Jeff Jarrett on why he deserves AEW television time, AEW running Wembley Stadium comparisons between AEW and when he was involved with Impact Wrestling, being part of Ric Flair’s Last Match

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Good Karma Wrestling with guest Jeff Jarrett
Hosts: ESPN Chicago’s Jonathan Hood, ESPN Milwaukee’s Gabe Neitzel, and ESPN West Palm’s Brian Rowitz
Twitter: @gkw_wrestling
Interview available at YouTube.com

On why he deserves TV time in AEW: “Emotional connection with the audience, it’s just that simple. It’s something that goes without saying and the naysayers will go ‘he’s done this, he’s done that.’ All you have to do is listen to the people in the arena, they love me. There’s some kind of ‘F you Jarrett’ that they got going on, but I think that’s a term of endearment, they absolutely love me. It’s the emotional connection, that will never go away….. At the end of the day the emotional connection with the audience existed 70 years ago and it’s going to exist 70 years from now, that’s what entertainment is all about. I don’t care if you’re playing NBA basketball, if you’re playing NFL football or if you’re in a Hollywood blockbuster, it’s all about connecting with your audience.”

Comparisons between AEW and Impact Wrestling from when he was involved: “What I love above anything with my entrepreneurial spirit is the alternative brand, the challenger brand, however you want to cache it. The wrestling industry thrives, not just when there is competition, but I would love to see two, three, four others. That’s what kind of makes our industry. I love when a lucha libre promotion enters the U.S. or a Japanese company enters into the market space because rising tide truly does rise all ships…. All the Four Pillars talk of those talent, its unbelievable, there’s nothing better for the industry for new stars to be developed. I’m saying that from a guy that’s a two-time Hall of Famer and been around 37 years, there’s nothing like getting fresh blood in the industry.”

On being a part of Ric Flair’s last match: “That is something that in so many ways evolved. I wish we were doing a documentary just on how that naturally evolved. Its something that from the bloody parking lot scene that was off the charts, Karyn’s shoe got him good. How that all developed and his real-life relationship with Jay Lethal, his son in a law, obviously my history with Ric, kind of a mindset that came out of a conversation of ‘what about one last match?’ The controversy that he created, I still chuckle to myself that Ric sold out Municipal Auditorium or damn near close to it on his last match and people still want to criticize him. I get all that, I understand all that but that was a lot of magic was made over the last summer, that 90 days.

“That doc they did, that three-part story, just the views. Look, I’ve always said since that match is over and you started to hear the feedback, good and bad. There are three groups of people, people that saw it live, people that saw it on Fite TV and people that didn’t see it. The people who didn’t see it are heavily critical of it. The people there that are live they know the magic that was created. When you have legends in the business that attended the show not only on camera but off camera, I’ll let you guys go down that rabbit hole, the comments they made. The energy that they saw in the arena, it was truly a special night and I feel pretty honored to have that opportunity because it delivered in every metric.”

His initial reaction when he learned AEW is running Wembley Stadium: “Hell yeah, lets go. It’s a statement maker, without question, when you look at the strategic patience. AEW has not run an event in the United Kingdom. ITV, some folk in America don’t quite understand the strength of ITV. It’s a free to air network. It’s a very very strong partner. The Khan family has deep deep relationships, owning Fulham, in the community and in the country. I’m really excited, it’s a statement…. I have been a part of tours of the United Kingdom since 1993, the ebbs and flows, the ups and downs. I am very familiar with the market, and I am super excited, it’s just kind of amazing that we are even having this conversation for a four-year almost five-year-old brand talking about having an event at Wembley Stadium, that has never been done. I love to be a part of something that has never been done.”

Other topics include real life issues making money in pro wrestling, what he would do-over in his career, and wrestling in Florida again.