– WWF Veteran On Why He Had Heat With WWE
During a recent appearance on Talk Is Jericho podcast, WWF Veteran Jim Cornette discussed returning to WWE earlier this year at the Hall of Fame ceremony to induct The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. Below are the highlights:
On his return to WWE at Hall of Fame:
“They called me from that infamous ‘203’ area code, which usually when you see that you are either fired or hired, and it was a gentleman from Talent Relations asking if I could do it. I couldn’t be the prick in that instance and say that I didn’t want to to do and that I was mad at them, besides, many people that I was mad at are out of the way.
It was great. Everybody treated me fantastic, and I didn’t have a problem with any of the boys, or production people. I even saw Vince McMahon. He said to me, ‘Welcome home, Corny. I know you haven’t always felt like it’s your home.’
I said, ‘Well Vince, I never had words with you, but several people who worked immediately underneath you’. It’s like the difference between a guest in your home who you treat well and bring out the best liquor and the good food and everything and your drunk brother in law that is sleeping in the spare room.
When you are there all the time and you are under foot they don’t treat you as nice, but when you come in every 10-15 years and pop in and out. It’s like, how can I miss you if you won’t go away?”
On his heat with WWE:
“Well, I don’t want to say mad, but there was ‘heated’ exchanges back in the closing days of OVW when I said that I was running our own business there in OVW and they said, no, we are running their storage closet. They didn’t actually say that, but that was how they treated it.
I thought we should be able to do whatever we wanted since we were paying the bills and signing the leases and they thought we should do whatever they wanted to do with our business.
I was looking at it like as running a territory that was contracted to train and give development to the WWE talent. As they got their hooks further and further into us–there was times when they would pay us not to do business with people they were mad at.”
– Former WWE Star Says He Left Because Creative Team Had Nothing For Him
During a recent appearance on Old School WWF Legend Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, former WWE Superstar Austin Aries revealed why he left WWE. Below is what he said:
“Long story short. I can’t speak stuff that I’ve read or people have read because those things were never brought to me personally and I don’t really like to deal with speculations. So just plain and simple – I was told that they had nothing for me creatively.
I just started rehabbing some nagging injuries on my neck. Finishing up the program with Neville kind of left me in a….you know… didn’t have anything solid for me creatively. So speaking with the doctors, that was a good time to give me a little time off, let me rehab, get some strength back I lost, I lost some size.
And I was looking forward to that and then I got a call actually the day after and just said that there was nothing for me creatively. And that was really it. I was just told that they had nothing for me. They’re gonna let me go.
That was unfortunate. I wasn’t completely surprised. I felt maybe there are some things leading up to that. Maybe that was kind of the direction that things were gonna head. But that’s a business decision and the bottom line is – I think I appreciate the opportunities that I was given there.
I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t ask to be released. It never crossed my mind. I never had that conversation with anybody. I was more than happy to spend the time getting healthy and then figure out what they had for me next because literally I was happy to do whatever. I’ll go to NXT. Put me as a mouthpiece to a fight.
Like you can do anything with me, like I’m open. And I’m at a point of my career where I’ve won championships and I’ve done all these things and it’s cool and I realize that I take pride in being a utility guy.
That was their decision and I respect it. I also respect and appreciate that they allowed me the 90 days that I was still being paid to go on the performance center and to continue to rehab and get the strength back.
I started rehabbing the day before I got the phone call and I just said – Well, Hey you know I started doing this, obviously my neck’s been an issue and I don’t need to go wrestle anywhere for the next 90 days and I was looking forward to having some time to get my body right. And they were gracious in allowing me.
I appreciate that. So I can walk out of there feeling good and ready to resume and do what I do. And they’re gonna keep doing what they do and what they do, they do better than anybody else in the world.”
