Jim Cornette Believes AEW Failed To Protect Legend

During his Experience podcast, Jim Cornette vented his anger at the MJF/Hiroshi Tanahashi match which opened Forbidden Door 2023, noting that Tanahashi struggled and believes AEW should have done a better job with protecting Tanahashi due to his physical limitations:

“Tanahashi is a legend in Japan and so people obviously are forgiving. Because when you see him for the first time over here, some person sees him without context. He’s like, What the f*ck? Is he injured? Is he broke down? He walks by. Yes, it’s from a lifetime of becoming a legend in Japanese wrestling.

“But right now. If you get a legend that can’t go anymore, but the people still want to see him, protect him. Don’t make him go 20 minutes and singles matches where all the shit that he does your job guys in your company on free TV every Wednesday, do it better and higher and quicker and faster, and whatever the f*ck.

“[…] I mean, MJF did the best he could here with what he had to work with, but my God, it was a tribute to him that this was as good as it was he worked as a heel. It wasn’t just a collection of meaningless spots. And MJF was using all the tricks. But a tonne of the punches are horrible.

“He can’t get to the top rope, but he kept doing it. He can’t get up there and then he can’t stand up there. And the announcers were blaming the difference in the New Japan ring turnbuckles. Well, yeah, or it could have been gravity. They could have explained it that way. He was doing sh*tty cross bodies off the top rope.

“And MJF would try to delay, he hit the shoulder breaker, but he sold his knee too so that it would try to give it to show him some weakness so that the other guy could legitimately take it but their World Champion is working with a guy who is not impressive. And unless you’re a Japanese wrestling fan, you got no idea how he would ever become a superstar. And that’s why I’m saying protect the legends.”

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