Jim Cornette has thrown his support behind Mickie James following her controversial remarks about women’s ring gear on the March 30th episode of WWE LFG. James sparked a significant debate in the wrestling world after specifically critiquing Zena Sterling’s attire, leading to online backlash. Now, speaking on his YouTube channel, Cornette has weighed in, echoing James’ concerns about the prevalence of revealing outfits in women’s wrestling.
Cornette stated that he agrees with James’ sentiment that much of the modern female wrestling gear resembles “fancy lingerie.” He explained his position by highlighting how often the conversation surrounding women’s matches shifts from their in-ring abilities to their attire.
“I actually don’t have any issue with what she just said there, because there’s proof of that,” Cornette asserted. “How many times have we been talking about a match, and someone brings up, ‘Did you see so-and-so’s a$$ cheeks hanging out?’ Yeah, I mean, you couldn’t look past that. I don’t disagree with what Mickie James is saying. Mickie’s right, there are matches you watch where you want to focus on how talented someone is or isn’t, and it’s just a$$. Just nonstop a$$, right there in your face.”
Cornette further elaborated on James’ perspective, noting that she came from an era where female wrestlers were often pressured to wear more revealing outfits. He suggested that James’ criticism stems from a desire for today’s wrestlers to be judged more on their skill than their appearance.
“Now, to be fair, that’s kind of what she said too. She came through that era where they had to put up with that stuff. It’s not like she was saying, ‘Hey, I think I’ll go out in this f***ing teddy from Dressing for Pleasure in Montclair, New Jersey,’ or something like that,” Cornette explained. “Mickie James isn’t saying anything wrong. Yeah, it’s also true she wore revealing outfits, but I’m taking it as her saying, ‘We did that in my era, that was the battle we had, so you didn’t have to do that.’ And there’s truth to that.”
Cornette also emphasized the desire of top female wrestlers to be recognized primarily as athletes. While acknowledging the role of glamour and s*x appeal in professional wrestling, he believes the current trend of excessive exposure can detract from the athletic aspect. He drew a parallel to wrestling moves, suggesting that when everyone showcases revealing attire, it loses its impact and can overshadow the wrestlers’ talent.
“At the same time, there’s also truth to the fact that now it feels like everybody’s got their a$$ hanging out. And I get why the women, especially the top-tier ones, want to be taken more seriously as athletes,” Cornette stated. “They understand that glamour and s*x appeal are part of the overall package, sure, but if everybody’s approach is, ‘I’ll get noticed because I’ve got a good a$$, and I’ll wear lingerie and show it,’ it becomes the same thing as when there was just one guy doing a piledriver, like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ But now, when twenty guys are doing it, it doesn’t mean anything. That might be part of her point too.”
Cornette’s comments directly address the statements made by Mickie James on WWE LFG. During the show, James, while seemingly praising Sterling’s gear itself, questioned the choice to wear such revealing attire in a wrestling context. “I lived during the Diva era, and we fought very, very hard to not have to wrestle in lingerie anymore,” James said on-air. “Since because I am a female, I can speak on this. It’s very frustrating when women go out there and wrestle and all I see is their a$$… You want to be taken seriously as a wrestler, but you are pretty much wrestling in jazzed-up lingerie.”
Despite Cornette’s support, James’ initial remarks have faced criticism, and even Zena Sterling appeared to respond humorously, joking that she would wear “full-body gear from now on,” seemingly mocking James’ old-school attitude.
