By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast with Jeff Jarrett
Host: JP John Poz
Twitter: @TwoManPowerTrip
Website: www.tmptempire.com
Interview available at Tmptow.podomatic.com
On starting a new promotion: “I’m a third-generation promoter. I’m always going to be in the promotion game. I have stated very clearly that, launching a promotion like I did in 2002 with TNA, it’s not even applicable today, the strategy, to today 2021, going into 2022. There are so many things that have changed, and even through the Global Force days, and sometime in the near future we’re [Jarrett and Conrad Thompson] going to be potentially doing a Global Force episode, to do a really deep dive, and hear all the ins and outs, and everything that went into that. My grandma promoted, my dad promoted, and a lot of people know them as just wrestling promoters. My dad promoted a little bit of everything from time to time. I do think, it goes without saying, if you are even a casual fan of professional wrestling, I think anybody can see the opportunities that are there. But drilling down on that to the next level, it’s much more appetizing when you look at talent, and then you look at the way technology has evolved from a production point of view, those are real game changers.”
On being a member of the Four Horsemen: “I have videotape from Nitro… it’s been shared. How does Arn [Anderson] debate that he said, in the heat of the moment, ‘Mongo, get over here. Jeff get over here. Shake hands.’ Looked me in the eye, and said ‘You’re a Horseman.’ ‘When Kevin (Sullivan) laid that out to me, that ‘Ric’s going to have to have a little shoulder surgery, and we’re not sure where that’s going’ but he could still work, but when he laid it out, I’m thinking to myself ‘How lucky am I? I’m 29 years old, and I’m going to be battling…’ The NWO angle was, for lack of a better word, WWF invading WCW. WCW’s mainstays, and, again, Lex had gone off, and worked… for WWF, and Sting was transforming into that character. So who was the real foundation of WCW? It was Ric and the Horsemen. So, for me to get that opportunity, and I’ll say as a heel, and Ric as a babyface, a legacy babyface, I just saw so much potential and opportunity, and Kevin Sullivan did too, that it was a story that… Jeff comes in the Four Horsemen, and the reason he’s in is because Ric says so. That aligns us, and gives us a bond and, although there was some dissension with Mongo and Arn, and, as the story plays out, they finally accepted the fact, and, for me to get in, and then me to double-cross Ric…. I can’t say it’s a regret, but, I really think that story would have been a lot of fun, I think it would have done a tremendous amount for my career in a lot of ways, but it didn’t happen, so it is what it is.”
On Steve Austin: “Even the night that Vince Russo told me, ‘Austin’s mad that you said something about a paycheck back in Tennessee.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, Vince can’t be fabricating this. He would never know this story, had Steve not told him, but Steve can’t be serious, or can he?’ It confused me at first, like, ‘Is this a rib? Is this a joke?’ but when I heard he was serious, and then, you know, later Bruce [Prichard’ had, you know, Bruce was talking about, Bruce knew the side of it, and I’m thinking to myself ‘at the very core of it, I would have to be a real a-hole to say that just unprovoked, but the truth be known. I said that to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 guys. It was a running joke in the locker room that people would get their checks. And they were some really lean years. Ask Dutch Mantell. Ask The Undertaker. During that time, uh, there was a lot of folks that came through Memphis during that era that went on to huge careers. The checks were lean and they sucked, but I got the exact same ones. Uh, and it wasn’t fun, by any stretch, but I certainly, but I wanted, I thought that was the story behind the story. All these years later, they heard about me and Steve. I don’t call it the animosity, cause I never had any toward him. He, he had it toward me, but at the end of the day, business is business.”
On his legacy: “I’ll let you, and other, whether it’s a, a journalist, a podcaster, or a fan, another talent, another promoter, you know, I think more than anything, the legacy is that I never stopped learning. It is something that it’s at the very top of my mindset. When I look back over my entering career and, you know, just throwing out, just, you know, reinventing from the Double J to the ‘Don’t Piss Me Off’, to the King of the Mountains, Double J MMA and had fun with that, but no, just the, but that’s the in ring. But as far as behind the scenes and promoting and trying different things and licensing deals and distribution deals, I think at the end of the day, I was taught at a really, really young age just because it worked this way today, doesn’t mean it’ll work that way tomorrow. I think there are some, for me personally, there is an, a tremendous amount of value to keep that mindset: never, ever, ever quit learning.”
Other topics include his My World Podcast, Conrad Thompson, Vince McMahon, Vince Russo, the WWE, the WCW, the Four Horsemen, and more.
You can listen to other shows apart of the TMPT Empire including Shane Douglas’ Triple Threat Podcast, Taking You to School with Dr. Tom Prichard, Talking Tough with Rick Bassman, Taskmaster Talks with Kevin Sullivan, Pro Wrestling 101 with Justin Credible and the University of Dutch with Dutch Mantell.
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