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Given how stacked AEW's roster is at the moment, some talented performers are bound to get lost in the shuffle. One among them is Jay Lethal, whose poor booking in AEW has perplexed many, including wrestling veteran Jim Cornette.
Lethal debuted at Full Gear 2021 to much fanfare. Following that, the only prominent match he wrestled was against Sammy Guevara on Dynamite's November 17th episode, unsuccessfully challenging for the TNT Championship.
Since then, Jay Lethal has been competing exclusively on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation, where he has defeated many unsigned talents. Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, Drive-Thru, Cornette voiced his frustrations over the lack of opportunities provided to the AEW star.
He pointed out that while fans have to watch the likes of 2point0, Daniel Garcia, and Orange Cassidy every week on TV, Lethal is nowhere to be seen. Jim Cornette stated that there's little point in signing talents when the promotion books them to lose matches and eventually "bury" them.
"They bring him in, they beat, they announce his signing, we've never seen him again. But meanwhile, we have to suffer through 2point0 and Daniel Garcia every week. We got to see Orange Cassidy every week. But Jay Lethal, where is he? He's hanging out with Will Hobbs. Why do you waste talent, why do you beat talent, why do you bury talent, why do you make talent go away?" said Jim Cornette
AEW star Jay Lethal recently earned praises from the legendary Ric Flair
Though his AEW run has been underwhelming so far, there's no debating Lethal's contribution to the wrestling business over the last decade. A few weeks ago, Ric Flair lavished praise on Jay Lethal, saying that the AEW star was one of the most talented people in wrestling who'll never get his due.
The Nature Boy said Lethal was one of his favorites and added that he's one of the most respectful people he has ever met.
"You know how much respect I have for Jay Lethal. I think he's one of the most talented people I've ever met in my life. He's never gonna get his due but he's one of my favourite people. You know I'm so pro the people that are respectful and he is so respectful," said Ric Flair.
There's still hope Jay Lethal's fortunes can turn for the better in AEW, considering just how much experience he brings to the table. Plus, the younger performers could learn many insightful things about professional wrestling through the former IMPACT Wrestling star.
Do you agree with Jim Cornette's assessment of Jay Lethal's AEW run so far? Sound off in the comments section below.
