It was recently revealed that a major corporate change had taken place as it relates to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Bushiroad recently sold all its shares in NJPW to its broadcast partner TV Asahi and digital media company CyberAgent. The share transfer is valued at approximately 3.6 billion yen, or roughly $22.6 million.
Reacting to the sale of the promotion on his My World podcast, Jeff Jarrett would comment on what he called the “shockingly” low number that the shares were sold for:
“That number to me was shockingly low, but I think it’s very telling in that the live event business has not come back [since the pandemic], they don’t project it’s going to come back anytime in the near future and New Japan World has not created a substantial revenue stream.
“I think wrestling again is a priority because we don’t have seasons, we run 52 weeks a year. I’m not saying it’s massive leverage, but it’s leverage, because we create live content every week, weekend, and that rates,. No, you’re not going to get blue chip broadcast advertisers, but it’s up there.”
NJPW shares sale numbers in context
Jarrett is someone that has history when it comes to the worth of promotions and selling to new stakeholders. Double J sold sold his remaining minority stake of TNA to Dixie Carter in 2015, although the amount he got for the sale has never been publicly disclosed.
To put the $22.6 million into context compared to some historic pro wrestling sales/contract deals:
TNA reportedly made $24 million a year on Spike TV domestically (according to Jarrett – TNA was on Spike TV from 2005 to 2014, but Jarrett did not confirm when the company were being paid that amount for the TV rights)
WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett recently discussed Chad Gable and the AAA Noche de Los Grandes match he had against El Grande Americano on his My World podcast. Jarrett praised Gable’s performance and his overall abilities, but also noted that Gable will probably have to leave WWE, as he won’t get the push people are expecting even after the success of the El Grande Americano storyline:
“I just don’t see the WWE [pushing him], because he worked under the Vince regime. And obviously now he’s worked under Triple H regime, [but] they’re not all of a sudden magically going to go ‘Oh yeah, he’s our guy.”
Jeff Jarrett on why Chad Gable needs to be ready to leave WWE
Chad Gable appears to have around a year left on his WWE contract, and Jarrett would note that the former Olympic-level athlete needs to leverage that fact:
“I would absolutely leverage [the contact situation] with New Japan having new owners [etc]…I just think he [Gable] needs to keep doing what he’s doing, but be ready to leave. I don’t see TKO coming to him and saying, ‘Hey man, you performed great in Monterrey, we’re going to give you a bump [in pay].’ I just don’t see that. I think he could monetize his talent more.”
JBL had huge praise after AAA’s mask vs. mask match, calling Chad Gable the best wrestler in the world and highlighting his ability to shine in front of a completely different audience.
Jake Paul’s MVP promotion recently held their first MMA event this past weekend, with Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano doing some big numbers on Netflix. While Paul’s company is still promoting Boxing and seemingly doing a pretty good job of it, who could they bring in to take it to the next level? According to Jeff Jarrett, Vince McMahon could be the man to do it.
Speaking on his My World podcast, Jarrett said “I’d love that” when asked if he could see Paul and McMahon working together in a promotional capacity, adding: “Vince…you can say he doesn’t bat a thousand, look at football, look at bodybuilding etc, I get it. But for every quote unquote failure, look at all the successes Vince has had. And I’m not just talking about the broad stroke of WWE, the amount of successes that he had to build that thing over and over and over, and I’m not just talking about Monday nights, I’m talking about TV deals, rights, fees, international deals, the pivot into social media, all kinds of things.“
Jeff Jarrett on Vince McMahon working with Jake Paul
Jarrett would also question who actually is the ‘MVP’ of the MVP company, questioning if Paul currently has a “Pat Patterson” type in his corner and whether Vince McMahon could be that guy: “Who is Jake Paul’s team, his inner circle? Who is his Pat Patterson? Who is his Joe Silva like matchmaker? Who is MVP?”
As we reported last year, Former WWE chairman Vince McMahon’s plans to launch a sports, entertainment & media investment firm, and plans have been moving forward with a filing revealing the name of the new venture. First reported by Wrestlenomics, the company will be called 14TH & I with the focus on opportunities within the three spaces mentioned above. Whether that could mean McMahon getting into business with MVP, whilst being a shareholder in TKO, remains to be seen.
WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett recently discussed the return of WWE ‘house shows’ after they had been phased out over the last few years following the pandemic. These live events have still been taking place, especially in markets like the UK and Europe, but now the company are running more in the summer.
Speaking on his My World podcast, the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion said: “I applaud it [the return of WWE house shows]. I love it. I think the business, yeah, I’m going so say it…the business desperately needs it because there is so much upside. If you break even on the P&L for the weekend, you can’t put a value on the marketing that you have, the ability to your fan base to come out and touch the product. If there are not house shows run by the major promotions, it leaves an opportunity for a lot of wrestling because wrestling fans want to go watch it live, just like music.”
“Can you imagine the New Day versus NXT wrestler one and two out in these live events? What they could learn? They [a team like the New Day] may not be on RAW and SmackDown every week, but, out on the road, their brand names, they know how to get guys over, they know how to work with them. I’m curious to see how many NXT talent are put on these events” Jarrett added.
WWE House Show Schedule 2026
WWE recently announced that the following live events would be taking place this summer:
Saturday, July 11: WWE Summer Tour at Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Sunday, July 12: WWE Summer Tour at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Thursday, July 16: WWE Summer Tour at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Saturday, July 25: WWE Summer Tour at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California
Sunday, July 26: WWE Summer Tour at Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield, California
Thursday, July 30: WWE Summer Tour at Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield, Illinois
Thursday, August 6: WWE Summer Tour at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia
Thursday, August 13: WWE Summer Tour at SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire
Saturday, August 29: WWE Summer Tour at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia
Sunday, August 30: WWE Summer Tour at North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina
Former WCW, TNA and current AEW name Jeff Jarrett recently discussed his issues with the new John Cena Classic format, saying that he is a massive fan of Cena as a performer but there are glaring problems with the new concept itse
In comments that were somewhat echoed by Lance Storm earlier this week, Jarrett would note on his My World podcast that the suspension of disbelief needed when watching pro wrestling will become an issue when wins and losses don’t inherently matter. Which is in part of what this new format will entail due to the social voting element determining the “champion.”
Jeff Jarrett on John Cena Classic
“I get it from a business perspective. It’s the funnel to get people engaged and there’s going to be an X poll, there’s going to be a TikTok poll, they’re going to be on every social media platform. There’s going to be all kinds of social custom content and, I don’t know if they announced the sponsor for this, but that’s probably going to be one of John’s VO accounts that he has,” Jarrett would begin.
“But from the storytelling component of this, you can become champion and you don’t have to win your matches…we may be all kind of overthinking this, and it is what it is, because the whole world knows we’re scripted entertainment, but we at least want to get lost in the story, someone trying to WIN the title. It takes that component out, the suspension of disbelief, what matters in our world, as we’re watching this two hour or three hour episode or three hour premium live event. [If we don’t need to] get immersed in the story, why do we care when a hip toss happens or a false finish happens or there’s a spectacular move off the top rope?”
If you use any of the transcriptions on this page then please credit F4WOnline and link back to this page.
On his podcast this week, Matt Hardy provided some information on the upcoming season seven premiere of Dark Side of the Ring.
Dark Side of the Ring will return to Vice TV on July 7 when the new season begins with a three-part documentary on TNA Wrestling and its founder Jeff Jarrett. Matt Hardy noted that he and his brother Jeff recorded long-form interviews for the project, which will be a redemption story covering the loss of Jarrett’s first wife Jill and tag team partner Owen Hart, as well as his successful battle against addiction.
“In speaking with Jeff Jarrett, had a great conversation with him a couple months ago, and he told me they were talking about doing this, and they’re doing a Dark Side of the Ring, which is kind of a redemption story, which is very cool,” Hardy said on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.
“We were sold on it. While we were out in Vegas, Jeff and I both did very long-form interviews talking about everything from the very beginning. When we first met Jeff Jarrett, interacting with him, him and Owen asking if they could put the Tag Team titles on us when we were wearing tights back in the day with hope and faith and plaids, just for a few weeks to kind of build us and make us. Go into everything that Jeff Jarrett has been through, losing his friend Owen, losing his first wife, how his life has been.”
It sounds like the documentary could also take a redemptive tone toward TNA, with Hardy saying he discussed how the promotion is now “thriving” on AMC.
“Even up to that with TNA, whenever we left, whenever we returned to WrestleMania 33, WWE, just the whole to-do. And it felt great to be a part of something that did feel like a redemption story,” Hardy said. “Because not only did we talk about how Jeff Jarrett came out the other end in a much better place and how he has gained everyone’s respect from what he has done, we talked about the condition of TNA right now, how it is in a good place and it is actually thriving on AMC.”
Hardy said he thinks this could be the “biggest star power” episode Dark Side of the Ring has ever produced with how many people they interviewed for the project. He and Jeff were both interviewed for more than two hours each.
The first two parts of the documentary will air on July 7, with the third following the week after that. Here is the full list of topics that will be covered in the season:
Dark Side of the Ring season seven topics —
Three-part episode on TNA Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett
Paul Orndorff
Big Boss Man
Missy Hyatt
Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher indie match from IWA-MS in 2005 and the personal animosity the two had toward each other
Zach Gowen
The Renegade (Rick Wilson), “an exotic dancer who had a brief run as [an] Ultimate Warrior knockoff.”
Full coverage of AEW Revolution, keys to the show, the returns and surprises, poll results and other business notes, thoughts on the matches
Notes on Tony Khan’s attempt to buy WWE in 2023 that came out this week
Updates on WrestleMania with confirmed matches, matches not announced but are on the schedule, the 31.6% off ticket sale, comparisons of demand for tickets with last year, potential matches and more on how matches were changed, as well as Steve Austin talks
AAA Rey de Reyes update, a look at the promotion and how it differs from WWE and CMLL and what comes next
A look at what happened in the ring when referee Dallas Edwards suffered a medical emergency in the ring during a match and the response issues
The most detailed look at the ratings for all the major television and streaming shows of WWE, AEW and TNA, demos, comparisons, competition numbers and placings
Claudio Castagnoli draws his first Arena Mexico sellout as CMLL world champion
Notes on the other major shows of the week in Mexico
Stardom Cinderella tournament finals and the top matches for the company’s biggest show of the year
Champion Carnival blocks
New Japan Cup notes
Manami Toyuota and never going to WWE and would it have mattered
Sareee talks her WWE stint
Kendo Kashin on Tadao Yasuda
45th anniversary of the Tiger Mask debut and the best woman wrestler in the world at that time is still holding a championship today
NCAA wrestling tournament notes
Ted DiBiase Jr. trial notes
Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW, TNA, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Rousey vs. Carano and more shows
Mistico sells out San Jose three weeks in advance and thoughts on the show
Former WWE champion in boxing match
Ricochet, Gates of Agony and Mercedes Mone in Europe
TNA new business deal
Ricochet Twitter controversy
Former AEW and WWE champion appears this weekend on one of the most-watched TV shows
AEW contract notes
Zuffa makes choice not to accept a commission regulation and will do it themselves
Gina Carano talks about how UFC tried to stop the Carano vs. Cyborg fight from happening
WWE in Saudi Arabia thoughts
WWE’s deal with Front Office Sports and some thoughts
— Bryan and I will be back with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight covering Raw and the rest of the news.
— TNA did 250,000 viewers and an 0.04 in 18-49 which is good considering NCAA men’s basketball tournament games did big numbers on numbers on CBS, TNT and TBS on Thursday.
— The Thursday night matches from the NCAA wrestling tournament did 366,000 viewers but an 0.12 in 18-49. With the exception of Gutfeld on FOX News in hour three, wrestling, on ESPN, was the highest rated show in its time slot aside from college basketball, on all of cable.
— Raw tonight is from Boston and one would expect a big number given Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are both on the show, as are CM Punk and Becky Lynch. Matches include Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio for the IC title (this was scheduled for last week’s show but Dominik was injured in his match with El Hijo del Vikingo at Rey de Reyes), Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane and Je’Von Evans vs. Grayson Waller.
The last number we had was 12,200 tickets out so this should be sold out, if not it will be very close.
— New Japan Sakura Genesis on 4/4 at Sumo Hall:
Kushida & Masatora Yasuda vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto & Taisei Nakahara
Togi Makabe & Tiger Mask vs. Hartley Jackson & Kosei Fujita
Shingo Takagi & Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X vs. Jake Lee & Francesco Akira & Jacob Austin Young
Aaron Wolf & Toru Yano & Yoh & Master Wato vs. Don Fale & Douki & Sho &N Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Oleg Boltin defend the Never trios title against Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
Konosuke Takeshita defends the World TV title against Shota Umino
Yuto-Ice & OSKAR defend the IWGP tag titles against Zack Sabre Jr & Ryohei Oiwa
Yota Tsuji vs Callum Newman for the IWGP heavyweight title
— Variety reported that the television show Starfleet Academy on Paramount is being canceled. The second season, already completed, has been filmed. Becky Lynch was a regular cast member of the show.
— Titan suffered a broken right foot. No more word on the severity.
— Jeff Jarrett is now co-owner of the Nashville Kats Arena Football League team. President Jeff Fisher announced that Jarrett is now Managing Partern and co-owner oof the Arena Football One league team. The team opens its season on 4/17 and plays at FUM Bank Arena in Clarksville, TN.
— The Usos will appear Wednesday night at the Major League Baseball season opener on Netflix between the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees at Oracle Park. Something happened regarding Netflix and Anthony Bowens as apparently he was to be featured, and he will stil be there, but not featured.
He wrote, “I was looking forward to helping out The Giants again Opening Night on Wednesday but Netflix took over and unfortunately that got YEETED away. I’ll still be there though. I’ll see you at Oracle. Go Giants.” Yes, you think this doesn’t get petty?
— Nino Hamburguesa showed up on Friday’s Clash show in Tijuana using the name Burger Boy.
— 3/27 Global Wars at St. Clair College in Windsor, ONT is sold out with Ricochet vs. Rich Swann, Athena vs. Taylor Rising for the ROH women’s title, Rohjan Raja vs. Stu Grayson for the PWA title and an announcing team of Mauro Ranallo, Ian Riccaboni and Don Callis. It will be available on Triller PPV.
— Promociones Cantu tonight in Nuevo Laredo has Alberto El Patron & Jack Morris & Metalik (Gran Metalik in WWE) vs. Carlito & Galeno del Mal & El Texano Jr.,the Infamous Cuatrero & Mascara Ano 2000 & El Ijo de Mascara 2000 vs. El Hijo de Dos Caras & Super Nova & Mocho Cota Jr.
— Tomorrow at Arena Mexico is headlined by Atlantis Jr. & Templario & Mascara Dorada vs. Angef de Oro & Averno & Yutani.
— Hiroyoshi Tenzan turns 55 today. Tyson Tomko turns 50. Terry Ray Gordy Jr. turns 47. Duke Keomuka was born on this day in 1921. Omar Atlas/Buddy Moreno was born on this day in 1938. 70s woman star Heather Feather was born on this day in 1949. Villano III, the Hall of Famer, was born on this day in 1952. Skull Murphy was 39 when he passed away 56 years ago today. Wally Karbo was 77 when he passed away 33 years ago today. Brian Cox was 33 when he passed away 23 years ago today. (thanks to Tony Richareds)
— Gail Kim was inducted into the women’s wrestling Hall of Fame on Saturday in Brentwood, NY along with Melina Perez and Juia Hammer, Sweet Saraya, the mother of the current Saraya. as well as Mercedes Martinez, Debbie Maneko, Jasmin St Clair, Linda Dallas, Mickie Knuckles, Missy Sampson, Penelope Paradise, Carmela Foss, Mimi Hagiwara and Olympic wrestlers Nataia Vorobieva of Russia and Pang Qianyu of China, as well as Laurene Landon, the star of the movie “All the Marbles,” who was trained by Mildred Burke and did most of her own stunts in the movie.
— West Coast Pro and Pro Wrestling Revolucion did a joint show yesterday afternoon as part of the Warriors’ Mexican Heritage Night at the plaza in Thrive City outdoors outside the Chase Center. Alan Angels & Aaron Solo won the West Coast Pro tag titles from The Crush Boys, Titus Alexander & Starboy Charlie. The main event was Vinnie Massaro & Misteriso beat Los Suavecitos. Tthey would like to run Thrive City three times per year. (thanks to Derek Sousa)
— Insane Wrestling Revolution on 5/21 in Wyandotte, MI at Grizzly’s Bar and Grill with Trey Miguel, Jason Hotch, Sam Beale and more. (thanks to Paul Meade)
— Green Mountain Wrestling on 5/17 at the ElksLodge in Barre, VT headlined by Carlito.
A detailed look at the WBD/Paramount/Netflix situation, what the latest decision of WBD to Paramount entails, the keys to why this is happening, business notes, how this affects AEW and can it get approved.
A look at the UFC and WWE business in 2025 and in the final quarter of this past year. We look at the numbers, what they mean, why WWE was more profitable in 2025 than UFC and the key thing that can change that in 2026, Mark Shapiro talks ESPN value to WWE, lots of news about the business of the White House show, UFC fighters upset over pay, why WWE wrestlers are so underpaid but not publicly upset over, and business initiatives going forward
The violence in Mexico and tons of wrestling shows canceled this past week
We look in depth at the Janel Grant speech from last week, what we learned, what she said, and where everything stands.
Update on the build for WrestleMania, Elimination Chamber, business notes, ticket sales and favorites for the weekend.
An updated look at AEW Revolution and business notes
The retirement of AJ Styles looked at
The most detailed look at the television ratings from the past week, including comparisons with a year ago, competition, demos and much more.
Notes from Arena Mexico
CMLL attempts to break a North American record next week
Cinderalla tournament in Stardom
Fantastica Mania notes
The life and times of former Olympic wrestler Bobby Douglas, his coaching career, his beating Dan Gable, and two notable pro wrestlers he coached
College wrestling sets an attendance mark already this season
Who had the most top ten matches of the year over a career according to Cage match.
City builds a bust memorializing top 80s star
WrestleMania week schedule
Former MMA fighter and pro wrestler running for Governor
Robbery of the ring truck for an indie group
Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA shows over the next two months.
How many subscribers does Paramount need to make up for UFC expenses
More talk on Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano
Stand & Deliver moves and why
When Roman Reigns and Brock Ldesnar are booked for TV in the Mania build
Pro wrestler who is active in Japan competes this weekend for the U.S.national team in anther sport
We owe our career to the fans and to the unselfish sacrifice of our families. As for fan support, we have always said that without their support, there is no drive to excel.
The fans drive the sport. They give you a reason to do your best. They drive you to do your best. After all these years of support, we truly believe they were a great part of the decision making to induct us into the Hall of Fame.
Rey Fenix congratulated his brother Penta on winning the Intercontinental title: “Congrats brother, you will always be my favorite luchador, i love you @penta_zero_miedo I miss sharing the ring with you, but now I think; would it be good to relive old times?”
Bayley noted that she’s received an “insane” amount of applicants for her upcoming Lodestone women’s wrestling seminar in Las Vegas:
Insane response to this. I wish I didn’t have to make a cut off, but unfortunately space is limited in the building. And I want to ensure that everyone attending gets an equal experience. Thank you for your understanding. Going through emails this week!
I’m 22 years in wrestling, and that is shocking to me. I’ve very much enjoyed myself. I think I’ve had the chance to show what I can do in a lot of situations and with different opportunities. It has given me the chance to go and perform in places like Japan, Australia, the U.K., and South America, and other places I may have never got to have been in my life. We were able to build what we were able to build with the New Day and inspire a generation to be themselves. We have shown wrestling doesn’t have to be seen in one specific way. It can be fun at the end of the day. That’s what we are here to do at the end of the day, have a good time. It feels great.
Charlotte Flair made an appearance at last night’s Anaheim Ducks vs. Colorado Avalanche NHL game.
Mickie James will be in action for Midwest All-Star Wrestling on May 2 when she faces Sierra to determine the inaugural Jackpot Junction Champion. The show is taking place in Morton, Minnesota.
Jeff Jarrett believes AJ Styles is hugely responsible for shaping the in-ring style that exists today.
While speaking with Undisputed, Jarrett expressed how happy he is for Styles following his retirement from the ring. The two worked together closely in TNA Wrestling with Styles becoming the biggest star that TNA ever produced.
“I could not be happier for the guy,” Jarrett said. “Getting to work with him was super special. It always takes me back to the creation of the X Division. At the beginning, there were so many questions and doubts about the X Division. I was adamant that it wasn’t about weight limits; it was about no limits.”
That X-Division style has taken over much of the wrestling industry, and Jarrett believes that Styles deserves a lion’s share of the credit.
“Look at today’s style of wrestling–the 2026 modern style–that’s the X Division from ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07,” Jarrett said. “You think of [Samoa] Joe, [Christopher] Daniels, Sonjay [Dutt], and so many others. And AJ is the face of that. That’s why AJ is the face of modern wrestling. I’m super grateful to have worked with him in the ring and behind the scenes with him. I feel very blessed to be a part of AJ Styles’ career.”
Styles had his final match at Royal Rumble 2026 and will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 42 weekend. With his in-ring career over, Styles has agreed to a new contract to remain with WWE in a behind-the-scenes capacity.
Jarrett, a member of the TNA and WWE Hall of Fames, is now with AEW. He’s set to be featured in the new documentary “The Jeff Jarrett Story: Heart of a Promoter” that premieres on YouTube and CW Nashville tonight.
Jeff Jarrett does not believe AJ Styles’ in-ring career is over.
After Styles lost to Gunther with his career on the line at Royal Rumble last weekend, many fans have questioned whether he really is done as a wrestler. Jarrett addressed the topic on his My World podcast and said he’s confident that Styles will wrestle again.
“We have not seen the last of AJ Styles in the ring. Look, it may be a year, it may be two years, I don’t know,” Jarrett said.
He later added:
“I think AJ’s stock, if he’s on the ticker, over the last week or two has risen. Would you buy AJ stock right now?” Jarrett asked Thompson.
Thompson answered, “If we were giving stock recommendations, I would give it a buy, that’s for sure.”
Scott D’Amore, who previously worked with both Styles and Jarrett in TNA, also commented on Styles’ possible retirement during the latest edition of The D’Amore Drop on Yahoo Sports. D’Amore said that if Styles’ career really is over, it’s a strange way for it to end.
“As it stands, I can’t believe AJ Styles’ career ends like this. It is perplexing,” D’Amore wrote.
Jarrett and co-host Conrad Thompson also discussed Styles’ match with Gunther, with Jarrett comparing it to other recent “retirement” matches.
Jarrett added:
“Out of Goldberg, Cena, and AJ, out of those three, I thought Gunther built more equity in the Gunther character by beating AJ than the others by far. That was well done. But no, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of it. The taking off the gloves and all that stuff, it’s curious.”
The My World YouTube channel posted a clip of Jarrett discussing Styles vs. Gunther on Sunday, which is available below.
On this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, it’s the return of the monthly question and answer show.
Karl Stern has a huge mailbag full of questions dealing with a variety of pro wrestling history questions including topics and on the evolution from VHS to DVD to streaming and the problems with that, poor wrestling spots, John Cena’s retirement and place in wrestling history, the Jarretts, the WON Hall of Fame, greasy heels and more!
Jeff Jarrett has responded to William Regal’s safety advice to wrestlers.
Regal posted a lengthy statement to social media recently warning younger wrestlers about the impacts of being dropped on their heads and the long-term ramifications many wrestlers live with after their in-ring careers end.
Jarrett was asked about Regal’s statement during a recent episode of his My World podcast. He responded that he doesn’t believe wrestlers today are going to listen to older generations telling them to slow down or avoid taking risks.
Jarrett said:
“Athletes today, the evolution, they are bigger, stronger period, game set match. The style of wrestling is not going in reverse, in my opinion. The cadence, the speed.”
“My generation, it was just different. We worked seven days a week. It’s just how it was. But now house shows are going away, for the most part,” he continued.
“Yeah we worked a lot more shows but also in working the shows, I’ve worked more shows without a trainer than I have with them. At AEW, there is no less than seven at a show.“
Jarrett says that wrestlers today have more opportunities for preventative treatment than his generation did.
“I think you have to have not just reactive – if something is out of whack – I think you got to have preventative maintenance. I credit my mindset on not just cardio and stretching, but nutrition and preventative maintenance.”
“I just think that’s where it’s at. Our bodies are going through incredible things now. I mean, I’m not doing all that stuff, I’m 58. But the guys that are doing it, to me, you’ve got two choices. You are absolutely going to make Regal and Arn 100 percent true, because left untreated, or not figuring out how to do preventative – And I mean, real preventative. Stretching, being prepared for it, and doing all that. Really understanding that you’ve got to get prepared for your body to do that, and it’s in the gym.”
“I think the preventative part of it, Conrad. You ain’t putting the toothpaste back in the tube. That to me is delusional thinking. There is no chance in hell any of these guys are going to say ‘No, no, no, I’m not going to do that because of long term.’ Nobody. We didn’t do it when we were their age.”
“The extreme high spots and moves and the creative stuff, that’s not going backwards.”
Jarrett continued by saying that Tony Khan and AEW do a great job of having trainers available for its roster immediately after matches.
“Tony Khan does a great job. He treats it like a sports team. Like I said, five to seven trainers at every show. When you come through the curtain, they are there with a little hydration bottle and they are ‘How are you? How do you feel?'”
“That’s the real special sauce, the preventative stuff.”
Jarrett’s comments about wrestler safety begin around the 38-minute mark of the podcast. The below video is cued.
Jeff Jarrett says the finish to John Cena vs. Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event was the “single dumbest finish” in wrestling history.
After being critical of what happened on social media Saturday night, Jarrett gave a deeper dive into his dislike for how the match ended on his My World podcast. The episode was titled “Worst. Finish. Ever.”
Jarrett said on the show:
“My family’s been in the business since 1946. I’ve got three generations of stories, not just from a wrestler’s point of view, but from a business point of view over and over and over. This mythical, time-honored tradition – that is the biggest bunch of bulls–t I’ve ever heard.”
Later in the show, Jarrett said Cena tapping out to Gunther was the “single dumbest finish” in the history of wrestling and called arguments that WWE needed to get heat on Gunther “ridiculous.”
Jarrett continued:
“Why do I think it was the single dumbest finish? Because I think it is a direct slap in the face of the face of our industry. ‘Never Give Up.’ Do you know how impactful it is if I’m in a room full of bankers or TV executives or friends or whoever it may be, and I can look them in the face and say do you know who holds the record for the most Make-A-Wish visits in the history of that organization? It’s a professional wrestler. Yes, it’s John Cena.“
“His whole mantra, hustle, loyalty, respect. Never give up. And you’re going to give this bulls–t that we got to get heat on a heel in a time-honored tradition? It’s the silliest, most ridiculous argument that people are throwing up.”
Conrad Thompson and Jarrett also addressed comparisons between Cena vs. Gunther and Ric Flair’s retirement matches, including Flair being retired by Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24. Thompson noted that when Flair lost to Michaels, the stipulation was that Flair would retire only if he lost. By contrast, at Ric Flair’s Last Match, it was advertised as Flair’s final match regardless of whether he won or lost.
Thompson said, “We knew what people wanted to see. They wanted to see Ric Flair win one last time, and they got to see that, sort of. But either way, he did win, by God.”
Jarrett’s full podcast is available below. The main portion of his discussion about Cena vs. Gunther begins around the 1-hour and 4-minute mark.
“Love watching movies when the superhero gets destroyed in the final scene and then dies. Even better is when my favorite sports team not only gets beat but gives up with a smile on their face. Makes me feel good about spending time/money on the night. Creative is subjective.”
Jarrett also responded to a post from Conrad Thompson, who appeared to praise the finish of the match. Thompson wrote, “I like it. Feels like when Taker’s Mania streak ended. Same feeling for me. What say you: did you like it?” Jarrett responded to the post by writing, “Lol.”
Jarrett was also critical of WWE recently during an interview with Adventure Gamers, where he said WWE under TKO “only cares about Wall Street” while Vince McMahon cared more about wrestling fans.
Jarrett said:
“There has been a paradigm shift in the way they do things. Ari Emanuel is at the very top of TKO and he answers to Wall Street, Vince McMahon, obviously the founder, but also he was the final decision maker in that organization. Believe it or not people, contrary to some people’s beliefs, he answered to the wrestling audience, Ari answers to Wall Street.”
Love watching movies when the superhero gets destroyed in the final scene and then dies.
Even better is when my favorite sports team not only gets beat but gives up with a smile on their face.
Makes me feel good about spending time/money on the night. 🤦♂️ Creative is subjective.
Former AEW and WCW star Sting made his surprise 2300 Arena debut following Thursday’s AEW Collision taping in Philadelphia.
His appearance was part of a post-event tribute to Eddie Gilbert put on by AEW head Tony Khan that also saw Jeff Jarrett, Tommy Rich, and Eddie’s brother Doug Gilbert in attendance as well.
From our Dave Meltzer: “Eddie Gilbert was the guy who saw the potential in Sting before anyone else and was the architect of Sting’s babyface turn in the UWF just as the promotion was being sold to Jim Crockett.”
Gilbert was the booker for Eastern Championship Wrestling before he was fired by Tod Gordon, replaced by Paul Heyman, and the eventual creation of the Extreme Championship Wrestling brand. Heyman was a friend and protege of Gilbert.
After Doug, Jarrett and Rich came out talking about Eddie and the former ECW arena,
Khan called out Doug Gilbert, Eddie’s younger brother, who at one time was a star heel in Memphis. Gilbert talked about being the first person to jump out of the Eagle’s Nest in the arena and how Eddie was the King of Philadelphia.
Then, out came Sting who talked about Eddie and what he meant to his career. He asked the fans to chant “Hot Stuff” which led to Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” being played to end the night.
It’s unknown if the segment will be released on YouTube.
