No matter the hate, I love Jim Cornette.
I always have. I always will.
His voice is comforting. His passion is real. His love for wrestling is unmatched. Does he say things that ruffle feathers? Absolutely. That's been his job -- for over 40 years.
But what people don't get -- or refuse to understand -- is that there's a difference between James E. Cornette, the character, and James Mark Cornette, the man.
Jim played a Southern rich asshole momma's boy manager who was supposed to piss you off. He was loud, cocky, sexist, smug -- on purpose.
In a promo from the mid-80s, I saw him tell Precious she didn't belong in a wrestling ring and should be in the kitchen -- and I laughed. Why? Because I know that's kayfabe. I know he was playing the exact kind of guy the crowd would pay to see get his teeth knocked in.
But modern fans? They don't see it that way. They all treat old promos like political statements, ripping them from their context and yelling about "problematic behavior" like it wasn't literally the point of the character.
They confuse James E. Cornette (the heel) with James Mark Cornette (the man who mentored, taught, and helped build the wrestling business we know today).
Let's get real for a moment. In 2019-2020 or so, a wave of newer fans started branding Jim as transphobic and homophobic. Why?
Because he critiqued wrestlers like Sonny Kiss and Nyla Rose.
The "offense"? He called Sonny Kiss an exotico -- a term used for generations in Mexico to describe effeminate male wrestlers, or those who wrestle in drag. It's not a slur. It's literally a wrestling classification.
Then he dared to critique Sonny's in-ring abilities, which, sorry, did need some help, because... oof. But instead of hearing valid critique, people heard a buzzword and lit the torches -- typical of a lot of modern wrestling fans, and those who can't think for themselves.
The same happened with Nyla Rose. Jim critiqued her wresting -- not her gender. But that didn't matter. Because the internet doesn't want nuance -- it wants blood, it believes you can't say anything negative about an LGBTQ+ person unless you're homophobic/transphobic/whatever. Criticism of someone's in-ring ability is not hate speech.
An LGBTQ+ sport site (whose name I don't even remember) even called for his podcasts to be boycotted -- not because of any sort of hate speech, but because he gave honest wrestling opinions without sugarcoating them.
It's funny -- and by funny, I mean sad -- looking at Tumblr's wrestling fandom... there's a certain blog over there that posts old WWF content... but refuses to tag posts featuring Jim with his own tag, despite y'know, him being right there in the images.
So he's too problematic, but they still want the notes from his presence? GTFO. He deserves basic respect!
Meanwhile, another Tumblr user has proudly stated they hate Jim... and then makes some rapey, predatory comments about a barely legal female wrestler, and no one bats an eyelash. In fact, this user has mutuals who are MINORS.
So being loud and opinionated makes Jim evil, but making actual predatory jokes is just tumblr being tumblr?
Make it make sense.
And because I know people have used this next thing as "proof" he's racist, let me address the video in which he uses the n-word.
In the video, Jim is telling a story of an incident that happened back in the day. In the 1980s (and earlier), kayfabe was sacred. Heels weren't allowed to break character, ever. Things at a show were getting out of control. Jim and The Midnight Express were trying to get help from a Black security guard.
Jim, staying in character, called him "boy" -- a term that, yes, is historically loaded, but (and this is where a little something called nuance and critical thinking comes into play) it's also a common insult used by heels to get heat.
The guard responded, "Don't call me boy."
And Jim, still in kayfabe, doing what was expected of a heel, replied "Would you rather me call you a n----- instead?"
He said it IN CHARACTER. Not to degrade, but to show just how far it was expected of a heel to stay in character. He didn't call anyone that slur. He posed the question. And yes, it was crude. It was uncomfortable. But it was not racism. It was a moment in wrestling where breaking kayfabe had consequences, and him retelling the story isn't racist either.
As someone who is part Black myself:
I don't find the story racist.
I find it honest. And honestly, heartbreaking that staying in character meant more than basic decency and safety.
And I think it's unfair that people hold that story against Jim without understanding the rules he was playing under at the time.
Did it age well? No.
But does it make him a racist? Not even close.
I've seen him suffer the price of being polarizing. When you're as loud, unapologetic, fiercely honest like he is, people don't just criticize you... they wait for a moment of vulnerability so they can attack you for it.
Back a couple of months ago, Jim's beloved dog, HarleyQuinn, passed away. He was emotional. Visibly heartbroken. He spoke about her with real grief on his podcast -- because she was his baby. His best friend. His little girl.
And what did people do?
They mocked him.
They called him weak.
They harassed him for mourning his dog.
They celebrated his pain.
Let that sink in.
They hate him so much, they couldn't even show basic human decency when he was grieving a family member -- because yes, pets are family.
And I'll say this as plainly as I can: I hope when those people lose someone they love -- furry or human -- they're treated the exact same way they treated him... because maybe then, they'll understand what empathy is.
I love Jim Cornette because his passion for the business was the foundation of me loving wrestling with all my heart.
Because he cares more about the art, the craft of wrestling than the corporate fluff.
Because he taught me how to recognize good storytelling, how to love heels, how to protect the business.
Because he's endlessly passionate, unapologetically honest, and one of the few people left who still gives a damn about integrity in wrestling.
Because while others have sold out, softened up, or started coasting -- Jim still fights. Still teaches. Still tells the truth, whether it's popular or not.
And you know what? I love him for all of it.
You don't have to like him, but stop acting like you know the man behind the mic just because you watched a clip or read a tweet.
Stop throwing around buzzwords like they're evidence.
Stop pretending that performative purity matters more than passion, history, and heart.
Because I've seen who Jim Cornette really is: a passionate soul, a gorgeous man inside and out, so amazingly real and authentic, a walking encyclopedia of wrestling knowledge.
And I'll stan him loud, proud, and with my tennis racket raised.