Jerry Lynn Interview

[Guest Trivia247]

Show: The Interactive Interview (theinteractiveinterview.com)

Guest: Jerry Lynn

Date: 27th April 2003

Your Hosts: Daniel Edler & James Walsh

Recap by: James Walsh

 

Upcoming guests on The Interactive Interview include Sid Vicious, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan and Jeff Jarrett. To submit questions for them, or to view our interview archive with such names as Gene Okerlund, Randy Savage and more, click the link at the bottom.

 

Jerry Lynn

 

-- Jerry says he was a wrestling fan since he was 6-years-old. He loved The Crusher and Maddog Vachon from the classic AWA days.

 

-- He got started because his ex-wife's friend was dating a wrestler and they went to a show. He felt he could do better in his back yard. Lynn was trained by Brad Riggins.

 

-- Dan seems really interested in knowing who Jerry's favorites were. Interesting reaction from James and Jerry.

 

-- Sean Waltman and Jerry wrestled for two years and got together daily to watch tapes to get better. They wrestled for two years in Minnesota.

 

-- The Sportitorium was a feeling of nostalgia because the Von Erich's ran World Class out of there years prior.

 

-- Global was a fun place to work but the problem with it was finances.

 

-- After Global, Jerry went to Japan and teamed with Waltman for a year. He finally asked Brad Riggins how to get a break and he was told he needed something flashy. Jerry came up with the Mr. JL outfit but that wasn't his idea of a name.

 

-- Jerry broke his arm on a live Nitro against Dean Malenko.

 

-- Jerry wanted to be the Phantasm in WCW, but Kevin Sullivan was the booker and said "Ah, what the hell. Call him Mr. JL." Jerry said he knew it was the beginning of the end there.

 

-- WCW wasn't a negative on his career but it wasn't any fun.

 

-- After WCW, Jerry called the WWE office and talked to Bruce Prichard about coming in. They flew him in to Chicago to work Taka. Paul Heyman saw the Raw match, realized Jerry was free and asked him to come to work.

 

-- After Jerry was in ECW, the WWE had plans to use him in the light heavyweight title tournament. He doesn't think the communication breakdown had anything to do with his lack of a push in the WWE the most recent time around.

 

-- He feels his matches with Justin Credible were awesome.

 

-- Rob Van Dam is not as hard to work with as people say. "He's willing to do anything."

 

-- Jerry's most painful match was when he smashed his face on the floor. Lance Storm took Jerry to the hospital that night to get stitched up.

 

-- "I never really got a push in ECW. Paul Heyman would give me an occasional shove when it came time to put someone else over." He feels his world title win in ECW was a bust. He was surprised it lasted a month.

 

-- He feels Paul may have been involved with his lack of success in the WWE.

 

-- The moral of ECW towards the end was bad but the guys worked just as hard.

 

-- Jerry had no intention of showing up for Guilty as Charged, the last ECW pay per view. When Rob Van Dam showed up, he knew Rob was getting paid and all the other guys were getting half pay. Rhyno talked him into doing the last pay per view. Jerry didn't even have his tights at the venue.

 

-- Jerry learned of ECW's official death when they stopped asking him to the shows. When ECW closed, he called Jim Ross and met with WWE.

 

-- He feels the demise of WCW really hurt the business for the boys because you can't negotiate your contract with anyone else.

 

-- "About 3 months after the knee surgery, I got my release. I kind of felt like a worthless piece of meat because other guys can take a year off for neck surgery. After the knee injury, I figured I'd be losing my job."

 

-- The lightweight title was just a test. He wonders why they even did that division.

 

-- Jerry was released on the Friday and worked the WWA Revolution pay per view 2 days later. He said he didn't want to work a match because he hadn't wrestled a match in 7 months.

 

-- He feels AJ was a great worker even back at the WWA show. He laughs at the story AJ tells about that match feeling AJ is too hard on himself.

 

-- Working with the WWA is how he got involved with TNA because Jarrett and Borash were there.

 

-- The X division is the first time he was given the opportunity to really shine. He loves it.

 

-- He would add Super Crazy, Kurt Angle, Johnny Storm, Doug Williams, and Chris Candido to TNA if he had to choose 5 people to add.

 

-- Jerry feels Candido wasn't brought in to TNA yet because of "the past." He thinks people are not treating Chris fairly.

 

-- Everyone in TNA's locker room wants to give their best just like ECW. He feels the WWE and WCW had far too much political play. He says that the more the guys get paid, the less happy guys are to be there.

 

-- Jerry talks about dropping the light heavyweight title to Jeff Hardy. He wants to see him in TNA.

 

-- The main difference between XPW and indies and TNA is that you have to be perfect down to the second for TNA while XPW can edit for their video distribution. There is more stress in TNA.

 

-- Jerry's memories of the first 2 TNA shows, which were filmed the same night, are "It was a long ass night." He had moved to Nashville for the company. He just did a 4 day loop across the country for different shows and he drove 15 hours to Alabama for the shows. He was exhausted for the six-man-tag that was the first TNA match ever. He said he was dead by the time the double elimination X title match took place.

 

-- Winning the X belt is at the top of his career highlights.

 

-- Vince Russo has too much talking on the show. He gets annoyed when you start a show with 20 minutes of talking.

 

-- Sonny Siaki was not an X division wrestler when Jerry dropped the belt to him. He feels Siaki has learned how to be "X style" since then, though.

 

-- Jerry wasn't thrilled about being taken out of the X title scene but was hopeful to wrestle Jeff Jarrett. He feels wrestling David Flair was taking the wind out of his sails.

 

-- Jerry says the future of the X division depends on the stars they bring in and the time they give them.

 

-- Jerry feels the Trinity and Kid Kash match had a great fan reaction. He doesn't feel they went toe to toe because she took a beating, to prove she could take it. He feels she should have won with a "desperation" move like a "nut shot." He feels the run-in gave it a flat finish. He says the match was very well done other than the finish.

 

-- He feels the TNA school has been put on the back burner but Jerry is going to talk to them when he gets home about starting the school soon and get some plans set.

 

-- Jerry and Sean Waltman want to do something to have matches again but he wants to put together a video tape package of all their old stuff and set up the matches telling the history of the feud. He wanted to do it in TNA but maybe they'll do it in XPW.

 

-- Jerry says the WWE would have to offer a big pay day and he wouldn't accept a "downside guarantee" because there is no guarantee they'll actually use you.

 

-- "I'll keep on wrestling as long as my body holds up and I don't stink up the joint. As long as I don't become the drizzling shits."

 

-- Then we hit some word associations:

 

Eric Bischoff: "He's a changed person from the old AWA days. That's a bad thing."

Sting: "Very quiet and to himself."

Joe Pedicino: "Very enjoyable to work for."

 

Plus his views on Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon, Tommy Dreamer, Jeff and Jerry Jarrett, Francine, Vince Russo, and a direct remark on Paul Heyman. The show then runs into our after-show wrap up.

 

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Basically this was a great read.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

What'd he say about Dreamer, the Jarretts, and Russo?

[Guest geniusMoment]

If jerry actually felt he could have been a franchise player for ECW he is kidding himself. He was given a pretty consistant push as an upper mid-carder. For someone with his lack of charisma and mic skills that is pretty damn good.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I agree with him that the belt wasn't a good fit on him. Just kind of one of those "we owe you one" title reigns.

 

After RVD got the tv title it pretty much was above the world title anyway.

[King Cucaracha 0]

At least he seems happier now than he obviously used to be. His mic skills are underrated. As a heel, he's cut decent stuff in ECW for a while, and one in the WWA at the expence of Eddie Guerrero. He wrestles as a face, but his promos are better as a heel.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

He can talk good as a heel when he can just talking about "I'm gonna kick your ass." As long as he's straight to the point, bitter, and not long winded he's not bad.

 

But other then that he's not at all witty or have any charisma, that hurts.