[6] During a transitional period prior to the retirement, he worked as an on-screen "authority figure" character in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor, promotions where he also held backstage positions.

After a short-lived run in Georgia through a deal Jarrett had with Ole Anderson, Cornette returned to Memphis in July 1983, and worked as co-manager alongside Jimmy Hart.

Watts also noticed the brash young manager in Cornette, and in his own words, recalled "He was so obnoxious I wanted to slap him",[41] and "I knew he was instant box office if he could get me that riled up".

The feud continued through to early March 1984, when The Midnight Express won the Mid-South tag team titles after Mr. Wrestling II walked out on his partner during a match.

[37] At a TV taping on March 14, 1984, Cornette and the Midnights staged a celebration for winning the tag team titles, complete with champagne and birthday cake.

In particular, the two teams set attendance records in Houston, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, making 1984 the most successful year in Mid-South history, and The Midnight Express and Cornette national stars.

[37] Cornette has consistently acknowledged that Bill Watts's philosophy of believable and credible wrestling, with an unwavering emphasis on toughness, athleticism and serious presentation, has had a major impact on how he thinks the business should be promoted.

He has described the promotion as a military school for wrestling, where Watts' strict enforcement of kayfabe, exhausting travel schedule and passionate fans made it a learning experience like no other.

"[42] The Midnight Express with Cornette had a short stay in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in Texas where they feuded mainly with The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers).

[46] The following week on Main Event, Watts appeared with Smoky Mountain commissioner Bob Armstrong, who demanded Cornette make a public apology.

Watts confirmed the Rock 'n' Roll Express were scheduled to face the Wrecking Crew (Rage and Fury) at SuperBrawl III, but suggested they wrestle the Heavenly Bodies instead.

Typically, Cornette then tried to interfere in the match by climbing onto the ring apron to argue with the referee; however, the Express eventually won via pinfall when the returning Eaton accidentally hit Prichard instead of Morton.

During a production meeting for Raw – which was to feature newly signed wrestler The Patriot – Cornette repeatedly tried to steer the discussion towards the treatment of what he thought was a new top-of-the-line heroic character.

In 1998, Cornette led an NWA invasion[43] based on the old Crockett Promotions territory, with a stable including Jeff Jarrett, Barry Windham and The Rock 'n' Roll Express.

Cornette returned to WWF television for one night at WrestleMania X-Seven in Houston to participate in the Gimmick Battle Royal, but was quickly eliminated by Hillbilly Jim.

[43] In July 1999, Cornette became head booker and part-owner of WWF's lead developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), then being run by Nightmare Danny Davis.

As a talent developer in Smoky Mountain, he had already been instrumental in the careers of then-current and former WWF stars Kane, D'Lo Brown, Sunny and Al Snow, and WWE also credits Cornette with helping foster other world-famous superstars, including John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar.

In June 1997, Cornette made a surprise appearance on the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) show Orgy of Violence, assisting Jerry Lawler and attacked Tommy Dreamer with his tennis racket as part of a WWF-ECW rivalry angle.

[58] Following his departure from Ring of Honor, Cornette decided to take an extended break from professional wrestling to focus on his health and work on personal projects.

[60] On October 6, 2016, Cornette made his first appearance doing color commentary in two years, debuting for What Culture Pro Wrestling at their Refuse to Lose event in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Cornette stated that he was put in charge by Impact's parent company, Anthem Sports & Entertainment, to resolve the Unified GFW World Heavyweight Championship situation.

Cornette was joined on commentary by Tony Schiavone for the main event NWA World Heavyweight Championship match between Nick Aldis and Cody Rhodes.

In July 2023, Cornette and Last received mainstream attention when they became two of the first podcasters to publicly accuse Kast Media and its CEO Colin Thomson of habitual non-payment.

It was reported that Kast Media was being acquired by PodcastOne and that in lieu of full payment, Thomson offered creators partial compensation combined with stock.

Similar accusations were soon made by Theo Von, Jason Ellis, Brendan Schaub, Bryan Callen, Whitney Cummings, and Alyx Weiss, who stated they were owed money by Kast Media, including several six-figure and seven-figure shortages.

[28] The Russo vs. Cornette rivalry was prominently featured in Viceland's Dark Side of the Ring episodes covering the Montreal Screwjob and WWF's Brawl for All, which aired in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

[104] Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter agreed with the shock jock characterization and had influenced a fan that tried to run into an AEW ring in July 2021.

[109] Cornette is a critic of right-wing politics, condemning what he considers "fearmongering" from the Republican Party as well as controversially labeling former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as "a useless twat".

[66] A notable altercation involving the Midnight Express and fans at the Raleigh County Armory on May 29, 1987, eventually made its way to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia in Massey v. Jim Crockett Promotions, Inc.

[117][118][119] Jacobs' predecessor as Knox County mayor, Tim Burchett, declared November 17, 2014 "Jim Cornette Day" during a Southeastern Championship Wrestling taping in Knoxville.