Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru - Episode 379

Episode Date: February 11, 2025

This week on the Drive Thru, Jim reviews AEW Dynamite! Also, Jim answers YOUR questions about WWE roster releases, Tony Khan listening to Jim, Asuka, ratings, Meltzer & Alvarez arguing, The Steiners, Chris Jericho, Flair's 1989, and much more! Send in your question for the Drive-Thru to: [e-mail]  Follow Jim and Brian on Twitter: @TheJimCornette @GreatBrianLast Join Jim Cornette's College Of Wrestling Knowledge on Patreon to access the archives & more! https://www.patreon.com/Cornette Subscribe to the Official Jim Cornette channel on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/c/OfficialJimCornette Visit Jim's official site at www.JimCornette.com for merch, live dates, commentaries and more! You can listen to Brian on the 6:05 Superpodcast at 605pod.com or wherever you find your favorite podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All again, friends. And you are our friends, and we are here. We have arrived. Welcome to another edition of Jim Cornett's Drive-Thru. I may be loud, but we're figuring things out today. I'm your host of Great Brian Last. Did I mention we have arrived? It took a while, longer than you'll ever know.

But here he is, the leader of the cult of Cornett, Mr. Jim Cornett. The second time. I'm around. Can you hear me? Can you hear me singing? They couldn't hear us yesterday when we were saying. When I was singing and you were cussing, Brian, I get to brag and boast.

I don't, you know this better than anybody. I'm not a person who likes to say, I told you so. But in some cases, I have to say I told you so to certain people who have, many people in my life who have been hounding me saying, oh, you got to upgrade, you got to change. I said, change is bad. And every time there's a change, something goes wrong.

But finally, finally I was forced into the chain, by my old computer that you have browbeaten and we've cussed the spectrum and they were shitty also until we found the fellow that fixed. that and into computers the shits and my speed's still not right and my monitor keeps blacking out so finally Hotchka's Feather Bottom came in over here and revamped everything. I got a screen, a monitor that's as big as a drive-in movie screen here. It's so bright I could actually see and read things off of it without having my glasses on because the vice-like headphones that you've forced me to wear.

And the computer is the most powerful bad boy, and it's a third of the size of the one I had previously, so I've got more foot room. And it's lightning fast, and I can now publicly state that mine is bigger than yours. My speed, he flushed out all the wires over here. He stuck his head in the wall and had a trowel in there just hacking away for the better part of a half an hour at one

point. I got to get that drywall fixed. But now he's got my speed. I am 980 over 960 at my highest point. I didn't know they made numbers that high. All to the genius of Hotchka's Feather Bottom. But

at the same time you decided to upgrade. Got your new microphone and all your new fancy nan programs. Is that what they call them the programs? The applicants? The applications,

software, the software, well, it ought to, it's appeared to be soft. You ought to give that stuff some Viagra, harden it up a little bit. Because we got all this new shit

and we sit down yesterday to do this program. And we got a little ways into it before we realized that all our new shit didn't like each other. And we had to properly introduce it and start over again.

And because of that, you have now said, well, you know, if we just upgrade to one more program, I'm like, what the fuck else can we, are we going to hack into the goddamn, you know, NASA fucking control center to do this program? Now, I know we have a big listenership, Brian, but do we really need to do the whole NASA master control set up to do this program?

The NASA master control? I don't think we have to do the NASA master control. I think we have more. We might be talking to people on the moon. That's probably where they're going to start sending people next. Well, there's nothing wrong with that, but I think we have one more little tiny upgrade for your audio, and then we'll be set. We'll be able to roll for a while with that. You won't have to touch anything, think about anything, do anything.

You could just be, and everyone can enjoy your being. I'm being right now. It's just everybody saying, well, you could sound better. Well, I could sound worse, too. I could be dead. You're telling me to roll with the changes. You're telling me if you're tired of that same old story. Boy, turn some pages.

and I'll be here when you're ready to roll with the changes. Well, I'm rolling here with you today, Brian. So which direction are we rolling here on the drive-through today with our brand-new equipment that I guarantee you, somebody's going to say, well, I wish they'd go back to the old way they were doing it. It sounded much better. We still have a little bit of an upgrade for Jim's audio for anyone here any issues there, but we are here, we are on the road to WrestleMania.

I don't know where we are, but we are on the road here on the drive-thru, and there's so much to talk about. We have a dynamite review. We have, of course, the usual week of everyone behaving like a maniac and quotes about you, actually. I was about to everybody's pissed off that Tony Kahn listens to the program, apparently. But they're pissed at me because he listens.

They're like, well, fuck him. Well, what the fuck do I have to? I can't, do we have to vet our entire listenership? That could take a while going around. the globe. Well, you know, since you open this topic, why don't we just open with this topic? Let me pull up the actual quotes here because, again... I didn't mean to take over your program, Brian.

I'm just... I'm a humble public servant here trying to do the best I can to... to make myself fucking silly and happy today. Well, I have a quote here. This is a quote from Jimmy Jacobs. Remember Jimmy Jacobs? He was a... Well, yes, I've worked with Jimmy Jacobs. many, many times.

Well, he previously had been working for eight. He was, he was my producer at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, 2017. How did he do? Easy to work with? He said, can we go over your speech? I said, I don't have one. I've got, I got this fucking handwritten, you know,

legal pad paper was some bullet points that I was kind of tell stories in the middle of them. And he said, don't thank Vince. I said, I didn't plan on it. He's the way, he doesn't like that. I said, I know I've been through it 20 years ago. And then I said, don't worry, I won't say anything that'll get you fired. And then we chatted about Ring of Honor and went on our way.

But he's a nice young man. I won't do anything to get you fired. You could handle that yourself. Yeah, well, yeah, you know, it's up to everybody. Everybody's an individual. But I didn't want to take it upon myself, you know, just be greedy or anything. Well, Jimmy Jacobs was working for AEW. He was Tony Kahn's shadow man, body man.

he was with him everywhere, and then he was gone, and we saw a lot of finger-pointing at that point, people saying he was responsible for this, or he wasn't responsible for this. But of course, he's not the overall booker. You could only blame him for so much. Here's a quote.

From an interview Jimmy Jacobs did with Body Slam, whatever that may be, not the movie, not M. Harry Smilak. We would drive for hours from one show to the next. And Tony would always be there talking about wrestling, his vision for AEW,

and just soaking in everything. It was a chance to really bond over the things that matter like how we want to shape the future of wrestling. Tony and I would listen to Jim Coronet's podcast during newsdrods. You know, I see, I'm wanting to be with him because he's talking about listening to the show,

but right after you say, how we want to shape the future of wrestling. Well, I know how I'd like to shape the future of the stock market, but I've got about as much chance of doing that as they do of shaping the future of fucking wrestling. When you think about it, but go ahead. I just, I don't want, you know, don't want that to go unrecognized. Tony and I would listen to Jim Cornett's podcast during those drives,

and it became a thing. Sometimes we'd agree. Sometimes we'd disagree. But what was most important was the passion behind what Cornett said. It was always about respecting the history of wrestling and understanding what makes the business work. Cornett's a polarizing figure, but you can't deny that he knows wrestling.

Tony would often ask me, do you agree with Jim on this? It wasn't about agreeing with him necessarily, but more about understanding where he was coming from and applying that knowledge to what we were doing in AEW. So let's stop there, get your general thoughts, the fact that, A, they're going town to town, working one show a week or not going down to town.

They're going town to town to town at the car, listening to the podcast, and Tony would literally quiz Jimmy Jacobs. Do you agree with him on this? So what are your thoughts? Well, without knowing a specific, for instances, A. Lola would say, give me a, for instance,

what was this matter or this topic or whatever, who was with it and who was again it, I don't, but I just overall don't see how, if they're listening, and just 50% of the time, somebody ought to, you know, on average, right? Unless you're just completely diametrically opposite on opinions of everything.

And then why are they listening, if they're diametrically opposite? And I know Jimmy Jacobs has some element of old school philosophy in terms of logic, because he's been around for a while, and he worked in the evil empire, and you have to develop some of that there. So I can't, I don't know his tone. He said, well, you know, I don't agree with any of this. And Jimmy's like, well, you don't want to fucking die on that hill. I don't know what's going on here.

But it seems like if they're listening, couldn't something register just in terms of the excess or the unnecessary risks or the self-inflicted wounds, as they say, or just the talent management? I don't know what. Is it the old Steve Allen line where, you know, they say, Mr. Allen, do they get your show in Cleveland? Well, they watch it. I'm not sure they get it. What's happening here, Brian? I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it's that other famous Steve Allen line.

Hey, where's my hairpiece? I don't know. I think my question would be, it's not a surprise that Tony listens to the show. And quite frankly, if you pay close attention, it shouldn't be a surprise that things that have been set on this show have found their way, have found their way on the AEW television. Presentation. Yeah.

It may not be applied the same way that it was supposed to be, but there have been things set on this show directly have affected things on TV and been things on TV. Knowing he listens to the show, he's driving around with his writers, his main guy, Jimmy Jacobs at that point, listening to the show. That's not the only person who has listened to the show with Tony. I can tell you that. Does it bother you that, although they apply certain things set on this show to the television,

show and have for four or five years, the big points don't seem to sink in, or the big issues don't, nothing seems to change Tony's path. It's just that he'll wonder what a booker he admired like you would have done in that situation. Well, you know, at first it was the mocking stuff, like, you know, when the kookamonga kids have the fight

out in the parking lot and in the back of the truck is the, you know, the little stand-up sandwich, sandwich sign, outlaw mud show, arrow this way or whatever. They're little inside jokes when they first started, and they were full of piss and vinegar. And then more recently, it's become,

you know, as remember we call it, every once in a while, they're trying to take the constructive criticism. This guy actually sold something, but in the midst of the shitstorm, it was, you know, lost in the shuffle or whatever. They've tried to, an individual talent, I think, tries to up their presentation, as they say,

or their game or certain things they do that potentially we may have called upon. So it's more positive. But overall, as I said a few weeks ago, they've dug themselves such a hole where the people perceive they have no real stars except for the bubble that put them over as stars and have convinced them that they are bigger stars than they are. And the fact that they have numbed the fan base to

every angle possible to be done to human bodies and endless multiple man chaos over and over in the arenas. So you can't really shoot an angle. So it's just the bad

bad booking has come home to roost. I don't know what else to say. Well, hopefully Tony, if he's listening, we'll keep listening and heeding what you say. And apply some of it to his programming because obviously it's not a secret he needs help. And it's also not a secret that he's pretty stubborn about it and he thinks he knows best.

But boy, do they need help right now. It's sad. But then there is the problem that we've talked about before on a talent roster, but otherwise who is the help? Which one of these creative geniuses that have his ear or any others out there? Who is the guy that can come in and stray? Paul Heyman would go, oh, my God. Well, Jim, on the topic of things before the dynamite review,

as we are recording news keeps breaking we have a bunch of of WWE releases let me get your thoughts on these Sonia DeVille has been released no yes that's that's well I'm going to argue with you no take it back it can't be but that surprises me because they've used her fairly well whenever

you know she's been around she had to take that sabbatical for a while and, you know, she's got the look and maybe just go away and learn a new hold and how can we miss you if you don't, that type of thing? But that surprises me. Paul Ellering and the authors of pain have been released. That doesn't surprise me.

And again, I'm not insulting Paul Ellering. He's a number of years older than I am. I don't know what his age is. I don't think he counted on this as a long-term career. He's probably, you know, he knew it would be a short run. But those two guys, I just, I didn't see what was going on there. And then they stuck them with, what's his fucking name? Carrying Cross.

There you guys. Well, exactly. And he's still there. He has not been really. He was just on, who's he torturing or harassing on Monday? Me. Sammy. Me.

I was trying to fast forward through him. he was on there for like a minute what do you mean? Well Jim, another release Cedric Alexander formerly of the Hurt business has been released Well

that might not be a bad thing there because that might be a benefit to Cedric and A.E.W. If he's a former member of the Hurt business and they would like him to be a current member since that's the only

group they've got that's getting over. But I didn't even realize he was still there, to be honest with you. I think a lot of these releases end up kind of being that situation. No disrespect any of the talent here, but Blair Davenport has been released. Blair, we hardly knew ye. Wasn't she in a draft of something?

She was in the draft the last time they drafted or drifted. Was she the one who had like the Jamie Hater old look, like with the hair, like the black hair with the light streak? The Sputnik Monroe look? guess more than Jamie Hater. I thought she was the one Blair Davenport. She was managed by the lady on fucking, oh, goddammit, this would be hilarious now if I had lost the goddamn TV series.

The fucking Blair, Blair and the kids. Oh, the facts of life. Ray, the facts of life, the facts of life. Yeah, well, see, I'm off my game today. New equipment. Jim also released Isla Dawn. Aw, we'll never find out if it is La the Dawn. Again, was she in NXT?

Where was she? No, she was a tag team partner with Alba Fire, wasn't she? Well, yes, but where is she? Smackdown is where they were. I don't know, what's going on now? They were on Smackdown, I think, weren't they? Well, I don't know. Who's on third?

Well, I can tell you who's not on third. Gallows and Anderson have been released. You know, where have they been? Didn't think about them for a while. They've already gone away. Did we miss them? And that's one of the problems. Like, well, guys like that who have a history with a lot of guys in AEW

and they were there previously and that was not a great period of time for AEW TV. It would almost hurt AEW, I would think, to bring them in because of the way people perceive them, don't you think? well I mean right now Anderson maybe more than Anderson is more of a normal sized human where he wouldn't tower over

the entire roster like Andre where you know Gallos would but they've been back and forth as you said and should they explore their Japanese options to just freshen up and work out some kind of new thing instead of trying to look same as they've looked when we've seen him last I don't mean looking in the red, but I mean, their gimmick, their presentation, that's the word of the day.

Work something new out to get something fresh going before they go to any domestic national television promotion. Jim, released today as we are recording, Giovanni Vinci. Oh, I forgot about him. Apparently him not being German, just doomed him. you know, I'm sure that... What happened there? They brought him back with a new gimmick. They were aligned with the Germans.

No, but they brought him back with a new gimmick for like two weeks, wasn't it? Like, he came back as like an Italian playboy, and then he immediately lost, and then he did it again with the next week. And then we never saw him again. But they re-gimicked them. He got a new gimmick, and they brought him back.

And it didn't work. We'll see what happens there. All best wishes to Giovanni. AEW has announced, that they have signed Elijah, formerly Elias. So he's going to kind of almost be what he was there, but if he was really over as what he was there, wouldn't he still be there?

According to the image I have here, AEW, Elijah is All Elite, and then it has the Ring of Honor logo, so I'm not sure if he'll be playing his songs on the Ring of Honor show that has no television show or for AEW. But that is roster news, Jim. Well, we wish everyone the best in their present endeavors. I'm not even talking about the future. Who knows? There may be no future. So we wish you the best in your present endeavors. Well, Jim, on the topic of roster news, let's talk about OSCA. You haven't seen OSCA on TV lately?

Have you been following what's been going on with her on social media? No, I've not been following the ASCA news while I've been following the Rasta news. And actually you haven't been following social media. Now that you've got the new computer, maybe you'll be a little more up-to-date with what's happening, but you've kind of been restricted in what you could access. Well, just it made me mad so I would just walk off from it before I threw it off the deck. But yes. On January 29th, Aska tweeted out,

I've been feeling in danger recently. I've already consulted the police. The fuck? At this rate, even if fans approach me at the airport or in the city, I will feel the possibility that something might happen and it will scare me, making me unable to respond. And then, she also tweeted out that night, I absolutely reject any romantic or personal approaches towards me.

There is absolutely no possibility for others to interfere in my private life. So let's stop there for a second because there's a little bit more. But obviously, there are issues with female wrestlers and... disturbed fans, I guess, is the best way to put it. I mean, any wrestler, any celebrity has it, but I think specifically... Well, it might be the nicest way to put it so we don't get kicked off YouTube or whatever. But what kind of... She's obviously got some...

As James Gregory, you said, some nut that's been, in some way messages or contact attempts of some kind as scared shit out of her. And hopefully, yes, the cops are on, but who, you know... Do the cops take some of this shit seriously when you get, you know, a letter in the mail looks like a fucking ransom note from some nine-year-old or some shit like that? Like, you've seen some of the fucking mail I used to get from fans. I don't know if that's what she's getting, because again, I don't know if she's getting mail versus actual, you know, DMs or people writing crazy stuff on social media.

Well, whatever, but I'm saying sometimes, you know, I hope the police are on it, but sometimes they don't take it seriously and it's, well, it's wrestling or whatever. I hope they're addressing it legitimately. Well, two days after those tweets, she tweeted out, WW and TKO are taking action to protect me. I appreciate it. So obviously they take it seriously, and we talked about selling you to the villa earlier.

I guess that's the best case. Maybe that's not the best way to put it, but that's the case you look at where a fan literally broke into her house, looking to harm her. Mandy Rose, I think, was living there at the time too. and luckily nothing happened, but there are fans that cross boundaries,

whether it's at the airport. I mean, I guess the nicest boundary to cross is just the weirdo who wants you to sign everything so they could resell it. Yeah, which is, you know, that's one type of harassment, but this is a whole other level. You know, you're talking about the angry mail

you got and people taking it seriously. We have more tweets we'll discuss. What about like crazy fans who fall in love with you or just in their own head? They've imagined they're your one. wife already or that you should be with them. I don't know how often you would have had that, but maybe Stan Lane had that happen a lot. I don't know.

Hold on now, Cowboy. It's two different types of things, the anger heat where they want to get you, you're a heel in the building or they did in the territory days. That was, yes, you had heat, but it was more instantaneous. There's that son of a bitch. He's right in front of me going to the ring type of thing. If, you know, some heels had so much heat, people would take swings at him going to the ring, but he was right in front of me.

Or he's just fucked my fucking hero. I'm going to take a swing at him. It's more instantaneous because it's anger. It's hard to keep that level of pissed off ofness in a fucking fan to where he will go out and plan to reshoot, you know, targets by Peter Bogdanovich or whatever. So it was more of an instantaneous type of thing. but this with these guys falling in love with these girls it's a love thing sort of like a male-female you know John Lennon fucking Sabada guy type of thing where they're infatuated and it's then they

begin to imagine some kind of personal relationship or something or whatever depending on their level of you know, so that's, that not only, you can keep that level of heat, whatever it, if that's the proper way to measure it, and it can grow and grow without these people ever even having met, because it's in their fucking mind. That's not good. On February 7th, Aska tweeted out again, There are still people who have romantic feelings from me and are making advances. please stop immediately.

And then someone named Chuck Cun responded, not sure if they actually mean it, Oscar, but this has more to do with the whole rejection thing. See, when you make a statement, in this case a romantic conundrum, people will only see that as a challenge. It's screwed up logic, yes,

but this is internet culture. And then she responded, By the way, I don't know if I agree with all that, but then she responded. I don't even know if I understand all of what the fuck there Chuck Conner's just said. If it's only the internet, I don't mind that much. So that would make you think it's something that's maybe happened in person or maybe it is a letter that she's received or something as opposed to something over the internet. Something's being sent or somebody's trying to present themselves in some kind of fucking way. and yeah and this poor girl you know just again she's on television it you know whether it's the people

that believe that you know these people on the internet impersonating people on television oh i want to marry you send me money or whether they get in their own minds oh if only i could meet her so and so then we'd be just wonderful together. It's just, you know, that's the kind of people you need to be keeping an eye on. Somebody, somewhere in a community, needs to be notified that those folks are around. And so you would think that there is some way that law enforcement would be able to figure out who is doing whatever they're doing. Can you trace a fucking package? Can you follow a fucking guy?

Can you put a security camera up, trace a license plate? I would assume that one of these things could be done. But who, I'm just a small town bird lawyer. I don't do the detectin. I do the defendant. I also wonder, is she live in Florida like everyone else? Because the Sonia DeVille thing happened in Florida. Wasn't her also like a crazy fan that was showing up at the performance?

Didn't someone like shoot up the performance center? Am I thinking? Yeah, well, hold on now. And then they set off a neutron bomb. And then Harley Race let the ring on fire. Yeah, the whole place was in flames. It was on the Orlando news. Let's not, no, they shot to,

I think the police shot the fucking guy. But yes, there was a guy who was showing up at the Performance Center down there several years ago. People can Google it and get the story told to them by the news reports better than I can recall it blow by blow. but he was convinced he was going to train there and that he was supposed to be a star and then he got mad at him

because they were fucking him around some guy. Who's this fucking guy? And they called the cops because he was trying to beat on the door or whatever. I think one of cops ended up shooting him. But nevertheless, yes, he went to court and jail and other types of unsavory things over that.

It's I mean again go out in public walk down the street and take a good look at the first 10 people you see and then say do I really trust any of them to come and sit on my back porch that's my new philosophy well Jim one more thing here on the legal beat from

I guess Florida and wrestling AW has fired Bear Boulder Thomas Wansaw according to An article hereby... I thought you were going to say Thomas Wang. According to an article here by Jeremy Lambert, a fightful, Warsaw. Okay, well, wait a minute.

Hold on now. I'm waiting with bated breath to find out what you have to do to get fired from AEW. There's only been like fucking four recorded instances, and one of them involved physical assault, at least. So give it to me there, fella. This one has an attached affidavit. Wansaw was arrested on January 13th and charged with battery by strangulation. Oh, Jesus Christ!

Did he fucking front face-lod jungle boy? The victim has been identified as Wansaw's fiancé. Fifell will be withholding the victim's name from the court documents, as they should, and it has the entire report here, so the team of the bears, what were they? They were Bear Mountain, or was it... There was him and the other guy, right? The other guy was the one who like was a pervert in the ring. I don't, what, what?

Didn't that have like a thing where, like, remember on TV, the guy was like, I want to eat your ass or he yelled something at the other guy. No, no. Yes, it was the bear guys. Yes, it was. War Horse was the guy that, it, it, no, he ruled ass. He ruled ass. That's what, no, it was the, it was the bear guy's manager that wanted to eat your ass or something.

He ate ass or he, I, I can't remember how he phrased it. but some way or another he announced to the world that he liked to eat some ass but these two, they were the two fat guys the boulder and the bronzen of the bears. That's right. They're bear country. Bear country is what it was, not Bear Mountain.

So this fucking, but remember they're two big giant fat fucks so this giant 300 and whatever Megaton fat fuck was choking his girlfriend or wife or whatever? Fiancee. Fiance, okay. Well, it's somewhere in the middle there then.

They were betrothed. But what the fuck with this guy? My investigation revealed, here's something from the affidavit. On January 13th, I responded to an apartment location, Winter Garden, Florida, in reference to an aggravated battery. Upon arrival, I made contact with several deputies who had already, who already had the suspect in custody. I interviewed the victim, who informed me she was physically battered by her fiancé.

I observe what appeared several injurison. Injurious? Injurison. No, there's an O-N. That's what's... Well, and folks, again, for those of you who may not have been as unlucky as me to see a number of police reports

about myself and others. They're handwriting it on a fucking metal pad on the scene, so a lot of this shit, you've got to read between lines. Photographs were taken and uploaded to be attached to the report, according to the victim, she sustained injuries around her neck, including red marks as well as scratches just below her neck, just above her breast. The back of her neck was red, also, and appeared it was battered as well, also sustained a bruise that appeared to be bright red on her right hand.

According to the victim, she was in a verbal argument with the bear guy that escalated into a physical altercation when he pushed her to the ground. He then placed his foot onto her throat, causing her to lose consciousness and black out. Jesus Christ! She stated that she gained consciousness approximately five to ten minutes later and was able to retreat outside to a patio and call 911. She believes he picked her up and placed her on the couch, as this is where she regained consciousness. She said it was not the first time he had been physically violent. Now, wait a minute.

She just called 911 and then she regained consciousness. Cont- No, no, no. Back that up. She's saying that when she regained consciousness, she was on the couch before she ran out to call 911. He just ran out. All right.

And it goes on from there. It sounds like this is not, uh, it sounds like, according to her, this was not the first time it happened. So Bear Boulder, and I guess the team of the Bears will no longer be around.

We'll see how they repackaged Bear, uh, what's his name, but Bear Boulder fired from AEW. Well, I, you can't even the size of him,

the sheer girth and mass of him in court is fucked because you can't stand at his size on some and do I believe she was unconscious for 10 minutes? No, because if he'd have stood on her throat

until she was out to the point where she was out for 10 minutes, her decedents would be, her heirs would be filling out this police report but you can't sell any jury or any legal system on the idea of this guy, this size, standing on whatever fucking this girl's throat is

for any amount of time and he's not completely cooked. You can't even make it all. I was just trying to hold her from injuring me, standing on her fucking neck. This will be, where don't we get the opposing viewpoint it from, I wonder he's going to hire that

Greek guy, Chiros, that fucked up the fucking brain suit, because he had none. Maybe he'll go work for Vince's new company. We'll see what happens. But, uh, bye-bye bear. Bye-bye bear. But Jim, on the topic of more about something in the future,

it is around this time where I would usually transition to something, and unfortunately, I didn't open any of them up in front of me, so I got to see exactly what I am thinking about right now. Well, you want me to tell you what you're thinking? I could just tell you what you're thinking, or you can think something. I'm tired. If you could tell me what I'm thinking, I'm really tired today. I'll tell you what.

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but you need somebody to help you because you can't do it by yourself. And who do you need to get to help you to open up your new business and realize your American dream? Shopify. Because that's what you're going to be hearing when you use the folks in Shopify. They're the professionals. the big boys. They do the deals with Shopify

because nobody does selling better than Shopify. They're the home of the number one checkout on the planet. They boost conversions up to 50%. Now, I'm not sure what conversions are, but if they can give you half again as many as the next guy, well,

fuck yeah. And their people are going to stop abandoning carts. Once they put something in their cart, Shopify puts that little ding-ding on and they got to pay for it whether they change their mind or not they're stuck with whatever if they accidentally press that button there's going to be a guy knocking on their door with that thing in a box saying hey they got their hand out you're going to get some money that's not

the way it works and again the vendors aren't Shopify Shopify is working with the vendors to sell you the products and none of those vendors are going to come to your house asking for money you're going to pay in advance you're going to pay the way you pay normally for everything else online but with Shopify, it'll help you to help your business, easy process, easy checkout, Shopify. You viewed the business and you viewed the customer there and you used us into the point where we made a U-turn,

and I don't think the people understood what you said. Folks, if you're into growing your business, your commerce platform better be ready to sell wherever your customers are, whether they're scrolling or strolling on the web in your store, in their fields, I'm sorry, in their feed. and everywhere in between. And if you're going to sell more,

you've got to sell on Shopify, a trademark. So once again, folks, right now, we can save you some money and then Shopify can make you some because you can upgrade your business and get the same great checkout that all the big boys use

and this platform that has multiple ways for you to just take people's money like you're shoving it into your own pocket, pulling it straight out of theirs. sign up for a $1 a month trial period right now at Shopify.com slash JCE. That's all lowercase. Shopify.com slash JCE. $1 a month trial period. How can you lose money if you get a dollar a month trial period?

You only have to sell a piece of bubble gum. What in the world? Unless you're just trying to sell ice to Eskimos. There's no way. You can't make money. You're going to make your own bubble gum? Huh? You're going to make your own bubble gum?

You're going to make your own ice? How are you going to do this? You could actually, you could make bubble gum flavored ice or ice flavored bubblegum, see? I just, I just, I'm caught. What's ice flavored? What the hell would ice flavored be? Just cold? Well, it depends on what color the ice is.

Oh, come on. You're one of those sea boys you know about it. Don't drink the yellow snow. It's just Gatorade. Anyway, depending on what? what the gator is done, you never know. But right now, Shopify, that's the thing you need to do. That's right.

That is indeed the thing you need to do. And Shopify is there for us. It's there for you. It's there for the vendor. It's there for the customer. And it's there for the listener of Jim Cornett's drive-thru. One more time. They're in the present.

They're there for everyone. They're all around you. Their name used to be Big Brother Incorporated, but they changed it. Well, we like Shopify over here. hear one more time, Jim, for anyone looking to sell their goods, anyone looking for easy checkout, Shopify is there, what's that promo code? Well, if you're just looking to sell your goods like a yard sale, I don't know if they want to talk to you, but if you're engaging in an ongoing business enterprise, Shopify.com

slash JCE. That's right, and Jim, on the topic of Shopify, perhaps someone at Shopify can host a seminar to teach some of the wrestlers and age about selling? Because that may be a lesson they need, but we're going to talk about AEW dynamite this past week. The outskirts of Atlanta, right? Or was it in Atlanta?

Is it in Atlanta or right outside of Atlanta? College Park is, as I recall, unless I'm having a brain fart and thinking of another suburb, it's right in the middle of Metro Atlanta. Well, I don't know about the middle if somebody's going to be, you know, throwing a fucking dart. But it's in the glob. it's inside the fucking

the loop so they weren't far it's just a lot of people didn't want to come no I think they sold out the phone booth didn't they do you think AEW should do dynamite at center stage no why because

center stage was a great look for TBS when they upgraded from the Techwood Drive Studio and it was close to the office and it was a great look for Ring of Honor when you've got 800 rabid people

and it shoots well. But at this level that AEW is at and the level more importantly that their competitor is at, you can't look like you're shooting TV, even TNA and the Universal Studios in Orlando, that setup, the impact zone. No, it looks like a fucking game show. And unfortunately, AEW started out in the big buildings.

filling them up and it looked kind of big league and then we have spent the past several months said you've got to go to smaller buildings you've got to go to smaller buildings which they have done in large part and if they can get 2,500 people in half of one of these smaller buildings or fill up a phone booth as I said with 2,500 they still kind of can pull off this is a real arena

Pinocchio and we're really a televised professional but if they went down to a center stage setup and doing interviews on the side of the stage, they've admitted their ring of honor with an unlimited fucking budget. And by the way, you asked, the Gateway Center Arena College Park, Georgia, February 5th, Wednesday night. According to Russell, Ticks, the final count, tickets distributed, 2,718. And is anybody also finding it odd? that in every town they go to big, small these days,

not in everyone, I don't want to be accused of exaggeration, but in many of these dynamite towns, tapings, buildings, it's right at about 2,300, 2,500, 2,500, 2,700 tickets. Where do you ever see in any of the territory days, even towns that were getting the same TV show and the same matches at their live arena, the attendances varied wildly from town to town over the course of the year. So again, I'm wondering what are tickets distributed and what are tickets sold?

And what is, oh God, we got 1,800. We need to get 700 more people to hit the 2,500 people level that we have configured this TV to look so that we can shoot it where it looks like it's full. but if we don't have $2,500, we can't even do that. Is there an element of trying to hit a quota on the crowds whether they're paid or not? I'm just wondering out loud. But you know me, I'm suspicious of everybody, Brian. Anyway, you want to talk about this TV show?

Let's talk about it. I was going to just say, I'm not sure, but obviously they seem to be at a certain level where they kind of don't go below a certain level. They don't go above a certain level, and that's where they are right now. and a lot of it's because of the TV show. Let's talk about how it started out. All right. Well, their guys are walking in now, like the other show.

And but then Renee catches Jay White in the back next to the one of the production trucks as he's about to walk into the arena and he starts doing a promo. And it was starting to get too long for the top of the show, in my opinion. It was Jay White talking. I don't know that he can command the attention of a room or a parking lot but then suddenly here comes Dick the boozer and the boor horsemen are walking up to menace him and in effect Moxley's walking up to menace the guy that's being interviewed by his wife and but then right up behind them are Edge and FTR and suddenly they just all have a fight

but they again still cannot keep a straight face on this thing because they have the sight gag in the front of Marina Schaefer just walks over and bends over and picks up Renee and puts her over her shoulder and carries her out of the frame and you don't see them again and it was it's like they're silent movie comedians they just want a fucking sight gag

and they fight into the arena. I wish it was in silence. That'd be better. It kind of is, actually. I think about it. Yeah, no, we were listening to it all right as well. Into the big door of the back of the arena, and then they did the fight walk,

where they were kind of fighting and kind of walking because they got to go all through the backstage area and get into the arena. And then they have an eight-way fight all over the arena. and they couldn't shoot at all because then they would have to be shooting parts of the arena they couldn't shoot and or they couldn't find these people anyway

and it the fans are standing there and they'll react if somebody takes a big bump but they've seen this has become the normal thing to come to a live AEW TV show and just see a bunch of fucking people fighting all over the place

and they don't react and the fans don't react and, you know, I said it to you a little bit off air. You look at Raw or Smackdown, the top people being featured. And I hate to even compare the two companies at this point, but Jay Uso, CM Punk, Owen, Zane, a variety of McIntyre, a variety of people. Nobody's young. Nobody's in their early 30s.

No one's even close to it. Yet no one feels stale. And everyone feels fresh. And I know this is a weird thing. to say, but if you look at the five people I just named, by and large, maybe some guys both wear black, but everyone looks and feels different. The opening of this show was the least marketable amount of wrestlers, or group of wrestlers, you could put out there, despite what Hobbs has his potential. Moxley, he's always in my fucking green or just a white t-shirt,

and the rest of his crew dresses the same except pack, who doesn't wear clothes? And then cope and FTR, nobody's invested in FTR at this point. FTR's biggest fans aren't invested in them anymore because of the way they've been treated. And also they're, you know, they have a lot to do with that as well. But the way they've been booked has not helped anyone. Same thing with cope. And beyond that, I just don't think he has the star power outside of WWE that he did or was supposed to have in WWE. So this whole opening thing, everyone was old and slow. This was not good at all. And I said it the deal last week with Moxley. This guy's the top heel in the company trying to murder people, not put them out of action, murder them. He tried to put

bags over the head of Portreino down their throat. He stands in the crowd. He stands in the crowd with Marina Schaefer. No one's going after him. No one's even near. They don't even have to send them out to security guard anymore. No one goes anywhere near him. There's no heat. This death writer stuff has been an utter disaster and then having them in a funeral with cope and FTR. I'm glad they started the show off with this to get it out of the way. But you want to look at the dichotomy between WW and AEW. Look at these guys versus any, any top push guy in WWE.

These people aren't marketable. Well, yeah. This is not appealing. The point you just made that all those guys, Drew McIntyre and some, have not been there for years and years like punk came back and it was off for injury and they but a lot of those guys have been

there for years but you're interested now in all the new shit they're doing and they do seem fresher and they're not young people but it's they're attracting young people because they're old enough to be good performers for one thing but these guys

have not even been there as long as some of those guys been in WWE and you're like, oh, Jesus Christ, these people again. Yeah, and again, L.A. Night, I think, is in his early 40s. And he's someone who got to the game pretty late. He doesn't feel old. He doesn't feel stale, unless you just hate, like, you know, you do hear from people that don't like that kind of performer, but the fans love him and they react to him, and he feels somewhat fresh.

Everyone on this thing was wearing, like, fucking dark colors, and, like, no one pops out against the fans. It's just terrible. It's terrible. It's terrible wrestling television. And I've seen more wrestling television than most people. It's terrible wrestling television. Well, finally, all of these individuals in this big fight got to ringside.

And, by the way, the signs of the night in this same segment, Boer Horseman and COVID Fears Cornette. So at least we got some entertainment out of this. segment. You know, boar horsemen being held up at any point in the show would be an accomplishment, but holding up while the boer horsemen are in the middle of whatever they do, that is a major, major accomplishment. Congratulations, whoever you are. Yes, congratulations, oh, sign fellow. Uh, but then Edge speared Claudio and the heels kind of awkwardly tried to walk off, but Edge did the promo, challenging,

Dick the boozer for the AW World Heavyweight title match at Revolution, which is their pay-per-view in March, correct. Whoopty-ding. And the plumber milks it and then says, no, and tries to leave again. And I'm thinking, please let him go. And then White gets on the microphone and screams something at him. I have something down here in quotation marks in my notes.

because I don't know between the way he was shrieking and his accent. And then he asked for a tag team match in Australia at Grand Slam or whatever that wing ding is. A Brisbane brawl. Guess what it is, Brian? No DQ. Anything goes? Lazy booking. You bet your Bippy.

Sweet Bippy. You bet you're sweet. Well, I don't really, I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but I've never thought your BIPI was particularly sweet. But so it's going to be white and edge, or edge and white, I don't know who gets top billing, against apparently Claudio and Dick the Boozer in, in Brisbane at their brawl.

Yeah. This, uh, Australia show. we've heard feedback and we've seen feedback that didn't even come to us that's just down on social media. It feels like the Australian fans feel let down. They're ticked. And I know people are trying to defend Tony saying he never promised there was a pay-per-view. And typically Grand Slam has always been a dynamite. But for it to just be an AW collision with no main event matches.

Well, hold on here. I actually, I have an email. Would you like me just to report? on what the Australians are friends Danunda are saying about the whole thing? Yeah, I'm assuming, uh, yeah, let's hear this. Well, yeah, you're assuming this is

real, you can hear it. Uh, this is from a fellow in the Australian Connor, what is it, De Niro is his name. Certainly not. Robert lives in New York City, doesn't he? Yeah, Tribeca.

Okay, well then it's not him, but De Niro. he wrote it i'm just basically they're saying it'll be his first or he's saying it'll be his first live event of any kind for any sport music or festival i was so excited and lucky me i live in brisbane not just a house show not just a tv but a fucking pay-per-view it was reported to be a pay-per-view event on announcement

not a special episode of collision I convinced a bunch of non-wrestling... By the way, I don't remember... I'm going to take this person's word for it, but when they announced it, I don't remember off the top of my head if they said it was a pay-per-view or a TV or anything other than

we're coming to Australia, so I don't remember. Well, but here's that were you at Australia? No. What were they saying over there? Goodbye, Mike. Did they even get... Did they even have their story straight?

But anyways, I convinced a bunch of non-wrestling friends to come with me and some to fly here. and you probably heard Brisbane this is worded, well it's his second language is English because he's from Australia. Brisbane in a stadium is a terrible choice, but they've near sold near sold out the new arena and I for one see it as a huge upgrade.

All seats are closer, louder, more atmospheric. And apparently he says, now air condition for this insane Aussie heat. It's the middle of the summer over there. In February in a stadium, the summer over there. So they were going to be like, you know, cooking. But here's what he says.

I was a little annoyed. There have been next to zero feuds going into this. I was excited to finally get to see story resolutions live. AEW isn't quite known for their fantastic storytelling, but we're happy to get what we can until the recent announcement that the show has been downgraded to a TV taping from a four-hour pay-per-view to a two-hour collision. That's a kick in the balls. Apparently he's saying that he and his friends are hearing that they're going to get the lead on from an NBA All-Star show. So they decided to spit on

all of us to grab an opportunity to squiss this event into their TV slot to try to grab as many new fans and add revenue as they possibly can. I don't know if they're still going to make any different on that. But basically the fans, they have. heard they're going to get a giant stadium show and every big AEW event that we could certainly testify to goes over four fucking hours

and then they find out well then they're moving to the arena okay and now they're an episode of collision so they're just now this is February 15th that we're talking about the TV

show on February 5th, that was, and they're goddamn challenging for and announcing main events on this goddamn stadium show or arena show or collision taping. Do you think they're going to boo Tony when he comes out to give his like R-R-R-R-R speech? I don't think, I don't believe Tony needs to go out that particular night. I think he could hand that off to one of his subordinates. That's never stopped him before, whether Tony needs to do something or not. Well, send somebody with sunglasses.

and the fucking wig with the curly hair and of his build with his jacket out and if they make it all the way across the stage without getting dropped by a fucking stray sniper, then Tony could come out. But yeah, so they're not happy down under. Can't blame them, can you? I mean, we didn't even know what time it started

until like a week ago. We didn't know how we were going to watch it. We didn't know how we were going to watch it or what time it started or any of the matches and then we found that up at the women's match. last week I've had shit going on. I haven't really paid close attention. So it is now going to be the collision for when, because the 15th is a Saturday? Or is it before Saturday, before it's Saturday here, when it's Saturday there? Did I clearly and succinctly ask that

question? No, but I somehow knew exactly what you were saying. A.W. Grand Slam, Australia will be airing. Does it say how it will be airing or where? It will be, well, it doesn't say it on Wikipedia. Let me go to the official AEW page. 5.30 p.m. Australia time. And we have five matches here on the page. Okay, but what is, what time is it in goddamn Louisville, Kentucky, where I am? It doesn't say. And if it's going to be an episode of collision, it's not going to air live anyway. It's going to if they're following a ball game, what day is it going to still be on the weekend of the 15th?

How are they going to broadcast this fucking thing to be an episode of collision after a ball game emanating from fucking Australia? And by the way, it's not just a ball game. It's the NBA All-Star game. They will be airing at 10.30 p.m. Eastern time or whenever the All-Star game finishes. On February 15th. February 15th. So again, I mean, you talk about priorities and how you manage things.

When Tony announced Australia, he made it out like it was a big deal, and it is a big deal. It isn't anymore. Like, they somehow, before the event even took place, made it so that no one... I shouldn't say no one cares. People are interested now to see how it's going to work out, but he's pissed off the Australian fans. The American fans aren't really pumped up for it.

Everything on TV now is revolving around it, it seems like, yet no one's really clear on how they're going to watch it. It's a disaster. And after that takes place, they've got two weeks or three weeks to turn around and sell their pay-per-view. Well, Jim. Continuing?

Continuing. So the next to the next match, the first match on Dynamite was Birdman Osprey. Good Lord, he reminds me I think I said this to you yesterday when we were talking about it. He reminds me of the always sunny episode where they're dressing

when he's got the feathered the birds of war entrance robe. The birds of prey. Birds of prey, that's what it was. Birds of prey. He's a bird of osprey. You made it work. So then

he is supposed to wrestle a member of the Don Fowles family and Don comes out to give this guy the big intro and the fans chant, fuck Don Callis. And they caught the censor unaware because they tried to say that later in the program when they were bleeping him,

but they let this go by because it wasn't that loud. But Don announces that Osprey's mystery opponent that Osprey is supposed to face from the Don Callis family gets the big buildup and now it's Mark Davis and people are really really

and this is the guy that was the ex-tag team partner of Kyle Feltcher and how did this go and again I think you told me this yesterday and I swear to God I can't remember it yet Feltcher didn't turn on him because he was already gone somewhere.

Did he get hurt? And then Felcher turned heel, and then Davis came back to get even with him for not calling him while he had diarrhea. I don't fucking know. And then Davis was a baby face, but nobody gave two shits and a fucking taint-tickle about him, and then he went away again.

Or can you do that better than me? They were a tag team. They were Aussie open. They had wrestled a few matches in AEW. and then Mark Davis either got hurt or had a visa issue. I don't even know. But they broke away Fletcher versus a baby face. Was he a baby face?

I don't know. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And then he turned on Will Osprey and he got screwdriver power with Don Callas. Then Mark Davis showed up again dressed like a homeless man. And no one really knew who he was because he wasn't established.

And he was upset with Osprey because he never heard from him. and then he aligned himself with the baby faces, then he was off TV again, and now he's returned seemingly as a heel with the people he was confronting a few weeks ago. Did his ass used to be the size of Atlanta, Georgia? Because I swear to God, but did he go down early and spend a couple days at the varsity

doing an all-you-can-eat-dog challenge? Well, he's a bigger guy, but I don't know if I want to... He's a bigger guy. fucking ass is as wide as a driving movie screen, but it came in handy. Because nobody could possibly care what happened in this match, so I skipped that, but after about 10 minutes or so, Davis hit this flying pile driver where Osprey was bent over and Davis kind of jumped up and landed on his back and turned in midair and planted him with the pile driver.

And it's the goddamnest thing I've ever seen. be a finish anywhere in the world in any company. It was fucking beautiful. And because of his big ass and thighs, everything was safe. And he just nailed it perfect cover. Two count. Osprey kicked out. And then I'm a god damn it.

And then within, I swear, 15 seconds of this devastating menu, Osprey is up, runs across the ring, hits the only good looking hidden blade I've ever seen him. hit that back elbow thing because the guy was standing up and took a hell of a bump and stood on his knees and his shits. And that got a one, two, three. So the best looking move of the night, Osprey kicked out of after two. And then Davis, who I think is, I won't call him a complete idiot because nobody's ever learned him. And we need to learn you.

But if you got to move like that, if you're not winning the match, don't do the fucking move. but then there becomes a problem he probably is never going to win a fucking match in this company. But if you don't win with that thing, you shouldn't do any, any old timer would tell you that. But that wasn't all, Brian.

Do you have any thoughts so far? Should I get to them now they're going to get to the meat of the matter? Do you have any thoughts in general on the idea whether here or anywhere else on a surprise opponent being brought in to lose right away? Well, I guess I'm just kind of used to, it in this environment, it doesn't really make any sense.

But yes, there could be obviously an element of, it will bring this surprise mystery opponent in as a guy from your past and you conquer that guy, but it furthers your angle within this other guy comes out or whatever. So yes, a mystery guy, surprise guy can be brought in to lose in the right framework. but just has this guy ever fucking won? That's that just to bring a guy that nobody ever cared about to begin with and he's been there and gone

and as we explained back and forth and hither and yawn and then you know they have a good match for 10 minutes and then he fucking gets beat and then other people come out and start fighting with each other and he's forgotten no this is just

this was just a ratings ploy a mystery man in Tony's mind. He thinks that if you stipulate everything, every match has some incredible implication that we will list to you. And then this guy will face a mystery member of the Don Fallis family and these people at an eight-man tag against so-and-so with the winner to go on to wrestle dream to compete against the stardom champion of the fucking butt-fucking. I don't know. But when you hit people with that much shit, then they just, they tune out and they just watch people fucking bounce off

each other and that's when you lose the ability to create those individual personalities and get the individual guys over because they're just watching people bounce off each other because they're overwhelmed with it's just endless bombard of people bouncing off each other. Am I digressing? No, and I believe the stardom champion

a butt-fucking jump to Marigold for the record. Well, in that case, if you want to fuck to the ass, go to Marigold. Or gleat, maybe gleeed. No, that's... Well, that's the noise they make after they've been to Marigold. But anyway, so after this match, Osprey took the microphone. And at least he kept it brief, brough.

But he brought out his partner at the ground slam. It's Kenny. It's Kenny. Here comes Kenny. And Kenny's got the microphone. And then they gave him time. And I'm like, oh, fuck. And he came out, as you mentioned, raggedy jeans and an olive draught.

olive green drab t-shirt with some I was an anime character or something on it but they all just they look like to people in the fucking stands and you know the people can look at the people in the stands to fucking see that and I won't even belabor the point Kenny has the least amount of menace or aggression or emotion or intimidation or conviction or anything else in his voice he just

sounds like a computer tech that you might be forced to speak to about your ailing laptop. And it just blasé and wishy-washy, but then here comes, take a shit and Kyle Feltcher out in the entranceway, and they're trying to promote a tag team match at Grand Slam. And that Kenny did try to fire up, but he still just, to me, sounds like a nerd.

and then he literally blew the fans a kiss and told everyone good night and bang and they blew off some pyro. And there's another tag team match that we get to see is Fletcher and Tag a Shit and the Super, the dream team of Kenny and Willie. You want to bet that match is going to get a better reaction

and Moxley and Claudio versus Jay White and Edge? Oh, no, I don't want to, I don't want to bet with you on that, but that's like saying you get a bigger reaction for being spit-roasted by two fucking rhinoceruses or goddamn burned in a pit of boiling oil. Well, we'll see what happens. And, of course, Kenny... Do they have rhinoceri in Australia? I don't know if they currently do.

It is the land of plenty, so they may have plenty of those. And, of course, Kenny always ends his promos or his night with, uh, good night, Navois. What does he say? He says, um, and I'll see you soon.

Get home safe. No, have a pleasant tomorrow. And then bang. The point is he's signing off. That's the sound of the fans shooting themselves in a head. Well,

no, that's Kenny signing off for the night. And a lot of people when they hear the sign off, they say, hey, it's time for bed. I need a good night's sleep. Maybe some people in AEW could use a good night's sleep instead of staying up all night partying. but I digress.

Helix sleep. Yes, you digress over to Helix, and that's where you need to digress. When you digress yourself at night, folks, you digress, you divest yourself of all of your dressing, and you lay down naked in a bed. You don't want to feel like,

wait a minute, I'm exposing my naked human body with all of its frailties and ailments and potential weak points to some unauthorized surface. Because, you know, lot of these mattress companies, they just don't give a shit. You've heard this, Brian. It's been in the news many times. You'll find, I don't know, you know, used razor blades and stuff from the city

dump that they used to stuff some of the big-name mattresses, occasionally some junkies leave their hypodermic needles stuck in the middle of it. You know, they get a lot of the labor. Some of these big companies comes from a poor part of Pakistan. So you never know what you're laying on. And that's choir friends at Helix sleep have taken it upon themselves to save people from sleeping on a surface filled with horrible tetanus-ridden substances and instead get a beautiful night's sleep like you're laying on a fluffy cloud. And again, no matter how you're shaped or figured, whether you're unnaturally tall or morbidly obese or in some way deformed in any stretch of the human experience.

Helix sleep has a mattress that will even make a hideous thing like you comfortable in the privacy of a dark room in your own home by yourself alone where people don't have to look at you. So right now, folks,

all you do is you go to helixleep.com and you take their little quiz where they ask you how, in what position you like to sleep and, you know, and different things that you've, like to do in your life and what you might be wearing at that particular point in time.

And then they're going to send you a mattress or they're not going to send it to you. You've got to buy it first. But then they're going to hook you up with one. They send it after you buy it. They are sending it after you buy it. But you got to buy it. Then they send it. It's the buy, send relationship.

But they're going to hook you up with one that is all to your preferences, whether you got the snoring, the back pain, the sleep apnea, problems with. As a matter of fact, now they have that new incontinence mattress where if you piss the bed instantly you get an electric shock to wake you up and let you know to stop doing that shit. Let me just stop you right there. They do not have to worry about any sort of electrical shocks with Elyke's sleep. Is that still in development? I must be confusing an advanced memo.

I'm on the board. You are not on any board. You don't get any memos. Will you stop it? Of course, you have no idea what you're talking. talking about here. I'm bored right now. Didn't you get the memo anyway? Go to sleep. Heelix sleep. If you go to helixleep.com slash JCE, we're going to save you money because you're going to get 20% off sidewide and two free dream pillows. That's the pillows when you put it

on the comfortable mattress. Then you lay your head down on the comfortable pillows. And boom, you're going to dream. You're going to be a dream machine floating away on a cloud. just be careful when you wake up the next morning. Don't go to bed naked, because you might have to wander back to your home from some undisclosed location. What? Right now again, Healy.

Well, if you're dreaming and you're floating, helixleep.com. Yeah? Flash JCE. Yeah. 20% off sidewide and two free dream pillows with any mattress purchase. Boy, howdy, that's a deal you just can't beat with a stick.

Well, leave the stick outside. and go to bed with Helix Sleep one more time, Jim. We love them here at the house. I know you love them over there at Castle Cornett. What's the promo code? Helixleep.com slash JCE. Good night. Well, the night was about to get better over on AEW Dynamite.

The only stars they've got were about to come out. Well, Jim, hold on if I can give you some breaking news that I'm just noticing online right now, talking about star or someone that you've always said was a star. I have a tweet here. Jeremy Spoken, RIP to... Wait a minute,

I have never said that Jeremy Spoken was a star. RIP to a radio and Tulsa legend, Roy D. Mercer himself, Brent Douglas. So, Roy D. Mercer, someone you've talked about in the past, the voice... Well... The voice of Roy D. Mercer.

Hold on now. Now, we don't even have time, and I'd have to have... Oh. Even some reference material. in front of me to say that there's been more than one Roy Mercer. And there's a story behind this, and people can Google it and look it up, but the Roy D. Mercer tapes originated with a guy in East Tennessee that apparently, as I remember the story,

was sick, possibly had cancer and was just calling people up, jacking them around. and then they found their way to some radio station people and then somebody became a new or maybe there was a different middle initial Roy Mercer. And then they started selling commercial tapes and everything. It's a whole saga, Brian. So we don't know exactly. I think this is one of the pretenders,

not the original fella. It was the first one to ask about how big a boy is he. Or what time does your brother get off? things like that. This is a weird situation right now where, you know, we want to say something nice about someone who passed, but you're kind of putting him in the, uh, that's not gorgeous George.

Well, I don't know. I think that's not the gorgeous George I saw on TV. Who's that? I think this, I think this was gorgeous George Grant. I'm just telling you. All right. Well, rest in peace, Curly Joe. But let's get back to Dynamite. Well, getting back to Dynamite here, the Hurt Syndicate.

And now they come out. They've got the suits. They got the sunglasses. They got the tag team belts. The managers carrying a cane. They're full-grown adult males. They look fucking great. And MVP is the announcer

gives the big introduction to Shelton and to Bobby and each one of them gets a big pop. And the new tag team champions gets a big pop. And the fans have started chanting, we hurt people, we hurt people. That's an odd rhythm. However they were doing it. An MVP cut a promo, putting everybody on notice

because if you have any championships or anything that we want, eventually we're coming to see you. And, you know, boom, as we get, then of course the lights go out and music starts playing, but the fans are with them because they've acted like, looked like, and been treated like stars. Yes, I can't disagree with anything. I mean, the reaction from the fans is the biggest thing

because for a fan-based sick of former WWE guys and older guys, and these guys all fit into both of those categories, they don't feel as tired and lame as everyone else. And the reactions keep growing. Again, this is a new lease on life for Shelton Benjamin altogether. Obviously, Tony treats him with a lot more respect than

Triple H or Vince McMahon or whoever did. And I think it's been a good run so far. And they really haven't had a good feud or anything yet. It's all just been establishing them. Now you've got to go somewhere. Well, and now the lights go out and the music plays and here come the gun boys. And you know what?

This might not be bad because, the guns we've always said they're incredibly hard workers and they were naturally animated in the especially early on before they got lost in the shuffle have been gone or hurt or whatever's bucks been going on

but they they take big bumps they work hard they scramble across the ring they put a little extra into it and they can learn from both Shelton and well from all three Shelton Bobby and MVP

but Shelton Bobby in the ring if they listen and follow and have that natural youthful enthusiasm channel properly, these could be some good matches. But the guns came in and they said, we want to come in and talk business. You're a businessman. An MVP invited them in. And the guns deal,

they want their belts from two years ago back. And they cut the promo and, the they need to be the guns need to be the heels in this because they're going to be whether they like it or not but at the same time it's going to be kind of interesting because you don't

want the Hurt syndicate to be put in a position of selling like Riggie Morton so they've still got to be strong in this as their healish selves because that's why the people like them but MVP said he appreciated the oxy and the courage, but he respects their father,

or they would have already been choked out. But he shook their hands and said, next week, we'll defend the tag team title against a couple of ass boys. And then the guns, as the Hurt Syndicate had already left the ring, said something that got bleeped, and I got two words for you, suck it. Yeah, what did they say?

I don't know, because they didn't bleep, like the old days, they did the audio scramble, where it just but but he said something about possibly did he say you're fucking right were the ass boys

I don't know that was a good line though when MVP walked out after calling them the ass boys that disrespect yeah it set them up I mean they're set up to be baby faces

I don't know if they'll get that reaction but they're set up for it for the first time I you know I gotta be honestly I think if if they were heels because they've got that

smart-ass, those smart-ass expressions and that smart-ass kind of promo delivery. And if they were heels against the Hurt Syndicate, we might actually have some tear-down-the-house reactions one way or the other, whereas now it might be split at best. But nevertheless, the other issue, it'll be interesting. Well, the bigger issue even than the reaction, and like you just said,

it'll be very interesting because even if there are baby faces in the Hurt Syndicate or the heels, even though they're cheered, they're cheered heels, that kind of match will. be a little different for them, but they're going to the match next week. Like, they're not giving the guns like a week to shine on TV and look really good. It's, boom, they're back. They get the challenge. So now next week, one of them has to lose already.

Oh, well, the guns are not going to win the belts or elsewise. And I'm not saying they should, but maybe they should not go to the match right away, is my point. But, yeah, well, no, I mean, I'm interested to see the match. but I don't think this is going to be a long program because obviously then they wouldn't just say hey we want a match okay and have it next week this is something I guess to build you know the the Hurt syndicates

had their resume you know but of course it's all rushed but what are you going to do? But you need a tag team division and for the new freshness you're getting with the Hurt syndicate to have the guns all of a sudden in there that does live it.

it up. They've been gone a while. Every other tag team feels either makeshift like two guys thrown together or just a team that you know is not going to win. That's why I just wouldn't have gone to it next week. I would have given the guns, even if they're not going to win the belts. I'm not saying they have to win the belt. I'm just saying they should look like a team that could beat someone before they get a chance to get killed by Shelton and Lashley. Well, that makes way too much sense. you know what the auto had though also they missed an opportunity here when the hurt syndicate came out they should have come through velvet ropes operated by private party is now dressed as security guards oh yeah where are they I already forgot about private party where are they now well so did everybody else go you know they came off looking like fucking grade schoolers against these giants because they were just they're green and nobody never fucking developed them does billy gunn need to be in the corner of his kids To offset it.

Well, MVP's never in the corner. MVP's on the commentary usually, right? Well, if they want to stretch, you know, stretch this out over a few matches and they would have Billy Gunn offset MVP because he did make the mention that he respected their father, blah, blah, blah. That might be something.

But I think at this point, for the same reason, I think that it's too late now, but the acclaim needed to get away from Billy Gunn. I think the ass boys need to get away from Billy Gunn. I think the ass boys need to get away. Because what's left of the fans they had when Billy and the acclaimed were the most popular people in town, they're still going to fucking cheer for Billy Gunn more than anybody because he's out there 60 years old, looks like goddamn Apollo.

So I think they need to, Billy overshadows all these other guys. He's bigger than everybody and looks better physically than everybody. It can still work better than most of them. I'd stay away from it. Harley Cameron's puppet. Harley came out with the puppet of Mercedes Moon, and she is doing it. And then you know, then you see Harley,

and she's throwing her voice. And then Mercedes came out with her four belts. So you've got Renee Moxley Good, stepped aside when Mercedes came in, wearing four title belts that together way more than she does, while Harley Cameron was operating a fucking puppet and I thought that I was on acid. That's what happened next.

I think the puppets, I think the puppets more over than the real Mercedes. And she's a better promo. She's more realistic. She can be a promo, but she'll probably work better. And people would, people would be more forgiving if her hair fell off.

Harley Cameron's really entertaining and really talented and she just doesn't belong at AEW. There has to be a better way to utilize that talent. I know vaudeville's not a thing. He can't just say like, get on the bus, go. But there has to, I mean, she has the ability to put together like a real, I hate to use the word dynamite. I was going to say a real dynamite act, but a real spectacular act. She can be buffo.

I don't know. I mean, she would have been on Ed Sullivan if Ed were alive today here in 2020. If Ed Sullivan took over Sunday nights from the dead, I think Harley Cameron would be. one of his first guests. If Ed Sullivan was alive today, I'm going to say he'd be about 120 years old, wouldn't he? That's going to be an interesting reaction in Australia. Harley Cameron, hometown girl against Mercedes-Money.

Does she bring the puppet to the ring? Should the puppet now be like her Mr. Soco? She could have different puppets that attack the wrestlers? I think they should set two rings side by side and have Tony Storm and Maria May going in one and Mercedes and Harley going in the other one so we can get it over in the same amount of time. How about that?

Well, I want to hear your thoughts on that segment when we get to it, but Harley Cameron or puppets. Yeah, the whole thing there with the puppets. And then Hangnail Page doesn't regret crippling Christopher Daniels. Remember we thought, well, is this the first time anybody was ever shamed into turning baby face, but now he cut to promo with Reney

that he doesn't regret it, he did what he had to do, and then suddenly Max Kaster is sitting in a chair off camera and just you hear this voice, hey, Renee, can you all hurry up? And what the fucking the camera winds out? I've been waiting here.

You know, and hey, he starts talking to Pages. He said, Paige, if you hurt Bowens, or put Billy Gunn in the hospital. You know, that'd be great too. You know, I wouldn't mind. And then Paige, who we just thought wasn't being shamed and to be in a baby face, well, how about if I fight you and I put you in a fucking hospital?

And they both did some comedy with Castor running off and Paige take it off after him. And that was the end of that for then. wasn't. Well, I said for then. But it just, so then we had Brody and Buddy the Hounds of Hell. Wouldn't the names of the Hounds of Hell be like fucking Satan and Beelzebub instead of Buddy and Brody? You have a good point. The name Buddy has never worked for him. It worked for Buddy Rogers, Buddy Colt. Buddy Austin. Buddy Landell.

Buddy Landell. It doesn't work for Buddy Matthews slash Murphy. It didn't do too good for Buddy Diamond either. And Brody King is, he's named Brody because he's a big guy with long dark hair and probably at one point had a beard and a wolf. Looks like bruise of Brody. But if they're going to be, instead of the house of Blech, they're the hounds of hell, can we get a full paint job?

and they wrestled Feltcher and take a shit and again who are the heels but the fans have nominally decided that the the hounds were the baby faces here

but you've got your choice of the baby face are the people from hell or the henchmen of the evil manager and I'm thinking why beat the hounds of hell in their first TV match

the leader of their failed former group bailed on the company and they do videos to say that they're repackaged and carrying on and they come in and lose the first time that you see them as a team again on the main television program. Help me. There is no explanation for this. They're a team that, I mean, we'll talk a little bit more about this in a moment, but they are a team that needs more wins because they've had no wins.

and they need tag teams. Fletcher and Takesha. I brought up makeshift tag teams before. I mean, they're part of the callous family, but they're both singles wrestlers. One's a singles champion, and they're having a tag team match in Australia, but beyond that, they're not a regular tag team.

I mean, it's not Triple H beating the tag team champions on Raw or whatever they used to do. But still, one tag team's a priority. Why beat them right now right away by, a team that's going away after that match or they're not going to be a steady tag team. Well, the match was an indie tag match, but there's talent here.

If it was being booked and produced properly with clear direction in both of those things, clearly defined roles, personalities that click. So random observations real quick, and then we'll get to the fucking mess it all turned into. I think Buddy, again, is one of the four or five best in-ring guys in the company. athletic performance and execution

and his physically looks fantastic he's got that fucking caveman aggression type face Kyle is close he needs to pick a good look and stick with it I think they fucked up when they shaved his head

at least with that mop of blonde hair he stood out the our boy take there I don't know he looked cooler a year ago in the black trench coat and sunglasses and he was doing some things

and now he's here, he's gone, he hadn't developed. Brody King wasn't even bad here and he looks like he's trying to get a tan. And, you know, the fans like the match, but finally Brody gave Buddy a blasé nonchalant cold tag and Buddy made a great comeback

and fans got with it and buddy hit a flip dive over the top on both of them and then hit the meteorora on Kyle which looked incredible even in slow motion and the people were chanting this is awesome and but then the problem was here they continued to go because the problem now both Brody and take a shit weren't even visible in and around the ring forever

like they had been taken out by hidden guerrilla warfare in the jungle. And Buddy goes to the top and Take comes up to the apron and Buddy kicks him back off, but they play Okada's music on the screen, which distracts Buddy, but Okada doesn't come out, and then Kyle stopped him, but Buddy came out of it. that spot killed the momentum, confused the people, it was stupid, it hurt the fucking match.

Then buddy tags Brody back in. They had it going with Matthews' comeback. But they got to get fancy and they're throwing a bunch of bells and whistles and they fucking, they lost it. And then they double teamed Kyle,

but take, saved them by doing a missile drop kick on Buddy, but Landon flat of his back on Brody's back while he was covering Kyle so he killed his own partner. Because that was the guy underneath all that shit. And it looked stiff too. And then they did some goofy stuff on the apron and some false finishes back and forth. And finally, the heels double teamed Brody and gave him a double brainbuster, one, two,

two, three. If they'd have done buddies come back, tag Brody in, and, and just go do what double brainbuster, whatever, three minutes before that, they might have blown the roof off fucking place. What'd you think? I've liked Brody King a little more than you, and Buddy Matthews is really good. That's undeniable. And I really like Fletcher and Takesha.

I thought it was good. I thought it was misbooked. You know, I'm not trying to take anything away from the wrestlers except for, maybe unless Tony told them, hey, don't go to the finish there, wait a while, and then go to it over here. You know, that's the wrestler's fault. But other than that, I think everyone's good. The problem is, how does it help the hounds of hell, who you're now reestablishing as a new thing? They got a promo video, this is their match, they lose, and then right away, buddy's getting a match against Okada. You think he's going to win that? You think Okada's going to lose the buddy?

So, I mean, it doesn't really help these two guys who, you know, I'm not saying they're the most marketable guys in the world, but I think they're a whole lot more marketable than a lot of other people there. There's a lot of people on this show that belong on collision. I mean, that is an insult. And then there's a lot of stuff that's been on collision that should be on this show. These guys are ready to be repackaged as to hounds of hell and do something. They immediately lose. So, I don't know what to say.

It was a good match. That was, like, baffling from a booking perspective, so it's hard to ignore that. Why do you build me up, Buttercup, baby, just to bury me and beat me some more? This may be a good time in the show to talk about this match. Did you hear the latest Dave Meltzer Brian Alvarez argument? Oh, are they fighting again? You know, I hate it. Somebody needs to regulate Dave's medicine.

because he wouldn't get cranky, then maybe it's his blood sugar. Or could be he needs some metamusole. What are they arguing about now? Well, they're arguing about this match. So let's go to this. The Meltzer says what Twitter account, which follows Dave Meltzer all around the country, or specifically at home, I guess.

And they pay attention to what's going on there. Here is from Wrestling Observerer Radio, Brian Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussing The Hounds of Hell versus Takesha and Fletcher. Wrestling Observer Radio, February 6th, we'll stop it along the way. Then we had Takesh and Fletcher versus the Hounds of Hell, and, uh... It's a hell of a match. This was quite a great match.

This is a hell of a match. But, but... But, I thought they had a few near falls too many. Because at the end of the day, Dekech and Fletcher are facing the two biggest baby faces on the roster at Grand Slam. Yeah, but they didn't want to... They, they, they, I know, they never want to beat the hounds of hell. But you know what?

Sometimes you got to beat you. We just were talking about that. They did beat them. I know, but like, they're hitting all of their moves, and these guys keep kicking out of everything that they've got. But they still lost. And finally, we had a combo brainbuster. I actually, I actually thought that, like, they did the best.

I know you're going to put this over. I know you like this stuff. I don't like it. Sometimes it's time to get over a team and not the other team. But this is. not one of those times. This is the time where you have to get over both teams. No. The hounds of hell are just, they're just getting started.

Then they should face somebody else and get over. Well, Takesh and Fletcher are going to Australia in two weeks against Will Osprey and Kenny Omega, the dream team. They won. And they won. Yes, after not being able to beat them with one near fall after another. And you can even hear the crowd. They had a spot at the end. They had a great match. They had a great match.

It was like, Takesha rakesh buddy's eyes. Fletcher hits him with the draping DDT. They go for the cover. Brody kicks out, and you can hear the crowd like, okay, he kicked out of that one. And then they do another one, and they do another one, and then finally they hit that combo brain. And you can listen to the crowd.

You can hear the crowd hit a peak, and then they kicked out of one too many near falls, and they lost the crowd. I'll have to watch it again. I'm telling you. Oh, boy. I certainly did not see it that way. Well, you can watch it again.

And I mean, the thing also is, is again, it's like this was a they wanted to give those guys a win over somebody credible but they didn't want to look they won that's all that matters at the end of the day they got the win in WWE they would have done it the same way

no it would have been much more dominant when Jay Hussler's going to the title he is not going to go there and go that's the story though Dave that's the story oh good Lord we're going to stop it there for a moment we have more audio to play but what are your initial thoughts again

Alvarez makes a lot of sense. He still won't say anything bad about Chris Jericho or Britt Baker, but otherwise he's come around on a lot of these things. Dave still has his feet in the ground, his head in the ground, I'm not exactly sure, but what are your thoughts? I think he's doubled over, and both ends are in the ground.

He won't get off, but it is a great match. It doesn't matter. But Alvarez is looking at the other side of the coin that we were looking at. How does it help the Hounds of Hell to come back in and get beat? when they've just been repackaged, but from the other side of the coin, he's right. Oh, Kenny and Willie are apparently,

their two premier baby faces that they want to try to push in that spot. So they are, and they should be beating people in quick and dominant fashion coming up on a big show where they're against the evil heel managers to fucking henchmen.

It's the same way on the other side of the mirror of looking at the thing. That's why we were saying for a variety of reasons it didn't make sense to have this fucking match. But Dave will not

will not get off well they did beat him. Yeah, after they pulled out a goddamn bazooka but it was a great match. But it does it sometimes the match doesn't need to be great. They'll have

They need to have a great match that people paid to see in the, I started to say the stadium, in the downsized arena. You know what? Some company named downsizing ought to buy arena naming rights and we could be the downsized arena.

Who the hell names their company downsizing? Well, people that want to fucking make more money. What? Get rid of all those extraneous expenses. I'll tell you who's not downsizing. Tony Khan, let's go back to this discussion.

Brian Alvarez, Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio about the match we just reviewed The Hounds of Hell versus the Callis family. Okay, what about Sammy Zane and CM Punk? So are the hounds of hell? He got all kinds of offense on CM Punk. Are the Hounds of Hell? He got all kinds of offense and Fletcher all in? If they're not, it's not the same as Jay and Gunther.

Okay, Sam, that's the story that he can't beat the guy. What is the story? Sammy Zane and Punk. Sammy Zane and Punk. Yeah, Punk beat him. He did beat him. Precisely, clean. Right, right, clean.

After how many New York Falls? They did not pitch out of this many. Maybe not. They did all kinds of near falls in that match. They did all kinds of close calls. Yes. But when that match was over, punk was clearly the better man. Punk was the guy you were like,

yeah, I should get the shot. And Fletcher and sketched her heels, so they have to show more vulnerability. And at the end, they won. I didn't like it. Okay. I grew up on Stevenson. I thought the match was great.

But I thought there were too many near falls there. Oh, now he's pulling a Stevens and Patterson. And this is what they did. That's fine in 1970. Hold on. That's what they did. Stevens and Patterson kicked out of nonstop near falls? Well, yeah, body slams.

Not fucking super pile drivers from the balcony. Yeah, no DDT off the top rope on race Stevens ever. Hold on, let's go back to this. But that's today. We got to make stars. We have to. to make stars. Who's we?

Well, he's taking the viewpoint of the company that he's fictitiously running now. To make guys that are at another level than other guys. That's what we have to do. Otherwise, we're not going to have stars. Guess what? Guess what? Guess what? Who's wrestling Okada? Who is wrestling? Buddy? Yeah. So he has to be protected. Okay, so put him in another match.

They decided to make him excited. I know they did. That's my point. That was a mistake. If you want to protect two teams, have them each do different matches. We have 220 guys on the roster. Don't tell me there's not another team that Tachian Fletcher could beat. That's a named team. Don't tell me there's not another team to have a hell to beat or buddy. Because there is.

Okay. But guess what? They also did the spot with the fake Ocotta spot in the match. If you don't have buddy. Oh, that one even made me more angry. I wish you had to mention that. Oh, my God. So they're doing this match.

And they're like halfway through. and Buddy goes up top and they hit Okada's music okay, they hit his music in the middle of this match so Buddy gets distracted and he's looking at the back like where is... Oh, and that's the end of that clip

let's go to the next one this is the last one from this but yeah and over and nothing happens cut off yeah and then he gets the heat back again yeah and they just kept going and I was like what did we do that spot for what was the point? It didn't

cost him to match. He got the heat right back afterwards. To set up Okada and Buddy. Okada and Buddy. Hey, stop it here. Stop it here, Brian. Because this is the problem. We know that Uncle Dave gives quite considerate counsel to Tony Kahn.

They think because their minds operate on the same wavelength, shall we say, that you have to tie everything into everything and they couldn't have had that match unless that the tease of the upcoming Okada and buddy epic encounter was included even though it was a screen door on a submarine and got in a fucking way of everything

it had to be in there and Dave sees that the same way that's because their minds work in a very technical fashion well the other thing is how did it build up the match? Again, it's one thing if Okada interfered and then Buddy was pinned. Although he's eating a pin,

he has a reason to be mad at Okada, and he's an imposing-looking guy. Again, we're talking about how this match didn't build up the hounds of hell. We didn't even talk about the fact it does really nothing to build up Okada and Buddy, which is, I guess, a feud centered around the fact of Buddy called Okada a bitch. Well, yeah, but that's why, again, Tony thinks, oh, we've got to remind him about that, and he'll throw it in, whether it fits or not.

And it didn't matter. And Dave thinks the same way. Well, that's the problem. Dave justifies, the way Dave never flat out, says the truth or calls out Tony Kahn. He also will excuse things or justify them. Let's go back to this. It's to remind people who caught in buddy are doing a match in 10 days.

We just saw an interview with five minutes. earlier. So it's more to add to it. If the music or a carter would have cost him the match, then fine. Okay? That makes sense. Well, they didn't want to do it that way. They did music, and then it led to nothing. It was just something in the middle of the match that led to nothing. It's part of the deal of Don

Callis being really smart. Don Callis came up with something to help his team. They didn't win the match with it, but it was a spot in there. It's part. Don Callis, is there anything wrong with making the evil manager, like, you know, Dave, if the music would have led to the baby faces getting the heat, or the heels getting the heat on them, then that's fine, okay? Yeah. But the music hit, the guy's distracted, and literally the spot was he gets cut off, and then he immediately slips out and gets back on in control again.

So it didn't even, didn't even distract him. He should have sold it. Yes, that's exactly correct. I will agree with that. He should have. He should have. Because otherwise, it was a pointless distraction. If you're going to distraction, the distraction has to lead to something.

not the guy just getting back in control again. You know who it distracted? Who? The fucking people. The fans. It distracted the fans. They were into the match. Then suddenly, what, what's going on?

And it had, oh, nothing's going on. I did it. And where were we? That's what it did. Well, Jim, on that topic real quick, we have a follow-up apparently that has been said to us. This is from Wrestling Observer Live. No Dave Meltzer. Brian Alvarez with a wonderful guy.

Mike Semper Vivi. Let's go to this. You are on the air. Who is this and where are you calling from? This is Michael from Rochester. Thank you, Brian, and Mike for taking my call. And I 100% agree with you about your points about AEW that you had at the beginning of the show. And I also heard the argument that you and Dynamite Dave had on the Rest Observer Radio D.R.

I'm not about the tag match on AEW Dynamite. And I just, it feels like to me it's someone who has read Dave stuff since the night. and has listened to both of you guys for over 20 years, that ever since WWE has gotten better, basically since late 2020, that Dave has become much, much more insufferable jerk. And I just put that argument,

and you made, like, really solid points. And instead of, like, him just made me disagree with you and moving on, he just went on and on and on. And I got to give you credit because I could never put up with that. And I feel like the Dave has just become, more and more unhinged, the more WVE gets better and better. I don't think he's unhinged. I appreciate the call, but I don't want to...

Do me a favor. Call him a solo show and say all those same things about Brian, because I agree with all of them. Oh, how dare you? How dare you? See, the thing with that argument, I don't want to get into it here because I got into it on the board, is like, Dave is right that there is a template

to booking certain things, okay? but like he brings up you know uh um what's his name uh there's so many names like bill watts and you know he's they would have done in the exact same way yeah bookers in the past would have booked in the exact same way and it's like hold on a second okay if you have a template that bill watts used okay the idea that you can just do that for any group of people at any time time, okay? If it were that easy, every company would have tons of stars. You just copy a template. But it's not about just the template. It's like the right person in the right match at the right time.

If you use the same template at the right place or the right time with the right people, it works. If you use that template in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people, it doesn't work. There's no template that is universally going to work. And that template didn't work for that tag match, I thought. Back in a moment, Observer Live. Well, there it is the, uh, from A to C of that. I agree with Alvarez. I can't wait to see the thumbnail of the non-working template. He with a sign around its neck, will not work for Tony.

Oh. Back to dynamite. Uh, who did work for Tony? Actually, we were, we were up to MJF's working at that point. Wouldn't he came to the ring to almost silence. it's come to this. Eddie did the promo geriatric Jeff Jarrett just had to stay out of his way

but he wouldn't so he got taught a lesson that this was not all elderly wrestling. But now with Jeff Jarrett out of the way it's time to get the big burgundy balloon or what did the triple B back? What was the big... Big buffoonery belt, I don't know. The Triple B, he wants his belt back.

He's like Elhiganti. He wants the belt. I want the belt. Nobody. I want the belt. I love the belt. I want the belt. And he started to say because nobody is on the level of the depth.

And Max Castor hits the ring and scares MJF from behind. Like, what the fuck? And he's hiding behind MJF while MJF is screaming at him. Get out of my ring. What are you doing? Remember when Castor was running from... Hold on. Adam Page.

Hang man. Adam Page. But I'm just trying to how ever far back it was like fucking 30, 40 minutes ago. He's had time to run to fucking Marietta on foot. But he's just made it to the middle of the ring in a live national television show to try to get away from somebody that's chasing. him. Let that sink in for a second.

Who he's bigger then? I actually would put money on Max Caster against Adam Page in a fight. I don't know if I'd put money on either one of these fucking clowns at this point. Unless they were valet parking my car. Certainly not in a race. And then they play Adam Page's music. So he had, apparently he chased Castor all the way to the goddamn gorilla position and it's him, wait. I don't. I mean, I I can't follow unless you play my music. And he gets in the ring and gets nose to nose with MJF and they exchange dirty looks.

And then he goes out the other side and through the crowd after Castor. And then MJF starts picking back up with his promo. But now the fans are chanting, shut the fuck up. And they're bleeping or trying to bleep fuck when it comes up every four or five seconds or whatever it is. And he says, ain't nobody on. the level and Dustin Rhodes' music plays. And out comes Dustin to the ring with a microphone.

And Dustin cut a hell of a fucking promo. It was at the end of this inanity. So I'm not sure whether anybody was still paying attention. But he told MJF off, he said, shut up. Look me and my eyes, you son of a bitch. You talked about Owen Hart. You've talked about people's wives. You've talked about people's drug problems.

I was one of them and had drug problems. But I'm 16 years clean and sober. I crawled out of hell, Max, and you're not the devil. I'm better than you, and your bitch-ass frickin' nose it. And the people started chanting Dustin, Dustin, because at least it was something to listen to, right? And then MJF starts answering, and I'm thinking, oh, no, and he's starting making fun of it.

and I'm thinking that was too good. It was almost too good to have responded to without them just getting in a fight, and it was definitely too good to respond in a smirking fashion too, because it just didn't, did you feel a gear shift that wasn't called for there? When Dustin was finished and MGAF started again?

I mean, that's kind of what I expected here, but I see your point, and I don't disagree. I mean, it would have been, I don't know how you would have been, left it there would MJF have just left the ring well no i mean at at at some point they either need to get physical or need to get separated or something or some point needs to be made to get them away from each other but is that MJF had to call dustin a worthless drug addict and tear dusting down he's been living in daddy's shadow and now he's in the shadow of your he's in a you're in the shadow of your

widow baby and he's going to say brother and that's when Dustin nailed him. I just, they have to go back and forth so long saying such horrible things to each other. And that it, your intensity with the people could only stay up so long when you,

but nevertheless, there comes the security, there comes the fight to pull apart. And it was the best promo exchange that MJF has had in a while. And as they get them separated, then the MJF runs back in and knees Dustin in the ball.

and that's where the but it is it come to this that we want to see mjaf against Dustin Rhodes but it's more appealing than a lot of this shit I wish they had gone to Dustin instead of Jeff Jarrett I think this exposed the Jeff Jarrett debacle Dustin's all emotion it is nothing he could say that you don't just believe it's like completely emotional and he has fire Jeff was out there with, like, it was like monotone. It was like his dad saying it, you know, these awful things to MJF.

Yeah, except when he tried to be Andrew Dice Clay. Yeah, that didn't work at all either. But Dustin, I mean, he immediately gets the crowd into it. You could argue that Dustin's been underused, misused, however you want to put it for a while. He's currently one of the Ring of Honor Tag Team champions with Sammy Guevara. Why aren't they on this show?

The wrestling on a show and no TV show? Why aren't they on this show? show. Dustin Rhodes is still a name. Roads means something. On that topic, I want to ask you about a tweet, a Twitter exchange, I should say, Jimmy Cordaris, the referee. Yes, long-time referee for the WWF slash E and etc. He tweeted out the other night. I don't have the exact time. Great job, MJF of reminding your audience about the man who was on top in the other To which MJF responded, his brother, my mentor, a guy who helped shape me early in my career.

Your old boss brainwashed you into believing we need to treat the fans like morons and pretend other wrestling companies don't exist. You dumb, ignorant, bald, grifting fuck. Jesus Christ! Respectfully. Respectfully, MJF. So where do you fall on that, argument. You can't ignore that Dustin's Cody's brother. I mean, that was one of the highlights of

early AEW before they even had TV. Do you think it's bad form to talk about the WWE champion, one of the biggest stars in the industry, who's not going to be here anytime soon? Or do you think it works because of the history? Where do you fall on this? Well, everybody knows who everybody is here in this. But what I was saying is, here's a number of another point. The point where Dustin nailed MJF was when you're in the shadow of your widow baby and he didn't get to say brother.

But that's worse than being in your father's shadow with Dusty having passed away and don't you put my father's name in your mouth type of thing. I just thought it was and I think that with what Dustin had told

MJF the thing maybe for MJF to do being a heel was when Dustin had said, I'm better than you and you know it, so are your punk, bitch-ass, freaking knows it or whatever. Let MJF look like he's trying to cower down for a... And then Neeming the balls.

Who's the... He's a heel. Did he have to come back with that material? And is it worse that Dustin is in the shadow? Could MJF beforehand have said, you've never been as good as your brother and now look at him and look at you.

Don't talk about my brother. My brother's younger, my brother's more successful, and I love my brother. Well, what about your father? There's different ways you could have constructed this where you don't have to hide that Cody is Dustin's brother.

I believe you have a mother too. Yes, and I believe, from what I understand, that someone cuts out, comes over and cut your grass once or twice a week. From what I understand, you have other family. Yes, there's people all over your home.

It's just, it's constructed in an odd and unwieldy, and there wasn't a lot of flow to it. Dustin was fantastic. Do you think? That's what I thought. What do you do about MJF right now? Because obviously he's at a point where it's almost like, no matter what he does, he's kind of stuck in a trap.

And he had been off TV for a while. The Jeff Jarrett thing did not work out. however anyone thought it was going to work out and the Adam Cole thing went on too long and there's certainly a cooling off from the AEW fan base. What do you do? I don't know. I really do not know because

nobody that has ever been that over with a fan base has suffered through this kind of booking for the past two fucking years. and forth is a baby face, he's a healed, the last thing that was working was him and Adam Cole and the kangaroo kick. But, is part of the reason he hadn't been able to come back from it

because the kangaroo kit, was that like the jumping the shark? Was that his Fonzie moment? The whole bro-chacho thing? I don't think so because at the time it was working, but I think the bro-chacho thing, never-ending, well past the point where anyone wanted to see any of it or any of these people interact together ever again, I think that's the issue. There was a point where everyone was ready

for MJF to kind of move on and do other things, and he got dragged back into that shit with Adam Cole for way too long. Hergatory. It did irreparable damage, I think, at this point. You know, I mean, well, I shouldn't say irreparable, though. Time could always heal things. Another contract in another company can always deal things. That's what we're waiting on right now, honestly, is I think, you know, at some point, however long it takes when he signs

another contract with another company, that's when, because I don't know what they can do in this environment with the people they have access to to do anything about this. See, I think maybe some of these things with MJF, it would be a nice change of pace if they just got to it. You know, if Dustin had hit the ring and within a minute just explained

why he's fed up with MJF and what he's sick of hearing and then it just went to action or like you said, guys hit the ring and broke them up, it would leave you wanting to hear what the fuck's going to happen next week. Why did that happen so quick?

What was said? It would leave you wanting more. I think some of these MJF segments have to leave you wanting more. What about if MJF was just talking about somebody in the ring one night. And all of a sudden, when he was, got to a certain point, that person just wandered out and headed to the ring.

And MJ had looked like, what the fuck? And the guy came in and said, no, no, I said, don't fucking say that. We sat back there and talked for 20 fucking minutes. I said, don't say that about my Aunt Susie. Fuck you. And they get in a fist fight. And then the story is, MJF has gone too far. This guy's mad because Aunt Susie was supposed to be off limits and they make a fucking promo.

or they make an angle out of the goddamn promo becoming a shoot. Yeah, see, MJF has to get to someone who's not going to stand in the corner and listen to the insults. Fuck, if I wanted to stand mute and be insulted and browbeat and called names, I didn't have to leave my own home. You know, so what the fuck, they all do it. Of course, Jim, they all do it. And what they all do...

Birds do it, bees do it? Well, no. Even the flowers. and the trees do it. I think if you look in an athlete like at MJF or perhaps a hurt syndicate or anyone else

who looks like they lift weights in that company, protein is a key component of a weightlifter's lifestyle. I don't know what I'm saying. What I'm saying is we all need protein. If you try to take care of yourself, if you want to make your flabby body look better,

if you want to be, you know, a fucking bright out and bushy tail type of individual. You need the proper nutrients and the the calories and the proteins and all that stuff. You don't need the sugar and the carbs and the dreck and the processedness that they put into foods and the drinks today. Brian is what you're trying to say, aren't you? There was an attempt. We all heard the attempt. There was an attempt there. Yes, that's right. Well, and like the Hurt syndicate, they consume a lot of protein. And I told you, Shelton Benjamin in his younger days, he could

go to McDonald's and do the Big Mac and not work out, and he would just, but now, you know, even he has to occasionally pick up a weight or watch his diet. And folks, all of you out there in the cult of Cornett in our various vast audience around the globe, well, look at the state of you guys. Holy shit, I've seen pictures of some of you, and you need fucking help. So the first thing you need to do is put down the chocolate milkshake and pick up an incredibly delicious and wonderfully tasting good for you or gain 30 gram protein shake because they got 30 grams of protein and less than one gram of sugar.

That's right. So you get all of the good stuff and none of the bad stuff. And as we've mentioned, it tastes just like a chocolate milkshake without the ice cream, but you can add that. but that kind of defeats the whole purpose. Well, yeah, there's no reason to add ice cream to the wonderful, delicious protein mix, that is, Orgain.

Well, what if you were talking to Colonel Sanders and you said there's no reason to add a pressure cooker to chicken? There'd be no KFC now and people wouldn't be fat and diabetic and need protein shakes. But this is not one of those protein shakes that tastes like a man eating from Munda cheese in a septic tank of a slaughterhouse,

or it's not one of those chalky type of protein powders that you mix up. It comes right in its own little container there and you just pop the top on it. Well, what is this? It isn't plastic. It's a carton-like container filled with a liquid. It is, and the liquid is in there. I suggest chilling it, put it in the fridge. That's what I do. And every morning.

Oh, well, yeah, we can't live like savages. You've got to keep it cold. I pop one of those after I work out. I feel great. My muscles feel great. And I'm ready for the day, ready with organ, wonderful chocolatey protein. Yes, and they also have the protein powders and bars and shakes and tons of other nutritional products, but of course, since I'm not working out, I just go straight for the shot. Boom, take that. Well, there you go. And I've worked out for the day.

But if you want more protein, folks, because after all, that is this, we're talking premium ultra-filtered protein with all nine essential amino acids involved. so you can aid in your muscle support and recovery and maintaining your healthy lifestyle 30 gram protein shakes go to organ organ o rg a i n dot com slash gym and use the code gym 30% off your order so if you order 10 of them then that's you get three of them for absolutely free or if you order 20 you're getting six or 30 if you order a thousand

you're going to save enough money to pay off your house. So right now, orgaine.com slash gym, use the code Jim for 30% off your order and all of the various parts of your body that likes protein will thank you for that. Your body will thank you, as will we, Orgain, a wonderful friend of the show, wonderful because it's delicious and I love it.

Jim, one more time, what's that promo code? Orgain.com, slash Jim used the code Jim 30% off. Well, back to dynamite before we lose track of where we were. It was time for Queen Waiyata

to face Tony Storm with Maria May on color. But there was a twist, Brian, because Tony Storm came out dressed like and acting like Maria May, licking various things and making the same movements and gyrations

and gyrations and things. And then after the match, which obviously went Tony Storm's way with Renee Moxley Good in the ring, Tony did the promo like Maria. And because she was so incensed about this, Maria got up on the apron of the ring and then got down and took her belt and left.

So we're going to have to wait until Grand Slam in Australia, the smaller arena from the larger stadium show to see what's going to happen between these two. That was thrilling. I was on the edge of my seat. This gives us a lot of hope

for future feuds in the women's division. Tony Storm could just impersonate anyone she's going to feud with. You get at least one week of television out of that. And it will be weak television. She did a good Mariah May. She kind of pointed out how easy it is to be Mariah May.

You know what I mean? You couldn't just go out there and impersonate anyone. She nailed it. She got it right. Maria Mae should have said it's not easy being me and then she could have to say yes it is

she did a good job too at the desk with her facial expression selling what the fuck am I seeing right now she did a good job too I will admit that you know Maria May is better with her facials

but nevertheless then we move on nevertheless it's always the less it's always the less there was more Chris Jericho nonsense with him doing the New York

New York Minute and the promo but suddenly in this one here comes Powerhouse Hobbs who has apparently not been cleared the last we heard to wrestle but he can come out and have big fights but he came out and here came the outriggers

and they had a big brawl with Big Bill and Brian Keith and here came the security, and it was a horrible, sloppy fight. But then they concentrated on Hobbs and Big Bill doing a grudge choke slam duel, where each one of them got a security guard on either side of the ring but on the floor. And they shed these poor security guards. I can't remember which one went first, but one chokes. slammed his guard so then the other one said well i can do that too and he picked him up and chokes slammed him

harder on the floor and then hobbs and big bill getting a fight and go over the announced desk and you can hear a fan yelled as they're scrambling in the wreckage of the desk and the chairs are being turned over you're gonna hurt each other and then they knocked over the camera and went to black and went to break Is it wrong that I'm hoping that's how they write off Chris Jericho from wrestling? No, going to black and going to break. Just that's it, yeah. Yeah. That is terrible.

But poor Hobbs. Poor Big Bill. Poor Big Bill, too. You know what? Him having to do these stupid promos because Jericho told him this will be a great thing to build them up for the future. Get out of there. Go somewhere else. All righty.

And finally. The main event was swerve Strickland versus Rickashay. And by the way, for one thing, I forgot this week to do my due diligence as a broadcaster and record the show that comes on after the show that we're supposed to talk about so that I can see the rest of the show we're supposed to talk about, which runs over for no good reason every week now.

But I didn't record that and I didn't feel motivated to go back and try, but I will make a couple of observations that I didn't give a shit about this match anyway because swerve is making his entrance and halfway down the ramp ricochet comes from behind and wax him with a chair. Boom.

And this is why we start to fucking thing. And then a second chair shot, another third chair shot, and rolls him in the ring and taunts him, and the referee ass swerve you want me to ring the bell? Swirves? Yeah, and he does. And then ricochet hits a finish on the guy and gets a two count.

And we're five minutes till ten. And then they go to the floor and they're doing a balancing act and a choreograph fight on the barricade. And then swerve power bombs ricochet onto the top of the barricade, which is like what, looks like it's about a foot wide and no give. But then rolls him in the wrist. and they continue immediately and swerve boomerangs him into a metal buckle for a break spot.

And when they went to the break, it was an AEW spot with all the action clips promoting their programming, so they broke into what they were showing us to promo what they were showing us. And they were still in break at 10 o'clock. So there you go. Very postmodern.

Very postmodern. it was really, it was right on top of the whole thing. Yeah, let us not show you what you've never seen before that's going on live now. We want to take a break so that we can show you some canned shit that we've done previously. What happened in this, or do you know or care? I think much like the audience, I didn't care. I saw it, but I was also falling asleep, and I don't remember. I just don't remember.

And I didn't care enough to go back and check, and I'm sorry. But I didn't care enough to even do that. Yeah. Yeah. So that was AW Dynamite. Anybody watch it? I think Rickashet, you know, the thing I like about ricochet is he kind of walks around, like, if you ever thought, like, what if there was a wrestler who's the illegitimate son of Billy Paul?

Have you seen him in the back? Like, he just, he looks so out of place. He just looks like a failed soul singer. Like, it's not working out for it. Are they going to bring in Mrs. Jones for the DNA test? They could bring in anyone. Swarves Strickland has really cooled off for him. Let's talk about AEW Dynamite ratings.

I have them right here. AEW Dynamite, February 5th on TBS, 8 to 1009 PM. Good Lord. Was watched by 605,000 viewers on average. Wait a minute, that's last week's number. Isn't it? Last week's number, hold on with me. Open up, Russellnomics says last week was 604.

Oh! Although it's up, technically they're plus zero percent. But minus five on the trailing four-week average of 638, and of course, just as every single week since the beginning of the year, this does not include max. But now, wait a minute, can they have 605? You got that trademark. They have to go back to 604.

Well, they can't land on it again next week or we're going to have a problem. One time is coincidence. Second time you're fucking with my trademark. No, but all kidding aside, no Max viewership, however, the numbers are exactly the same as they were before Max. It has had no effect on these numbers. Somebody, we got to get a mole in Max. Well, Jim, let's go to the quarterly hours. These were compiled by WrestleMania.

Quarter one, 8 to 8.15 p.m., the Jay White Death Rider's rated FTR angle. the Don Callis Live promo and the start of Will Osprey versus Mark Davis 763,000 viewers. Okay, they're not starting in the 8s like they were for a while there, but

that's a high enough number that I have a feeling we're going to see some level of attrition here over the course of the program. Well, we got a quarter to 815, 8.30. 30 p.m. The continuation of Davis versus Osprey with picture and picture ads. The Will Osprey Kenny Omega Don Callis family live angle. 694,000 viewers.

Okay, now, to be quite honest, that is nowhere near the amount that they normally lose. That's only 69,000 people. So maybe all this chaos was keeping the people on the edge of their chair. as they say. Well, so far our first two quarters up on the 90-day trend, but quarter three, 830 to 845 p.m. The swerve-strickland ricochet recap, an ad break, the Hertz Syndicate Guns Live Angle, 632,000 viewers. Ooh, so some people were just slow to do what they normally do every week in quarter two and didn't do it till quarter three. Now they're down 131,000.

We go to quarter 4, 845 to 9 p.m. The Harley Cameron Mercedes Monet backstage angle and... With puppet. With puppet. The Adam Page, Max Castor backstage angle,

and the start of the Hounds of Hell versus Kinosukee Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher, 571,000 viewers. Oh, good Lord. And there's another 61,000.

That brings us down to minus 192,000 people in the first hour. Well, we go to the big 9 o'clock hour, quarter 5, 9 to 9 15 p.m. The continuation of Hounds versus Takeshita and Fletcher, with picture and picture ads, the Samoa Joe Hook Patriarchy backstage angle Fuck, I forgot about that

They went back and beat up some people In a very small locker room And Christian and Mama Wayne looked on And then went in to help after The Good Guys at the left Yeah And the start of the MJF Live promo 561,000 viewers

They lost 10,000 at the top of the hour Now they're down 202,000 It can't get much worse Well, we go to quarter six, 915 and 9.30 p.m. The MJF, Max Caster, Hangman Adam Page, and finally Dustin Rhodes' live angle, and an ad break during the entrances of the women's match coming up, 622,000 viewers. Holy shit, so they picked up 40, 61,000 pit, what do they attribute that? And by the way, in the key demo, 9 o'clock hour, 2.16, this quarter, 247. So big pickup there, too.

This whole quarter was the MJF Dustin thing. Well, well, there you go. He's still got a little something. We go now at a quarter 7, 930 to 9.45 p.m. Tony Storm versus Queen Amanata with picture and picture ads. The post match with Mariah May. Dustin Rhodes' backstage promo, the Powerhouse Hobbs Big Bill recap,

The Learning Tree Live promo, 571,000 viewers. And they're right back where they started from. Well, we got a... They lost everything they gained. Well, we got a quarter eight. I remind you, we have a nine-minute overrun. 9.45 to 10 p.m.,

the Learning Tree, Outrunners, powerhouse Hobbs live angle, an ad break, and the start of Rickashay versus Swerp, Strickland with Picture and Picture, 501,000 viewers. Oh, good Lord. Nine-minute overrun, continuation of the match, 480,000 viewers. They've killed poor Joe Schmo on at 10 o'clock. You're talking about Swerve or the real Joe Schmo? The show Joe Schmo That now nobody's even tuning in to see Joe Schmo

They're like, oh shit, we might catch that wrestling That is the lowest overrun In the history of running over, isn't it? For them? I would have to double check that, but it has to be in the running, I guess. And the main event that was Swerve Strickland who was the most over guy in the company

several months ago, and Rickashay, who they treated when he first came in like he walked on water, and now that's the main event of a show that had lost 262,000 viewers. And it lost some more. Well, and next week's a taped show, I believe, because they're traveling to Australia. So I think they're taping it on Tuesday for Wednesday.

I could be mistaken, but I believe that's right. And somebody on this show said next Tuesday, I'm trying to think of who it was. when they were trying to promote the thing is it next Tuesday when they're really going to do it instead of when it's going to air. Well, wherever it airs,

we will stay on top of whatever Foucock the numbers we get. Those were the AEW Dynamite ratings. Jim, let's get some questions here on the show. This question was sent to corny drive-thru at gmail.com by Jeff Pollard

Leesville, Louisiana. You know where that is, Leesville? I'm thinking we may have run a spot show there once, but I could be mistaken. With his classic matches with Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk, was Rick Flair's 1989 the best year any wrestler has ever had in terms of in-ring output? I wouldn't know.

I mean, to be honest, you can qualify that by saying as far as any wrestler, you know, has had output that videotape still exists of those things. But, I mean, Flair and Steamboat had a house show matches that were, in many cases, as good as, you know, the trilogy they had on the big shows that year. For Flair's television year, that may have been the best TV year that anybody had,

but there have been wrestlers in the days, you know, when everything wasn't recorded where including Flair himself where he could have matched it or topped it. But I mean, I'm not taking anything away from those matches. It's just that. Think of how many Rick Flair and Barry Windham

matches weren't taped or televised. And, you know, do they think that the only three great ones they ever had were the Battle of the Belts and the Worldwide Show and the Crockett Cup? It's just that those are the ones that people saw. Do you think Flair in the ring was better at, I think he was 40 that year, right?

In 1989. Yeah. Then he was, let's say, in 85 or 86, where it wasn't just Wyndham, who he was wrestling regularly. It was Kerry von Erick. It was other Von Erick's. It was people all over the place. If you think about it, he had classic matches in almost every territory he went to.

Yeah, I think anything from 80 to 90 with Flair, that was his, you know, best period in the ring where he had progressed enough to know what to do and how to do it and what was going to get over for him and then still be young enough and in a place where they were using him properly where he could still do it.

So that was kind of the period of time. But no, I mean, there's been a lot of wrestlers that have had dynamite kid in fucking Calgary probably had a wonderful year for any normal human, but nobody, you know, is alive that

saw most of that these days. So it just depends on in what parameters you're... And stuff you've seen... And stuff you've actually witnessed and seen as a fan and then later on in the business, what's the best one-year run you've seen someone have in the ring?

And again, are we talking quality of matches or are we talking incredible box office? We're talking quality... This is specifically about in-ring output. So if we're looking at Flares 89, you take box office out of the window. Anyway, you take, you know, Dusty's 1974 and Lawler's 1974 and, you know, et cetera. You know, I hate to be less than humble, but the midnight and the fantastics had a string,

even better than the midnight in the rock and roll where the, the stuff in the matches in the ring were just not capable of most people following them, you know, just, but at the same, time we didn't draw as much money with the fantastics as we did with the rock and roll because it came after. But we had a lot of great matches with them for about six fucking straight months in WCW. All right, Jim, our next question sent to corny drive-thru at gmail.com from Corey in Atlanta.

Hello, Jim and Brian. Love the podcast. I came across an interview stating Oli Anderson wrote in his book that the Steiner brothers killed the mystique of the road warriors. I would love to hear your opinion on this. I can see, I've read Oli's book, and truthfully, I've read a lot of books, so I can't remember that one line in that 200-page book. But I can see him thinking that because the Steiner's,

the way Oli would have thought, the Road Warriors gimmick, the post-apocalyptic future, Mad Max and the road warrior and all that stuff, the spikes, the leather, the motorcycle, the whatever. And in here come a couple of fairly clean cut, as Scott was at the time, college kids, but they're jacked up to the point the warriors are and they're legitimate shooters

and they can move hawk and animal around. And for once, hawk and animal had to give somebody some ground, but the Steiner still looked like normal guys. They didn't work with the warriors like Jack and Jerry Briscoe would have. Smaller, more technical guys. They worked, you know, smash mouth offense, as J.R. would say, right? Even with them physically. And that told people that, well, here's these, the Steiner's, they're,

they're not normal people in terms of you don't see people walking down a street like that, but they're college graduates or college athletes. These guys are supposed to be these fucking monsters, but kind of look the same. That may be where Oli was good. Does that make any sense? I think so. I think so.

I mean, it was a weird time in 89 in the early 90 because you had both of these teams. I mean, they met each other at Starcade. That debacle? I argued against that Iron Man and Iron Team tournament until I was blue in a face. And Herd was sold on making that an annual attraction. and that's the one annual time they ever did it.

Yeah, Muda was red in the face. He went home. But the Steiner brothers were kind of like the next generation of the road warriors. I mean, the road warriors were timeless in a sense, but they were also a product of their time. And they fit into the 1980s perfectly. The Steiner's in a lot of ways,

the early 90s Steiner's are kind of like the face of things to come, both in terms of what they're doing in the ring, but also just that kind of athlete. you know, with the rise of UFC and everything, it's not a direct line, but the Steiner's fit the 90s better than the Road Warriors did. Yeah.

It's kind of like when when the Road Warriors met Bruiser and Crusher in Chicago. It was the end of one era in the beginning of another one and the previous era didn't hold up well. But Bruiser and Crusher had 30 years

and whereas the Road Warriors only had fucking, what, six or six or six, And again, the road warriors had an interesting career because it was almost instant. Of course, Hawk wrestled some Indies and Indies. He wrestled for some territories, small territories in Canada and stuff. An animal that had like a brief cup of coffee in Atlanta as the road warrior. Once they became the road warriors, they took off from there. They had not been in the business long.

What would happen if two guys like that came along today? How long would they be in NXT? Would they get to NXT? Would guys like that get the opportunity they got today in any way? Well, no, because it was only, by necessity, only needed a heel tag team like now because he had fired, well, Matt Bourne had either been fired or taken off or whatever, and it was supposed to be Matt Bourne and Arne Anderson. And so he got these guys and pushed him to the moon because he had a wholly,

he had to fill and the company was in need. Holy Anderson Say it again He said he had a holy other fill Holy Anderson Oh for heaven's sake But the point is no They wouldn't because

On any level now that That people would see On any kind of widespread basis You know they've already got way too many guys They don't need to bring anybody in As an emergency and let's just push them tomorrow They've never wrestled

We don't care we're desperate. And if it was anybody, hawk and animal succeeded where there was, that was tried a number of different times and a number of different places

in wrestling in the 80s. The big muscle guy push him to the moon, have guys bump off of him, whatever, try to get him over, face paint. They're the ones that really got over. The other ones,

even if whether they were imitations of the road warriors or not in the fans' minds, they still weren't, Mike and Joe, those two guys did something with that gimmick, and they grew into, they didn't become goddamn Johnny Saint, but they grew into it enough to be able to work and do the gimmick and not kill everybody instead of fucking killing everybody.

Poor Dennis Condry, that was the last year that the Road Wars, 1986, were really just fucking brutal in the ring, and then they started picking it up, so Stan came in, right about the time they learned to work, Dennis had a lot of the brunt of the the greenness. So did Stan, him and Steve and the AWA working with those two?

Oh, well, yes, Stan had already gone through it in 1985. We don't like the finish. We're not going for it. Do it our way and nobody gets hurt. Well, isn't a story that Steve Kern's response because he didn't hear them was, what? And then it was like, what? Kern had a thing that he would do

where he would just wander around in the ring during the introductions. He's kicking the mat and wiping his boots and he's looking at girls in the front row. And that's when they went up to the meet in the middle for the referee's instructions. They didn't like the finish that Vern had given them

or whoever Vern's representative was. We're not going for the finish. Do it our way and nobody gets hurt. And Kern looked up. What? Like that didn't register. And they just fucking hauled off and jumped them. Whom, boom, boom.

And Stan's like, damn it. I'm not involved in this. Whatever you want to do. You know, one last thing on this, everyone brings up demolition as being a road warrior's rip-off. To a WWF fan, it didn't feel that way. The powers of pain, it absolutely felt that way.

Yeah. When warlord and barbarians showed up as baby faces with their baby-face manager, the Baron, in a hood, it felt like they were trying to fool people into thinking they were the road warriors. Yeah, and I can see that. And they weren't trying to fool people into thinking they were.

They were just trying to take the gimmick and, you know, put it on somebody that they had and could, in all honesty, pay less money to because hawk and animal and Ellering at that point had gotten a certain cachet in the industry where they could demand some big money places. And, well, we've told the story. Dusty put forlord and barbarian the powers of pain together to do an angle against the road warriors. and then I got went out of his mind trying to hot shot everything in the summer of 88 and wanted them to do scaffold matches at the bashes

and that's when warlord and barbarians said fuck and they gave their notice and went to the WWF because neither one of those guys were going to be taking a fucking 20 foot drop even if they landed on their feet they were 325 pounds piece well Jim you know a lot of people when they think of the road warriors

they think of the hairdoes but an underrated part of the look was the facial hair. The Fumanchu mustache, which is almost hidden by the paint, but they have to spend a lot of time, and I have to imagine it must have been hard on the road in the 80s, grooming their face if only they had a service, a friend with a service, like Harry's. Well, that's right, because not only the grooming of the face, but the grooming of the head, because they had the stripes, the Mohawk stripes, and they had the side burns and the mutton chops

and the, all those various forms of hair patches, and you ought to see in the inside of their ears. And Harries can help you out with all that stuff. You can just take and draw a circle around your head. And our friends at Harries have the razor and the gel and the, all the good smelling stuff and the deodorants and everything where you can remove hair where you don't want it. You can make things smell good and feel soft.

and I don't know if they have a thing that'll put hair on where you want it and don't have it, but I would bet you if you got on harries.com, that's H-A-R-R-Y-S, Harries.com, and looked at their, so maybe they've got some hair glue and some, maybe, you know, people donate hair for charitable causes. Maybe they can sell you some bulk hair and you can glue some back on different places. But you can definitely take it off. That's no problem at all. and you're right Brian sometimes

you wouldn't have a mirror in a locker room because you wouldn't have a locker room back in those days you might be in a broom closet or you might be in a boiler room you might be trying to look at a shiny metal cabinet to get some kind of reflection so you could shave well harries helps you out because they've got the five blade razor with the German engineered blades

not only do these German blades stay sharp longer and give you a smoother shave, but they will not talk under interrogation. All they say is, I know nothing. I see nothing. And they've got the foaming shave gel. Yes. So you can foam that up and spread it all over you.

And be careful now, because don't put it anywhere you don't want to shave your hair off because it feels so good shaving with this fine razor. Again, we're not talking about hair. We're talking about facial hair. We're talking specifically about the face. The hair on your face or your sideburns or even the top of your head, you can use that too. Well, no, again, let's not worry about the top of your head.

Let's worry about the grooming of the face with Harry's. In your face part of your head, it just depends on what side you're on. But all over your body, you've got places that you need, might need some attention, and Harries can give you the best attention to your face and your chin and your cheeks, and your sideburns, and behind your ears, too. That's another place where hair grows. but they've got, and I'll tell you what now, they've got a trial set if you don't believe me,

and I'm the soul of probity and also the picture of honesty, but if you don't believe me, you can try all of the Harry's razor and weighted handle and foaming shave gel and travel cover so you don't slice your fingers off, and you don't have to pay the normal price for the trial set, $13. You can get it for $3. at harries.com slash jCE.

Again, the trial set comes with the razor, the handle, the foaming shave gel and the travel cover, and that way you can get an idea of how wonderful it feels to glide this thing around your face. Just be careful when you're going up under your nose.

You don't want to stick it too far up your nostril. But right now, the highest customer's satisfaction of the shaving industry is waiting on you a no-risk trial. don't like your shave. No worries, it's on them. And you've got a convenient subscription option that you can cancel at any time,

but you can schedule refills for as low as $2. Have you paid the big money for that stuff in the stores these days? I think not. Anyway, try it out for yourself and see how wonderful you will feel. harries.com slash jCE, the $13 trial set for $3.

That's right. Get your face smooth and kissable with Harry's. One more time, Jim, what's that promo code? Well, now it depends on who you're talking to is whether you're going to get kissed or not. You might get slapped. Valentine's Day is approaching. What's that promo code, Jim? Well, I guess you should didn't shave some of the weeds off.

Harries.com slash J-C-E. All right. Well, let's get ready for our final section of the show. hold on. You know what that means? That sounded ominous. That means we are ready for the final portion of the show, the airing of the grievances. Uh-oh.

No, let's get a few more questions and a few more things here. Jim, this email was sent to corny drive-thru at gmail.com by Scott Eddiss, Nottingham, UK. Jim and Brian, don't know what they are feeding the talent over there in Tonyland, but this is the best one yet. Does he really believe what he is saying? Jim, you know him. Is he really this delusional?

I have an article here. I need to have some details here. The article is from Wrestling News Source, established 2006, whoever this may be. Chris Jericho responds to please retire chance and reflects on AEW's biggest feuds. Apparently he did an interview at Chris Van Vleet on the Facebook. and perception of the Jericho vortex. Here's a quote. It's funny how I've become public enemy number one as a heel, by the way.

Isn't that kind of the idea? Aren't you supposed to be public enemy number one as a heel? Aren't you supposed to not like somebody's character when that character is a heel? Maybe I'm actually smarter than everyone. Oh, oh boy. And I'm manipulating people to what I want them to do. well fuck off just retire already it's like okay doesn't that make you mad

according to the article here jericho pointed to his strong TV ratings adding what what I was just on a show that lost 250,000 fucking viewers what I look at is the ratings and nine times out of 10 my segments always go up and there's still some of the biggest ones on the show so that tells us me that whatever it is I'm doing is working. I'm a bad guy on the show. We just went over the ratings. Were any of the segments that he was in up from the previous segment? I thought that was only MJF and Farquhar. First of all, we do the ratings every week, and if there was a big jump for a Jericho segment, we would point it out. We've joked about the

fact that he's no demo god any longer. He hasn't really done on AWTV too much beyond these short comedy segments, the New York Minute. It's not even a full segment usually. Now it was this week and the rating went down. And then he killed the next segment. That's the thing we always talked about. Every Jericho segment was so bad it would kill the next segment. But I guess he's saying that his segments are up.

It's not the way I remember it. But the idea that he's a heel and that please retire chance are a good thing for a heel to get. What do you think of that? No, no, no. Because the please retire chants that were directed at him were like, we don't want to see more of this. The things that you're doing are not pleasing us. It's not like booing.

Nobody's chanting, please retire at Dominic Mysterio. Nobody's chanting, please retire at Solo Sacoa. It's not a chant you hear very often actually ever. No, and not. The heels that are drawing money today in the wrestling industry or are being featured and are very heelish in nature are nobody's saying, please retire. They're just booing them because they're bad guys, not bad performers.

Well, let's go back to some of the quotes here in this article. The so-called Jericho vortex. I always love the concept of the Jericho vortex. I think that was our concept, by the way. Thank you, Chris. They've trademarked it. And how anybody that works with me gets dragged down. Name one person that got dragged down from working with me.

Maybe afterwards they don't go higher. But that's not up to me. I'm not in charge of booking the entire company. So now he's throwing Tony under the bus. Yeah, I do the best I can, but as soon as they're out of my hands, Tony's going to kill him again. according to the article here he gave credit to the wrestlers he's worked with pointing out of people like MJF Sammy Guevara and Danny Garcia

oh what I wait a minute so MJF is colder than he's ever been uh Sammy Guavaar is not allowed on mainstream television and Danny Garcia has been pushed down our throats and has yet to sell you know 15 cents in Chinese money worth tickets. And by the way, where is he? Is he on collision? Is that why we haven't seen him on dynamite? Not that I'm asking for more Daniel Garcia. I didn't want to stir anything up while everything was going smoothly. Here's another quote from Jericho. I think Big Bill and Brian Keith have grown

by leaps and bounds from working here with me. I'm not going to go through the entire cast of characters, but I definitely know what my intentions are, and it's not to bury anybody. It's to build as many people as I can and give them the experience so that they can learn how to start shouldering things on their own. Let's stop there. He's a very beneficent man.

Even if his intentions are right, the problem again goes back to the execution. If your idea was, I'm going to elevate Daniel Garcia and Anna J and Matt Menard and Angela Parker, you did a comedy angle where they were doing fake sounding promos that didn't get over that's not how you help talent

by having them be the ancillary characters in your bad comedy segments so any thoughts on that yes I agree with you when you're not only so when you've got when you're not only doing this silliness but you're changing your shit all the time trying to stay ahead of the fucking law

and you keep drawing these underneath guys in to be the the stooges around your Ted Healy it's not doing anything for him he put action Andretti over where's he he never he never got any other push ever again he just did it so that he could say look I'm putting the young guys over no then we saw him with leo rush a few months back wearing big coats and we said, oh, what are they doing? And then we never saw that again.

But that's the thing with Chris, you can't just take these young guys that, you know, oh, he'd be a funny sidekick for whatever reason and put him in a group like that and expect they're going to be learning at the highest level of what goes on in a wrestling business. I'm sorry. Jericho revealed that while he might suggest opponents, it's probably, primarily AED President Tony Kahn who decides who Jericho works with. Quote, I don't choose anything.

I might have a suggestion. But most of the time, it's Tony coming up with who he wants me to work with. He gave the example of his feud with Mark Briscoe, explaining, Both of us wanted to work with each other, and knew we could have some great matches. I loved working with Mark, and what a great kind of mini-fewed.

Or, I guess, Yes, it was a feud. It was a couple of months long. So that was something that we both wanted to do and suggested to Tony. But most of the time, I mean, this whole thing that started working with rated FTR, that was Tony's idea. So yeah, I still work for my boss. And I have never once, as far as I can remember, in the six years I have been in AEW, ever said no to something. So let's stop there.

Should Jericho say no? Oh boy, yeah. If this is the result of him not saying no, yeah, I think he should be a little fucking stingier with his time and attention. Finally, Jericho also addressed the infamous Please Retire Chance. When they were really at their peak, of course I'm always thinking, okay, I can make a t-shirt out of that. I can make a whole angle out of this. He noted the chance eventually faded away, recalling how he was. use his microphone skills to shut them down.

New York, please retire. I take the mic and say, I know why you want me to retire because you want me to go pitch for the New York Yankees so they could possibly win a World Series. But that's not going to happen. Boo! And they stop. That's delusional.

Now finally here, Jericho tied it back to comedy. quoting Seinfeld It's something that Seinfeld said years ago Or any great stand-up comedian I've got the mic You can't heckle somebody When the guy has the louder voice So yeah

The Please Retire was a good one That was fun Is this whole thing just him trying to talk around Him trying to talk people out of doing it Because it's not getting to him And it's absolutely getting to him Yes, yes How delusional is Chris Jericho?

The problem is his instincts, but beyond that, his desire for wrestling fans, especially smart fans, to see him a certain way. That's why he's out there dissecting this like Quentin Tarantino doing a director's commentary of one of his things. You know what I mean? He always wants people to think that he's a thinker. But when you look at the thoughts and the execution, you question if there's a brain. So you're saying he's not as much of a thinker as he is a stinker. He may be a stinker. Any final thoughts on Chris Jericho's role in AEW?

I wish I had some final thoughts on Chris Jericho's role in AEW. I wish we could put a nice bow on it and wrap it up. No, I mean, he's got to do something because Tony's got him for what, seven more years? Wasn't that a 10-year contract two or three years ago? We said he'd be 64 or whatever by the time it's done. so he's got to keep fucking, keep fresh on this thing for Tony. Well, Jim, our next question was sent via the cult of Cornette Facebook group

by James Sutter. How were botches treated by promoters back of the day? What now? How were botches treated by promoters back in the day when there was a botch? I mean, what, like somebody fucked up a hip tosser? what, that kind of botch? I guess you could have a couple different options, either that or something that is booked to do something

and the guys don't, I guess they botch it up. Any examples? Well, you know, that's so wide-ranging. There was always shit that didn't work in a match, because especially in the days when it was, you know, called on the fly at the time and you just tried to cover it up, but there weren't like, I remember going to the matches as a fan

and going weeks and weeks and weeks of the weekly cards with five, six, seven matches on them and not seeing people try to do something that just totally collapsed, like trying to do two people something off the top rope and everybody just fell off of it or just something that just completely fell to shit past one movie,

falling apart or missing or whatever. And there's been all kinds of things go wrong in angles that you did on TV or fucking fights or whatever, but you cover them up and go on. You know, in those days, there weren't, to answer his question, the promoters dealing with botches,

unless you went out and completely fucked up the angle and missed a guy with a chair or something was obviously fake and was going to kill the town if you aired it on TV or whatever you know different promoters would yell at you for different levels of shit but I never even heard Bill Watts say god damn it you fucked up the elbow drop or whatever it might be oh Jesus Christ you lost the gimmick and didn't fucking knock him out with the nucks or something like that but

Did he say anything after the wrestling two, Y, Y,D thing? The knee lift? Oh, yeah, that, you know, that type of botch where it's something that looks phony and is going to hurt business or hurt the town or whatever, that, you know, type of thing. Promoters would always fucking be upset about. And depending on which one of them it was, they would yell in their own particular style. Jerry Jarrett wouldn't yell at you, just starve you out and fucking make sure you didn't have enough money to fucking live there

so you had to go find another job whereas Watts would have grabbed your bag and thrown it out in a parking lot directly but you know there was not these intricate shop class projects full of you know tables and chairs structures being

built or elaborate four and five man fucking moves being pulled off at the same time and dives off the balcony so it wasn't so obvious when somebody just completely fucked up what they were trying to do. Hey, I know I don't have the video footage in front of you,

but there's a match that people have been sending around this last few days and several wanted to know your thoughts on him. Yes. Ron Simmons and Eddie Gilbert tag team match in the studio at TBS. Yes, against Big Bear Colley, and I can't remember who his partner was. But, and part of it is, because I haven't seen the whole match that was 1989 or whatever.

I haven't seen the whole match in a long time but I think Ron Simmons had done something to poor old Big Bear Collie that rang his bell and then they kept trying to continue but at one point Ron shoots him off and he fucking hits the ropes but goes under the top rope almost falls through and then Eddie tries to hot shot him

but he trips on the drop down over Ron Simmons and just falls on top of Eddie and fucking And then they tried to do something. Finally they threw him out on the floor and Eddie was going to give him like a suplex on the floor and he couldn't go up for that. So it turned into like a super DDT. And it,

again, the job guys that came to Atlanta TV in those days were not all the highest quality, most, you know, extensively trained workers. A lot of them were the guys, Mike Jackson smartened up how to write a check and he'd get them booked and take 25% of their money or whatever.

But, you know, that's why we had funnier matches when that wasn't really a, the Middod Express being weed, when that wasn't really the thing to do because you couldn't have serious matches with these guys so you had to be heelish and make fun of them and demean them. But you wouldn't, and we never heard anybody either.

But when the guys tried to do too much stuff with them and the guys that they were doing it with couldn't take it, couldn't go up right, didn't know how to take the bump, whatever, they'd fucking hurt them or land on their head, or it would all just turn to shit. And that turned to shit there. That's what that clip is from. But in fairness to Big Bear,

I think Ron had already knocked him goofy before that clip started. Well, Jim, let's get another question here. This was sent via the Cultic Corner Facebook group by Adam Meyer. Who does Jim think is the unworkedged? luckiest wrestler ever, between bad gimmicks, stop-start booking, injuries, real-life hitting them exceptionally hard, or just being born in the wrong era, who was one or two bounces going their way from being a much bigger star? Oh, good Lord, that's completely out of the blue. I'd, I mean, to ascribe the all-time champion of that,

I don't know because remember there's there's been some guys here over the past few years since we've been watching that had some really rotten gimmicks the jury may still be out on them as to whether they're ever going to make it but trying to go back in history boy oh god damn it uh they earthquake poor earthquake when he left the WWF he was a shark he was the whatever he had a lot of bad gimmicks in WCW they gave Big Bubba a lot of bad gimmicks in WCW but they had already made it originally and then it was just a trademark infringement problem where they had to change who had a series of bad gimmicks and never got anywhere well even beyond gimmicks a wrestler who

or bad booking or was unlucky just unlucky I mean it can't be someone who just did damage their own career you know through drugs or alcohol or anything else, but just someone who's, who the luck never worked out for. Well, Troy Graham, the dream machine. We talked about it all those years. He was in the business for eight years,

making almost no money, he had a good run in Memphis, but never got the big spot. And finally, when he was going to go to Louisiana, mid-south, and as part of the Bruce brothers, he broke his ankle and never really recovered his career from that. We were just talking about, that, that was pretty, and he went through

all kinds of gimmicks. He was Troy T. Tyler, he was Troy Graham, Troy Hippie Graham, the Dream Machine. With a mask on, the Dream Machine unmask. The Bruze Brothers. He was Dr. Troy Graham in a wheelchair after he broke his ankle as the manager of the interns.

You know, and he was one fucking good break away and then he had a bad break. Well, Jim, that's where we'll call it a day here today. Again, we wanted to have some from the files and a song or two, but it's been... Well, we need to hear feedback from the listeners on our new setup and how it's progressing and that at least my shit works quicker, even if it sounds the same, it works quicker, so it's less stress for me.

Well, progressing is the right word. This is a work in progress, so bear with us as we deal with all this. Jeez, a work in progress. So was the fucking pyramid. How long is this going to take us to progress? The experience in a few days, where you find your favorite podcast. And next week, right back here on the drive-through

for more fun and hilarity. The official Jim Cornett YouTube channel, subscribe today. Patreon.com slash cornet for the archive, $5 a month. He's Jim. I'm the great Brian last. Tally-ho!