5 Ways Tony Khan And Jim Cornette Are Similar (& 5 How They're Different)

In many ways, Jim Cornette and Tony Khan just seem like oil and water. Whereas Cornette is a bit of a traditionalist, Khan is more progressive. Jim's no spring chicken, and he's strongly opinionated. He has a lot more experience in the wrestling business than Khan, and he'll let Tony know if he doesn't like what he's seeing (or smelling).

For all the differences between Cornette and Khan, there are a few similarities as well. Both are extremely passionate about the wrestling business, and both have become highly influential figures inside it. Nowadays, Corny continues to gain traction with his podcasts, The Jim Cornette Experience and Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru. Meanwhile, Khan has the wrestling world talking with his promotion, All Elite Wrestling.

10 Similar: Memphis Wrestling

Tony Khan has professed to being a big fan of Memphis-based wrestling and even honored some of its dignitaries during an episode of Dynamite. Khan has all but cited Memphis booking as being highly influential on his style. Cornette worked in Memphis very early in his career and has always maintained a certain affection for the territory. It's obvious when you hear the level of admiration and respect in Cornette's tone when he mentions names like Jerry Lawler, Jackie Fargo, and even Christine and Jerry Jarrett. This is one subject that Khan and Cornette find a middle ground on.

9 Different: Booking Philosophy

Jim Cornette was virtually apoplectic when The Wrestling Observer named Tony Khan, Booker Of The Year. Tony tends to favor an offbeat and "backwards" style of booking in Cornette's opinion. For example, Jim was highly critical of the idea of the first match between The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle being a Blood and Guts match, when it should have been the blowoff to the feud.

In fairness, Cornette makes a lot of good points in his criticisms of Tony Khan's booking, as fans have echoed some of the same opinions. On the contrary, Tony is new to booking, and taking that into consideration, he has booked some quality angles, but it might be a bit premature to label him as Booker Of The Year.

8 Similar: CM Punk Fans

Tony Khan has revealed that when he first hatched the idea of AEW, the number one wrestler he wanted to sign and build the company around was CM Punk. Jim Cornette has gone out of his way to praise The Straight Edge Superstar, citing him as one of the very few modern wrestlers who actually "gets it." Though the results have been mixed, signing Punk is still one of the best decisions that Tony Khan has ever made. As for Cornette, he has been fully invested in Punk from the start, and he is one of the few AEW wrestlers who are on the receiving end of consistent praise from Jim. CM Punk's greatness is one thing that Jim and Tony can agree on.

7 Different: Comedy In Wrestling

Jim Cornette has been vociferous in his views of modern wrestling being too silly and comedic. In the beginning of AEW, comedy was especially prevalent. Jim has been aggressively critical of wrestlers such as Orange Cassidy and Marco Stunt as being nothing short of an abomination to the wrestling business.

Tony Khan, on the other hand, has openly professed that Cassidy is his favorite AEW wrestler, going so far as to cosplay as him for Halloween. Jim has continually rolled his eyes at the idea of "Pockets,' and "The Puddin Gang,' as he likes to call Orange Cassidy and his group, The Best Friends.

6 Similar: Blood In Wrestling

This is a marginal similarity, as Jim Cornette has called some of AEW's use of blood as being examples of "garbage wrestling,'" but he is also old school and appreciates the concept of blood in wrestling. Tony Khan is a fan of territory wrestling and feels that WWE's absence of blood had disenfranchised its core fan base.

Therefore, Khan has done what he can to appease the fans by allowing blood in AEW's matches, and not censoring it. Jim Cornette feels that wrestling needs a certain level of violence in order to feel truly authentic. Though their philosophies on blood in wrestling may not entirely align, both Cornette and Khan agree that it is essential to the genre.

5 Different: Leadership

Tony Khan presenting the AEW World Title

It would seem that Tony Khan has an entirely different approach to being a boss than Jim Cornette would advise. Jim feels that the wrestlers walk all over Tony and that there is no structural body of authority in AEW. Because Cornette worked closely with Vince McMahon and Bill Watts, he understands the need for a wrestling locker room to be effectively governed, or otherwise, chaos is inevitable. Tony seems to feel that being a friend to his wrestlers is a more acceptable way of gaining their trust. This is one area, where Jim and Tony do not agree at all.

4 Similar: Intelligence

There's no denying that Jim Cornette is a wrestling genius, after hearing him talk for more than five minutes. Tony Khan, has a degree in both Science and Finance and has been the only man to offer a true mainstream alternative to the wrestling business in nearly two decades. Both men are industrious and astute in their own unique ways. Of course, Jim has the experience factor over Tony. Khan, on the other hand, is thriving in a much higher-tech and faster-paced market than Jim ever had to.

3 Different: Inclusivity

From day one, Tony Khan and AEW have made it clear that inclusivity is something that would be a hallmark of their brand. Jim Cornette feels that Khan and AEW have taken the idea of inclusivity way too far. Cornette, was highly critical of AEW allowing Dustin Thomas, a double amputee, to participate in the Double Or Nothing Battle Royal in 2019, citing how no other major sports franchise would ever allow this. Jim also feels that wrestlers, such as Sonny Kiss, are only in AEW to promote diversity and not because of their talent. This is one area where Cornette and Khan will remain opposed as AEW will never abandon their views on inclusivity.

2 Similar: Both Are/Were Wrestling Promoters

Smoky Mountain Wrestling Jim Cornette Rick Rubin

One way in which Tony Khan and Jim Cornette can empathize with one another is how stressful it is to manage and promote a wrestling organization on a daily basis. Dealing with the various intricacies that go into running a wrestling promotion is not for the faint of heart, and requires a rare individual to do so.

Of course, Tony has been operating AEW since the fall of 2019. Cornette ran Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the mid-'90s, opening the door for talents like AEW's own Chris Jericho. Jim was also a major presence in the famed WWE developmental territory OVW, acting as one of its head trainers and bookers.

1 Different: The Elite

It's become something of a legendary story at this point, but Tony Khan originally wanted Jim Cornette to work for AEW. The two had a closed-door meeting, for which an NDA was instituted, during which Tony Khan informed Cornette that not only was he bringing in The Elite as talents, but as executives as well. It was at that point that Jim says he politely declined Tony's offer to work for AEW, as he would never work with The Elite in that capacity.

Jim Cornette has gone on record as saying that he will never have any respect for The Elite and has even abandoned his support for Adam Cole since Cole has aligned himself with the group. Tony Khan and The Elite have likely developed an extremely close relationship by now, and it's all but a foregone conclusion that The Elite will be a major part of AEW, for the foreseeable future.