Flashback Friday: Sonjay Dutt Talks Jeff Jarrett's TNA - GFW Deal, Getting A Pop From The Crowd
Sonjay Dutt was a staple in TNA Wrestling's X-Division, one of the early attractions of the brand. He, like almost all of the homegrown talents, ended up leaving the company. Dutt, who works with Global Force Wrestling, was mentioned in a 2015 promo by the returning Jeff Jarrett, who appeared for TNA to promote the GFW brand.
I spoke to Sonjay Dutt about the promo, and the pop that he got when his name was mentioned last year in an exclusive interview for Wrestling Inc. Dutt said that the respect he heard from the crowd meant a lot to him.
"It was really cool, a cool little moment," Dutt said. "I'd say the majority of the fans in that studio were the same fans who were around for the matches with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and all those guys. I think those guys all miss it just like you do or I do. Being associated with some of those good memories in the past probably contributed to getting that nice little round of applause. Just getting the respect from the fans in that type of atmosphere is priceless."
It's no secret that Dutt has been close with Jeff Jarrett, working alongside him for the Global Force Wrestling Brand. I asked Dutt about the emotions that Jarrett had to go through, working with the company that booted him out on multiple occasions. Jarrett and his wife Karen cut an emotional promo upon their return.
"I know there was a lot of back and forth," said Dutt. "Everything Jeff and Karen said was the truth. That was a really rough five days, weighing all the pros and cons, weighing the emotional distress and all that had went on between the two sides. How do you forget those things and look past those things? How do you shake their hands and work together? That wasn't my decision to make, but I shared my feelings with Jeff and Karen."
Jarrett ultimately traded in his remaining ownership of TNA for a Global Force Wrestling angle on TNA TV. Dutt said that while he's glad Jarrett was looking to build the brand, it was a hard choice to make.
"When you're presented with such a difficult decision, it's a lot to take in. Like Jeff said in the promo, it was a lot to think about. He had to think about the GFW roster, the staff, everyone who is working hard to build this brand into something bigger than Jeff has done in the past. I didn't envy Jeff having to make that decision," Dutt said.
Make sure to check out the full interview with Sonjay Dutt at this link. Subscribe to Wrestling Inc. on Youtube to get the latest videos, trailers, podcasts and interviews.