Jeff Jarrett/Spike TV TNA conference call recap

[Guest The Original HTQ]

- Jeff was asked about his departure from the WWE in 1999, and whether he held Vince McMahon to ransom on his way out when he faced Chyna. Jeff briefly said that there was no hold up and that it was a business deal.

 

- He put over that Thursday’s primetime debut on Spike TV is the first time in over four years that a company other than WWE have a primetime spot.

 

- Jarrett said that TNA do have a drugs policy that they watch everybody and that if there is a problem at work, they deal with it swiftly.

 

- He said TNA would consider going head-to-head with Monday Night RAW. He said they try to be smart with their plans, and that they wouldn’t go against RAW just for the sake of trying to outdo them, and that although it could happen down the line, TNA may find that Thursday nights are their home.

 

- On Goldberg or Ultimate Warrior coming into TNA, “never say never.†He said neither had a long shelf life and both rose to the top quickly, but every time Warrior has returned he has made a splash and is a brand name.

 

- Jarrett was asked why Vince Russo was re-hired given his track record. Jarrett said everybody has an opinion on Russo, and that first of all he was re-hired by the company because he’s a changed man, and also to focus on his strengths developed during his time with WWF and WCW.

 

- Question was asked on Jim Cornette’s status with TNA. Jarrett said he and Cornette go back a long way and that Cornette has a lot of wisdom and adds a lot to the company. Jeff said that it’s an “interesting dynamic†when Cornette and Russo are in the same room.

 

- When asked if Angle-Joe this Sunday is the most important match in TNA history. Jarrett said it is, and that they are trying to prove themselves and that they have to continue to do that. Jarrett said nobody is expecting anything short of spectacular from this match on Sunday.

 

- On future markets to run in around the United States, Jarrett said he’s looking at both Nielsen ratings and word of mouth to see where would be the next markets to move into. Chicago was mentioned, as was running in the North East. He added they’re looking to run in Canada in 2007.

 

- When asked if whether iMPACT moving to primetime will see the pace of shows slowed down to let viewers digest what they’ve seen better, Jarrett said they’re “Total Non Stop,†and that on a week-to-week basis they have 42 minutes of TV and have to go at a break-neck speed. He said they realise at times they need to let things breathe but that TV time is precious to TNA and makes it tough to balance it out.

 

- Said talks have taken place to allow several wrestlers to work in projects outside of TNA but that the focus is on making TNA the best wrestling organisation possible.

 

- Jarrett said the promo he cut recently on TV was from the heart and that the place for him to be right now isn’t in the ring. He said he’s taking things day by day and has no set return date.

 

- Was asked for his thoughts on TNA’s cancelled house show this past weekend. Jarrett said he wasn’t there but that he’s never heard of a show being cancelled on the day of the show in two different buildings. He said he found it odd and fishy.

 

- Jarrett said he intends to do business overseas in a completely different way to how it traditionally has been done by other companies.

 

- Said “stay tuned†when asked if there’s more to come from BG and Kip James making comments about Vince McMahon and WWE.

 

- Was asked about reports of WWE wrestlers wanting to jump ship. Jarrett said it’s business and that Kurt Angle likely won’t be the last to leave WWE and join TNA. He said “things are getting interesting.â€

 

- Jeff was asked about the projected ratings figures for primetime on Spike TV. He said during November and December you’ve got to account for holidays, and that January to March will be interesting to watch. He said 1.1 to 1.3 is realistic but that TNA want to aim higher and that nothing happens overnight. He mentioned how Monday Night RAW debuting in 1993 took years to take off in the ratings.

 

- The question of whether TNA can become #1 came up. Jarrett said he only wants people working in TNA who want to be #1. He spoke of WWE’s global reach and success and how big the company was. As #2, Jarrett said they’ve been successful and that will continue, but he wants to be #1.

 

- Jarrett said the business has always been about capturing the viewers imagination and suspending their belief, and that TNA are looking to do that, and always will.

 

- Jarrett said TNA have severed relationships with Monty Brown.

 

- Asked which was the most memorable match of his career. Said he and Lawler had fun working with The Moondogs, and he enjoyed working with Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall during his first WWF run, then working with Owen Hart. In TNA, he put over working with AJ Styles in the early days of the promotion.

 

- Was asked about rumours of WWE playing a part in TNA’s house show being cancelled at the weekend. Jeff said an investigation is ongoing and again said he had no doubts that somebody didn’t want them to run the show.

 

- Was asked about what it took to get over as a heel. Jarrett said you need to be smart and know what you’re doing in the ring.

 

- Jarrett was asked if any of the house shows will be released on DVD. Jarrett said there was a chance it could happen, and put over several upcoming DVD releases. All house shows have been filmed and that footage will be made available in some fashion in the future.

 

- Said would love to have Chris Jericho join TNA when he’s ready to return to wrestling.

 

- Was asked if the next goal is to get a two-hour show on primetime. Jarrett said the difference between a one and two hour show is huge, and that they can do a lot more with it, but admitted ratings and content would dictate whether or not that happened.

 

- On this Sunday’s Kurt Angle-Samoa Joe match, Jarrett said the pressure is on Joe but that the match would deliver.

 

- Was asked where the word ‘Slapnutz’ came from while in WCW. Jarrett said his mother had done everything in this industry apart from wrestle, and that she used to call people “slappies,†and he took it from there.

 

- Said he can remember TNA’s debut in 2002 very well and that it’s very gratifying to see how far the company has come in four years. He said that in four years they’ve signed a primetime deal and are aired in over 100 countries, and that overseas business will increase in 2007, as will PPV buys. Put over TNA’s production team for their work also.

 

- Jarrett again put over Angle and Joe and their match this Sunday at the Genesis PPV.

 

- Was asked how much attention TNA pay to the quarter hour ratings for a one hour show. Jarrett said they look at ratings on a weekly basis, and that the expectations from this Thursday are inititally to improve on the programming they are replacing in the primetime slot on Spike TV.

 

- Said that the smart move right now would be to take the PPVs on the road outside of Orlando, and that it could happen with TV at some point. He talked about how quickly the success of Nitro and then Thunder happened in WCW and that the business moves fast.

 

- Was asked what the next step for TNA was. He said they’re developing new action figures and that a music CD is out later this week. PPVs, TV and live events is “an evolution†that will be happening over the next 12-36 months. He also said that globally they have some things in the pipeline that are “very, very big,†but that his focus right now was making primetime a success.

 

- Was asked for his opinion on Internet fans who have been overly critical of him. He said everybody is entitled to their opinion and that he knows he’s judged differently to any other wrestler on the roster. He said the business is made easier and unique by the passion of fans, and as long as people are talking about a product, you can’t buy that kind of advertising.

 

- Jarrett said he had no doubts that iMPACT would benefit from being broadcast live like it’s PPVs. It’s something TNA would love to do if primetime is going well.

 

- Was asked about whether TNA would consider bring in Mistico from CMLL or having any other Mexican talent appearing in the promotion. Jarrett said TNA have a working relationship with AAA right now and that TNA through Mike Tenay are always looking at overseas promotions to who they can work with and bring in.

 

- Was asked if an increase in fanbase would come from current WWE fans or WWE fans who have tuned out. Jarrett said during the Monday Night Wars there was a low cross over of fans and that you either liked one or the other. Jeff put over the six-sided ring and TNA as being more innovative, and said that after WCW went out of business, a lot of fans gradually tuned out altogether.

 

- Was asked about how TNA will handle Joe vs Angle creatively to make both guys coming out of the PPV looking strong. Jarrett said that’s a big reason to order Sunday’s show. He put over Angle’s intensity but said that Joe is going to try and tear Kurt’s head off, saying that the ego, intensity, pride and pressure is there for both guys. He said Kurt puts more pressure on himself than anybody he’s ever come across in the business. Kurt’s headbutt on Joe was brought up, with Jarrett comparing it to pouring gasoline on a fire.

 

- Was asked about whether TNA would sign Lita once she leaves WWE later this year. Jarrett put over her ability and said he wasn’t sure whether her health was great and that he wasn’t sure how she was feeling right now. He said women in wrestling is a tough situation at times but that it can be entertaining.

 

- Jarrett was asked about whether Daniel Puder would be coming into TNA. He said they’d talked in the past, and that’s about it.

 

- Was asked where he saw TNA in five years time. Jarrett said he saw them being “incredibly strong, globally.â€

 

- Jarrett was asked about Scott Steiner’s status with TNA. Jarrett said that primetime with TNA would be the perfect stage for Steiner.

 

- Jarrett praised Dixie Carter’s passion for the business, and put over the Carter family, saying that it had been an incredible learning experience for them.

 

- Was asked about Sting’s future since his contract is nearly up. Jarrett said he didn’t want to go into detail but that talks were ongoing about a new deal.

 

- Was also asked about TNA’s decision to run with Joe vs Angle so soon. Jarrett said that with the move to primetime, “why not come with your best foot forward?†He said he was aware of those who are saying it’s too soon to do the match, but said that aside from that match, they have a lot of great stuff going on at this Sunday’s show.

 

- Was asked if it was time for TNA to run a developmental program rather than picking up guys from the indy circuit, and responded by saying it would be tough while they’re not even at the stage of live TV. He said a wrestling school would be the first step before considering a developmental camp.

 

- Was asked what he would say to the disgruntled wrestling fan who has tuned out to make them tune in this Thursday. Jarrett said he’d tell them to remember when they first tuned into the business and got hooked on wrestling, and to tune in this Thursday on Spike TV and they’ll get hooked again.

 

- The program with Hulk Hogan that never got started in TNA got brought up. Jarrett said Hogan had personal health issues that prevented him from working in TNA. He said his understanding was that Hogan had signed a twenty-year deal with WWE.

 

- They wrapped it up with Jarrett saying he’d love to run in New York and that TNA would get an incredible reception as New York fans let you know what they’re thinking.

Wrestlemag

[sek69]

You know, Jeff Jarrett actually seems like a pretty alright guy. He gets way too much shit on the net, some is deserved but I'd wager most isn't.

 

I mean, look at how TNA has come from 2002 to now. They're on national TV every week, PPV monthly, have deals for wrestling figures and DVDs, and working agreements with other groups in different parts of the world (as opposed to how WWE doesn't acknowledge wrestling in other countries unless it's one of their shows).

 

At least they have a plan. Sure, it remains to be seen if it works, but even having a plan would seem to give them a leg up on WWE who's only plan seems to be what amuses Vince's ever crazier mind.

[Strummer]

My main problem with TNA (and a lot of their fans) is that they basically say "Hey we have great wrestling, and, and.... at least were not WWE!!!"  "Who care's about booking, we have athletezzz!!!  It's simply lazy booking and promotion.  They could do so much more but they coast on the fact that most smarks will back them because of workrate and the fact they aren't run by Vince McMahon.

[sek69]

The flaw with that logic is that most smarks don't seem to back TNA, rather they use them as a replacement for WCW in their non stop and repetitive bashing threads.

 

At the risk of sounding like one of those insufferable "YAY TNA IZ TEH BESTES!" shills/trolls at DVDVR, the smark type are using the same material to bash TNA now that they did in 2002. How long did we hear the same tired "TNA will be dead in *x* weeks" stuff? There's no shortage of legit beefs one can have with the company but most of the complainers rehash the same old shit.

[Strummer]

Maybe I was generalizing , but there is a thread over at TSM now which basically says "TNA is having Joe-Angle on PPV, who cares if it isn't being booked properly, it's Joe versus Angle, so shut the fuck up and enjoy it"  That's not how wrestling works. The promotion of the match has been horrible. A lot of TNA fans can't seem to defend the mediocre (at best) booking, and with respond with "Yeah, but it's going to be a great match, don't you like great matches?"

 

If WWE can be criticized for bad booking, why can't TNA?  Simply because they offer supposed "better" wrestling? - Don't want to start anything but I don't think TNA really has that much better wrestling matches than WWE

[Loss]

I wish TNA was great, because I want someone to catch up to WWE. But it seems like a lot of people who are such overwhelming TNA supporters only are so because they are sick of WWE and will support literally anything going against it. It's usually the type of fans who desperately want there to be competition, so they pretend that TNA is better than it is.

[Guest The Original HTQ]

sek69

 

You know, Jeff Jarrett actually seems like a pretty alright guy. He gets way too much shit on the net, some is deserved but I'd wager most isn't.

 

I mean, look at how TNA has come from 2002 to now. They're on national TV every week, PPV monthly, have deals for wrestling figures and DVDs, and working agreements with other groups in different parts of the world (as opposed to how WWE doesn't acknowledge wrestling in other countries unless it's one of their shows).

 

At least they have a plan. Sure, it remains to be seen if it works, but even having a plan would seem to give them a leg up on WWE who's only plan seems to be what amuses Vince's ever crazier mind.

Most of it probably is deserved. Jeff is the Vince McMahon of TNA in terms of creative in that Jeff has the final say on everything and has had for a long time. For all the potential TNA has, and it has a ton of it, what gets realized is essentially Jeff’s vision of that potential. And for Jeff, that means him being their top guy and/or the one all the top issues are built around. While he has taken a backseat in the last few weeks in regards to the Joe vs. Angle stuff, for the most part every top issues in TNA has revolved around him in some fashion, even when it’s clear that such an association is not needed or for the best. I don’t hate Jeff, and think he could be an asset to TNA. The problem is that he thinks for him to be that asset means him being a main event player. The fact is Jeff Jarrett just does not cut it as the main event player of a national promotion, which is what TNA aspires to be. Even Jeff’s friends within the company, specifically Jim Cornette amongst others, have said that Jeff simply isn’t a guy to build a promotion around. Whether it’s from ego or from believing that he really can be the cornerstone of TNA, Jeff keeps himself on top and has kept himself on top for far too long. Jeff needs to leave the top level of TNA for an extended period and let things get built around other people, and for more than a month or two at a time. Right now, he’s somewhat out of the spotlight while things get focused on Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle, and that’s a good thing. The problem is that history has shown that Jeff will be back in the top mix very soon and no matter how he or anyone tries to spin that is a step backwards. Jeff can be an asset but the way he pushes himself Jeff is a liability and that isn’t doing himself or TNA any favors.

 

TNA have progressed from where they were in 2002, but they’ve still got so far to go that you can’t really say they’ve achieved much. Yes, they are on national television, but that television show has had ratings that are either just above expectations or are flat out disappointing. Yes, they are on PPV every month, but those PPV’s, BFG aside, have seen buy rates on a slow slide since the start of the year and even then they’ve rarely gained outside of their core level of buys. Yes, they have deals for wrestling figures, and working agreements and all that good stuff, but in the grand scheme of things that all means nothing if TNA don’t actually get the word out that they exists, and until the last few weeks to say they’ve done a piss poor job of that would be an understatement. I’ve mentioned in elsewhere, but when they were in Detroit for Bound For Glory, a bunch of the wrestlers went to a World Series games the day before and while they were recognized it was for what they had done in WCW. Nobody knew they were in TNA, nobody knew there was a TNA, and they certainly didn’t know that the company’s biggest PPV of the year was taking place the next night. All the TV, PPV’s and distribution deals will be for nothing if TNA don’t let people know they exists, and they’ve literally only just got started on doing a good job of that.

 

Yes, they have a plan, and it would be a good one, but TNA have had plans before that never reach their potential, and the reason for that is usually TNA dropping the ball. Can they succeed? Yes, they can, but they need to pick up their game a lot more before they can have a realistic chance.

 

Strummer

 

My main problem with TNA (and a lot of their fans) is that they basically say "Hey we have great wrestling, and, and.... at least were not WWE!!!"  "Who care's about booking, we have athletezzz!!!  It's simply lazy booking and promotion.  They could do so much more but they coast on the fact that most smarks will back them because of workrate and the fact they aren't run by Vince McMahon

This is very true. TNA, and their more passionate fans, focus so much on the one thing they do well, or at least used to, which is great matches, and ignore or play down the fact that they are severely lacking in just about every other area. They could so much more and have the raw talent to do so, but they just can’t pull the trigger on that. Which leads us into…

 

sek69

 

The flaw with that logic is that most smarks don't seem to back TNA, rather they use them as a replacement for WCW in their non stop and repetitive bashing threads.

 

At the risk of sounding like one of those insufferable "YAY TNA IZ TEH BESTES!" shills/trolls at DVDVR, the smark type are using the same material to bash TNA now that they did in 2002. How long did we hear the same tired "TNA will be dead in *x* weeks" stuff? There's no shortage of legit beefs one can have with the company but most of the complainers rehash the same old shit.

Most ‘smarks’, and I hate using labels like that, want to back TNA. Most wrestling fans would back TNA if they knew about them.

 

The fact that TNA can be bashed for the same things in 2006 that they were in 2002 shows that they haven’t addressed the same issues that affected them back then that continue to affect them now. Sure, the people who will only ever bash TNA would bash them anyway, but the fact remains that TNA continues to give them the same ammunition with which to bash them. At least giving them something new to bash with would show some kind of progress.

 

Strummer

 

If WWE can be criticized for bad booking, why can't TNA?  Simply because they offer supposed "better" wrestling? - Don't want to start anything but I don't think TNA really has that much better wrestling matches than WWE

That exemplifies why people bash TNA. The majority of them don’t do it because of some mindless hatred of TNA or because they like to be negative. They do it because TNA can and should be so much more than it is. TNA could be putting out a modern day version of the glory days of the NWA/WCW; great wrestling backed up with great angle and great interviews. They do it because they love wrestling and they want more than anything for TNA to succeed. What gets them angry, what gets them so irate, is that TNA continued to take one step forwards and then three steps back. TNA keep finding ways to fumble the ball. TNA could be legitimate opposition to WWE. They could be a serious and realistic alternative to the Sports Entertainment bullshit that WWE puts out. They could be the promotion people turn to when they get sick and tired of Vince McMahon or Triple H using Raw as a vehicle for their over-inflated egos. But TNA aren’t any of that. They have the tools, the talent and the desire to be that alternative, but they keep falling short. That is what gets people angry and irate. Not that they want to bash for the sake of it, though some people do engage in that. What gets them angry is TNA falling so far short of realizing the potential that everyone knows they have.

 

The danger comes when even the most anti-TNA fans stop bashing them. Those are the people who love to bash because they want to be negative, and when you make those people lose the passion for that, you are in major trouble. WWE reached that point over a year ago. TNA better hope they never reach that point, because then it really will be all over for them.