Jeff Jarrett Reveals His Top Five Wrestlers Of All Time; Talks Working With Scott Hall, Roddy Piper
GFW founder Jeff Jarrett appeared on the CBS Radio Play.it podcast Brown and Scoop. During the interview, Jarrett discussed Global Force Wrestling, TNA, Roddy Piper, Owen Hart, Taz, The Masked Saint and his top 5 wrestlers of all time. You can listen to the full interview by clicking here, they sent us these highlights:
Razor Ramon:
"It was in an era where WWF was coming out of a down period with the steroid scandal and the government scandal. You can see the crowds get bigger every month. He was a big part of that. He is Razor Ramon. His athletic ability and mind for business..he knew how to connect. He connected with millions around the world. We were married to one another for 12 months... he goes 'Double J, I don't like you'?I said why's that?he said, 'because I have spent more time with you and touched you more than my wife this year.'"
Promoting the upcoming movie The Masked Saint starring Roddy Piper:
"The Piper's pit was authentic, real. That was something that connected. The Masked Saint contacted us and we came out of it and we have got more and more exciting. It's not a job, it's a passion project. Everything about this movie is so well done. They treat professional wrestling so well. Everything you see really happened. It covers all the bases for Roddy. His first love was professional wrestling and his second love was acting. If you're a wrestling fan, you got to see it. It deals with real life issues.
"Without Roddy Piper, you can't have an equal good. He was a great villain and so believable. He wasn't playing a part ever."
Global Force Wrestling:
"It's very exciting. Back in 2002 we launched TNA and it was such a different time. 2016 we got some really cool distribution announcements. The answer is yes, it's harder but yes it's easier. Look what we're doing right now. We're doing a podcast that's going to be heard worldwide to get exposure. I worked tirelessly to promote the brand and not just at TNA, but over the years you got to do things on a step by step basis. If you rush a product to market, especially in this climate, you set yourself up for favor. Is somebody really going to compete with Coca-Cola? They got a 50, 60 year head start and they do more positives for this business. When you look at the hottest box office attraction in the world in Hollywood?is Dwayne Johnson. When he comes back to professional wrestling, it's almost like he never left over the last couple of years. WWE is the 8,000 pound gorilla in the room and the market share they have is north of 90 percent.
"At Global Force Wrestling, we're going to do things a little different. We want to do things a little out of the box. We want to bring different styles? Mexican lucha libre, strong shot of Japan, European mat wrestling, the pagency of U.S., and put them all under one umbrella. We also want to continue to do the things out of that. We want to do things out of the box like sitting here and promoting a movie that has a wrestling tie in and we got some other cool promotions and tie ins from a marketing standpoint that we're working on. The world has changed so you got to be a little bit of everywhere, but you have to focus on that wrestling fan. One thing we have learned over the years, you have to listen to your fan base. You got to know your fan base and you have to really drill down and get their feedback and put out a product they want."
His guitar gimmick:
"They were real guitars. They may have had a little gas in them."
Taz suggesting the Ronda Rousey – Holly Holm fight was fixed:
"I got a lot of respect for his ability, but way back in the late 80s Taz came down and wrestled in Tennessee. That's the first time. I've known Taz since the late 80s. Watching his body of work in commentary, it's simple, he wouldn't be doing the gig he's doing in the studio if he couldn't talk. He talks intelligently and he knows how to push buttons and create a conversation that is enthralling.
"Professional wrestling is the only true sport left. When you look at the NFL and how they get those lines so close? I can see where Taz would say that. We all know? think of the box office attraction the rematch when it takes place. In one knockout, they generated probably a billion dollars. That's not bad thinking in my opinion. It goes without saying?Dana White said there would never be females in UFC. Bingo, turned up and now it's by far the hottest box office attraction in UFC. I can see where Taz would shoving peoples buttons and make some great conversation."
Owen Hart:
"There's so many funny stories? we can talk from now until next week about funny stories. People that don't know Owen Hart or just know his passing? what a great guy above anything. A family man, father, husband, but he had more integrity in his pinky than most people had in their entire body. I want people to know that first and foremost. We both were second generation wrestlers. We bonded day one because we can relate on so many levels."
His top 5 wrestlers of all time:
"Fabulous Jackie Fargo is one of the guys I was raised on. He was strutting long before Flair was and certainly myself. He was somebody who sold out The Garden many times. I'm going way back.
"Jerry The King Lawler is a guy that in his hey day? his believability, his authenticity, his realism? he taught me so much.
"Shawn Michaels is a guy that I got to have many matches with, but when you look on his body of work over the years, you have to put him if not at the very top, certainly up there at the top.
"You got to go with a guy who I had the fortunate? or unfortunate, because he beat the hell out of me, Kurt Angle. Olympic gold medalist and Kurt came on to the scene and really?a lot of amateur wrestlers in our business don't quite get how to make that transition and I believe yes, Kurt won the worlds and he won the gold and he did almost everything you could possibly do as an amateur wrestler?the professional wrestler he became just off the charts good.
"I knew this guy when he broke in down in Texas. He worked in Tennessee and then he went to WCW. When you take a step back and really look at the big man in this business. You almost have to say Undertaker. Andre the Giant, great big man, Great Giant Stud, but when you look at Taker's?the dude was main eventing Wrestlemanias in the 80s. Mark I don't think is a big man. He has no peers. ('He's like the LL Cool J of wrestling.' ? Scoop) 'Great analogy. That caught me off guard. I like it. That was good.'"
Source: CBSLocalSports.com