Jim Cornette has strongly criticized Dave Meltzer’s decision to award Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland from AEW Forbidden Door 2026 a 5.5-star rating.
Speaking on his podcast, the veteran wrestling personality argued that modern wrestling places too much emphasis on elaborate sequences while neglecting the fundamentals of in-ring storytelling. “Good Lord. Every finish, every piece of excess—they bury the referee, ignore the rules, act like video game characters, and kick out of everything to the point where it’s not only unbelievable, it’s ridiculous.”
Cornette went on to accuse wrestlers of prioritizing spectacle over psychology. “They fulfill their own self-aggrandizing, masturbatory fantasies because they think, ‘Well, nobody deserves to get out of here before 12:30 in the morning. We’re going to do what we want.’”
He also argued that many modern wrestlers have sacrificed the basics of professional wrestling in favor of increasingly complex spots. “Well, besides that, it’s a whole different scale because when you look at the overall level of the rottenness of the basics of how guys work today—because they’re all concentrating on trying to do these convoluted spots, set up cool sh*t, and work with the furniture—everybody’s punches, arm drags, Irish whips, basic holds, and basic positioning have fallen to hell.”
Cornette compared the issue to a well-written film that suffers from poor production quality. “So to me, I’m sorry, but I think it’s like having a movie with a really good story, but you hire a guy from the front of Home Depot to be the cinematographer and it ends up looking like a home movie. That takes away from it.”
He concluded by saying that no amount of spectacular spots can make up for weak fundamentals. “It’s the same thing. You can do all your spots and all your furniture, but if you can’t actually make the sh*t in the middle look right, I’m deducting points. Screw you.”
