“Red f*cking cheeks,” “Big fat belly”

A well-known wrestling manager has criticized WWE star Mason Rook. The 29-year-old talent debuted for the promotion on the April 28 episode of NXT.

Rook’s impressive agility for his size has caught the attention of many fans, leading to the chant, “He’s big, he’s bad! He’ll bodyslam your dad!” becoming popular in NXT arenas. His abilities have also earned him praise from John Cena, who appears to be a fan of the British wrestler.

However, not everyone is on the Mason Rook bandwagon. Jim Cornette, a seasoned manager, has been outspoken about his criticism of Rook’s appearance and wrestling skills since his NXT debut.

During last week’s show, Rook faced off against Jackson Drake, prompting actor and wrestler Paul Walter Hauser to share on X that the crowd enjoyed the match and referenced WWE Hall of Famer Nick Bockwinkel. This did not sit well with Cornette, who responded to Hauser, leading to a heated exchange that resulted in Hauser deactivating his X account.

Cornette didn’t stop there. On his podcast, the Jim Cornette Experience, he continued his criticism of Rook, arguing that he doesn’t fit into the same category as wrestlers like Big Van Vader, Yokozuna, and Big Boss Man.

“Mason Rook does not look in that genre. But not just nationalization, but globalization of wrestling has made it so that a f*cking guy that looks like that is never going to goddamn be taken seriously,” he said.

Cornette highlighted the distinction between a large wrestler who appears intimidating and one who performs athletic moves.

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*cking people you don’t want to f*ck with, and somebody that can just do a bunch of flips, because who gives a f*ck whether you’re 350 pounds or 150 pounds? ‘Oh, look at his moves.’ Look at his face. He’s just like the Fatty F*cking Arbuckle. He’s got a big face with rosy red f*cking cheeks and a big fat belly.

Jim Cornette has also criticized Mason Rook’s in-ring work

Mason Rook’s in-ring debut in May on NXT left fans impressed, but Jim Cornette was not as enthusiastic.

On his podcast, Cornette expressed disappointment after waiting to see the hype around Rook. He claimed that Rook struggled with executing a proper body slam and questioned his presence on camera.

The 64-year-old also criticized Rook’s attire, noting that it left him exposed on a few occasions.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit the Jim Cornette Experience and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.