Aside from being one of the greatest managers of all time, as well as one of the most polarizing figures in all of pro wrestling, Jim Cornette has one of the most brilliant minds in the history of the sport. Cornette has done everything there is to do in the wrestling business, and thanks to his experience, he has the highest rated podcast of the genre.
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Because Jim's name can carry a certain amount of derision in the modern climate of pro wrestling, his contributions to wrestling from a creative standpoint, aren't always fairly rated. He's been on the creative team in every major company since the 80s, with the exception of AEW, and he has had some amazing ideas throughout his tenure.
8 Brian Pillman/Midnight Express Angle
It's not entirely clear if this angle was solely conceived by Cornette, but there's no doubt he had much to do with it. In the early 90s, Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express would target the tag team of Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk. Fans had become accustomed to Pillman's raspy speaking style, and that was due to him having several throat surgeries throughout his childhood.
Seeing as how a real-life struggle could be used to heat up a wrestling feud, Cornette and The Midnight would target Brian's throat in a devastating fashion, when Jim's tennis racket would be leg dropped into Brian's neck from the top rope. It was a wicked sight and Pillman sold it expertly. Unfortunately, due to Cornette and his team's issues with then WCW executive, Jim Herd, the program was abandoned shortly after.
7 The Thrillseekers
Though he isn't the biggest Jericho supporter these days, you can thank Jim Cornette for seeing something in the young talent and giving him one of his first major breaks. It was actually Lance Storm that Cornette was initially interested in. However, the tape he originally discovered Storm on, would see the Canadian wrestling a young blonde man named Chris Jericho. Upon Storm and Cornette coming to an agreement, Jim would suggest that he bring Jericho along as well. Jim would then put them together as The Thrillseekers, reenforcing his eye for talent, and introducing American audiences to a wrestler that would go on to become an all-time great.
6 Triple Threat
Jim himself would probably balk at this one being on the list, as he considers it one of his worst contributions to the wrestling business. Now let's be clear; Jim Cornette did not invent the triple threat match. He was, however, one of the first promoters/bookers to use it during his run as the owner of Smokey Mountain Wrestling. As a result, he would help introduce the concept to WWE, and the rest is history. While there are many valid reasons to be critical of the concept of the triple threat, it has provided many memorable moments and scenarios in wrestling that wouldn't have been possible in a traditional one on one match.
5 Chris Candido/Tammy Sytch
Though the latter half of this tandem isn't a pleasant subject these days, it's important to recall how impactful she would become in WWE, years later. It was Jim Cornette that gave Chris Candido his first break in the business, and when he saw his girlfriend, Tammy, he knew she was tailor made for TV.
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Giving her a Hillary Clinton admirer gimmick, Tammy would skyrocket in the business from the start, and she and Chris would eventually land in WWE. As Sunny, Tammy would elevate the ceiling of success for women in WWE, becoming a mainstream celebrity of sorts in the embryonic days of the internet. Chris Candido would become one of the most influential wrestlers of his era, and you can thank Cornette for he and Tammy getting their first real opportunity.
4 Hell In A Cell
Much like the triple threat, Jim did not invent the Hell In A Cell match. He did pitch the concept to the company as a member of the creative team when they were trying to formulate a blow off for The Undertaker/HBK rivalry. The cage was inspired by the "Last Battle Of Atlanta" match that would see the structure being extended to the outside of the ring, allowing the wrestlers to fight on the floor. This was primarily done to allow Kane to rip the door off the structure, to ensure his debut would be impactful. It was Jim's propensity for being a wrestling historian that gave WWE one of its most famous match types to this day.
3 Undertaker Vs Kane
It was the entire creative team that would have a hand in the flawless Undertaker/Kane family feud, but if not for Cornette once again, giving Glenn Jacobs his first break in wrestling, who knows if we would have gotten this at all. If you listen to Jim's podcast, he will often espouse upon his creative contributions to this rivalry, but it's perhaps what he prevented from happening that was his greatest. In the early stages of Undertaker and Kane, Jim would reveal that his former co-worker/mortal enemy, Vince Russo, had wanted Kane to chokeslam The Undertaker through the announce table. Jim would explain that doing this would have severely cooled off the momentum that the story had gathered. Thankfully, Jim's protests were heeded, and fans still consider this one of the greatest stories WWE has ever told.
2 Cactus Jack Turning On His Tag Partners
Mick Foley will often speak of Jim Cornette in glowing terms, as he has been instrumental in helping Mick reach greater heights than were usually predicted for him. The two would first work together in WCW, where Foley wrestled as Cactus Jack.
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Credit for this idea is shared with Kevin Sullivan, but he and Cornette had approached Cactus with a concept that he loved and made the most out of. For several consecutive weeks, Jack would have tag matches with random partners, only to come up short. Cactus would then viciously turn on his partner, blaming them for the loss. It helped get the Cactus Jack character over in WCW, and he would go on to have a successful run with the company.
1 OVW Booking
Jim will recall his days as booker of OVW with much alacrity and pride, calling it the "best booking he's ever done." It's hard to argue when the developmental territory churned out names such as Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton. But it's also the storylines that involved Doug Basham and The Damaja, that Cornette has gone into great detail on his podcast, explaining the simplistic, but brilliant storytelling of. OVW was the precursor to what is now known as NXT; a developmental system that prepares the stars of tomorrow. The ideas that Jim Cornette implemented while running OVW are not given the credit they fully deserve.
