Jimmy Korderas Talks The AEW - NXT Wednesday Night War, If WWE Should Change NXT's Presentation
Jimmy Korderas was a WWE ref from 1987 to 2009 so he survived many different eras of pro wrestling including the Monday Night Wars. Many think we are on the second coming of that era with the Wednesday Night Wars but Korderas isn't one of them.
He was asked if these Wednesday Night Wars have lived up to the hype when he spoke to Wrestling Inc. on our WINCLY podcast.
"No because I think people are more into choosing sides as opposed to trying to enjoy both products. To me, this is a great time to be a wrestling fan because you have options," Korderas said before adding he watched the NWA Powerr show and said it made him feel like a kid again.
"I try to enjoy it as a fan. Everybody has their own presentations and their own likes, but why does it have to be a war? Why can't everybody just enjoy? I'm perfectly fine with watching one on Wednesday and one on the next day."
With not only AEW and WWE, but also Impact, NWA, ROH and many other promotions, Korderas was asked if there is an over-saturation going on in pro wrestling.
"That's the difficult part because if you look at it, if you include NWA and MLW, there's a lot out there," stated Korderas before weighing in on Impact's move to Tuesdays on AXS.
"That's a smart move to them but a little bit late because I thought ? obviously for reasons that TNT couldn't put AEW on Tuesdays because that would have been the perfect time for them with people pre-programmed to SmackDown being on Tuesdays – but it's a good swap for [Impact]. With Impact coming in you've got Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, trying to catch up on Thursday before you get to Friday.
"Divorce lawyers are making a killing."
AEW has soundly defeated NXT in ratings over the first couple of Wednesdays and Korderas was asked what WWE can be doing with NXT to counter.
"I don't think they should change anything because what I love about NXT is that it's completely different than what everyone else is doing," stated Korderas. "When people talk about a sports-type presentation to pro wrestling, to me, other than the NWA show, it's NXT that has that feel more than any of the brands out there. I love their presentation and that they focus on in-ring more than anything. They have their video packages and their stories and promos but the bulk is focused on the in-ring product and it's very good."
He also disagreed with the notion that NXT needs to move out of Full Sail, asking,"Why does everything have to be a big production?"
When host Nick Hausman pointed out the stark difference in viewing when going from NXT and their small arena to AEW and their 15,000 arenas, Korderas agreed that visually AEW does look better.
"We live in a world where perception is reality so if it's perceived as a bigger deal, then people will think that. I try to look past that but I understand that thinking. When you look at both shows, visually it looks great with AEW," said Korderas.
Korderas last worked for WWE 10 years ago and he revealed if he's spoken to anyone in AEW about a potential job.
"I haven't spoken to them at all. Part of the problem is being in Canada and that means they would have to get the proper work papers to get me down there. Or I would have to move to the States which I'm not prepared to do at this time," stated Korderas.
He then added that contrary to the internet, he's very happy right now and after 20+ years of 200+ days on the road, which he loved, that lifestyle doesn't suit him anymore.
Jimmy Korderas can be seen hosting Aftermath on SN360 every Friday night. For TV listings and more info, please click here. His full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part of today's episode of our WINCLY podcast. It can be heard via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post. Featuring Jimmy discussing Eric Bischoff's WWE firing, the finish to WWE's Seth Rollins vs The Fiend HIAC match, the role WWE referees play in deciding match finishes, his criticisms of AEW's officiating, if The Wednesday Night War has lived up to the hype and more.
You can check out past episodes of the WINCLY here. Subscribe to Wrestling Inc. Audio on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to the show via Spotify here or through TuneIn here.