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Joe Babinsack Talks Jim Cornette Rebooking The Invasion Angle

Posted: Aug 27th 2009 By: CMBurnham

Guest Booker: Re Booking the Invasion with Jim Cornette

Kayfabe Commentaries

www.kayfabecommentaries.com

2 Disc Set

$25.00

Reviewed by Joe Babinsack

Jim Cornette, in a Jimi Hendrix T-Shirt, drinking Sprite and spouting off about everything in the professional wrestling industry, with a supposed focus on the WCW Invasion angle that crapped all over the place in the WWE, shortly after Vince owned the whole industry.

I mean, what?s more to like?

Almost anyone else, given the theme and turning on the camera, who would spiral out of control, would really create an issue of boredom and frustration. With Cornette? That?s just part of the ride. While I?ve seen Sabu and others deftly (or not so deftly) avoid an in-depth question, you know Jimmy isn?t going to dodge and weave.

He jumps into every question with a raving yet controlled demeanor that only he is known for.

He tackles the off-comments and the ?I doubt he?d really answer that? questions with energy.

And it?s a DVD you don?t want to end.

Even as Disc One cues up Disc Two, you?re likely to be torn over what to do next ? re-watch the first, or dive into the second. Jimmy has that way when he?s talking business. It?s not just the depth of his knowledge or the style of his delivery or the breadth of his experience.

It?s that he HAS NO HESITATION IN SPILLING WHAT HE BELIEVES.

Ask Cornette about how it felt to be in the WWE when the writers started being more involved, and a half-hour later, he?s segued into discussing what went down in OVW, graphically and spiritedly providing examples of interactions with John Laurinaitas, spewing profanity all over poor Sean Oliver, and drawing you into his stories.

Cornette, whether intentional or not, spells out the vast disconnects between reality and WWE. Whether intentional or not, he?s laying the groundwork, framing the debate and exposing the realities that would cut off the Invasion angle at its ankles.

Ripping on Kevin Dunn alone is worth the price of the DVD. And damned if I can?t find a picture of Dunn on the WWE web site!

?Earns a million dollars a year and can?t get his teeth fixed!?

That?s the sort of insight you?re playing with, and enjoying.

I love the questioning of Jim?s ?list? and if you can ever extricate yourself from it. Apparently so, since he?s on speaking terms with Vince Russo, although again, the metaphor of them being so far different in wrestling philosophy that they ?meet around the other side of the world? is just fabulous.

Part of me just wants to transcribe the whole thing, but like I approach a great wrestling match, it?s all about the hype, the expectations, the overview and analysis, not the spoiling of the product.

With Corny, it?s all about the delivery, the words, the insight and the philosophy. I knew going in that Cornette is one of the most important, untapped professional wrestling resources out there not being utilized. After watching this, I?m even more convinced.

If someone who loves professional wrestling at TNA isn?t giving Dixie Carter this DVD, I don?t know what else could be used to convince someone that booking ability is based upon experience, understanding, philosophy (there?s that word again) and comprehension of the concept. And, of course, it?s about continuity and deference to the fans, and expectations based upon the fans.

As in, it?s about everything that the Hollywood writer types don?t have a clue about.

And yet, as Cornette details with Laurinaitas and others, there?s that underlying specter of incompetence and bureaucracy that destroys the product as well. He describes the success ? the impressive amount of house shows, the TV deal, the sponsorship deals, the ability to get guys trained and exposed and ready for prime time in OVW, only to have the rugs pulled out from under him so many times, you wonder how the man exists without having a major heart attack.

Just because?. Is the key words to so many screwups. Writers want to shave someone bald, just because they want to see how the guy looks? Like Cornette said, there?s no problem with that, but shaving someone?s head means big bucks in the wrestling business, if you work the angle.

(Which reminds me of Britney Spears?.. you mean Hollywood?s finest, when they had ?K-Fed? on the roster, couldn?t sniff that one out?)

Point is, and I?m extrapolating here, but writers who don?t (&!%$#@) know the business, over the past decade, have stumbled beyond, just missed or otherwise frustratingly been oblivious to major angles that would have made much money for the company they worked for.

Perhaps some of them were out playing catch football instead of hanging at the office. But more of them probably wouldn?t know a hot angle from Kurt Angle.

And none of the screwups of the past ten years can compare to the Invasion.

Jim Cornette says he spent four hours thinking about it, and providing a year and a half of promos, storylines and money making angles to support his concept of how it should be booked.

Hey Dixie! How much are you paying that poor, overworked slob to say he?s working 60-80 hours a week to produce the kind of trash TNA puts out on a weekly basis, with only 2 hours of prime time and an hour of syndication?

Like Jim says about WWE writers who can?t come up for a concept for Matt Morgan: Fire the damn writers, not the talent!!!

Overthinking causes so much crap it isn?t funny, and I?ll not over-analyze the DVDs. This is simply a must-buy for wrestling fans of current, former or future interest in the sport of professional wrestling.

But the only complaint I had about the rebooking effort was the setting aside of certain contractual situations, and expecting everyone to play along. At the time, so many guys could sit at home and get paid, instead of whoring themselves to Vince and Company. Goldberg played it out. Flair didn?t have to put on the boots. Others had the luxury of picking their spots.

But the reality is that Cornette?s vision is so far superior, not just in how he?d handle names, but how he?d build for the future.

His naming of names no longer in the business from that era is highly demonstrative.

That whole angle should have spanned years, created new stars, built to major confrontations and should have generated the dynamics of a hundred different viable storylines. Instead, we saw the WWE stomp on the legacy of WCW, without regard to generating profits.

That?s the most pathetic part of the story.

And Jim Cornette?s the guy who can spell out all the details with credibility and entertainment wrapped up in one great 2 Disc DVD package.

Tags: Jim Cornette, WCW, WWE, TNA, Bill Goldberg, Ric Flair