunder, Dillon announced they fined Nash $50,000. Hogan offered to pay Nash’s fines if he kept doing the move. So Nash did. He powerbombed a ref next. Nash even powerbombed The Public Enemy through a table. Next, Wayne Bloom felt Nash’s fury. They punished Kevin each time. When they cuffed him, Nash shouted Attica in protest. He felt WCW was targeting him. They were inconsistent in enforcing the new rule. Cruiserweights used powerbombs without a penalty. He might have a point.

Meanwhile, there is more nWo news. First, Dusty Rhodes explained his heel turn. He blamed the corporate suits in WCW. They relegated him to WCW’s b-shows. He was tired of carrying Tony Schiavone on commentary. Then Dusty kicked Lee Marshall out of the commentary booth on Thunder. He told Tony and Bobby to tell the truth. They were far too biased. Next, I want to discuss the nWo’s newest member. After Souled Out, Hogan called out Bret Hart for his actions at Starrcade. Hollywood threatened to make him pay for interfering in their business. It didn’t worry Bret. Hart believed Hogan was scared. He ducked him his entire career. Then the former Crush interrupted Bret’s promo. He’s now going by his real name, Brian Adams. Brian approached Bret and offered to watch his back. Bret appreciated the offer. He shook Adams’ hand. But Brian didn’t let go. He held Bret in place so the nWo could attack. Adams then removed his coat to reveal a nWo t-shirt!

On a side note, this show was supposed to contain a Zbyszko vs. Spicolli match. As I mentioned in my last review, Louie died before this PPV. They held a ten bell salute to him on Nitro. For some odd reason, Larry didn’t break character. He agreed to withhold his feelings on Spicolli out of respect to Louie’s family.

[jasvvy]

[frankentyner]

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

Remembering Ray Traylor ( The Big Boss Man ) on the anniversary of his passing .

[musicalchairshots]

[hokeoutsider]

“Big Boss Man”  artist, Hoke...Ebay Auction...Starting Bid $15.....                            Original acrylic painting on recycled wood....Aug 3 - 8

https://www.ebay.com/sch/metrolux6/m.html?item=352420699478&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

[buttdawg]

I'm still pissed about Jim Cornette, so I guess I'll write about it here.

I listened to his podcast yesterday to see if there would be any contrition over his Ethiopia joke, and there really wasn't. The closest he got was to express regret for distracting attention away from NWA, which he seems to sincerrly wish to support. Then he offered this conditional apology based on how people reacted to what he said:

1) If you disliked his joke and thought it was in poor taste, he apologizes for what he said.

2) If you're Black and found it offensive, he didn't intend for it to be racist.

3) If you're outraged by what he said, beyond what he thinks is reasonable for a situation like this, then you can fuck off, because he never cared what you think of him anyway.

That's just bullshit, and I'm gonna tell you why. In the same podcast, he admits that he has anger management issues. He's gone on record as saying that if there was a way to do it legally, he would murder Vince Russo in cold blood. He carries a lifelong grudge against Kenny Omega because he wrestled an inflatable doll in Japan several years ago. And yet this guy has the temerity to complain when he thinks people are overreacting to him. "Whoa, whoa, come on, people, it was just a joke. Why are you so bent out of shape over this?" Well the blow up doll was a joke too, but you still want Kenny Omega run out of the wrestling business for it.

I've been listening to a few Cornette podcasts since AEW started, mostly because they were free on YouTube, and because Corny's a lot easier to listen to than the schmucks at Wrestling Observer. I found a lot of his hatred towards AEW unfair, but occasionally he made some valid points. Like the Cody/Dustin vs Young Bucks match going too long. He said it felt like they did three shorter matches in one, and the first leg was the best of the three, so they would have been smarter to wrap it up early and end on a high note. When he said that, I was like "Hey yeah," because I felt the same way but I couldn't put it into words at the time.

But mostly he just hates AEW for the unforgivable crime of existing in spite of his complaints. He respects and likes maybe a third of its talent, but he can't seem to fathom why those guys put up with the two-thirds that he hates. Maybe it's because guys like Cody and Jericho and Hangman Page are smart enough to understand that they're good for business, even if they have different styles in the ring. Cornette's problem is that he's too brittle.

That, and he's a hypocrite. He keeps ragging on wrestlers for exposing the business and not looking enough like real athletes. He craps on guys like Joey Janela for not looking muscular enough, sort of like how he crapped on Kevin Steen before he went to WWE and became a multi-time champion. I'm sure Joey's terrified of suffering the same fate. One of Cornette's talking points is how they don't just sign anyone for the NBA, and they don't just bring fans in to play the Super Bowl because they want to. But that's stupid. Joey and Marko Stunt got signed to AEW. They're legit members of the roster, and they're over. The only downside to these guys is that they don't look like football players, except nobody cares about that, so it isn't a problem at all.

Cornette gripes and gripes about professionalism in wrestling, and how there's no room for cheap gimmicks or bad comedy, except his entire decades-long career in wrestling has been spent acting as an insult comic with a loud suit and a tennis racket. He's probably mad at Kenny Omega for wrestling the blow-up doll because he kind of looks like a blow-up doll, so maybe he took it personally. He cries about kayfabe and protecting the business at all costs, and then he uses every opportunity he has to bury wrestlers and air all the dirty laundry from backstage. Every episode of NWA Powerrr had at least one instance of him bashing AEW as "cosplay" wrestling, which doesn't help anybody. If you don't watch AEW, you wouldn't know what he's talking about, and if you watch NWA and AEW, then he's insulting your taste. It's bad announcing, pure and simple. He's only out there to push his own agenda, not the wrestlers.

I can give him a modicum of respect for resigning from NWA. According to his podcast, he only worked for them to help support their product, because he believes so much in what they're doing. But it's become clear that the controversey he generates is distracting the public from NWA's brand. I read a tweet from Nick Aldis this week where he was very diplomatic and expressed great regret for what Cornette had said. He said it didn't represent what he wanted NWA to be. I like Nick Aldis, because I can tell that he's trying as hard as he can to carry himself like the "Real World's Chamion" in the tradition of Ric Flair and Harley Race. I don't know if he's succeeding or not, but I respect the effort he's putting in, because he wants to make NWA special and he wants to be a champion in a way that Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar and Bray Wyatt aren't. But as long as Cornette was associated with the brand, his efforts would always be undercut by whatever whackamaroo nonsense he says next.

So maybe Cornette had that in mind when he quit, but from his podcast, I got the sense that it's not like he needed the job, and it wasn't fun anymore, and he was getting fed up with the PR headaches. That explains why he was so flippant on NWA Powerrr. He was showing up to have fun and relive the old days. Nick Aldis ain't there to screw around. He's trying to build a better career for himself and his co-workers.

And it's that flippancy that pisses me off. Cornette stopped giving a fuck years ago, I guess because he's got a successful business selling merch and dvds of old matches and public appearances and such. He doesn't need to "protect the business" anymore because he's got his own business separate from any promotion. His gigs with MLW and NWA are a way for him to promote his stuff, so if he says something shitty on their air, it just drives up hits on his website. That's the worst possible scenario for a color commentator. Cornette cries foul because Excalibur wears a mask on AEW Dynamite, but at least Ex is concentrating on making AEW talent look good. He's not telling racist jokes to fill dead air, or to get more eyeballs on his website.

It's impossible for me to express how stupid that Ethiopia joke was. The racism was so obvious that it makes all the defenses of it especially flimsy. Cornette insists he was mocking starving people, like that makes it okay. He told the story of how he invented the joke and Ray Traylor thought it was hilarious in 1985, and TBS and USA never got in trouble for it, so that somehow makes it okay forever. Cornette's fans talk about how they think the joke's okay, simply because they thought it was funny, like that makes a bit of difference in a PR situation like this.

Then you see people cry about how "sensitive" everyone is these days. Like, no shit, that's how public relations works. If your business does something offensive enough, it hurts your brand and your business suffers. So you have to be mindful of people's sensitivity. Complaining about it is useless. That'd be like going on Twitter after the Notre Dame fire and saying "Wood sure is flammable these days." Well how does that solve anything, dumbass?

It's all a bunch of bullshit. Cornette's using thirty-year old jokes because a dead guy laughed at it once and he's too arrogant to re-evaluate it for the present day. He's mad at wrestling fans for objecting to his behavior, except they're the customers, for fuck's sake. I've never seen anyone so obsessed with protecting the business and simultaneously so insulting towards the people who pay for the product. He hates AEW because he doesn't approve of their methods. Except they do good business and can sell out buildings pretty regularly. There's clearly an audience for how AEW does things. You tell him that, and he'll respond that their audience doesn't count, because they're all 30 or 40 something single men who are probably virgins or they're lose interest when the next fad comes along. So it's not enough to sell out a venue, you have to get x percent old people and y percent women and z percent children, or whatever they used to draw in Mid South in 1987. Dave Meltzer likes AEW, so Cornette now thinks he's an idiot too, even though he's been covering wrestling for decades. He's trapped himself in this binary mindset where the only real wrestling fans are the ones who agree with him and approve of his dated jokes and out-of touch worldview. Everyone else deserves to be shot.

That's why NWA is better off without Cornette. They may not realize it, but he was never on their side, not really. Sooner or later they would have offended his rigid, inflexible sense of What Wrestling Should Be, and he'd turn on them too. At least this way, it's a clean break, and they don't have him talking about fried chicken during Nick Aldis matches or how Trevor Murdoch's beer gut is somehow more athletic than Kenny Omega in a Street Fighter costume.

[90s00wcwwwf]

WCW 1997 December. Fights/results.

1st December 1997: “WCW Monday Nitro Broadcast”: Knoxville, TN – 5,782 sellout (5,115 paid)

($92,914 live gate)

Dark matches: Rick King won a squash match; The Volcano Kid won a squash match.

Nitro: (12/01): Rey Misterio Jr overcame Juventud Guerrera; Hugh Morrus dropped Wrath; Prince Iaukea downed Yuji Nagata; Harlem Heat defeated Meng and The Barbarian; Scott Hall dropped Disco Inferno; The Ultimo Dragon overcame Psicosis; Chris Benoit overturned Kidman; Lex Luger downed Marcus Bagwell by DQ; Diamond Dallas Page rolled over WCW US Champion Curt Hennig by DQ. 

8th December 1997: “WCW Monday Nitro Broadcast”: Buffalo, NY – 16,848 sellout (15,101 paid)

($251,698 live gate) 

($107,000 merchandise sales)

Dark match: Juventud Guerrera defeated Johnny Swinger

Nitro: (12/08): Ray Traylor defeated Konnan; Steve McMichael beat The Barbarian; Dean Malenko overcame Prince Iaukea; Chris Benoit overturned Lodi; Hugh Morrus toppled Randy Savage by reverse-decision-DQ; Disco Inferno beat WCW TV Champion Perry Saturn to win the title; Marcus Bagwell defeated Lex Luger by count-out; Diamond Dallas Page rolled over Scott Hall by DQ. 

9th December 1997: “WCW Saturday Night TV Taping”: Erie, PA – 2,343

($45,472 live gate)

Saturday Night: (12/13): Mortis downed Ernest Miller; Scotty Riggs dropped Bobby Eaton; Steve McMichael overturned Mark Starr; Yuji Nagata defeated Prince Iaukea; Chris Benoit overturned Fit Finlay; Louie Spicolli bested Chavo Guerrero Jr; Meng and The Barbarian defeated Harlem Heat; Dean Malenko overturned Juventud Guerrera; Ray Traylor defeated WCW US Champion Curt Hennig by DQ

Saturday Night: (12/20): Konnan beat Bobby Walker; WCW TV Champion Disco Inferno defeated Johnny Attitude; WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero overcame Bobby Blaze; Diamond Dallas Page rolled over Roadblock; Dave Taylor defeated Mean Mike; Perry Saturn bested Chris Jericho; Public Enemy downed Scott and Steve Armstrong; Kidman dropped Glacier; Buff Bagwell defeated Lex Luger by DQ. 

15th December 1997: “WCW Monday Nitro Broadcast”: Charlotte, NC – 9,320 sellout (8,499 paid)

($146,425 live gate) 

($30,000 merchandise sales)

Dark match: The American Patriots defeated The Samoan Swat Team

Nitro: (12/15): WCW TV Champion Disco Inferno defeated Yuji Nagata; Finlay pinned Dean Malenko; Rey Misterio Jr and Juventud Guerrera downed Psicosis and La Parka; Scott Hall bested Chris Jericho; The Steiners toppled Konnan and Scott Norton by DQ; Randy Savage rolled over Booker T; Chris Benoit overturned Scotty Riggs; Marcus Bagwell defeated Lex Luger by DQ; Ric Flair toppled WCW US Champion Curt Hennig by DQ. 

16th December 1997: “WCW Saturday Night TV Taping”: Gainesville, GA – 1,800 sellout (1,494 paid)

($13,090 live gate)

Saturday Night: (12/27): Dean Malenko overturned La Parka; Bill Goldberg defeated The Renegade; Ultimo Dragon overcame Psicosis; WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero overcame Rey Misterio Jr; WCW US Champion Curt Hennig dropped Bobby Eaton; Chris Benoit overturned Perry Saturn by DQ; Booker T defeated Yuji Nagata; WCW World Tag Champions The Steiners bested Public Enemy; Scott Hall battled Ray Traylor to a double-DQ.

Saturday Night: (01/03): Meng dropped Bobby Eaton; Chris Jericho defeated Evan Karagias; Konnan toppled Norman Smiley; Mortis defeated Juventud Guerrera; Steve McMichael overturned Louie Spicolli; Finlay dropped Bobby Walker; Disco Inferno beat Brad Armstrong; Hugh Morrus downed Frankie Lancaster; Barry Darsow and John Nord defeated Disorderly Conduct; Diamond Dallas Page rolled over Curt Hennig by DQ. 

22nd December 1997: “WCW Monday Nitro Broadcast”: Macon, GA – 7,615 sellout

Nitro: (12/22): Finlay downed WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero by count-out; Steve McMichael defeated Meng; Rey Misterio Jr, Juventud Guerrera and Hector Garza beat La Parka, Psicosis and Silver King; Chris Benoit toppled Van Hammer by DQ; Rick Steiner overturned Scott Norton by DQ; WCW US Champion Curt Hennig bested WCW TV Champion Disco Inferno; Harlem Heat dropped Scotty Riggs and Lodi; Marcus Bagwell overcame Chris Jericho; Randy Savage pinned Lex Luger.

28th December 1997: “WCW Starrcade 1997”: Washington, DC – 17,500 sellout (16,052 paid)

($543,000 live gate) 

($164,000 merchandise sales)

11,036 tickets were sold on the first day of sale (11/15) for $389,910. By 11/17, 12,501 tickets were sold for $423,431

WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero pinned Dean Malenko; Randy Savage, Scott Norton and Vincent rolled over The Steiners and Ray Traylor; Bill Goldberg overturned Steve McMichael; Perry Saturn bested Chris Benoit in a no-DQ encounter; Marcus Bagwell downed Lex Luger; Diamond Dallas Page toppled WCW US Champion Curt Hennig to win the title; Sting rolled over WCW World Champion Hulk Hogan to win the title.

29th December 1997: “WCW Monday Nitro Broadcast”: Baltimore, MD – 12,196 sellout (11,040 paid)

($225,339 live gate)

Set new WCW record gate for market.

Nitro: (12/29): Bill Goldberg hammered Glacier; Chris Benoit overturned Van Hammer by DQ; Ultimo Dragon bested WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero to win the title; WCW US Champion Diamond Dallas Page pinned Mortis; Booker T overcame WCW TV Champion Disco Inferno to win the title; Curt Hennig dropped Chris Jericho; Lex Luger toppled Marcus Bagwell; WCW World Champion Sting battled Hulk Hogan to a no-contest.