Jeff Jarrett Talks Leaving TNA, His Plans For GFW, Wrestle Kingdom 9 & More
The following are highlights of a new Main Event Radio interview with Jeff Jarrett:
On the NJPW ‘Wrestle Kingdom 9’ pay-per-view: “This is truly a global event. The most widely distributed live wrestling event in history. New Japan is a red-hot promotion. Expecting over 50,000 fans and I can tell you this will be a card that is on par with a Wrestlemania. Jim Ross, the voice of a generation of wrestling fans is going to be calling the action. This truly is a can’t miss event.”
On The Young Bucks: “I consider the best tag team in wrestling today. New age wrestlers of 2015 and beyond.”
On AJ Styles: “We’ve gone side-by-side together for the last 12 years…he stepped away, out of his comfort zone and he had in my opinion possibly the best year of his career. He’s an incredible athlete and an even better person. I met AJ when he was in his early 20’s and now he’s married with 4 kids. I’ve seen him develop as a man and I’m very proud of him as a man and in his career. The X division matches that he had and his world title runs, he is without a doubt the hottest free agent out there and a great professional wrestler.”
On Jim Ross: “We knew when Global Force Wrestling and New Japan cemented the deal in August and then got the PPV contracts confirmed throughout United States and Canada with every provider in both countries. So when we looked around to find out who would be the English-speaking announcer and realized that Jim Ross was available, it was a no brainer. He is the best of the best of the best, he has no peers and he is simply the best. We knew by signing him, by acquiring him, he was going to raise the profile of the event. But over the last 3-4 weeks the amount of publicity and media requests has taken off a whole new life. The buzz is taken off the charts. With the Flipps app, this event is available on a worldwide basis for anybody to watch.”
On leaving TNA: “It was time. I founded the company back in 2002. We were rocking and rolling. I put everything I had into that company. I knew when 2013 came to an end; I looked in the mirror and knew it was time for me to take the next step in my life and my career. I’ve got no regrets, I’m very happy with my time there but it was time for me to go in a different direction. Very thankful, very blessed, and very grateful for my time in TNA. The early years were such a unique set of circumstances. The rabid fan base began to grow back on a weekly basis back on the Wednesday night PPVs. The original fans, then we got the Spike deal and things began to gel. From 2002 right through 2009 were my favourite times. A lot of fun, great talent, the X division, it really exploded.”
On if it bothers him at all that TNA refers to Bobby Roode as their longest reigning champion: “No, because that’s wrestling. Bobby’s a good friend. I can remeber him at the early days at the asylum. I walked up to Bobby and I scratched my head why he wasn’t signed to WWE. We jumped on him immediately and signed him. He’s a great talent, I’ve got a ton of respect for the guy and he can get it done in the ring.”
On his plans for Global Force Wrestling: “We have very methodically rolled out the Global Force Brand. Partnering with AAA in Mexico, New Japan in Japan, with announcements to come for United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa. Systematically, we’re having patience. We’re going to be a fully-functioning promotion with our roster, sponsorships, venues, talent, distribution. We’re putting those all in place. In early 2015 the roll-out of GFW will continue. Stay tuned. We’ve got some really unique opportunities ahead of us. A wrestling PPV has not been promoted without a traditional cable outlet. We’re innovative. Everything, not just the wrestling business, is headed to the digital world. WWE Network, New Japan World, Major League Baseball. With us partnering with other promotions around the world, that is a fundamental difference in today’s wrestling.”
Check out the complete interview at MainEventRadio.com.
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