@Ramblebar Tony Kornheiser is no longer with ESPN. and WCCW didn't air on ESPN, it aired on syndicated stations. The only wrestling show aired on ESPN is the AWA.
Incorrect. WCCW was on ESPN for a short while, right around the time it changed over to USWA. After that, Joe Pedecino's Global Wrestling Federation took over their timeslot.
Cornette does bring up a good point about the fans losing faith but tend to think it was not just the Von Erichs but the entire sport of wrestling. In the 80's most fans really did believe wrestling was the real deal. Perhaps, due to hard copy journalism in the late 80's and early 90's people began to see wrestling as a "fake". Until, Vince McMahon later acknowledged wrestling as "entertainment" and came up the phrase sports entertainment that's when fans began to come back.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
I know Cornette gives lots of internet smarks a stiffy, but he's really tiresome. A total nothing in the industry with a big mouth about everything and everyone. But apparently it's gospel to some fans. Wonder if Cornette comments alot about his disastrous booking run in WWF.
Unfortunately WCCW never put over any other faces besides the Von Erichs. I mean, they gave a couple of guys a chance but kept them below the Von Erichs. So when the family members went down one by one, there was nobody to take their places.
I did not grow up in the part of the country where World Class ran it's shows,I grew up in Lake Forest,Ca(Orange County) and Aurora,Colorado,and I remember seeing World Class when they had their show on ESPN,the USWA may have been on there too at one time,but I remember it always watching it after coming home from school and remember the Von Erichs,Skandor Akbar,Eric Embry and other quite vividly,man I miss those shows,now you turn on ESPN,and it's Tony Kornheiser rambling on about nothing!!!
@Ramblebar Tony Kornheiser is no longer with ESPN. and WCCW didn't air on ESPN, it aired on syndicated stations. The only wrestling show aired on ESPN is the AWA.
My very 1st memory of life is watching David Von Eric working with some totally fat dude. It was like 81 or 82. I remember Jimmy here falling off a scaffold in fact, managing the midnight express.
Good video but just freaked myself out a bit...unmuted the PC after a phonecall to watch this and forgot I still had music playing in the background, thus first thought this was a video of Jim Cornette set to a Jeff Buckley love song :S
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes I sent a pm to your other account quadrupleh or something. So keep pulling more insults out of your ass to make yourself feel better. You say I'm on here all day, well it's because it's my job. I get payed for this. So quit threatening to hack my account because it's only gonna come back to haunt you
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes I wouldn't be doing this if you didn't create numerous accounts insulting me and my family. I will do whatever the fuck I want in that case. There ain't jack shit you can do except as the old saying goes, "nothing, and like it."
@hambalony YOU (remember it's not u) again moron as YOU ARE (remember it's not ur) trolling me and giving me another laugh at YOUR expense YOU flaming smark troll. Since you asked for it and deserve it I will indeed ignore you on this vide after this single comment here mocking you and punking you out. You are a disgrace to the human race since you can not even type or properly use English in this gibberish you write. I am a professional wrestling / sports entertainment fan, not "pro wrasslin'."
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes Still trolling my comments on every video you find them on. You are still worthless and a goof, so I will ignore you on this video here after this single comment laughing at and mocking you. First of all, this was the last Cornette video I watched here and I watched it 3 months ago as even a dim bulb like you can see. Secondly, you expose you know NOTHING as this was not from Cornette's podcast (NOT radio) show as it was an ROH DVD that got used on Heroes Of World Class.
About Cornette's statements about wrestlers, wait, scratch that, SPORTS ENTERTAINERS, who care only about themselves and crave the spotlight, well, look at Vince McMahon himself. He's in his fuckin' sixties, he's not a wrestler by any stretch of the imagination, and he's still placing himself in stupid storylines just to get the camera on him.
And what are the odds that his son-in-law, Triple H, would someday be ruining a wrestling company the same way that Hogan is ruining TNA?
@CMY187 Vince McMahon puts himself in stories as Gagne, Watts, Von Erich, Lawler, and about 99% of other wrestling promoters have. The difference is that McMahon as an on air character has drawn more $ than all those other promoters COMBINED did and McMahon as an on air character reinvented wrestling in 1998. McMahon never said he was a wrestler though he has had entertaining and high drawing matches with every big star from the past 20 years. You McMahon family haters are good for a laugh.
@MRobert21 Rather than make cheap shots at you, I'll be civil; I meant that McMahon has contributed to ruining PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING. He drowns his company with Russo-esque storylines and gimmicks that completely take away the ass-kicking in the ring.
Re-invent wrestling? He didn't re-invent it, he smothered it.
And outside wrestling as well, as a person in real life, McMahon is a real bastard. Alleged rape charges that were dropped with no consequences to him at all.
@CMY187 You McMahon hating smarks live in your own tiny fantasy world and are worth no time or bother, so I will just ignore you on this video here after this final comment. Vince McMahon SAVED professional wrestling all by himself twice in the 1980's and 1990's when the business was dying. People like you are just jealous of McMahon and envy his great life and success. In any ALLEGED rape case, if there was NO criminal or civil court judgement then there was no rape. That is how USA law works
@MRobert21 Once again, dude, I think you mean SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT, not pro wrestling.
I think Eric Bischoff would love to have you as a public relations officer for his company.
Jealous of McMahon? Honestly? I want to be remembered as the rich asshole who used storylines and gimmicks like the Kiss My Ass Club and mocking ring announcers' medical conditions?
That is NOT pro wrestling. It is a disgrace to the sport and an insult to talented wrestlers everywhere.
He's pretty hard on the Von Erichs. They were not different than a lot of wrestlers who are treated like rock stars and live that life and end up paying the price. The tragedies really had nothing to do with what he's talking about. Jim Cornette likes to talk.
@danteras23 Cornette always loves to hear himself talk, which is nothing new, and little of what he says is true (especially here). The fact is that the Von Erich boys (especially Kevin) had tremendous obligations as they were running the company (Fritz was out of it years before the company closed) in addition to wrestling at least 2 times a night (no wonder they missed some shows). The tragedies are over stated as most deaths took place long after WCCW closed and for a variety of causes.
love cornette,but i still got love for the Von Erichs.Igrew up watching them in dallas every weekend.RiP VON ERICHS boys.ill allways have the great memories.
@thunderbare What did Corny mean about the people losing their faith in the Von Erichs? Was it the drugs and booze and say Kerry's motorcycle accident or is he refering to an incident I heard about with Fritz faking a collapse and making fans thinking he was really ill? I think that was it.
@Cavillier1970 remember cavilier it was this time when Fritz faked the heartattack and he brought in Lance VonErich who I guess was a well known football player in Dallas well you cannot do that even for wrestlng in Dallas they lost credibility and then stick a fork in it remember for a time they were bigger then Vinny Mac's circus.
@thunderbare Thanks. See I only heard about this stuff. WCCW never came to my hometown, Buffalo, NY. I had seen old stuff on ESPN, and in the day read about them in PWI, but you hear stuff 2nd, 3rd and 4th hand and you know people change things up a bit. Unless they were there like Corny.
@thunderbare At least you know what I mean. When I was a kid the WWF was great with guys like the bulldogs & the harts and Steamboat vs Savage and all the best of the 80s but it was all one flavor at a ice cream shop. Then I read about NWA, AWA , WCCW and the Indies and it was like "WOW theres more than choclate, strawberry and vanilla"
@Cavillier1970 When Mike Von Erich killed himself a lot of people lost faith in the Von Erichs, but the business was already in the toilet before that. Fritz's fake heart attack and Lance Von Erich hurt their credibility too, but by then the promotion was already in the dumps. I do not remember too much negative publicity about David's death or Kerry's accident back then. Boring booking and severe injuries to Mike, Kerry, and Kevin really killed WCCW more than the deaths, drugs, or scandals did
@thunderbare Not really, as the very bad publicity on the Von Erichs did not truly start until Kerry died in 1993 (since he had been the biggest star) long after WCCW was gone. WCCW business went in the toilet in 1986 when the Von Erichs were still generally well thought of for many different reasons including some out of their control (like the Texas oil economy going bust). The booking got stale with all the boys booked like Hogan and then there was a rash of devastating injuries to the boys
I was thier in the front row for many of thoese times in the 80's Was good friends with David Manning so I was able to get some extra imfo than the average fans. Point is that was the best way to say sad as it was to what happened to the WCCW thanks Jim Cornette
The fall of WCCW was sad. Cornette is dead-on with his commentary. It was an awesome territory in the early to mid 80's. What makes it even sadder is the Von erichs were nice guys. Never heard anyone say anything bad about them personally. In Bret Hart and Flair's book, they both talk about how nice of a guy Kerry was.
@bull864 To me, the sadness thing about the Von Erich tragedy was the second death and that being David's WCCW would have been the top territory in the NWA if David hadn't passed on in Japan. He was supposed to defeat Ric Flair in Texas Stadium for the NWA Title (which turned out to be his younger brother Kerry's moment.) Who knows what would happen if David had lived and become NWA Champion. Would WCCW eclipse JCP in NWA importance?
@Sweetguy9009 Yeah, I agree with you. David and the rest of the Von Erichs were waaaaaay over in Texas. David was the best in my book because he was the best talker and had the most charisma, while kerry had the best look. David would have been one of the best to ever wrestle if he had lived and who knows, WCCW might have been the flagship for the NWA instead of JCP, which i also loved watching. Another thing that really hurt WCCW was the death of Gino Hernandez as well. He was awesome.
@Sweetguy9009 Actually, Gino Hernandez was the original Rock. Watch Gino Hernandez in San Antonio and World Class and what Rock did when he turned heel in 1997 and you will see they are the same. The whole People's Champion gimmick was just Gino Hernandez doing his "YOUR champion" every time Hernandez had a belt. All Rock did not rip off from Hernandez was the Handsome Halfbreed nick name because USA Network would not have allowed that. Rock also ripped off Iceman King Parsons a great deal.
Good to hear an honest un diluted view on how it was, and he was right about the von richs, they had nobody to say ""woah, hold on buddy" and they paid the price for it and the price was HUGE
@HugoRune1976 That's because nobody wanted to jeopardize their livelihoods which depended on the VonErich family and other people of that magnitude like Michael Jackson by being truthful about their personal and self destructive behaviors.
Its such a damn shame that he is no longer a part of WWE talent relations. He was one of the main reasons the "Attitude Era" was so great; it featured wrestlers that he and JR scouted. Wrestlers that actually paid their dues and actually had talent. Mick Foley sure as hell didn't get "raised on a farm" like the rest of the talent you see on WWE.
@paul3fun I'd say Freebirds were part of the reason WCCW made money, the other was the Von Erichs, especially when the teams mixed it up. But I agree with you the Freebirds were a major part of the success WCCW had, too bad Fritz messed it up.
@paul3fun You are wrong about that. The Von Erichs drew with other heels before and after the Free Birds. There is no doubt the Free Birds drew big in WCCW on their first WCCW run (not so much when they came back to WCCW later on), but they did not make the Von Erichs. The Von Erichs drew the most against the NWA champion (Race or Flair) and they also drew against Devastation Incorporated, Gary Hart's Heels, the Dynamic Duo, and others. WCCW got hot about a year before the Free Birds came.
@ThePhantomviper It is hard to say the Von Erichs were the butt of jokes because it was more scorn and hate that was aimed at the Von Erichs than jokes were. It is hard to joke about so many young people dying. After WCCW went bust in 1989, the Von Erichs were the butt of some jokes though. Von Erich popularity started to fall apart in late 1986. The major national negativity towards the Von Erichs was really after Kerry killed himself long after WCCW was done since Kerry had been in the WWF
I remember when WCCW was going out of business it was sad. The Fantastics would wrestle Frankie "The Thumper" Lancaster and some random bum, every week. They couldnt keep anybody.
The big problem was related to Fritz, sad to say. If you watch the Triumpth and Traggity of WCCW dvd, Gen. Akbar brings up one serious issue. The problem came with drugs. The VonErich boys, not sure if all of them or not, maybe David and Kevin weren't, but most of them were getting onto drugs. One wrestler told Fritz about it, and Fritz fired the messenger. Kerry was on his way to prison when he committed suicide. The charges against him were drug related. Drug use is what killed WCCW.
Fritz gets the blame for every thing, but really it was the bad personal choices of his sons and all the other drug addicts in WCCW that led to their deaths and Fritz could not stop them. David died of a drug overdose in Japan and Kevin almost died of an overdose in a WCCW ring, so all the Von Erichs did drugs because they wanted to. Kerry's suicide was part drugs, but also because his ex wife would not let him see his kids. WCCW / USWA as a promotion died of many factors besides drugs.
@5pursuit How many times do you see that in every day life.
Some little shit older kid smacks your little one around and when you go to remonstrate with the parent, they go mental and threaten to kick your head in for daring to suggest their little angel is a bit of a bugger.
@5pursuit That and the fact that Fritz pushed his boys way too hard. I heard he forced Mike into World Class, i don't think he even wanted to be a wrestler.
I really think you hit the nail on the head. Fritz let a lot of crap slide, especially with his boys. He would often turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the drug issues, because he didn't want to believe it, and still wanted to promote the Von Erichs as your wholesome next door family.
To this day people wonder what really killed David. Was it an intestinal problem, as Fritz said all along, or what it an overdose. Only Fritz and David will know for sure.
It was sad because those were good kids who were just a little out of control. They weren't mean, they weren't arrogant. Everyone liked them because they treated people well and acted like polite young men. Like Jim said they just didn't have responsibility and nobody reined them in. Kevin, still alive, is such a gentleman. It comes out whenever he speaks.
Eric Embry didn't kill wrestling in Texas but he had been a midcard heel wrestling for the light heavyweight belt most of the time. He then became booker and booked himself as the top babyface when no-one bought it especially the whole "killing World Class" angle"
As I have commented on other videos, Fritz was the one who pioneered TV contracts for wrestling and this in an era when wrestling was mostly a regional sport. But because of Fritz's TV contracts, it was possible to see WCCW (or Big Time Wrestling, as it was called in the '70s) throughout much of the midwest and even the Far East. NWA later copied Fritz's idea when it worked with CNN and WWE did as well with USA Network. The big difference between WCCW and those other two was that WCCW.......
They were national (through syndication) and had specials on The Christian Broadcast Network/Trinity Broadcast Network. World Class also had an international following that led to tours of Israel and Japan etc.
Their TV broadcasts also innovated the use of multi-camera setups and fancy editing techniques. Along with David Von Erich being groomed to beat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Title.
Well I hear Kerry daughter Lacey didn't want to be a wrestlier like her dad because she didn't like that the bussiness did to her family. Lacey had a son who will nerve see her grandfather wrestlier but she change her mind and started to get into it. Now she is in TNA trying to bring the Von Erich named back to wrestling.
@jackful6 Well if you can call Lacey a wrestler. Not to be rude or mean. But that girl needs to go get some freaking training. As many men will tell you, she's hot. But thats all she is right now. Eye candy. Lacey needs to go to a wrestling school. One run by someone with talent. Personal I'd say Chikara wrestle factory. Mike Quackenbush could turn her into something. That or higher Scott D'Amore.
WCCW was arguably the biggest thing in wrestling from 1980-1983.....great interview....and he was unfortunately right-on about the Von Erich's....they weren't made to be responsible as they should've been and maybe as close an eye was not kept on them as should've
@miggy25 WCCW was never the biggest thing in wrestling as it did not even control all of Texas, much less get much out of Texas in the early 1980's. WCCW was about as hot as Georgia and Mid Atlantic in the early 1980's. WWF and AWA were way more powerful than WCCW before 1983 in terms of $ drawn and fan base. Cornette in this interview admits he does not know what took place in WCCW after he left in 1986. Kerry and especially Kevin kept WCCW running all by themselves with no help until 1989.
@MRobert21 WCCW was one of the first wrestling promotions to go national in the territory days, and it's ratings rivaled that of Saturday Night Live (which was HOT back then)--so I'd say that's pretty big...add to that the fact that many of their production techniques (camera angles, mic placements, etc.) began being copiedby many other big companies on their weekly telecasts in the ensuing years and its safe to say that World Class was pretty big back then
@miggy25 WCCW never went national in the early 1980's. A few of their tapes ended up airing in some strange places, but WCCW made no $ off of it. Back then there were 3 television channels since almost nobody had cable, so getting a rating did not mean much and was pretty easy, though ratings in wrestling meant NOTHING back then because wrestling was live event based. PROVE WCCW was bigger than and more successful than AWA or WWF or zip it. WCCW never got near AWA, WCW, or WWF. I saw them all
@MRobert21 Wow, after seeing that last post, I'm not even going to continue commenting--as its clear that you have no idea what you're talking about lol
@miggy25 Good, since I owned and punked you I am glad you decided to be quiet. You clearly know nothing about wrestling, much less television and history, and especially WCCW. You are just another smark who started watching WWF in the Attitude Era, then came on the web and decided to pretend you are an expert. If you watched WCCW documentaries you would see they WANTED to go national, but DID NOT. Now I am done with you on this video here and will ignore you on it after this final mocking of you
@aks73 Assuming for argument's sake WWF did for some reason go out of business in 20 years, how exactly would that prove Cornette right about anything? McMahon Junior has already made more fans and $ than every other wrestling promoter in history COMBINED. McMahon Junior's WWF (not even counting McMahon Senior or Jess McMahon) has already lasted 28 years, which is about 25 years longer than Cornette's SMW flop did. If Cornette was such a genius he would have the BILLION $ instead of McMahon.
Mike Von Erich's return (which was a very sad sight) and his suicide killed WCCW. One Von Erich dying young was seen as a tragic mistake - two dying young, not to mention the latter at this own hands led to a bad taste in the fan's eyes. I know I personally felt that way at the time. Add Gino's death in between David's and Mike's and the fun was long gone.
i like Jim he knows alot bout the wrestling business, but i think jim took the Von Erich's as rock stars out of context IMO cuz the von erich's loved 2 wrestle 4 there fans i dnt c how the von erich's wouldn't wrestle. IMO the von erich's wasn't rly the reason WCCW fell it had 2 b more 2 it then that but here is just my opinion. but still I think jim knows more facts than stupid meltzer where mel just bashes ne1 when he wants 2 but jim doesn't
Yeah, once in a great while, he goes on a left wing rant, which is annoying, but otherwise, 99% of what the guy says on wrestling is dead on and well put.
Sadly, in the 80's anyone that said anything about the Von Erich kids behavior was immediately canned. The warning signs for the wave of tragic deaths in wrestling was there and it began with Kerry, David and Mike yet no one including Fritz took it seriously or even ignored it because they were making money.
I think Cornette is one of the most insightful personalities ever in wrestling. He has seen the great heights and pitfalls this industry has had. Any time I want to hear an honest opinion on the industry as a whole, I try to look him up. One of the most underrated stars in the history of wrestling.
this is a guy who LOVES professional wrestling, not what vince mcmahon has turned it into. a guy like this, paul heyman, ric flair....LOVE wrestling. wrestling is dead to me other than wweclassics lol
@AlimG52 He is one of the most honest men ever in the biz. He came into the resturant I work at when ROH did Survival of the Fittest 2010 in the Detroit area in November. Some fans came to him asking questions and Cornette took about an hour to answer them. Very nice man I think.
has there ever been a man give more sound advice for this business? i never heard it if there is!
barnhill4192 1 day ago
the music for wccw was amazing . the opening theme music that shit was the bomb.
kedordu 1 week ago
I could listen to this dude talk forever.
MrRichard13077 1 week ago
Surprised at the STP reference.
BigSmurf 2 weeks ago
lol@Tragety
MrLunatic316 2 weeks ago
Professional wrestling in North Texas is a travesty, all East Coast wrestling fans, consider yourself extremely lucky.
jsc094020 2 weeks ago
You stay around to long they turn you into a joke. Mae Young, Ric Flair,and many others
crow672008 3 weeks ago
this isnt just lessons for the ring, its lessons for life
paragshah2112 3 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Ramblebar Tony Kornheiser is no longer with ESPN. and WCCW didn't air on ESPN, it aired on syndicated stations. The only wrestling show aired on ESPN is the AWA.
Incorrect. WCCW was on ESPN for a short while, right around the time it changed over to USWA. After that, Joe Pedecino's Global Wrestling Federation took over their timeslot.
revsyz 1 month ago
Legends of World Class Championship Wrestling airred on ESPN in the late 80s
trashjunkie2000 2 months ago
i can listen to JC 24/7 :)
majorenDK 2 months ago 7
@majorenDK ...i almost have been, all week!
BuckshotOctopus 1 month ago in playlist JC
RING OF HONOR IS THE NEW WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING OF THIS GENERATION.
rence0208 3 months ago
@rence0208 In one way I hope you're right, but in another I hope you're wrong.... keep the rock star drugs out and maybe.
tvwrestlingaddict 1 month ago
Cornette does bring up a good point about the fans losing faith but tend to think it was not just the Von Erichs but the entire sport of wrestling. In the 80's most fans really did believe wrestling was the real deal. Perhaps, due to hard copy journalism in the late 80's and early 90's people began to see wrestling as a "fake". Until, Vince McMahon later acknowledged wrestling as "entertainment" and came up the phrase sports entertainment that's when fans began to come back.
gzus09 5 months ago
@gzus09 of course you had books like FALL GUYS in the 1930's
Nertrender 2 months ago
Thanks for posting this.
johnholmes313 5 months ago
Where is this from?
afragilesmile 6 months ago
Wow ....Jim really has alot of wisdom about the Biz. ...I got so much out of this interview ! ...one of the best I ever heard.
whitewitchoz 6 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I know Cornette gives lots of internet smarks a stiffy, but he's really tiresome. A total nothing in the industry with a big mouth about everything and everyone. But apparently it's gospel to some fans. Wonder if Cornette comments alot about his disastrous booking run in WWF.
peterp21 9 months ago
Unfortunately WCCW never put over any other faces besides the Von Erichs. I mean, they gave a couple of guys a chance but kept them below the Von Erichs. So when the family members went down one by one, there was nobody to take their places.
Netriderceo 10 months ago 10
@Netriderceo
And this is what happens when you build an entire organizaton around one person
Trance1972 7 months ago
I did not grow up in the part of the country where World Class ran it's shows,I grew up in Lake Forest,Ca(Orange County) and Aurora,Colorado,and I remember seeing World Class when they had their show on ESPN,the USWA may have been on there too at one time,but I remember it always watching it after coming home from school and remember the Von Erichs,Skandor Akbar,Eric Embry and other quite vividly,man I miss those shows,now you turn on ESPN,and it's Tony Kornheiser rambling on about nothing!!!
Ramblebar 10 months ago
@Ramblebar Tony Kornheiser is no longer with ESPN. and WCCW didn't air on ESPN, it aired on syndicated stations. The only wrestling show aired on ESPN is the AWA.
rence0208 3 months ago
My very 1st memory of life is watching David Von Eric working with some totally fat dude. It was like 81 or 82. I remember Jimmy here falling off a scaffold in fact, managing the midnight express.
diedahero 10 months ago
I would not be surprised if he talked coming out off the womb!!!
amarieoflothlorien 11 months ago 2
Good video but just freaked myself out a bit...unmuted the PC after a phonecall to watch this and forgot I still had music playing in the background, thus first thought this was a video of Jim Cornette set to a Jeff Buckley love song :S
MyNameIsAnus 11 months ago
What a genius the man is.
Ihatethisugh1 1 year ago
Something is terribly wrong Jim's suit is actually tasteful here the hell?
All Joking aside I love Jim Cornette I hope he continues to talk the talk :D
DaimondInTheRough 1 year ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes You tapped out again. *You tapped out chants start* Haha, bitch.
Nordfelt 1 year ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes good. you've received a fair warning
Nordfelt 1 year ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes I sent a pm to your other account quadrupleh or something. So keep pulling more insults out of your ass to make yourself feel better. You say I'm on here all day, well it's because it's my job. I get payed for this. So quit threatening to hack my account because it's only gonna come back to haunt you
Nordfelt 1 year ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes k, check your pms. By the way, I blocked your dumbass before you ever blocked me. I tried to leave it, but you made a choice.
Nordfelt 1 year ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes I wouldn't be doing this if you didn't create numerous accounts insulting me and my family. I will do whatever the fuck I want in that case. There ain't jack shit you can do except as the old saying goes, "nothing, and like it."
Nordfelt 1 year ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes You go from video to video stirring up shit. You are the fucking troll. What a #FAIL
Nordfelt 1 year ago
@hambalony YOU (remember it's not u) again moron as YOU ARE (remember it's not ur) trolling me and giving me another laugh at YOUR expense YOU flaming smark troll. Since you asked for it and deserve it I will indeed ignore you on this vide after this single comment here mocking you and punking you out. You are a disgrace to the human race since you can not even type or properly use English in this gibberish you write. I am a professional wrestling / sports entertainment fan, not "pro wrasslin'."
MRobert21 1 year ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes Still trolling my comments on every video you find them on. You are still worthless and a goof, so I will ignore you on this video here after this single comment laughing at and mocking you. First of all, this was the last Cornette video I watched here and I watched it 3 months ago as even a dim bulb like you can see. Secondly, you expose you know NOTHING as this was not from Cornette's podcast (NOT radio) show as it was an ROH DVD that got used on Heroes Of World Class.
MRobert21 1 year ago
About Cornette's statements about wrestlers, wait, scratch that, SPORTS ENTERTAINERS, who care only about themselves and crave the spotlight, well, look at Vince McMahon himself. He's in his fuckin' sixties, he's not a wrestler by any stretch of the imagination, and he's still placing himself in stupid storylines just to get the camera on him.
And what are the odds that his son-in-law, Triple H, would someday be ruining a wrestling company the same way that Hogan is ruining TNA?
CMY187 1 year ago
@CMY187 Vince McMahon puts himself in stories as Gagne, Watts, Von Erich, Lawler, and about 99% of other wrestling promoters have. The difference is that McMahon as an on air character has drawn more $ than all those other promoters COMBINED did and McMahon as an on air character reinvented wrestling in 1998. McMahon never said he was a wrestler though he has had entertaining and high drawing matches with every big star from the past 20 years. You McMahon family haters are good for a laugh.
MRobert21 1 year ago
@MRobert21 Rather than make cheap shots at you, I'll be civil; I meant that McMahon has contributed to ruining PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING. He drowns his company with Russo-esque storylines and gimmicks that completely take away the ass-kicking in the ring.
Re-invent wrestling? He didn't re-invent it, he smothered it.
And outside wrestling as well, as a person in real life, McMahon is a real bastard. Alleged rape charges that were dropped with no consequences to him at all.
CMY187 1 year ago
@CMY187 You McMahon hating smarks live in your own tiny fantasy world and are worth no time or bother, so I will just ignore you on this video here after this final comment. Vince McMahon SAVED professional wrestling all by himself twice in the 1980's and 1990's when the business was dying. People like you are just jealous of McMahon and envy his great life and success. In any ALLEGED rape case, if there was NO criminal or civil court judgement then there was no rape. That is how USA law works
MRobert21 1 year ago
@MRobert21 Once again, dude, I think you mean SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT, not pro wrestling.
I think Eric Bischoff would love to have you as a public relations officer for his company.
Jealous of McMahon? Honestly? I want to be remembered as the rich asshole who used storylines and gimmicks like the Kiss My Ass Club and mocking ring announcers' medical conditions?
That is NOT pro wrestling. It is a disgrace to the sport and an insult to talented wrestlers everywhere.
CMY187 1 year ago
Tragety? Use a spell check you moron.
ImperiumDeus 1 year ago
how could 2 people dislike this?
myhungryhippo 1 year ago
@myhungryhippo it was vince russo and teddy t
M3TALLICAfan100 1 year ago
He's pretty hard on the Von Erichs. They were not different than a lot of wrestlers who are treated like rock stars and live that life and end up paying the price. The tragedies really had nothing to do with what he's talking about. Jim Cornette likes to talk.
danteras23 1 year ago
@danteras23 Cornette always loves to hear himself talk, which is nothing new, and little of what he says is true (especially here). The fact is that the Von Erich boys (especially Kevin) had tremendous obligations as they were running the company (Fritz was out of it years before the company closed) in addition to wrestling at least 2 times a night (no wonder they missed some shows). The tragedies are over stated as most deaths took place long after WCCW closed and for a variety of causes.
MRobert21 1 year ago
Jim Cornette is such a great talker.
whitewitchoz 1 year ago
love cornette,but i still got love for the Von Erichs.Igrew up watching them in dallas every weekend.RiP VON ERICHS boys.ill allways have the great memories.
bethandbobo 1 year ago
Jim Cornette seems like a really knowledgeable no nonsense guy when he's calm and you'd want to be around him and hear more stories.
sserpent21 1 year ago
A scott weiland reference out of cornette, now I have seen everything
Amazingjourney20 1 year ago
He was so true when the people lost faith in the Von Erich's they the Von Erich's lot everything
thunderbare 1 year ago 2
@thunderbare What did Corny mean about the people losing their faith in the Von Erichs? Was it the drugs and booze and say Kerry's motorcycle accident or is he refering to an incident I heard about with Fritz faking a collapse and making fans thinking he was really ill? I think that was it.
Cavillier1970 1 year ago
@Cavillier1970 remember cavilier it was this time when Fritz faked the heartattack and he brought in Lance VonErich who I guess was a well known football player in Dallas well you cannot do that even for wrestlng in Dallas they lost credibility and then stick a fork in it remember for a time they were bigger then Vinny Mac's circus.
thunderbare 1 year ago
@thunderbare Thanks. See I only heard about this stuff. WCCW never came to my hometown, Buffalo, NY. I had seen old stuff on ESPN, and in the day read about them in PWI, but you hear stuff 2nd, 3rd and 4th hand and you know people change things up a bit. Unless they were there like Corny.
Cavillier1970 1 year ago
@Cavillier1970 I am with you there I live in West PA near Erie so I understand.
thunderbare 1 year ago
@thunderbare At least you know what I mean. When I was a kid the WWF was great with guys like the bulldogs & the harts and Steamboat vs Savage and all the best of the 80s but it was all one flavor at a ice cream shop. Then I read about NWA, AWA , WCCW and the Indies and it was like "WOW theres more than choclate, strawberry and vanilla"
Cavillier1970 1 year ago
@Cavillier1970 When Mike Von Erich killed himself a lot of people lost faith in the Von Erichs, but the business was already in the toilet before that. Fritz's fake heart attack and Lance Von Erich hurt their credibility too, but by then the promotion was already in the dumps. I do not remember too much negative publicity about David's death or Kerry's accident back then. Boring booking and severe injuries to Mike, Kerry, and Kevin really killed WCCW more than the deaths, drugs, or scandals did
MRobert21 1 year ago
@thunderbare Not really, as the very bad publicity on the Von Erichs did not truly start until Kerry died in 1993 (since he had been the biggest star) long after WCCW was gone. WCCW business went in the toilet in 1986 when the Von Erichs were still generally well thought of for many different reasons including some out of their control (like the Texas oil economy going bust). The booking got stale with all the boys booked like Hogan and then there was a rash of devastating injuries to the boys
MRobert21 1 year ago
I was thier in the front row for many of thoese times in the 80's Was good friends with David Manning so I was able to get some extra imfo than the average fans. Point is that was the best way to say sad as it was to what happened to the WCCW thanks Jim Cornette
lilv12312 1 year ago
The fall of WCCW was sad. Cornette is dead-on with his commentary. It was an awesome territory in the early to mid 80's. What makes it even sadder is the Von erichs were nice guys. Never heard anyone say anything bad about them personally. In Bret Hart and Flair's book, they both talk about how nice of a guy Kerry was.
bull864 1 year ago 3
@bull864 To me, the sadness thing about the Von Erich tragedy was the second death and that being David's WCCW would have been the top territory in the NWA if David hadn't passed on in Japan. He was supposed to defeat Ric Flair in Texas Stadium for the NWA Title (which turned out to be his younger brother Kerry's moment.) Who knows what would happen if David had lived and become NWA Champion. Would WCCW eclipse JCP in NWA importance?
Sweetguy9009 1 year ago
@Sweetguy9009 Yeah, I agree with you. David and the rest of the Von Erichs were waaaaaay over in Texas. David was the best in my book because he was the best talker and had the most charisma, while kerry had the best look. David would have been one of the best to ever wrestle if he had lived and who knows, WCCW might have been the flagship for the NWA instead of JCP, which i also loved watching. Another thing that really hurt WCCW was the death of Gino Hernandez as well. He was awesome.
bull864 1 year ago
@bull864 Gino Hernandez the original Heartbreak Kid. You can see where Shawn Michaels got a lot of that character.
Sweetguy9009 1 year ago
@Sweetguy9009 Actually, Gino Hernandez was the original Rock. Watch Gino Hernandez in San Antonio and World Class and what Rock did when he turned heel in 1997 and you will see they are the same. The whole People's Champion gimmick was just Gino Hernandez doing his "YOUR champion" every time Hernandez had a belt. All Rock did not rip off from Hernandez was the Handsome Halfbreed nick name because USA Network would not have allowed that. Rock also ripped off Iceman King Parsons a great deal.
MRobert21 1 year ago
Good to hear an honest un diluted view on how it was, and he was right about the von richs, they had nobody to say ""woah, hold on buddy" and they paid the price for it and the price was HUGE
johnathanashley 1 year ago
Cornette is spot on, if there is no one around to tell them to shut the fuck up and point out they are making fools of themselves...what will happen.
I figure its the same thing that happened to Michael Jackson, no one had the balls to tell him he was fucking his shit right up.
HugoRune1976 1 year ago
@HugoRune1976 That's because nobody wanted to jeopardize their livelihoods which depended on the VonErich family and other people of that magnitude like Michael Jackson by being truthful about their personal and self destructive behaviors.
thedeltan 1 year ago
@HugoRune1976 hey don't DISRESPECT Michael Jackson. REPLY BACK.
rence0208 3 months ago
The Von Erich boys: Unfortunately the example of getting too much, too soon.
Sweetguy9009 1 year ago
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Sweetguy9009 1 year ago
Its such a damn shame that he is no longer a part of WWE talent relations. He was one of the main reasons the "Attitude Era" was so great; it featured wrestlers that he and JR scouted. Wrestlers that actually paid their dues and actually had talent. Mick Foley sure as hell didn't get "raised on a farm" like the rest of the talent you see on WWE.
evilmidget 1 year ago
For me, Mr Cornette is wrestling's voice of reason.
The man is often accused of being "Bitter" just because he can say the cold harsh truth.
The man is a genius and I find his shoots very insightful.
Planetwatts 1 year ago
sounds like he very smart man.
johndoe590 1 year ago
I could listen to Cornette for hours
ronscott7 1 year ago
@ronscott7 Same
MegaSuperUltraThingy 1 year ago
i love JIm cornette's interview off the record
myhungryhippo 1 year ago
Kevin Von Erich is the only one still alive,so that should speak volumes as to how much he was the exception to the rule in that family.
landrykkb 1 year ago
what he is saying is true!
rlcinnj 1 year ago
IF the FreeBirds wern't around then WCCW didn't make any money...BOTTOM LINE!!!
paul3fun 1 year ago
@paul3fun I'd say Freebirds were part of the reason WCCW made money, the other was the Von Erichs, especially when the teams mixed it up. But I agree with you the Freebirds were a major part of the success WCCW had, too bad Fritz messed it up.
Cavillier1970 1 year ago
@paul3fun You are wrong about that. The Von Erichs drew with other heels before and after the Free Birds. There is no doubt the Free Birds drew big in WCCW on their first WCCW run (not so much when they came back to WCCW later on), but they did not make the Von Erichs. The Von Erichs drew the most against the NWA champion (Race or Flair) and they also drew against Devastation Incorporated, Gary Hart's Heels, the Dynamic Duo, and others. WCCW got hot about a year before the Free Birds came.
MRobert21 1 year ago
Is that Eric Santamaria doing the interview!??? :-D
Wallystick 1 year ago
Excellent clip which DVD is this from?
limpdog20 1 year ago
what did he mean by the von erichs became the butt of jokes in that area. were they ridiculed after wccw's fall?
ThePhantomviper 1 year ago
@ThePhantomviper It is hard to say the Von Erichs were the butt of jokes because it was more scorn and hate that was aimed at the Von Erichs than jokes were. It is hard to joke about so many young people dying. After WCCW went bust in 1989, the Von Erichs were the butt of some jokes though. Von Erich popularity started to fall apart in late 1986. The major national negativity towards the Von Erichs was really after Kerry killed himself long after WCCW was done since Kerry had been in the WWF
MRobert21 1 year ago
I remember when WCCW was going out of business it was sad. The Fantastics would wrestle Frankie "The Thumper" Lancaster and some random bum, every week. They couldnt keep anybody.
MrRedbone19 2 years ago
this man was born to talk
BobtheMoneythedbr 2 years ago 28
The big problem was related to Fritz, sad to say. If you watch the Triumpth and Traggity of WCCW dvd, Gen. Akbar brings up one serious issue. The problem came with drugs. The VonErich boys, not sure if all of them or not, maybe David and Kevin weren't, but most of them were getting onto drugs. One wrestler told Fritz about it, and Fritz fired the messenger. Kerry was on his way to prison when he committed suicide. The charges against him were drug related. Drug use is what killed WCCW.
5pursuit 2 years ago 11
@5pursuit
After watching that DVD, I agree with you. Those boys had some serious problems. Unfortunately that's the case with most wrestlers today.
GhostDistortion 1 year ago
Fritz gets the blame for every thing, but really it was the bad personal choices of his sons and all the other drug addicts in WCCW that led to their deaths and Fritz could not stop them. David died of a drug overdose in Japan and Kevin almost died of an overdose in a WCCW ring, so all the Von Erichs did drugs because they wanted to. Kerry's suicide was part drugs, but also because his ex wife would not let him see his kids. WCCW / USWA as a promotion died of many factors besides drugs.
MRobert21 1 year ago
@5pursuit How many times do you see that in every day life.
Some little shit older kid smacks your little one around and when you go to remonstrate with the parent, they go mental and threaten to kick your head in for daring to suggest their little angel is a bit of a bugger.
HugoRune1976 1 year ago 2
@5pursuit That and the fact that Fritz pushed his boys way too hard. I heard he forced Mike into World Class, i don't think he even wanted to be a wrestler.
Sweetguy9009 10 months ago
@5pursuit
I really think you hit the nail on the head. Fritz let a lot of crap slide, especially with his boys. He would often turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the drug issues, because he didn't want to believe it, and still wanted to promote the Von Erichs as your wholesome next door family.
To this day people wonder what really killed David. Was it an intestinal problem, as Fritz said all along, or what it an overdose. Only Fritz and David will know for sure.
Trance1972 7 months ago
Now if only there was a Hollywood personality with a mind like Jim Cornette to tell it like it is we would be set, or maybe not lol.
YTfan24 2 years ago
It was sad because those were good kids who were just a little out of control. They weren't mean, they weren't arrogant. Everyone liked them because they treated people well and acted like polite young men. Like Jim said they just didn't have responsibility and nobody reined them in. Kevin, still alive, is such a gentleman. It comes out whenever he speaks.
fjccommish 2 years ago 5
eric embry killed dallas wrestling.
tbonematt08 2 years ago
@tbonematt08 Eric Embry??? How did he kill Dallas wrestling?
Trashfished 2 years ago
Comment removed
RSXemperor 2 years ago
Eric Embry didn't kill wrestling in Texas but he had been a midcard heel wrestling for the light heavyweight belt most of the time. He then became booker and booked himself as the top babyface when no-one bought it especially the whole "killing World Class" angle"
RSXemperor 2 years ago
@RSXemperor yeah I see. thanx
Trashfished 2 years ago
Thank god pro wrestling still has Jim Cornette.
godanselmo 2 years ago 55
WWE & TNA's losses are very much ROH's gain!
landrykkb 1 year ago
......centered too much on the Von Erichs, like Jim said, and once they were gone, there was no one left to pick up the mantle.
childofthemarshalsea 2 years ago
As I have commented on other videos, Fritz was the one who pioneered TV contracts for wrestling and this in an era when wrestling was mostly a regional sport. But because of Fritz's TV contracts, it was possible to see WCCW (or Big Time Wrestling, as it was called in the '70s) throughout much of the midwest and even the Far East. NWA later copied Fritz's idea when it worked with CNN and WWE did as well with USA Network. The big difference between WCCW and those other two was that WCCW.......
childofthemarshalsea 2 years ago
Cornette was being generous on that last World Class Show; Texas Stadium in 1987 drew 5,900 people.
And it's Scott WHY-land, not WAY-land. Lol :-p
DoubleTalkingJive 2 years ago 2
That's what he said. He said "I don't know they even had 10,000 people in the place", which means less than 10,000.
fjccommish 2 years ago
@WeNeedSomeGolfShoes This was in the early 80's prior to Vince going national.
They were national (through syndication) and had specials on The Christian Broadcast Network/Trinity Broadcast Network. World Class also had an international following that led to tours of Israel and Japan etc.
Their TV broadcasts also innovated the use of multi-camera setups and fancy editing techniques. Along with David Von Erich being groomed to beat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Title.
JustinMurphy 2 years ago
jimbo is right on the money. god bless his honesty. i learn more listening to him then reading books.
diesel021234 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
It didn't sell like Vince's company.
Several family (Von Erich) tragedies
Murder of Bruiser Brody
Mainly, it didn't sell outside of Texas. It was a great independent company, it was just circumstantial.
There is a good DVD about WCCW, called "Heroes of World Class". It has a lot more detail on it, including this shoot interview, I believe.
zabc19 2 years ago
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zabc19 2 years ago
i agree w/ a recent wrestler/inside wrestling article that wwecw &/or tna &/or roh WOULD/SHOULD/COULD adopt wccw's TRUE LEGACY (NO pun intended)...the dqs & countouts rule (at-least) pertaining 2 title(s)/title(s) match(es)!!!
jerzeefranky3475 2 years ago
I love James E. Cornette.
theungreatkahli 2 years ago 4
Well I hear Kerry daughter Lacey didn't want to be a wrestlier like her dad because she didn't like that the bussiness did to her family. Lacey had a son who will nerve see her grandfather wrestlier but she change her mind and started to get into it. Now she is in TNA trying to bring the Von Erich named back to wrestling.
jackful6 2 years ago
@jackful6 Well if you can call Lacey a wrestler. Not to be rude or mean. But that girl needs to go get some freaking training. As many men will tell you, she's hot. But thats all she is right now. Eye candy. Lacey needs to go to a wrestling school. One run by someone with talent. Personal I'd say Chikara wrestle factory. Mike Quackenbush could turn her into something. That or higher Scott D'Amore.
TraciPeteyforlife 2 years ago
Interesting words of wisdom from one of the greatest managers of all time.
Chuloloc 2 years ago 3
WCCW was arguably the biggest thing in wrestling from 1980-1983.....great interview....and he was unfortunately right-on about the Von Erich's....they weren't made to be responsible as they should've been and maybe as close an eye was not kept on them as should've
miggy25 2 years ago
@miggy25 WCCW was never the biggest thing in wrestling as it did not even control all of Texas, much less get much out of Texas in the early 1980's. WCCW was about as hot as Georgia and Mid Atlantic in the early 1980's. WWF and AWA were way more powerful than WCCW before 1983 in terms of $ drawn and fan base. Cornette in this interview admits he does not know what took place in WCCW after he left in 1986. Kerry and especially Kevin kept WCCW running all by themselves with no help until 1989.
MRobert21 1 year ago
@MRobert21 WCCW was one of the first wrestling promotions to go national in the territory days, and it's ratings rivaled that of Saturday Night Live (which was HOT back then)--so I'd say that's pretty big...add to that the fact that many of their production techniques (camera angles, mic placements, etc.) began being copiedby many other big companies on their weekly telecasts in the ensuing years and its safe to say that World Class was pretty big back then
miggy25 1 year ago
@miggy25 WCCW never went national in the early 1980's. A few of their tapes ended up airing in some strange places, but WCCW made no $ off of it. Back then there were 3 television channels since almost nobody had cable, so getting a rating did not mean much and was pretty easy, though ratings in wrestling meant NOTHING back then because wrestling was live event based. PROVE WCCW was bigger than and more successful than AWA or WWF or zip it. WCCW never got near AWA, WCW, or WWF. I saw them all
MRobert21 1 year ago
@MRobert21 Wow, after seeing that last post, I'm not even going to continue commenting--as its clear that you have no idea what you're talking about lol
miggy25 1 year ago
@miggy25 Good, since I owned and punked you I am glad you decided to be quiet. You clearly know nothing about wrestling, much less television and history, and especially WCCW. You are just another smark who started watching WWF in the Attitude Era, then came on the web and decided to pretend you are an expert. If you watched WCCW documentaries you would see they WANTED to go national, but DID NOT. Now I am done with you on this video here and will ignore you on it after this final mocking of you
MRobert21 1 year ago
Cornette is a legend. One of the greatest wrestling minds in the history of the business. Love him or hate him you've got to respect him.
lildwayne21 2 years ago 12
In 20 years when WWE is dead guys like Cornette will have been proved right all along.
aks73 2 years ago
@aks73 Assuming for argument's sake WWF did for some reason go out of business in 20 years, how exactly would that prove Cornette right about anything? McMahon Junior has already made more fans and $ than every other wrestling promoter in history COMBINED. McMahon Junior's WWF (not even counting McMahon Senior or Jess McMahon) has already lasted 28 years, which is about 25 years longer than Cornette's SMW flop did. If Cornette was such a genius he would have the BILLION $ instead of McMahon.
MRobert21 1 year ago
Mike Von Erich's return (which was a very sad sight) and his suicide killed WCCW. One Von Erich dying young was seen as a tragic mistake - two dying young, not to mention the latter at this own hands led to a bad taste in the fan's eyes. I know I personally felt that way at the time. Add Gino's death in between David's and Mike's and the fun was long gone.
ljfkjgfkjgv 2 years ago 2
lmao Jim Cornette keeps it real
jillfan1 2 years ago 3
i like Jim he knows alot bout the wrestling business, but i think jim took the Von Erich's as rock stars out of context IMO cuz the von erich's loved 2 wrestle 4 there fans i dnt c how the von erich's wouldn't wrestle. IMO the von erich's wasn't rly the reason WCCW fell it had 2 b more 2 it then that but here is just my opinion. but still I think jim knows more facts than stupid meltzer where mel just bashes ne1 when he wants 2 but jim doesn't
srhbro83 2 years ago
Yeah, once in a great while, he goes on a left wing rant, which is annoying, but otherwise, 99% of what the guy says on wrestling is dead on and well put.
BPavsner 2 years ago
i kind of miss those dayz,it beats some of the shit i see now dayz
hulksmad 2 years ago
@hulksmad well watch WWE Classics on Demand.
rence0208 3 months ago
The Von Erichs were still heroes.
kencoa 2 years ago 2
Jim Cornette is the most intelligent guy in wrestling.
He loves the business, and has a great way of relating complexities in the business to those of us who are known as `marks`.
MAJS444 2 years ago 12
Sadly, in the 80's anyone that said anything about the Von Erich kids behavior was immediately canned. The warning signs for the wave of tragic deaths in wrestling was there and it began with Kerry, David and Mike yet no one including Fritz took it seriously or even ignored it because they were making money.
RSXemperor 2 years ago 3
Thanks for posting this up. I had this in my fav's until is was taken down. Love Jim's comments on the WCCW and the Von Erich family.
pats14fann01 2 years ago 7
I think Cornette is one of the most insightful personalities ever in wrestling. He has seen the great heights and pitfalls this industry has had. Any time I want to hear an honest opinion on the industry as a whole, I try to look him up. One of the most underrated stars in the history of wrestling.
AlimG52 2 years ago 75
this is a guy who LOVES professional wrestling, not what vince mcmahon has turned it into. a guy like this, paul heyman, ric flair....LOVE wrestling. wrestling is dead to me other than wweclassics lol
mmabuff101 2 years ago 12
Jim Cornette is one of my heroes!
landrykkb 1 year ago
@AlimG52 the worst was HBK's shoot interview
myhungryhippo 1 year ago
@AlimG52 He is one of the most honest men ever in the biz. He came into the resturant I work at when ROH did Survival of the Fittest 2010 in the Detroit area in November. Some fans came to him asking questions and Cornette took about an hour to answer them. Very nice man I think.
ICEGOD2 1 year ago 11
Jim was there in the great era of World Class Championship Wrestling...experience and insight.
echo1v 2 years ago 6
Vonerichs rule
jasonmcniel22 2 years ago 3