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Dairy Queen, often abbreviated DQ, is a chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc, which also owns Orange Julius and Karmelkorn.^[4] The name "Dairy Queen" is taken from the name of their soft serve product, which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or "DQ". The first Dairy Queen store opened in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois.^[5] The company's corporate offices are located in Edina, Minnesota.^[6][7]

History[link]

The soft serve formula was first developed in 1938 by John Fremont "Grandpa" McCullough, (1871‒1963), and his son Bradley.^[1] They convinced friend and customer Sheb Noble to offer the product in his ice cream store in Kankakee, Illinois. On the first day of sales, Noble dished out more than 1,600 servings of the new dessert within two hours.^[8] Noble and the McCulloughs went on to open the first Dairy Queen store in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois. While this Dairy Queen is no longer in operation, the building is still located at 501 N Chicago St.^[8] Since 1940, DQ has used a franchise system to expand its operations globally. The state with the most Dairy Queen restaurants is Texas. The Texas Dairy Queen Operators' Council facilitates marketing and the food system in Texas. Dairy Queen International is the parent company of Dairy Queen. In the US it operates under American Dairy Queen.^[9][10] It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. At the end of its fiscal year 2006, Dairy Queen reported over 5,600 stores in more than a dozen countries; about 4,600 of its stores (approximately 85%) were located in the United States.^[9][10][11]

DQ was an early pioneer of food franchising, expanding its 10 stores in 1941 to 100 by 1947, 1,446 in 1950, and 2,600 in 1955. The first store in Canada opened in Estevan, Saskatchewan, in 1953.^[12] The red Dairy Queen symbol was introduced in 1959. The company became International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ) in 1962. It was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 1998. Dairy Queens were a fixture of social life in small towns of the Midwestern and Southern United States during the 1950s and 1960s. In that role they have often come to be referenced as a symbol of life in small-town America, as in Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond by Larry McMurtry, Dairy Queen Days by Robert Inman, and Chevrolet Summers, Dairy Queen Nights by Bob Greene.

As of 2010, Dairy Queen had more than 5,700 stores in 19 countries, including 652 locations outside the United States and Canada.^[13] With Dairy Queen being one of the largest soft serve franchises in the world, their main competition includes: Baskin-Robbins, Ben & Jerry's, Braum's, Carvel, Culver's, Foster's Freeze, Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard, McDonald's, Sonic Drive-In, Tastee Freez, and TCBY.

The largest Dairy Queen in the United States is located in Bloomington, Illinois.^[14] The busiest store in the US is in Rosedale, Maryland.^[15] The largest store in the world was built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.^[16] The busiest store in the world is located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.^[17]

Stores[link]

The company's stores are operated under several brands, all bearing the distinctive Dairy Queen logo and carrying the company's signature soft-serve ice cream (along with the trademark "curl"). In the 1970s, most Dairy Queen restaurants were "Brazier" locations with a second floor for storage, recognizable for their red gambrel-shaped roofs.

Standard stores[link]

A Dairy Queen store in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Stores which serve a very abbreviated menu primarily feature DQ frozen treats. These locations may be open only during spring and summer; many year-round locations are located in shopping malls.

So-called "Limited Brazier" locations may additionally offer hot dogs, barbecue beef (or pork) sandwiches, and in some cases french fries and chicken, but not hamburgers.

DQ / Orange Julius[link]

Also known as the "Treat Center" concept, an enhanced version of the original DQ also serves drinks and foods from the Orange Julius menu. This is the company's preferred concept for new, small-scale locations, primarily in shopping mall food courts. Some early Treat Center also included Karmelkorn.^[18]

Dairy Queen Brazier[link]

Stores serve a normal fast-food menu featuring burgers, french fries, and processed fried chicken products in addition to frozen treats and hot dogs. Due to the protracted rollout of the Grill & Chill concept, Brazier restaurants have been allowed to sell certain products originally restricted to G&C, including GrillBurgers.

The name "Brazier" originated in 1957, when one of the company's franchisees worked to develop a food system that would work for all Dairy Queen restaurants. A brazier is a cooking device consisting of a charcoal or electric heating source over which food is grilled. The term "Brazier" was the result of a brainstorming session with the franchisee's advertising agency.^{[citation needed]}

The "Brazier" name has been slowly phased out of signage and advertising since 1993, although it had not been removed from all existing signage. Since the early 2000s, new or renovated locations which are similar to Brazier restaurants in terms of size and menu selection, but have been updated with the current DQ logo and/or exterior, usually carry the name "DQ Restaurant", although the DQ website's Store Locator still lists the non-G&C stores as "Dairy Queen Brazier" and the smaller stores "Dairy Queen Ltd Brazier".

However The DQ website still considers their burger and hot dog lines as "Brazier Foods", according to the History section of the DQ website and some FAQ listed topics in the DQ website.

DQ Grill & Chill[link]

This is DQ's preferred concept for new and renovated full-service restaurants. Stores are larger than older-style DQ Brazier locations and feature a completely new store design. In most cases, they offer an expanded menu including breakfast, GrillBurgers, and grilled sandwiches, as well as limited table service (customers still place orders at the counter). They also contain self-serve soft drink fountains. Some of the DQ Brazier stores have upgraded to the DQ G&C stores. However, there are still DQ Brazier stores and DQ Ltd.-Brazier stores that have not upgraded to the DQ G&C stores. The nation's largest Grill & Chill is located in Bloomington, Illinois.

Texas Country Foods[link]

Most locations in Texas, including those which otherwise resemble the Brazier or Grill & Chill formats, use a separate hot food menu branded as Texas Country Foods. Among other differences, "Hungr-Buster" burgers are available in place of the Brazier and GrillBurger offerings. Other food offerings not found outside Texas include the "Dude" chicken fried steak sandwich, Grilled chicken sandwich, Country Baskets (steak fingers and chicken strips),T-Brand Tacos, and a one-half pound double meat hamburger, the "BeltBuster.".

A Dairy Queen outlet in Burnet in the Texas Hill Country

Texas is home to the largest number of Dairy Queens in the U.S. All Texas Dairy Queen restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees. The Texas Dairy Queen Operators' Council (TDQOC) runs a separate marketing website from the national website, located at www.dqtexas.com. Bob Phillips, host of the popular Texas syndicated television series Texas Country Reporter, was for many years the DQ spokesman in Texas, as the restaurant was a co-sponsor of the program at the time.

Products[link]

The company's products expanded to include malts and milkshakes in 1949, banana splits in 1951, Dilly Bars in 1955, Mr. Misty slush treats in 1961 (later renamed Misty Slush, then again to Arctic Rush), and a range of hamburgers and other cooked foods under the Brazier banner in 1958. In 1967 the Peanut Buster Parfait, consisting of peanuts, hot fudge, and vanilla soft serve, was introduced. Other items include sundaes and the blended coffee drink, the MooLatte, controversial because of its resemblance to the racial descriptor Mulatto.^[19]

Dairy Queen's one hundred (as of 1997) Japanese stores offered hamburgers, but competition from McDonald's made the chain switch to pita sandwiches.

The majority of Dairy Queen locations serve Coca-Cola products, but unlike most other restaurants such contracts are not mandated onto the franchisee, and as a result some locations serve Pepsi products instead. Subway (until 2003) and Arby's (until 2006) also allowed such leniency on beverage choice before signing exclusive soft drink deals with Coca-Cola and Pepsi, respectively, making Dairy Queen the last major restaurant chain without an exclusive soft drink contract.

Blizzard[link]

A popular Dairy Queen item is the Blizzard, which is soft-serve mechanically blended with mix-in ingredients such as sundae toppings and/or pieces of cookies, brownies, or candy. It has been a staple on the menu since its introduction in 1985, a year in which Dairy Queen sold 100 million Blizzards.^[20] Popular Blizzard flavors include: Oreo Cookies, mint Oreo, chocolate chip cookie dough, M&M's (Smarties in Canada), Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Heath bar, and Butterfinger. Seasonal flavors are also available such as October's Pumpkin Pie.^[21] It has been argued that Dairy Queen drew its inspiration from the concrete served by the St. Louis based Ted Drewes.^[22] On July 26, 2010, Dairy Queen introduced a new "mini" size Blizzard, served in 6 oz. cups.

Prior to the introduction of the Blizzard in 1985, Dairy Queen served conventional "thick" milk shakes, in traditional flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, with or without added malt, also used the name "Blizzard" as the name of the product.

In addition, Dairy Queen is marketing its new Blizzard Cake which includes flavors such as strawberry cheesecake and Reese's. Much like the restaurant's conventional ice cream cake, this variation is aimed toward celebrations and birthdays.^[23]

Frozen yogurt[link]

In 1990, Dairy Queen began offering frozen yogurt as a lower-calorie alternative to its soft serve ice cream. According to a company representative, Dairy Queen's regular soft serve has 35 calories per ounce and is 95% fat free, whereas the frozen yogurt was 25 calories per ounce. However, in 2001, the company phased out the frozen yogurt option in all its stores citing a lack of demand, the low sales of which made it difficult to keep the product fresh.^[24][25]

In 2010, International Dairy Queen Inc filed a request for a preliminary injunction to stop Yogubliz Inc, a small California-based frozen yogurt chain, from selling "Blizzberry" and "Blizz Frozen Yogurt", alleging that the names could confuse consumers due to their similarity to Dairy Queen's Blizzard. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner denied Dairy Queen's request.^[26]

Advertising[link]

For many years the franchise's slogan was "We treat you right." During the early and mid 1990s, the slogan "Hot Eats, Cool Treats" came into use and preceded the aforementioned line in the Dairy Queen jingle. In recent years, it has been changed to "DQ: Something Different." The new slogan, featured in early 2011, is "So Good It's RiDQulous,"^[27] with Dairy Queen's current logo infused in the word 'ridiculous'.

In Texas, at the end of the advertisement, there is a Texas flag waving, and the Texas state with the new DQ logo and slogan below saying, "That's What I Like About Texas."

Dennis the Menace appeared in Dairy Queen marketing from 1971 until 2001, when he was dropped because Dairy Queen felt children could no longer relate to him.^[28]

The advertising recently focused on a mouth licking its large lips, which later transforms into the present Dairy Queen logo.

In 2011, the outlandish new spots feature a dapper man played by John Behlmann, sporting a moustache, performing crazy feats for Dairy Queen. After announcing tasty menu offers, he would do something outrageous, like blow bubbles with kittens in them, water ski while boxing, and break a piñata where Olympic gymnastics great Mary Lou Retton tumbles out.

Logos[link]

The original retro-style neon sign with a cone, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The original Dairy Queen logo was simply a stylized text sign with a soft serve cone at one end. In the late 1950s, the widely recognized red ovoid design was adopted. The initial shape was asymmetrical, with one of the side points having a greater extension than the other, especially when matched with the Brazier sign—a similarly sized yellow ovoid, tucked diagonally below its companion. By the 1970s, both sides were more closely matched, becoming symmetrical with the 2006 update [see Yahoo! images for comparison]. Some of the new 1950s signs continued to display a soft serve cone jutting from the right side. "Little Miss Dairy Queen" began appearing in Pennsylvania signage in 1961.^[29] She had a Dutch bonnet, resembling the ovoid logo, with a pinafore apron over her dress and wooden shoes. A yellow trapezoid Brazier sign, placed below the red Dairy Queen logo, was developed in the late 1960s. It matched the roofline of the new store design of the era.

Although it had been used interchangeably with the Dairy Queen name for many decades, "DQ" became the company's official name in 2001. The font remained the same as the original signage introduced 60 years prior. Throughout this period, the company placed the registered mark symbol immediately to the right, on the bottom side of the logo. When the company modernized its signage and logos in late 2006, it modified the font and italicized the letters, as well as adding arced lines, an orange to represent its hot foods above and a blue one below to represent its ice cream products.^[30] Additionally, in the new design the registered mark symbol was moved to be adjacent to the letter "Q".^[31] The first overhaul of its logo in almost 70 years, the company claimed that the new logo would show brand growth and reflect the "fun and enjoyment" associated with its products.^[30] Advertising industry observers have noted that the new logo was an unneeded update of known and trusted industry brand and that its new features were distracting.^[31][32]

The original signage is still in use in older locations or in locations that use a "retro" design motif in the property's design. One example is the sign used at the Dairy Queen in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

[edit] Removal of advertising from The Secret Life of the American Teenager

In August, 2009, "One Million Moms", a project of the conservative Christian American Family Association announced on its website that Dairy Queen Director of Communications and Public Relations Dean Peters had contacted the project and said that Dairy Queen had removed its advertisement from the popular TV show The Secret Life of the American Teenager and would not advertise on the show again in the future.^[33] One Million Moms also stated that Dairy Queen had added Secret Life to its "Do Not Air List" and its "Restricted List".^[33] One of the concerns of One Million Moms was that "New character on the show is a gay, male high school freshman".^[34] One Million Moms also lists among its "Successful Campaigns" as having had advertisers remove ads from NYPD Blue and South Park.

Global locations[link]

Countries currently with Dairy Queen locations:

Countries formerly with Dairy Queen locations:

•  Guam (Withdrew in the 2000s)
•  Japan (Withdrew around 2000)
•  Austria (Withdrew around 1999)
•  Hungary (Withdrew in the 1990s)
•  Slovenia (Withdrew in the 1990s)
•  Turkey (Withdrew in the 1990s)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Hinton, S. E. (1967). The Outsiders. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 978-0-14-038572-4. OCLC 228138926. 
• Otis, Caroline Hall; Mundale, Susan (1990). The Cone with the Curl on Top: Celebrating Fifty Years, 1940-1990: the Dairy Queen Story. Minneapolis, Minn: International Dairy Queen, Inc. ISBN 0-9629040-0-7. OCLC 22993919. 

Further reading[link]

• Miglani, Bob (2006). Treat Your Customers: Thirty Lessons on Service and Sales That I Learned at My Family's Dairy Queen Store. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-8434-X. OCLC 76878287. 

External links[link]

	Minnesota portal
	Companies portal
	Food portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dairy Queen

• Dairy Queen Consumer website
  • History of Dairy Queen
  • Official blog
• Official Twitter
• Official Facebook page
• Texas Dairy Queen Operators Council
• Dairy Queen Canada website
• Dairy Queen Philippine website

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Jim Cornette
Ring name(s)	Jim Cornette[1] James E. Cornette[2]
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Billed weight	231 lb (105 kg)
Born	(1961-09-17) September 17, 1961 (age 50) Louisville, Kentucky
Debut	1982

James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker who is currently working for the Ring of Honor promotion.^[2]

As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He has also worked as an on-screen character in an authoritative role; as "Commissioner" of Ring of Honor (in a previous stint with the company) and "Management Director" (and off-screen road agent) for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Cornette currently acts as Executive Producer of Ring of Honor Wrestling, as well as serving as the on-air authority figure.^[3]

Career[link]

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Cornette always loved wrestling, reportedly installing a ten-foot antenna on top of his house as a youth so he could watch as much regional wrestling as possible. He began working at wrestling events at the age of 14, serving as a photographer, ring announcer, magazine correspondent, and public relations correspondent. In 1982, promoter Jerry Jarrett made the 21-year old Cornette the manager of Sherri Martel and gave Cornette the gimmick of a rich kid turned inept manager whose clients kept firing him after one match. The most notable wrestlers in this angle were Dutch Mantell and Crusher Broomfield (who would later gain fame as The One Man Gang and Akeem, The African Dream).

In 1983 he managed a trio of wrestlers in Nashville consisting of Carl Fergie, Norman Fredrich Charles III, and the Angel, a trio that he called the "Cornette Dynasty". At the end of 1983 he would take on his best-known role becoming the frontman for the Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton, and later Stan Lane). With Cornette as manager, the team were 2-time National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Tag Team Champions and 2-time NWA United States Tag Team champions. As a manager, Cornette was known for both his loud mouth and for his ever-present tennis racket,^[4] which Cornette often used to ensure victory for his wrestlers, with the implication that the racket case was loaded. Cornette was at his best as a heel manager; fans loved to see the constantly-yelling Cornette and his equally annoying charges beaten and humiliated. He and the Midnights were so hated, in fact, that they had to be escorted by police to and from the ring at the house shows and have a police escort to the city limits for fear of being attacked by overzealous fans. Additionally, Cornette suffered serious injuries to his knee during a scaffold match between the Midnight Express and the Road Warriors at Starrcade '86; when dropping to the mat from the edge of the 20 ft. high scaffold, Cornette didn't allow his legs to buckle quickly enough because he hoped to have a waiting Big Bubba Rogers there to cushion his fall. Rogers was supposed to catch Cornette in mid-air, preventing any damage. But because Rogers was wearing sunglasses he misjudged his position in the ring. Cornette actually landed three feet away from the man who was supposed to catch him and ended up blowing out one of his knees when it folded inwards. Cornette, who is legitimately afraid of heights, later said that he knew he might get seriously hurt when he was told he'd have to fall off a scaffold, but that performing in front of such a large audience was more important than his own health. Cornette would later recall the incident in a shoot interview.

National Wrestling Alliance/World Championship Wrestling (1986–1990)[link]

The Midnight Express with Cornette had a short stay in World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas where they feuded mainly with The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers). When opportunities in WCCW looked to go nowhere the Midnight Express started to look elsewhere for employment and what they found would give the team national and international exposure.

In 1986, Cornette became the color commentator for Jim Crockett Promotions' nationally-syndicated NWA television show, and later took over the same role on the Saturday night TBS broadcasts alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Ross.

In 1989, Cornette became a member of WCW's creative team, also known as a booker. As a booker for WCW, Cornette helped write storylines and shape the format of its television shows. Due to friction and animosity between himself and WCW head Jim Herd, Cornette quit the company after Halloween Havoc 1990.

Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1991–1995)[link]

A firm believer in "old-school" territorial wrestling, Cornette began the Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion in 1991.^[4] SMW promoted shows in Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas. By this point, however, the nature of wrestling in the United States had already changed irrevocably, leading Cornette to seek a working relationship with the WWF in 1993. This did not change the new national perception that regional promotions were "minor league". The move also did not help the federation's finances, and Cornette closed SMW's doors in November 1995. Cornette later said that he chose the wrong time to start a wrestling federation because the business as a whole was in a recession.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2005)[link]

Cornette went to the WWF in 1993 while still serving as promoter of SMW. As he had done in other promotions, Cornette held several positions in the WWF, including manager, color commentator and member of the booking committee. Cornette's most notable managerial role in the WWF was as the "American spokesperson" of WWF Champion Yokozuna.^[4]

Cornette joined the WWF full-time in 1996 after the demise of SMW, and had a major role in scouting and developing new talent. On screen, he led a top heel stable known as "Camp Cornette," which consisted of Vader, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog.^[4] In 1997, Cornette became a member of the WWF announce team where he served as a color commentator. It was during this time that he also began performing a series of controversial "worked shoots" where he would praise what he felt was right and condemn what he felt was wrong in professional wrestling. Although the segments were produced by the WWF, Cornette did not hesitate to give praise to WCW wrestlers that he felt deserved it. Cornette also became active behind the scenes working on the booking committee for several years before being removed after frequently butting heads with head writer Vince Russo.

In 1998, Cornette led an NWA invasion,^[4] based on the old Crockett Promotions territory, with a stable including Jeff Jarrett, Barry Windham and The Rock 'n' Roll Express. Later that year, Cornette managed The New Midnight Express^[4] before disappearing from WWF programming. Cornette did some color commentating, then returned to WWF television for one night at the WrestleMania X-Seven pay-per-view in Houston, Texas, where he took part in the "gimmick battle royal".^[4]

Cornette later became lead booker and part owner of OVW, WWE's lead developmental territory at the time, run by "Nightmare" Danny Davis. As a talent developer, Cornette had previously been instrumental in developing current and former WWE Superstars such as Kane, D'Lo Brown, Sunny and Al Snow during his time running SMW.

In May, 2005, Cornette was suspended for several weeks after slapping OVW developmental wrestler Anthony Carelli backstage after Carelli had "no-sold" fellow wrestler The Boogeyman by laughing at him during a live OVW event. Shortly after Cornette returned from his suspension, a separate incident occurred and the WWE released him from his contract in July, 2005. In the spring of 2007, Carelli, who had since been called up to the WWE as Santino Marella, appeared on a Canadian radio program where he publicly challenged Cornette to a match despite Cornette working for rival promotion TNA at the time.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2006–2009)[link]

In 2006, Cornette joined TNA Wrestling as the new face of TNA Management. He holds the title of "Management Director" according to the press releases following his premiere at the Slammiversary PPV event on June 18, 2006 in Orlando, Florida. After a brief speech, he departed, but returned at the end of the show in light of the "Orlando Screwjob," taking the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt after Jeff Jarrett, Larry Zbyszko and Earl Hebner successfully executed a screwjob on Christian Cage and Sting.

Cornette is seen by some as "bringing the NWA back to TNA"; although, this has never been officially stated. During Cornette's first TNA Impact! appearance, he got into a verbal confrontation with Jeff Jarrett. Remarkable comments from Cornette included "This is the NWA!" and "This is the NWA Title!" He also referred to Jeff Jarrett's family, discussing his father and grandmother. His shouts of the NWA could have been a simple mistake on his part as a common mistake made by many people is still regarding TNA as "NWA: TNA".

As the figurehead "Management Director" of TNA, Cornette did not usually take up more than ten minutes of the show, which can be attributed to both his quick tongue and TNA's lack of desire to create another Mr. McMahon. Matt Morgan had also become Cornette's on-screen bodyguard to prevent harm to his physical being, until leaving that post to become a full time wrestler. Part of Cornette's gimmick was that when multiple situations build up at once, he often takes care of them all swiftly by getting all the TNA wrestlers to come out to the Impact! Zone for a "company meeting" to hear his decisions, or exasperatedly deals swiftly with people who barge into his office. The clear impact of this feature was made evident right from the start, as the first "company meeting" (which aired on the June 29, 2006 edition of TNA Impact!), where every wrestler was asked to come out and stand at either ramp, saw Cornette clear up several issues:

• Forcing The Latin American Xchange to start wrestling again under the threat of termination.
• Booking Raven and Zbyszko in a hair vs. hair match against each other for Victory Road 2006.
• Disbanding Team Canada as a result of their overly cheating ways (he would later offer them a match which, if they won, would allow them to stay as a unit, with the winner to get a future shot at the championship of their choice. They would lose the match).
• Firing Earl Hebner for his role in the "Orlando Screwjob" at Slammiversary 2006. (Hebner had since been rehired, due to a lie detector test on Jeff Jarrett)
• Booking America's Most Wanted and Gail Kim in a match against Sirelda, A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels in an intergender six-person tag team matchup with Styles and Daniels' NWA World Tag Team Championship on the line.
• Booking a fatal four-way between Christian Cage, Sting, Scott Steiner, and Samoa Joe for Victory Road 2006.
• Finally declaring Jeff Jarrett the official NWA World Heavyweight Champion given that Jarrett defend his title against the winner of the fatal four-way at Victory Road.

With the return of Vince Russo to TNA, Cornette's run with the company would come into question. Cornette has been one of Russo's harshest critics and has blamed him for the "disintegration of the business". He's also stated that he wished to inflict bodily harm on Russo due to his involvement in a WCW angle with Ed Ferrara in which they mocked WWE commentator and good friend Jim Ross' Bell's Palsy condition. Since then, however, he managed to come to working terms with Russo and also become more involved in TNA.

The Daily Star conducted an interview with Cornette, who had some harsh words for the WWE Chairman. "Have you seen the stock market? Vince is not a billionaire any more! He may not even be a millionaire by the time this thing's over! I will sacrifice every penny I've got and cut my neighbour's lawn to see Vince McMahon a broken man laying in the gutter!"^[5] Cornette worked in WWE for years and ran the old Ohio Valley developmental territory.

Jim Cornette was released from his TNA contract on September 15, 2009.^[6]

Jim Cornette appeared on the "Who's Slamming Who" podcast to give his side of the story regarding his departure from TNA. He said he was released because he was not 100 percent behind the creative team. He said there were no severe reasons or incidents that led to his leaving the company, and noted that the news of his firing was online within two hours of TNA head of talent relations Terry Taylor informing him of the company's decision. This was also evident of fans uploading video opinions of the happening on YouTube sharing opinions and gossip of the departure of Cornette and former TNA superstar B.G James.

Cornette said the conversation with Dixie Carter, who said he would be welcomed back to the company if he could get 100 percent behind creative. He had stated that he was never informed that Ed Ferrara would be coming in, and claims he would have resigned from his position if he had known that he would be coming into the picture with the creative team. Cornette stated that he is open to returning to TNA in the future, but simply can't support the creative team of Russo and Ferrara.

Returning to Ring of Honor and Ohio Valley Wrestling (2009–present)[link]

Cornette in Ring of Honor in 2011.

In 2009, Cornette signed a contract with Ring of Honor to be their Executive Producer for the Ring of Honor Wrestling show on HDNet.^[7]

Cornette could be seen in promos leading up to his in-ring debut on HDNet and Cornette stated that he was the new Executive Producer for the television show and that he would bring change and positivity to the product. Cornette made his ROH debut on the December 7th edition of Ring of Honor Wrestling and immediately made waves by putting ROH champion Austin Aries into a 4-way title match later that night and created the Pick 6 contender series.

On September 8, 2010, Ohio Valley Wrestling announced that Cornette would resume his duties as the head booker of the promotion.^[8] Cornette left OVW in November 2011, when the promotion announced a working agreement with TNA.^[9] On the January 21 edition of Ring of Honor television, Cornette announced that chairshots to the head were banned and anyone that did so would be fined $5000. On the February 4 telecast, Cornette made another ban in which the piledriver--in any form--is banned.

Personal life[link]

Cornette and his longtime girlfriend Stacy Goff, who portrayed independent female wrestler Synn, were married in October 2007.^[10]

In September 2009, during a podcast interview on "Who's Slamming Who?" he voiced his support for President Barack Obama's Health Care Reform plans. He also condemned what he considered "fearmongering" from the Republican party, as well as calling former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin "a useless twat". He acknowledged having voted for Obama in the 2008 election, but does not consider himself a Democrat.^[11] His political statements have led to media attention, including an appearance on internet talk show The Young Turks.^[12][13]

Cornette has also stated on "YouShoot" that he is an atheist.^[14]

In wrestling[link]

• Wrestlers managed

• Tag teams managed

• The Midnight Express^[1] (Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)^[2]
• The Fantastics^[1] (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
• The Fabulous Ones^[15]
• The Dynamic Dudes^[1] (Johnny and Shane)^[16]
• The Rock 'n' Roll Express^[1] (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson)
• The Heavenly Bodies^[1] (Stan Lane and Tom Prichard, Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray)^[2]
• The Dynamic Duo (Al Snow^[1] and Unabomb)^[1]
• The Headhunters^[1] (Headhunter A and Headhunter B)
• The New Midnight Express^[1] (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart)^[2]
• Owen Hart and Yokozuna^[1]
• Owen Hart and The British Bulldog^[1]
• Briscoe Brothers^[1] (Jay and Mark)

• Nicknames
  • "The Louisville Slugger" James E. Cornette^[2]

• Entrance themes
  • "Chase" by Giorgio Moroder^[17]
  • "Gavel" by Dale Oliver (TNA)^[18]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Cauliflower Alley Club

• Other honoree (1997)

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Manager of the Year (1985, 1993, 1995)

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

• Class of 2012

• World Wrestling Federation
  • Slammy Award for Blue Light Special for Worst Dresser (1996)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Best Booker (1993, 2001, 2003)
  • Best Non-Wrestler (2006)
  • Best on Interviews (1985–1988, 1993)
  • Manager of the Year (1984–1990, 1992–1996)
  • Best Pro Wrestling Book (2009) Midnight Express 25th Anniversary Scrapbook
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

References[link]

• Cornette wows the audience in Charlotte
• An interview with Jim Cornette
• Jim Cornette at OnlineWorldofWrestling.com
• Jim Cornette released from WWE
• [1]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jim Cornette

• Official website
• Ring of Honor profile
• Jim Cornette at the Internet Movie Database