What Jim Cornette Thinks Of These 10 Modern Wrestlers

Widely considered by wrestling fans to be one of the greatest managers of all time, Jim Cornette has spent the last several years of his life, as a successful podcaster. Much like his onscreen persona, Cornette is opinionated, hysterical, and at times, uncouth.

Because he is never one to mince his words, Jim has become one of the most polarizing figures in all pro wrestling, though he has not had a significant role with a major company in years. Love him or hate him, Cornette's influence on the wrestling business has only increased with the success of his podcast. Here is what Jim Cornette thinks of these 10 modern wrestlers.

10 Cody Rhodes

Jim has been rather transparent, when it comes to his unyielding loyalty to "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. Dusty believed in Cornette early in his career and Jim has never forgotten it. Therefore, Jim was initially reluctant to be too harsh when it came to his assessment of Dusty's youngest son, Cody. However, following the debut of Cody and his wife, Brandi's reality show, Rhodes To The Top, Jim has since, dramatically changed his view of "The American Nightmare." Cornette, now feels that Cody has gone out of his way to expose the wrestling business, by presenting it in an overly candid fashion on his TNT show.

He's also been critical of Rhodes' promos, calling them nonsensical and accusing Cody of being rather non-linear in getting his point across. It seems safe to assume that Cody will never have the same amount of respect from Jim, as his legendary father did.

9 Nick Gage

"The bank addicted, drug robber," as Cornette likes to refer to him as, Nick Gage is the personification of everything that Jim despises about the wrestling business. Cornette views wrestlers such as Gage, as talentless and irredeemable. In fact, even though Jim is close with the producers of the Vice series, Dark Side Of The Ring, having them on his show on several occasions, he outright refused to watch their episode on Gage.

Jim feels that what Nick Gage does is neither wrestling nor entertainment, but complete garbage. It's safe to assume that Cornette won't be catching up with Gage anytime soon.

8 Austin Theory

It's rare that Cornette tags anyone as a can't-miss prospect, but that is exactly the case with, Austin Theory. JC likes to point out that Theory gets the little things right about pro wrestling, such as the manner in which he sells and transitions from move to move in a logical and organic fashion.

Cornette has often questioned why Theory hasn't been given a stronger push, given that WWE has so few main event caliber talents. You can't argue that Cornette doesn't have an eye for talent, given his track record with promotions such as OVW. Austin Theory is a prime example of the fact that Cornette is not entirely negative toward the modern pro wrestling landscape.

7 Chris Jericho

Jim Cornette and Chris Jericho have a relationship that dates all the way back to the mid 90s, when Cornette gave Chris one of his first breaks, with Smoky Mountain Wrestling. In fact for a time it seemed that Cornette's co-host, The Great, Brian Last, was the one who really had it out for Jericho. This all began to change during the first year of AEW, when Jim's criticisms of the company led to a Twitter tussle between the two.

When Cornette became aware of Chris's political views, he made it abundantly clear that he no longer viewed Jericho in the same favorable light that he once had. Recently, Cornette has accused Jericho of attaching himself to rising talents in AEW, in an effort to remain relevant.

6 Charlotte Flair

As a big fan of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, it should come as no surprise that Cornette is just as enamored with Ric's daughter, Charlotte. Cornette feels that Charlotte embodies everything that a star should be in the wrestling business, and is one of the few female wrestlers who are worthy of the television time, invested in them.

Jim never misses an opportunity to put Charlotte over, for everything from her ring work to her visual presentation and authentic heel persona. Cornette has been accused of not being a fan of women's wrestling in general, but he is always quick to point out his appreciation of women such as Charlotte and Rhea Ripley. Charlotte may just be one of Jim Cornette's favorite modern wrestlers.

5 Jon Moxley

Jim's views on Jon Moxley are somewhat complex. He's praised Moxley for his promo work, but feels that he is not capable, or willing to have a good match that doesn't involve weaponry and carnage of some sort. He's also called Moxley, a "Stone Cold cosplay act," suggesting that Jon is trying to openly emulate The Texas Rattlesnake to very little avail.

While Jim has tried to be sympathetic to Moxley's recent struggles, he hasn't really changed his opinion of Moxley's abilities. Time will tell if Jon Moxley is ever able to win Cornette over, but it doesn't seem likely at the moment.

4 Riho

Few other entries on this list have drawn the ire of Jim Cornette quite like poor Riho. He has chastised her for everything from her name to her size. In fairness, there is another entry on this list that is still to come, that Cornette blames for the entire concept of Riho, but more on that later.

Jim Cornette finds it ludicrous that any woman should be expected to sell for Riho. He openly worries about her safety, due to her small stature and has implicitly stated that he wishes that she would go away for good.

3 CM Punk

For whatever reason, there has always been a mutual respect between Punk and Cornette. It could be that they are both devout atheists, or that they both tend to lean far left in their political views, but the two have always been complimentary to one another. Cornette has gone on record, stating that he feels that Punk is one of the most genuine personalities in the entire business, and that's why he has amassed such a devoted following.

Jim called Punk's August 2021 return to wrestling, as one of the greatest moments in recent memory. Jim is such a fan of Punk, that he has written his own version of Punk's theme song, "Cult Of Personality," reworking it into the "Cult Of Meat With Extra Cheese."

2 The Young Bucks

The beef between The Young Bucks and Jim Cornette has become somewhat legendary. The two are diametrically opposed when it comes to their views on pro wrestling, and the heat between them has only exacerbated throughout the years.

Cornette feels that the mere sight of The Young Bucks is laughable, and that their matches are based off of the same template of endless spots. He also believes that The Bucks have intentionally held teams such as FTR down, out of fear that they will be outshone by them. There are few acts in pro wrestling that Cornette holds in lower regard than The Young Bucks.

1 Kenny Omega

Perhaps no other entry on this list has personally offended Jim Cornette, more than Kenny Omega. From wrestling a small child in Japan, to what Jim describes as his phony and gaudy facial expressions, Omega is everything that Jim detests in modern wrestling.

Just when you thought that their animosity had begun to lie somewhat dormant, it was recently reignited via a tweet by Kenny, wherein he referenced Jim, which of course Cornette responded to in typical vitriolic fashion. Jim has gone on record as saying that he and Omega could not be more fundamentally and philosophically opposed in every way imaginable.