1997 is one of my very favorite years in professional wrestling. Although I had been a fan of the sport for about two years previous, this was a time when professional wrestling began to get hot. My views on good guys and bad guys changed forever this year as an individual who got me into wrestling became the most hated man in wrestling… at least in the United States. And a former WCW washout would end the year in position to become the biggest star in wrestling history.
Whatever you want to think or say about Jim Cornette, he’s a great beacon of knowledge when it comes to professional wrestling. One of his best talents is talking and public speaking, so much so he’s recorded multiple shoot interviews over the last two decades. From his first one camera shoot back in 1994 to this latest interview in 2010, Cornette has talked about a number of different subjects for extended periods of time. Of course he hates Vince Russo. Of course he has some bitterness about many different aspects of the business he wants to love but constantly has his sanity challenged. This time, Kayfabe Commentaries did something a little different. They brought in Cornette to talk about the year 1997 in WWF.
If you like Cornette, this is right up your alley. If you don’t, there is still some value to this DVD as this will give you a real sense of how the business worked back then and how much its changed. This year was the calm before the storm. If this were a chess game, WWE would be positioning their pieces just before checkmating WCW in the coming years. In some cases, the chess game worked out better than WWE would have ever expected thanks to the incompetence of the people in Atlanta. However, WWE started doing things right this year. Men like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were being phased as Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and The Rock were rising to the top of the card.
Cornette gives his perspective on all these issues and a lot more. Thanks to the great work of people at Kayfabe Commentaries, this is a very focused DVD that frequently explains incidents in text before Cornette pontificates. All of the Timeline DVDs are formatted similarly, giving fans not familiar with the time period some context for what’s happening. Cornette is at his best when he’s passionate about a subject. In a strange way, the man is a character even when he’s trying to simply talk about the business. Does anyone actually believe him when he talks about killing Vince Russo or Kevin Dunn? This is hyperbole meant to satiate the audience that loves to hear that kind of stuff. Cornette channels the frustration of so many fans when talking the way he does about Dunn and Russo.
While we all know what the subject of this shoot interview thinks about Mr. Russo, it’s fascinating to hear Cornette talk about the hope he once had and idea that he would try to help Russo understand the wrestling business. All one has to do is look at the TNA ratings to see how much Russo knows about wrestling. One of the most amazing parts about this DVD… and Cornette in general… is the way he can mock someone like Kevin Dunn one minute and then expound on the Montreal Screwjob in such a way that makes sense. As much as Cornette hates Shawn Michaels, I found his reasoning behind what Vince McMahon did to Bret Hart to be perfectly logical. No one else besides Dave Meltzer has been able to effectively explain this incident better than Cornette.
Overall, a lot of this DVD depends on what you think of Cornette. But I appreciate being able to hear one person’s perspective about a number of issues talking about one year in the business, especially one so important as 1997. I only wish a DVD like this could have been put together with Steve Austin, Bret Hart, or Shawn Michaels. Bret Hart literally made me into a wrestling fan, and I hated the man in the middle of the year because of all his dastardly deeds and the way he talked about the country I lived in. I hated Steve Austin for what he did to Jake Roberts at King of the Ring ’96 and for the things he said about Bret Hart. But by the end of the year, he was the reason to tune into Raw. To this day, he remains one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. And my feelings on Shawn Michaels were so complicated at this time, I’d almost need another review just to talk about his role in 1997 These three were the three main characters in an incredible year for WWE. I look forward to more of these Timeline interviews and may review others for Pro Wrestling Ponderings. A thumbs up for the DVD.
To purchase this and many other DVDs, check out Kayfabe Commentaries.
Contact Pro Wrestling Ponderings!
E-mail: mailbag@prowrestlingponderings.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pwponderings
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pwponderings
Youtube: www.youtube.com/pwponderings
Contact ME!
E-mail: jcusson07@gmail.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeromeccusson