Jimmy Korderas The Game Plan interview on WWE and The Miz

Jimmy Korderas The Game Plan interview with John Carlo lino covered the ladder spots he questioned at WWE Money in the Bank, why he considers The Miz one of wrestling’s best utility players, and what it meant to return to Maple Leaf Gardens with Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. The former WWE referee also discussed his Cauliflower Alley Club award, wrestling’s changing presentation and his hopes for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

What did Jimmy Korderas say about his Cauliflower Alley Club award?

Jimmy Korderas called receiving the Charlie Smith referees award from the Cauliflower Alley Club in Las Vegas an honor, particularly because referees usually work in the background. Brian Blair called to tell him about the recognition, giving Korderas the reason he had long wanted to visit the club.

He described referees as important members of the team even when they are not its most visible figures. At the gathering, he reconnected with old friends and met people he had not encountered before. Learning more about the club mattered to him, too: he said the nonprofit raises money to help former pro wrestlers facing hardship, including medical difficulties.

Reconnecting with Bret Hart and Rey Mysterio

Bret Hart was there to receive an award. Korderas said he sees Hart from time to time, but had not seen Rey Mysterio in a long while, despite seeing Rey’s son Dom a couple of times in recent years. He also mentioned Psychosis and said his friends Art O’Callan and Steve Argenteiro inducted him. The experience left him wanting to return every year.

What did Jimmy Korderas say about Money in the Bank?

Jimmy Korderas enjoyed WWE Money in the Bank but questioned the setup of several ladder spots. He said the height and orientation of the ladder made Tiffany Stratton’s jump especially risky, while Javon Evans placing a ladder near the ropes did not make sense to him within a match built around a briefcase above the ring.

The ladder spots Korderas would have changed

On Stratton’s jump, Korderas said a tall ladder can tip when a wrestler pushes off it, even with referees holding the base. He would have turned it the other way. He also thought the wrestlers waiting outside were too far back to adjust when she came up short. Stratton finished the match, he noted, but finishing did not mean the spot could not have banged her up.

In another sequence, he said a ladder pushed into a second ladder had too much of its base outside the ring; added weight then caused it to slip. For Evans’s spot, Korderas questioned why a wrestler trying to reach a centrally suspended briefcase would set a ladder so close to the ropes. He suggested bringing the ambulance closer to the ring as one possible way to close the gap for the planned spot.

The briefcases and the possible cash-ins

Korderas expected Roxanne rather than Stratton to win the women’s briefcase, seeing a potential story with Liv. He had also expected Bron Breakker on the men’s side and thought the briefcase suited a wrestler who might make a sneaky cash-in. With Penta holding it instead, Korderas felt the harder question was how to build his next move without having him carry it for an entire year.

That question connected to Korderas’s broader view of WWE title stories. He said frequent title changes can work when the circumstances support them, just as a long reign can work for a different story. He also believed a future Roman Reigns and Oba Femi meeting would benefit from both men appearing difficult to beat. As for The Rock, Korderas no longer expected him to have a match in that storyline.

What did Jimmy Korderas say about WWE behind the scenes?

Jimmy Korderas sees a tension between giving fans access to WWE’s creative process and preserving a wrestling story’s ability to feel convincing. He questioned whether everything presented as behind-the-scenes material on Unreal should be taken at face value, while acknowledging that social media has changed where companies can develop angles.

He compared revealing wrestling’s methods to giving away a recipe: fans may understand how much is constructed without needing every detail. His skepticism about Unreal was not a claim to know which moments were genuine. Rather, he asked whether a show about wrestling’s production might itself be another carefully presented television show.

Korderas said his old instinct would have been to put a significant angle on television. But when a social-media segment can attract millions of views, he sees why that instinct may no longer fit. He was less enthusiastic about post-event press conferences that switch between performers speaking in character and speaking as themselves. He prefers a post-show discussion in which a wrestler can drop in for a conversation.

What did Jimmy Korderas say about Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling?

Jimmy Korderas believes Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling can grow because its presentation makes room for different kinds of matches and characters rather than serving only one audience. Attending Northern Rising also brought him back to Maple Leaf Gardens for the first time since the WWF show he remembered working there in September 1995.

Returning to Maple Leaf Gardens

The building had changed substantially, Korderas said, including the orientation of the rink. The roof was familiar. Looking up at it when he entered brought back memories, and he called the venue an important place for Canadian wrestling fans. He said running it was a smart choice for Maple Leaf Pro and particularly meaningful for Adam Copeland.

Korderas likes the company’s mix of comedy, hardcore wrestling and straightforward in-ring work, along with its use of social media and its connection to AEW’s platform. The event also reminded him of the less elaborate wrestling presentation he knew earlier in his career: a ring, a crowd and two wrestlers telling a story. He can enjoy modern production while still appreciating that bare-bones approach.

He was less convinced that a company could regularly return to studio wrestling. A larger venue can bring more ticket revenue, he said, while today’s viewers might read a studio setting as evidence that a promotion could not fill a bigger room. He thought it could work as a one-off tribute, but questioned it as an ongoing format.

What did Jimmy Korderas say about The Miz and other wrestlers?

Jimmy Korderas considers The Miz one of wrestling’s strongest utility players: someone who can work in comedy, help establish a younger talent or fill another needed role. He also praised Mustafa Ali, identified Jesse V as a Toronto-area wrestler with in-ring ability, and liked the judgment Grayson Waller showed in a promo exchange.

Korderas said The Miz initially drew deserved heat from people in the locker room, but stayed the course and developed. For Korderas, his value is not a list of moves; it is his ability to make an audience invest in a match or character. He thinks The Miz is especially effective as a heel and remains a significant opponent for a young wrestler to beat.

He praised Mustafa Ali’s work and said Jesse V could benefit from developing a personality audiences connect with. Waller impressed him for a different reason: Korderas thought Waller let another wrestler come out ahead in a promo exchange rather than trying to win every line himself.

Explaining why those roles matter, Korderas compared a wrestling roster to a hockey team whose stars, supporting players and specialists all contribute. He put the point this way:

It is a team game and that's what wrestling is. It's a team game

What did Jimmy Korderas say about the Toronto Maple Leafs and life outside wrestling?

Jimmy Korderas is cautiously optimistic about the Toronto Maple Leafs making the playoffs, but expects a changed roster to need time to come together. Hockey has been part of his life since he watched Hockey Night in Canada with his father, a Leafs fan, while his uncle supported the Montreal Canadiens.

He said the Leafs have shown encouraging flashes, though years of painful finishes have taught him caution. Korderas did not blame Mitch Marner for seeking another option after leaving Toronto; he said a player who feels his time with a team is up has to consider what comes next.

His interests extend beyond hockey and wrestling. He watches some basketball, baseball and NFL football, named Dr. J as his favorite athlete growing up, and chose the first Godfather film as his favorite movie. For comfort food he mentioned the Fat Fork and Zets; for coffee, he usually wants one cream and one sugar rather than a specialty order.

Korderas also keeps busy with Huge Pop Radio, which he does with Donnie DeSilva, and Reffing It Up with Brian Hebner and Daniel Spencer. He said the podcasts let him speak with wrestlers as people, not only as performers, and keep doing work he enjoys in retirement.