Jim Cornette's Real Life Feud With Vince Russo, Explained
James Austin Highlights
- Cornette & Russo's feud stems from deep-rooted disagreements on wrestling philosophies, leading to intense animosity.
- Their history includes backstage confrontations, legal threats, and a clash of old school vs. new school ideology.
- The intense rivalry showcases the vast differences in their storytelling styles, from upholding kayfabe to convoluted plots.
The professional wrestling business has a lot of polarizing figures, from CM Punk, to Vince McMahon, to Tony Khan. Few are as polarizing, however, as Jim Cornette and Vince Russo. Both Russo and Cornette are admired and despised. Arguably, no one despises them more than each other.
Jim Cornette rose to prominence in the wrestling business through the territory system. He worked as a booker and manager, most notably managing the Midnight Express. He later worked for WWE and TNA before starting his own podcast. Vince Russo, on the other hand, broke into the wrestling business by writing for WWE’s magazine. From there, he began working for WWE’s creative team and then jumped ship to WCW just in time to run the company into the ground. After WCW went under, Russo worked for TNA.
10 Biggest Mistakes Made By Vince Russo During His Time In WCW
Wrestling fans got to see some of the weirdest angles and matches that have taken place in WCW under Vince Russo.Why exactly do Russo and Cornette have so much disdain for each other? The answer lies in a years-long history of butting heads, and a fundamental disagreement on what pro wrestling should be.
Vince Russo And Jim Cornette First Met In WWE
Jim Cornette Complained About Vince Russo To Vince McMahon
Vince Russo and Jim Cornette first crossed paths during their tenures in WWE. Before a taping of Monday Night Raw, Cornette caught wind that Russo had booked yet another DQ finish and went to confront him. In Cornette’s words on his Jim Cornette Experience podcast, Russo answered him with “DQ, shmee-Q, nobody cares.” (h/t Inside the Ropes) This enraged Cornette, who loudly berated Russo’s booking. Russo then complained about the incident to Vince McMahon.
Though nothing ultimately came of this incident, it marks the beginning of the animosity between Jim Cornette and Vince Russo. Soon after their backstage confrontation, Vince Russo left WWE to work for WCW for about two years before it went out of business.
Vince Russo’s WWE Tenure | 1992-1999, 2002 |
Jim Cornette’s WWE Tenure | 1993-1999 |
Vince Russo’s TNA Tenure | 2002-2014 |
Jim Cornette’s TNA Tenure | 2006-2009 |
Vince Russo And Jim Cornette Clashed Again In TNA
Jim Cornette Threatened Vince Russo’s Life
The next time Cornette’s and Russo’s paths crossed was when they worked in TNA. Predictably, things did not go smoothly for very long. Cornette was released from his contract with TNA in September 2009, though the exact circumstances depend on who you ask. According to some at TNA, Cornette threw a fit at a creative meeting and screamed at Vince Russo, leading the company to release Cornette from his contract. Cornette himself, however, claims that no such incident exists and that he and TNA parted ways because of business disagreements.
In any sense, the most egregious part of the story comes after Cornette left the company. On March 19, 2010, Cornette sent an incredibly bizarre email to Terry Taylor, who at the time was working for TNA. In the email, Cornette lamented that his time at TNA turned out how it did. He then went on a tirade against Vince Russo, writing:
“I hate Vince Russo. I despise Vince Russo. I want Vince Russo to die. If I could figure out a way to murder him without going to prison, I would consider it the greatest accomplishment of my life.”
Why Jim Cornette Left NWA In 2019, Explained
In 2019, the NWA debuted a weekly program called Powerrr with Jim Cornette on commentary. Two months later he was gone.TNA responded by notifying a legal firm and informed Cornette that they believed his rant contained “terroristic threats.” They consequently told Cornette that any future comments of the sort would be prosecuted appropriately. Thankfully, Russo and Cornette have not been under the same roof ever since, though the animosity remains. In 2017, Russo filed a restraining order against Cornette as the Kentuckian revved up his threats against the New Yorker.
Jim Cornette’s Old School Vs Vince Russo’s New School Thinking
Jim Cornette And Vince Russo Have Polar Opposite Philosophies On Pro Wrestling
Both Cornette and Russo will tell you very different stories if you ask them why there’s so much bitterness between them. Russo would likely chalk it up to Cornette being jealous, while Cornette would chalk it up to Russo being stupid.
At the end of the day, the two simply have vastly different views on what wrestling should be. Cornette is as old school as it gets; he believes in upholding kayfabe and telling simplistic, effective stories between good guys and bad guys. Russo is from a newer school of thought; his style of booking is often compared to The Jerry Springer Show for all its convoluted plot twists.
How Jim Cornette Shattered His Knee In A WCW Scaffold Match
Jim Cornette suffered one of a gruesome injury in a spot gone during the Starrcade 1986 Scaffold Match.In any case, professional wrestling is never so serious that it warrants death threats. Whoever you agree with more between Vince Russo and Jim Cornette, it’s important to keep in mind that wrestling is just a simple form of entertainment.
