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Jeff Jarrett Interview: Guitar shots, Video Games and the competitiveness in TNA

Posted: Nov 2nd 2006 By: CMBurnham

Think of places to interview a wrestler. In the ring, backstage, maybe in a car traveling to an event. But when I met Jeff Jarrett in Orlando before a recent iMPACT taping, the hardest working man in TNA had a request.

"Want to sit in my golf cart?"

That's right, a golf cart parked on the Universal lot. A spoof movie with strippers dancing on a shuttle bus was being filmed down the street, Christy Hemme was wearing nothing but duct tape for a photo shoot just a few doors down, and the crowd was already starting to gather at the iMPACT Zone inside when Jarrett found time to take a seat next to me in the cart.

I think it was the first time Jarrett sat down all day.

Midway was in the house shooting all of the wrestlers for their upcoming game, even getting the crowd to do run throughs on all of their chants like "Joe's gonna kill you!" Jarrett knew it was a big deal for the company, a company he helped build from the six-sided ring on up, and all of the wrestlers were going out of their way to make sure Midway got things right.

A walking, taunting A. J. Styles character is already playable in the ring and as everyone sees the authenticity, the sweat, the lights, the movements, they realize the power of the next-generation systems and the power these platforms will have on the business of branding.

"I've been in the wrestling business my whole life, and back when I was in my first videogame over ten years ago, videogames were done on a different level and for different reasons," Jarrett explained from the passenger's seat. "But with the evolution of technology and the evolution of our business, teaming with Midway I think we all have the same mindset. Our product, our brand of wrestling fits a videogame better than any other form of wrestling. From our X-Division to our signature matches, just the whole gaming nation, a whole generation of people out there are going to experience TNA for the first time, so we're really looking to do some creative, innovative things with our game. We know that this is such a competitive industry, but we really want the videogame to mirror what TNA's about, and that's innovation. From the Ultimate X match to King of the Mountain to Six Sides of Steel, we really try to be innovative and in front of the curve, and that's really what we want to do with the game. Years ago, other companies I worked for, the videogame was an afterthought. To TNA, we realize how big the industry is and want the videogame to be very well respected and accepted throughout the industry."

From Bound for Glory to what it takes to rise to main event status, here's what else Jarrett had to say from his golf cart in Orlando.

IGN Sports: What's it like to get booed by millions?

Jeff Jarrett: It's the best feeling in the world. [laughs] It lets me know I'm doing something right. In the entertainment industry, the worst thing you can have is no reaction.

IGN Sports: What did you think about all of the videos fans sent in explaining how much they hate you?

Jeff Jarrett: They were great. One thing about TNA fans, they're rabid fans, very loyal and very vocal. There were some pretty entertaining videos sent in. Videos that really took a lot of time, people giving a lot of thought and really venting their anger; it came to life on video.

IGN Sports: At Bound for Glory, it was almost like there was internal competition to try to out-do the previous match. Does that type of mentality typically take place, where you're not only trying to go out and have a good match, but you're trying to one-up your peers?

Jeff Jarrett: In life, competition is healthy. In business, in sports, and specifically in wrestling, you're trying to bring the best out in your opponent, your partner, and the way you do that is to completely immerse yourself in the product. And it's not just about the effort, it's about the intensity of that effort. I think you saw that at Bound for Glory. The intensity was at such a high level that I think everybody really was trying to one-up each other, and that intensity is what really made the event special.

IGN Sports: Where did the idea of the six-sided ring come from?

Jeff Jarrett: It was my idea to bring it to TNA but I can't take complete credit for it. We're the first ones to use it in the United States, but there's a promotion down in Mexico that has a six-sided ring. We've refined it, and I was part of the original design team for this ring that fits TNA. It's a little smaller than the ones in Mexico, the ropes are at a different angle and much tighter which fits our X-Division guys. A lot of things about the ring are specifically designed for TNA, and it's one of the things that sets us apart. When you go to a TNA show, the ring jumps right out at you.

IGN Sports: As a performer, what are the advantages for you with the extra angles?

Jeff Jarrett: It creates opportunities. Instead of four corners, you have six, so it makes you think of different ways to approach matches. I've been in the business my entire life, but with this ring, you're still able to find new and creative ways, whether it's for tag matches or singles matches or for a special stipulation, bringing the six sides into it, the opportunities seem limitless. The four-sided ring, when I see it, it's old school, and it limits the performers to a certain degree.

IGN Sports: Your signature is the guitar shot...

Jeff Jarrett: And that better look good in the game. [laughs]

IGN Sports: Is there a guitar shot that stands out as a favorite?

Jeff Jarrett: There are a lot of guitar shots I love. [Jarrett pauses, thinks for a moment then starts to laugh] Gary Coleman from Different Strokes. I also loved hitting The Fabulous Moolah, an old-time ladies wrestler. There really are so many that I've got to stroke with and smack around.

IGN Sports: For people who are going to get their first taste of TNA through the videogame, if they had to go back and watch one match, what match best describes TNA wrestling?

Jeff Jarrett: My favorite TNA match would have to be the first Ultimate X. All of our signature matches, our X-Division signature match is the Ultimate X, our heavyweight division signature match is King of the Mountain, then the Six Sides of Steel is the signature for our tag division, and the first ones for all of those signature matches really became standard barriers for the company. Each of those nights when we had our first ones, it became something that TNA became proud of.

IGN Sports: The signing of Kurt Angle is obviously huge for the company. How tough of a secret was that to keep?

Jeff Jarrett: You can imagine in this business, very, very hard. Only a limited number of people knew, it was a strategic move that we made, and in the end, I think the people who didn't know from within the company, I've had many people come up and tell me it made the business fun again because of the surprise. That's what the business is all about, surprise, intrigue, suspense, and I think we created it that night. The thing about Kurt, he was a true superstar before he even came to our business. He's an Olympic gold medalist, and there aren't too many people living today who can call themselves an Olympic gold medalist wrestling champion. And then he came into this business, caught on real quick, and in six or seven years, he's a six-time WWE champion. His record speaks for itself. For him to come to TNA and be excited to be here, not just with his bravado attitude but also willing to dig in and bust his ass, he has tremendous, tremendous ability, and like I said about everybody trying to one-up one another, he's going to raise everybody's game to another level. And I mean everybody, top to bottom.

IGN Sports: Do you already have a guitar waiting with his name on it?

Jeff Jarrett: About ten of them, at least.

IGN Sports: There are so many young guys in TNA who are potential breakout stars. As someone who helps book the matches, how do you know when one of these guys is ready to make the jump to the next level?

Jeff Jarrett: The fans will tell you. The fans will always let you know one way or the other. But it's not going to happen over night. I'm talking about a period of several months. The fans will let you know who is ready and who is not ready.

IGN Sports: Are you saying the fans run the storylines?

Jeff Jarrett: They do but they don't. That's what's so unique about our business, it's built off of fan reaction, but there's also this magic to it that's unique, and no matter how far the curtain is pulled back, it's still a very unique business.

IGN Sports: How did you know when you were first ready for main event status?

Jeff Jarrett: I worked seven years before the first time I went to the then WWF. I worked seven years in territories in Japan and Puerto Rico and worked my way up to the main events on those cards, then went to the WWF and spent a little while there before I got into the Intercontinental run and a main event runs with Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash. Then I went to WCW, had a run there, then back to WWF, back to WCW, and it's one of those things where you have to be able to wrestle, you have to be able to talk, and you have to be able to translate to the fan base. Those are the things that are all formulated, and I think certain guys just know when they're ready.


IGN Sports: What's the one thing about wrestling that you wish someone would've told you before you started?

Jeff Jarrett: You know, that's a great question. If I had to give my advice to someone else starting the business, my standard answer is so, so true, and that's to learn the fundamental basics of this business. If you don't have a fundamental base to build upon, your house will fall and you will never truly achieve the status you desire. You have to learn the fundamental basics, from interviews to wrestling to how to carry yourself as a professional, you have to learn those basics. And that advice was given to me at a very young age. The advice that was never given to me, something I've learned along the way is this: Don't always believe what you hear. Even if someone is telling you something straight to your face, don't always believe him.