Jeff Jarrett Talks Eric Bischoff - GFW Rumors, Chael Sonnen & JR, Scott Hall, Kevin Owens Rise, NXT

I recently spoke with Jeff Jarrett, who was promoting the upcoming Global Force Wrestling television tapings next month in Las Vegas. Please note that the interview was conducted before he returned to TNA. Below is the full interview:

How are preparations for the shows going?

"I've been doing this a long time, but always expect the unexpected. There's a lot going on... All different components go into it. The partners we're associated with are dialed in and engaged. It's a marathon not a sprint."

What's the current plan for the TV tapings, will they air by the time the next ones are filmed?

"Raj, I hate to bust your bubble, but stay tuned. There's a lot of talk about it. Jim Ross said it's going to be 13 one hour episodes, then I read something that there's going to be 3 three hour specials, then I heard we're going to turn to streaming content. There is a lot of talk about it, but I'm keeping those details close to the vest. We're going to Vegas, the Orleans is an all-around great partner as far as marketing goes, we're excited to be partnered up with them and excited for the three events in July."

There were rumors that you had conversations with Destination America. Is that something you can comment on?

"The Global Force Team has had conversations with multiple networks, and we'll continue having those discussions. The thing that people hear and lose sight of is that we're launching a global brand. The international markets are important to us as well. Domestic and International distribution is going to have to go hand-in-hand and that has been a challenge, but we're very excited about our plans."

Are the live events before the tapings sort of a trial, or separate from how the product will look on TV?

"This is something that I've thought long and hard about. Over the years it's a gradual approach. We're in these cities now, I think over 20, it's an approach of creating awareness of the brand. These minor league teams have become our tag team promotional partner. The street teams are going into these markets and teaming up with these minor league teams and their marketing department out spreading the word and creating awareness. April 17, 2014 was the day that I launched the name of the company. I knew from my experience, that's something that is not an easy task. WWE is the leader of the marketplace, they have over 90 percent market share. When people think of professional wrestling from a casual standpoint, they think of the WWE. Inch by inch creating brand awareness doesn't happen overnight. It's a build, but all eyes will be on Vegas and the Orleans Arena in July, but they go hand-in-hand."

Scott Hall was originally scheduled for some of those shows, is he still a part of those shows or GFW?

"Sure. He's not a part of those shows we had him advertised at, but Scott's a dear friend and we go back 25 years. DDP said it best?recovery is a step by step process. I support Scott, and we both agreed it wasn't the time to move forward. I love Scott, and we're already in talks to have him on down the road."

We mentioned Destination America, and TNA was rumored to have some problems with them. What are your thoughts on that, and the expectation for wrestling programming as a whole?

"To this day, I don't know what to believe and what not to believe. I've said it many times, I wish those guys nothing but the best. I think it's very healthy for the business for Ring of Honor to get on Destination America. If the rumors turn out to be true, obviously it's not good for TNA or the wrestling business in general. Cable television is at a real crossroads in their life. On one hand they're very healthy with live event programming, sports, signing bigger and better packages every year. On the other hand they went from 50 channels to 500, now when you look at the streaming services, the choices that everyone has when it comes to all forms of entertainment and how you can consume it, the choices are incredible. If you put out a compelling product with compelling characters the people will find it and it will grow."

What are your feelings on the ROH-TNA wrestling block on Destination America? Is that something you would have been interested in?

"I don't know what the deal is. I'm just like you, I'm reading and talking to people in the industry. From what I understand it's the same show they air on Sinclair and their syndication partners. A wrestling block is not new to professional wrestling. Years ago in many towns, you'd have the regional territorities, an hour with the USWA, an hour with Florida, an hour with Texas, it's not new. I think it's smart of those folks to create a wrestling block. It's all about awareness. More eyeballs than a two hour wrestling block.

Do you still have a partial stake in TNA?

"Yes."

What are some ways you see Global Force Wrestling being an alternative to the likes of ROH or Lucha Undergound, and being different?

"At the end of the day, the product will speak for itself and I'll let you guys decide that. We are striving to be engaged with our audience literally hourly. It's in all forms of entertainment now, whether it's the Rock promoting San Andreas on Instagram or if you want to see NBA highlights as they happen. It's the world we live in. We want to strive to listen to that fan base. Bell to bell I want the guys on our roster who have passion for the business. They want to lace up their boots and compete. Everybody knows professional wrestling is not a true sport, but there's an enormous amount of competition that goes with it. Jim Duggan said it the other night, we compete for money. Guys are going to have competition and passion to have the best match on the card, and be the best performer in that match. Fight to be in the main event, and really have a passion and drive and competitive spirit. That's what I want the roster of Global Force to really engage in and compete."

Have you been watching much NXT?

"Yes, I try to. Thank goodness for a DVR, but I try to watch every brand and as much as I can."

What are your thoughts on Kevin Owens and the success he's having so quickly?

"It doesn't surprise me. Success is when preparation meets opportunity. He has prepared for this for many, many years, and now he has the opportunity. WWE and their Universe as they like to say are the real winners and dictators. Hats off to the guy and I wish him nothing but success, but he's in the infant stages of his WWE run, and it's going to be up to him and his passion to see how far he goes."

You guys have put together an impressive roster, how long did it take to put together a roster like that, and can we expect to see changes before the first set of television tapings?

"It's going to be an evolution, and it takes a really long time because there are so many factors that go into it. The obvious ones are scheduling and existing contracts or whatever it may be. Me and my group really want to find creative matchmaking. That's really what we tried to dive in to, whether it's a guy with a lesser name or a veteran, or a little bit in between, let's create matchups that people want to see. I really want to figure out the best matchups. On our first set of cards we've got Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, the Bullet Club, the hottest faction in all of wrestling. I can't wait to see their match with who we've paired them with. I think it's going to be a hell of a match."

Also, you brought Chael Sonnen on. How long had you been talking about that deal, and how did it happen?

"He actually reached out to us. There were guys in our production, namely Kevin Sullivan, who have always been a big Chael Sonnen fan. Chael says it on a video we have on our Youtube channel, he did a show with Jim Ross and contacted Jim and said 'I really love what Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Wrestling are doing, how can I get involved?' Jim gave him my number, and we started with a text exchange. The more and more I talked to him the more evident it became that Chael has an incredible amount of passion for this business, he's a sharp guy. He has worldwide notoriety and works for ESPN, he checked every box for being a color analyst."

How much would you like to see Jim Ross and Chael Sonnen calling the next set of TV tapings? They worked with each other on the Battlegrounds MMA PPV.

"There's no secrecy here, they both want to do it, it's a matter of putting the right deal together at the right place. Chael has a schedule and Jim has a schedule as well, so scheduling is potentially going to be an issue as well. We're working on all of the above."

There were rumors about Eric Bischoff being involved in some way, after a Q&A he did that apparently wasn't true. Can you clear that up?

"It was a Q&A after a show and one thing led to another, but no. I have a lot of respect for BHE (Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment), they're in the TV business, not really the wrestling business. They have a lot going on in their world. Rumors can start and spin in every different way, but no they are not working with Global Force Wrestling."

You have a lot of New Japan Pro Wrestling talent on the roster. I wanted to ask, how did Wrestle Kingdom end up faring and will we see more of those PPVs in the US?

"The short answer is absolutely. We've been contacted by more than one promotion about bringing their product to North American markets. To answer the first question?very successful, more successful than we originally thought. You gotta give all the credit to the quality of the show, from top to bottom it was an unbelievable show, and of course Jim Ross. He brought awareness to it, he and I promoted it tirelessly probably two to three weeks out from the event. I think the fruits of our labor showed. A lot of hard work went into it and I'm really glad it showed."

Do you have any other comments for our readers?

"Check out GlobalForceWrestling.com, @GFWrestling is all of our social media profiles. Stay tuned, we're going to be adding more dates, an incredible design or merchandise coming out. Check our website daily if not hourly for updates on the Grand Slam Tour. We've got contests going on. We want to be engaged. As much as we want to hear what you like, we want to hear what you don't like. That's all a part of a brand that's being aware."

Make sure to check back next week for our full interview with Jarrett. You can follow Jarrett on Twitter @RealJeffJarrett, and Global Force Wrestling @GFWWrestling.