Jim Cornette criticizes WWE NXT's Mason Rook and Paul Walter Hauser

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Last week, Jim Cornette engaged in a social media feud with both NXT star Mason Rook and actor/wrestler Paul Walter Hauser. Not one to bow out quietly, Corny went for the jugular this week on the two men in the latest episode of his Jim Cornette Experience podcast. During the episode released this week, Cornette criticized the plus-sized Rook’s physical appearance before taking shots at what he perceived as Hauser’s lack of wrestling knowledge. The beef started after Hauser posted a video on X (Twitter) last week of a match between Rook — who has received enthusiastic praise from John Cena on multiple instances — and Jackson Drake. Hauser wrote that the crowd enjoyed the match, while also throwing in a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Nick Bockwinkel. “Watch & listen to the crowd. The people who paid MONEY to watch this show are LOVING it,“ Hauser wrote. “They do not care about the Twittersphere’s ‘Wiser Than Thou’ disdain parade. Sorry it didn’t meet your Nick Bockwinkle [sic] requirements. They got over & had fun. Welcome to wrestling in 2026.” Cornette responded angrily with his own X post by insulting both the actor as well as Rook. He ended his message by writing: “You couldn’t have parked Nick Bockwinkel’s car. F*** off.” The back-and-forth continued after Hauser wrote back directly to the former wrestling manager, and the exchange ultimately ended with the award-winning actor deleting his X account. However, Rook also became involved along the way, who was branded a “human waterbed” by Cornette. However, Corny wasn’t done speaking on the matter. On his podcast, he first addressed how he’s heard from fans who compared Rook to wrestling legends Big Van Vader, Yokozuna, and Big Bubba Rogers (aka Big Boss Man). “Mason Rooh does not look in that genre,” Cornette said, adding that the young English wrestler’s look may have worked in a territory in the 1970s. “But the, not just nationalization, but globalization of wrestling has made it so that a f***ing guy that looks like that is never going to god**** be taken seriously,” he said. Cornette continued: “It is somewhat off-putting that people can’t see and discern the difference anymore between guys that look like, if not even athletes, badasses or just f***ing people you don’t want to f**** with, and somebody that can just do a bunch of flips, because who gives a f*** whether you’re 350 pounds or 150 pounds.” He later added that Rook “looks like Fatty f***ing Arbuckle. He’s got a big face with rosy red f***ing cheeks and a big fat belly.” “I’m not saying the guy’s not deserving of human compassion, but god**** it, I’m sick and tired of everybody being allowed to play in the f***ing wrestling business just because a bunch of marks on Twitter, which we’ll get to a minute, apparently love him, and they like the social media attention,” Cornette said. He soon turned his attention to Hauser, saying “I know that we all identified with our wrestling heroes, but just because you’re a fat flabby f***, doesn’t mean that you have to identify with the other flat fabby flabby f***.” Cornette and his podcast co-host Brian Last then laid into Hauser for his take that young fans today are more interested in Rook than a legend like Bockwinkel. According to Cornette, there’s a problem with MLW and other promotions allowing Hauser to wrestle, because “now he thinks he’s got a f***ing opinion.” “But don’t have a god**** opinion, son. Or don’t mention Nick Bockwinkel’s name,” Corny said, wrapping up his long rant. What do you think about these recent thoughts from Cornette? Let us know in the comments.