People were right, the JJ interview was a cop out!

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Jeff Jarrett Impact Community Interview Transcript Interviews 

July 12th, 2005 17:56

JEFF JARRETT IMPACT COMMUNITY CHAT TRANSCRIPT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON

 

Hello to everyone out there! I've done several of these but it's been a while. I'm very curious as to hear everyone's opinions as to what's going on in the world of wrestling

 

Q: Jeff your one of my all time favorites, my question is who is your favorite opponent throughout your career and what has been your favorite match that you wrestled? Thanks

 

To pick on opponent would be impossible to do. I have different stages of my career.

Without being too long winded here, in my early days I grew up watching Jerry Lawler, for me to finally have him as a partner and an opponent was one of the early goals in my career that I reached. From that point, when I first went to WWF my favorite opponent was Shawn Michaels. We had a series of matches that I'm very proud of. My next phase of my career would be from WCW and I had several opponents when I was World Champion from Ric Flair to DDP. Scott Steiner also during the late 90's. I had a favorite partner in Owen Hart. We were close friends in and out of the ring. Since my TNA days It would be AJ Styles, Monty Brown and Kevin Nash would be my favorite three opponents. Without a doubt my favorite match would be one I created here at TNA, the King of the Mountain match.

 

Q: Jeff I was wondering if you had any role models while you were growing up?

 

Roll models growing up...In the business - people I admired - Jerry Lawler, Jackie Fargo…was someone I watched as a kid growing up. Curt Hennig was a hard working performer. He knew all facets of the business and to this day I watch as much wrestling as possible to see who sparks my interest.

 

Q: Hey Jeff what do you feel when you wrestle and held the NWA World Title belt here in TNA!

 

The World Title is something I always dreamed of attaining. Everyone knows this is a business first and foremost, but that being said gaining the title you grew up watching is a great feeling.

 

Q: Where do you see TNA in five years time and what personal goals do you still have as a wrestler?

 

TNA in 5 years will be very interesting. We just had our 3 year anniversary. We've had our critics all along the way. We're on the brink of making some major announcements that will send us to the next level. I hope that we have a stronger domestic and global presence in 5 years and by that time we will have had enough time to establish us very strongly in the wrestling space. A lot of things can happen in 5 years!

 

Q: What are your thoughts on Ring of Honor?

 

Ring of Honor is a promotion in my opinion, that goes after a very niche audience and does it very, very well. A couple of the guys on the TNA roster enjoy working there and they have their style of wrestling that caters to their audience. I don't think it's for everyone but the ones that it's for are very passionate about it and I have to commend them for marketing it that way.

 

Q: Who is the best wrestler in TNA after you of course..

 

Well, you'll have to get more specific if you want an exact answer. Best Technical? In my opinion, Christopher Daniels is very technically sound. There are guys in X Division that are very technically sound. But if you're looking at a style and "the best wrestler" at displaying a persona, Monty Brown has unlimited potential. Abyss has the ability to work many different styles. Some would consider him to be the best in TNA.

 

Q: Hey Jarrett, big fan. Do you generally find that you have better matches with the X Division superstars (e.g. AJ Styles, Jerry Lynn..), or the Heavyweights (e.g. Monty Brown, Scott Hall..)?

 

I think you're looking at 2 different styles of matches. In the X Division, some of those matches have more breathtaking moments. But the heavyweights, that style has always been geared toward more dramatic moments and more storyline telling so it depends. Do they want better technical matches or more dramatic moments? I think you have to have both on a complete card.

 

Q: As a follower of pro wrestling for only a number of years I’ve only seen you as a singles wrestler, did you ever get involved in tag team wrestling? If so who was your partner?

 

Through the years I've been involved in many tag teams. I've always preferred to be a single wrestler. Robert Fuller, Jerry Lawler, Kerry Von Erich were all partners of mine, but they're too numerous to recall. My favorite is easy to name...Owen Hart. As you probably know Owen passed away several years ago but there will only be one Owen. I can wrestle for another 50 years and I'll never have someone to replace him as a partner.

 

Q: Being the best NWA Champion and one of the best wrestlers, what advice would you give someone if they are trying to become a wrestler.

 

It's pretty simple as far as advice goes…LEARN THE BASICS. The basics of psychology. To be fundamentally sound in the ring and to do the best you possibly can at learning who your audience is. That's the essence of the entertainment business, understanding your audience.

 

Q: Do you think that wrestling is losing its overall appeal to the masses or do you think it is stronger then ever? Why?

 

I believe that wrestling has been around since before the advent of television. Wrestling is Shakespeare to the masses…it has always, and will always have an appeal but it ebbs and flows with its mass appeal. TNA is gaining more national prominence on a daily basis. I believe it can only help the overall mass appeal.

 

Q: What's it like wrestling for TNA? Do you have fun?

 

I absolutely have fun! It's a 24/7 situation. I don't like to call it a job because wrestling has always been my passion. My family's been in the business for 3 generations. It's in my blood. In early 2002 me and my family "hatched this idea" and it has been a dog fight every step of the way, but that makes the good times all the more rewarding.

 

Q: Jeff what was your first match in your career and who did you wrestle?

 

First match of my career was against Tony Falk. At the time he had lost over 50 matches straight and I was refereeing. He challenged me to a match hoping to get the victory to break his losing streak. We had a match in Memphis, TN with a 10 minute time limit. At the end of that match there were no winners. It was a draw, and that was my first match.

 

Q: I want to know if Jeff is married. I think he is a good looking man. I would also like to know if TNA will every come to Conway, South Carolina.

 

Let's go to the end of that question Hopefully we'll be coming close to Conway and other parts of the country. TNA is in the process of putting together a 5 year plan and of course a lot of event touring is in that plan. As far as my personal life goes for those who know...GOOD FOR YOU! For those who don't know... it's not hard to find out.

 

Q: What is your favorite type of match and why?

 

Easy. King of the Mountain. It's hard to have an original match come along in this business. That's one that has taken some elements of other matches and created a unique situation. The King of the Mountain match can become very dramatic and that is probably one of my favorite parts of the business.

 

Q: Did you enjoy working in TNA, WCW, or WWE better?

 

Pretty easy. WWE is owned lock stock & barrel by Vince McMahon. During WCW's existence it was owned by the AOL/Time Warner group. TNA is owned by me and my family with some great financial partners.

 

Q: What image do you believe Raven will bring to the NWA World's Title if any?

 

Me and Raven have a long storied history. I believe Raven has been around for one main reason - he knows how to communicate with his audience. Raven is a guy that has had his ups and downs in his career. At this stage of his career, and at this stage of TNA, I think he brings an entirely different element to the TNA title that only Raven could bring.

 

Q: Who do you consider to be the greater challenge Raven or Abyss?

 

They both bring different elements to a match but I truly believe I've got Raven's number. More importantly, HE knows I've got his number. Abyss and I have never stepped into the ring so he's a bit of an unknown factor.

 

Q: How did you become a wrestler?

 

Welp! I was cursed! (kidding) Being a third generation, I grew up around it. My grandmother did everything but wrestle in this business. My father wrestled and promoted so I knew from a fairly early age what I wanted to do. I remember as a kid watching video tapes on the big 2 inch tapes. I watched a lot of matches. I guess you could call it a habit. So becoming a wrestler was natural. A guy by the name of Tojo Yamamoto was my father's partner. He was the first one that took me into the ring to teach me different elements of the business. From there I picked it up from several different guys.

 

Q: Jarrett, how long prior to the Hair vs Hair match against Waltman at WWF/E Summerslam did you decide that you wanted to get rid of your golden locks?

 

Boy, to put a real timeline on that would be pretty difficult. I don't exactly remember how long out that decision was made, honestly.

 

Q: What was it like wrestling David Arquette and DDP in the triple cage match? Also what precautions did u have to take when wrestling Arquette?

 

As far as the Triple Cage, I had wrestled in the Dallas, Tx promotion in somewhat of a triple tiered cage situation, not nearly as elaborate as in the movie or at the pay per view. But the real eerie thing about that match was that a year prior in the exact same building was where Owen Hart's unfortunate accident took place. I found myself 35-40 feet in the air wrestling in the David Arquette match. I love the cage event, and the expense that they went through to put that match on, I feel it's a great match. No special precautions were taken. The story of that match was based off of a feature film and it was pretty unique to bring that to Pay Per View.

 

Q: Which monthly ppv did you feel was the best and why?

 

I'm assuming you're talking about TNA PPVs. My personal two favorites were of course the first one, Victory Road, the main reason being that it was the first PPV. I wasn't particularly pleased with my match but I was very pleased with the overall effort of the show. My second favorite would have to be Turning Point in December for all of the obvious reasons. I also was proud of TNA with the Lockdown PPV because the concept was very risky but it paid off

 

Q: JEFF JUST WONDERING HOW DOES IF FEEL TO COME FROM THE WWE AND BE SUCESSFUL IN TNA

 

Like I said earlier in the chat, TNA is about to make some major announcements that will take us to the next level. I couldn't be more excited or more fulfilled to know where we've come from in only 3 years. But with that being said, knowing what I know, now the hard work really begins.

 

Q: What do you think of the Backyard Wrestling organizations that are out there? Are you against it or for it?

 

I'm not familiar with a specific backyard wrestling org, but I know as a kid I traveled with my father, and there have been backyard sessions going on for years and years. They may be a bit more organized these days but Mick Foley was a part of one and every kid who aspired to be a wrestler…we’ve all heard stories…but at times they can become very dangerous. If the parents are around they should be the referees.

 

Q: Jeff i am a long time fan of your and your dad. I just want to say that i think you guys are doing a great job. Do you think that you and BG James would ever become a team again?

 

I absolutely think that there's a chance of that because I truly think that BG is one of the most talented individuals to step into a wrestling ring. He's got "IT". But right now

it looks like he has his hands full with 3 Live Kru and his former partner.

 

Q: What are you thoughts on the death of Hashimoto?

 

Hashimoto is someone that I always admired. We became friends when he came to Tennessee in the late 80's. He was very hard working and he grasped the American style as quickly as any Japanese wrestler that I have worked with. I'm deeply saddened to hear of his sudden death.

 

Q: What are your thoughts on the recent WWE releases?

 

Well, the word going around is that last Wed. is now named "Black Wednesday". Over the last 3 months there have been at least 25 - 30 releases from WWE. If any of them think they deserve a spot in TNA I would love to see them come try and earn it.

 

Q: Can you please elaborate on TNA's current TV Deal situation?

 

I would love to elaborate! But there's certain things in contracts call "confidentiality clauses". All I can say is, STAY TUNED! I'm as excited as any other TNA fan about the future of TNA.

 

Q: What do you think of this Matt Hardy situation?

 

I would like to know if they have a threesome sex tape coming out. (laughs)

 

Q: Where did u come up with the slapnuts name and it would be an honor for you to call me it.

 

First off, if you're gonna use that terminology, you need to learn how to spell it. It is correctly spelled...SLAPNUTZ. My grandmother...used to call people "Slappys" and a Slappy is someone who she used to say knew more and more about less and less every day. All they would do is slap their gums together, and I added the "NUTZ" to it. The first person that I ever called a Slapnutz on TV was none other than the professor Mike Tenay. So Choke on that, Slapnutz

 

Q: What do you think of a TNA video game?

 

We're in the process of making that decision and it is going to be a big one for us. Every video game developer that we've spoken with is unbelievably excited about the potential of a TNA video game because of several factors, first being the 6 sided ring as well as the X Division's breathtaking moves. Other match concepts TNA has brought such as King of the Mountains and Ultimate X would fit very well in a video game. Developers have said it would be a challenge for them to develop the best wrestling video game ever made.

 

Thanks to everyone for joining the site. As always, stay tuned to TNAwrestling.com. There will be some great news coming everybody's way and I look forward to doing another chat in the near future. THANKS AGAIN!

 

Source: www.tnawrestling.com

 

I think JJ should really read what he says again and follow his own words of wisdom a bit more often.