Jeff Jarrett Talks to Chris Jericho About GFW Plans and Brand Awareness, Decision to Leave TNA, More

This week’s episode of “Talk is Jericho” with Chris Jericho features the founder of TNA and Global Force Wrestling, Jeff Jarrett. Jeff was joined by GFW star Nick Aldis, formerly known as Magnus in TNA.

Jeff broke down the basics behind Global Force Wrestling; the first set of TV tapings will be this Friday July 24th at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Jeff says he’s not delusional—he knows that competing with the WWE is impractical:

“I think they’ve got like 90% of the market share. They invented the term ‘Sports Entertainment’. Nobody does it better and nobody will ever do what they do better.”

Jeff is looking to bring an eclectic collection of wrestling styles together, and house them under one roof. Both Magnus and Jeff say that the UK indie scene is hotter than ever, they allude to the Japanese strong style, the Mexican Luchadors, and the “American Pageantry.” Jeff cites the WWE Network and Social Media as specific avenues the WWE has utilized to reach their fans, and assures Jericho that GFW will have a heavy social media presence as well. He also says that while it’s important to write stories, he’s hoping to document stories:

“All of the guys and girls have their own story. About where they came from, and why they use a certain catch phrase…”

Jeff said brand awareness is key in bringing GFW to the masses. People recognize WWE, they recognize John Cena—they need to recognize GFW and its stars as well. Jeff feels that the best way to do that is to enter into healthy, and mutual beneficial relationships with companies like NJPW, TNA, and AAA. He also mentioned a desire to work with both Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground. Jeff says that he can’t go into detail about who’s financing their company but mentions the Orleans Hotel as an integral component in developing their brand. According to Jeff, the contracts he’s signed talent to are for appearances and not to be a permanent fixture on the roster. Jeff doesn’t think it makes sense to stack a roster with 30-40 wrestlers with no guarantee in place. He goes back to an old Dutch Mantel proverb, “Rent a wrestler, don’t own a wrestler.” Jeff says that he’s very confident with the amount of talent in the world, because of something he refers to as “The Rock Effect.” Fans from the Attitude Era who were just 10 years old at the time are now in their late 20’s and looking to break through. He says that independent scene in 2015 is far brighter than it was in 2001.

Jericho later asked Jeff about his decision to leave TNA. Jeff verifies that he is still a minority owner but decided to leave about 24-36 months before he actually did. Jericho jokes that “in the old days, you’d work a territory for three years and then move along.” Jeff completely agrees and has nothing negative to say about TNA. He looks forward to working with them in the future and says they’ve even got Bobby Roode at their first set of TV tapings.

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