Jeff Jarrett on Independent Wrestling, NWO and the Bullet Club, GFW

Jeff Jarrett, new head of Global Force Wrestling, recently spoke with Scott D’Amore to promote the upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 9 show, which will serve as his promotion’s debut program. He discussed several different topics related to wrestling in the process. Below are some of the highlights.

Jarrett spoke on the boom period of independent wrestling:

“They’re independent promotions but I don’t call the guys working them ‘indy wrestlers’. I think there’s a negative connotation that goes with that, unfortunately. I’m calling them free agents and, I think the free agent market right now is as hot as its ever been. You’ve got guys that are working Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from anywhere 1,500 to 2,500, and these promoters… you’re always going to have some bad promoters out there. But, for the most part, I’m looking around and seeing guys who are businessmen who are putting on really good shows. The business is healthy and that really excites me. My family has been in the business since the 1940s. My grandmother started. It’s ‘put groceries on the table’ for over 70 years. To see the amount of work at shows and, not just in North America, but in Europe, UK specifically, is having some really good shows and Australia. There’s a lot going on out in the world of professional wrestling that is not WWE-related.”

It was noted Jarrett is the only member of the NWO, who went on to also be in the Bullet Club:

“Funny you ask. At that show, Kevin Nash was there and we filmed him and that video came out yesterday. To hear Kevin Nash be so complimentary of the Bullet Club. I’m still in shock. I’m lucky that I’m the only guy to be in both. When those guys approached me back in August after NJPW and GFW solidified their relationship, they said, ‘Hey, we want you to be part of Bullet Club.’  How could you turn that down at this stage in my career? So I’m really honored and can’t wait to get to the Tokyo Dome. But, when I was talking to Kevin and listening to when he was getting interviewed, and he said the Bullet Club is much more athletic than the original members of NWO– Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan. I’m like, ‘he’s right.’ He’s being honest about it. I can tell you that i witnessed firsthand when the NWO first came on the scene and they powerbombed Bischoff off the stage and just the buzz and showing up at those Nitros and they were sold out 5 days in advance. Just the electricity and the buzz… I mean, they were selling out buildings just by showing up in limos and beating people up and they didn’t even have their first match. If you look at the comparison and the vibe, the Bullet Club does the ‘Too Sweet’ that’s the homage to NWO and Kevin threw it back at them so it’s cool. It’s a special time in the business, I’ll say.”

He also said GFW will soon be it’s own stand-alone company:

“2015. I know that’s very, very broad. We rolled out the name of the company in April & got our AAA alliance announced. The NJPW alliance, building up the brand. We got a couple funny Twitter comments from you [laughs] that I smiled all about so there’s another alliance in there [to special guest co-host, Marty] but, no, all kidding aside… rolling out the brand. And then the New Japan situation came about and all eyes in Global Force are focused and if I would have to release details from now until January 4, I don’t want anything seeding headlines or move anything. We’re laser-focused on January 4. Post January 4, I’m going to be making announcements about distribution, talent, venues, and sponsorships, and everything that goes with a stand-alone. 2015 I’ve obviously been holding things pretty close to the vest and that’s obviously by design. I made it a real focus. I want Global Force to be a different kind of brand. Yes, it’s going to be a standalone. We have these professional relationships where we can present, not just to the North American audience but the entire globe… different styles, different forms, different, innovative ways to bring wrestling to the masses.”

More from the interview can be found here.

Editor’s Note

Some good stuff from Jarrett here. Indy wrestling is alive and well. I’m excited to see what GFW will do too.

Follow @JonAlbaSFC