My World with Jeff Jarrett - How We Started TNA [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Let's Start a Rasslin Promotion

Last week we talked really about World Wrestling All-Stars and the build up to the thought process of NWATNA. This week we’ll talk about your decision, mindset, trials & tribulations to making NWATNA a reality.

Jeff...the thought process behind starting a new professional wrestling promotion begins when?

We brought up your dad’s book last week…”The Story of the Development of the NWATNA: A New Concept in Pay-Per-View Programming” available now on Amazon by the way...and in that book his journal entry for January 6th (which by the way is when the WWA PPV Inception from October in Australia that we discussed last week finally aired in the United States)  starts with, “Jeff asked if I could come to his house to help him with a business plan to present to a potential investor for a pro-wrestling venture. The plan is a wonderful plan in that it eliminates the difficult and costly weekly broadcast wrestling show, which is used to promote live events and build interest for pay-per-views. The plan is to produce 52 weeks of pay-per-view.”

A lot to unpack in just 3 sentences there Jeff. First off...was your father, Jerry Jarrett, the first person you called to sit down with and put together your business plan with?

Let’s sort of set the stage here for your dad. He’s 59 years old and no longer in the wrestling business. He’s gotten into the construction business and had some very big years. He’s been working with BP and Shell stations to “re-image” them and wrote in his book his projections were a $15M profit in 2002.

By comparison, his best year in the wrestling business was $1.2M.

Given his current lot in life at the time, why do you think he even considered getting back into wrestling?

Did your dad have the wrestling bug? It’s been said that once you get it in your system, it’s nearly impossible to shake off. Was that true of your dad?

Did part of you think your dad thought maybe he missed the big money in wrestling? Don’t get me wrong he was likely one of the first millionaires in wrestling but he made his fortune selling tickets in economically depressed areas. He missed out on all of the pay per view money that helped take Vince to the next level. Do you think he wondered, “what if?” his skill set could translate in the current market and wanted to sort of prove it to himself? Or was he doing it to prove it to others? Point being I have a hard time thinking he would be interested in wrestling as “strictly business” from a financial standpoint.

From the sounds of what your father wrote he thought it was brilliant. Why did you think skipping television and going right to pay-per-view was the right idea?

It’s tough to get television for wrestling in general let alone in 2002. Did you have any notion that the chances for television would’ve been so slim it wasn’t worth exploring?

To be clear, the original idea of 52 pay-per-views came from the boat trip with your dad and Bob Ryder?

Did you have any idea what the start up costs would be for the company or was that something you leaned on your father for?

When putting together the business plan you show your father was the idea for you & your father to go into business together?

Were you both thinking of a 50/50 share of ownership and a 50/50 share of “angel” money into the company?

Was this all instigated from Andrew McManus and the situation we covered last week with Randy Savage? Your dad wrote that Andrew didn’t know the business so he was enamored with the star power of Randy as opposed to your experience which he didn’t really know about, including that you had been writing TV since you were 18. Would that be fair to say, that Andrew was star struck by Randy?

Your dad wrote in his book a very poignant and direct sentence regarding what you wanted to do, “His (Jeff’s) heart is still in the wrestling business. I’m hoping that his mind will someday overrule his heart.” What do you think he meant by that?

January 10th is the day you and your father meet with Bob Ryder & Jay Haussmann regarding the idea. Your dad wrote that Haussmann was in the PPV business and worked for Evander Holyfield at the time but that he was interested in coming to work for you guys.

Can you give us any more back story on Jay Haussmann and why he was important enough for a meeting like this, basically before anyone else?

Mark Miller, the lead singer of Sawyer Brown who you sang with for the WWF in 1998, supposedly commits $1,000,000 to the project for a 10% stake in the company. What was your relationship like with Mark? Did you ask to make him an angel investor?

For those that don’t know, a $1,000,000 commitment for a 10% stake in the company gives you a valuation of about $10,000,000. Did you think it was a $10,000,000 idea?

You let your dad know you can raise $1,000,000 and if he can come up with another $1,000,000. Was this all the start up costs you thought you would need?

Did the deal with Miller ever go through?

The business plan is made...and “Tuesday Night Attitude” is starting to come together. Where does that name come from and why didn’t it stick?

You begin to explore celebrities to take part in the shows including Dale Earnhardt Jr and the Sadler Brothers. Why was that important to you?

You hold early meetings regarding talent with the likes of Sting & Scott Steiner. Sting supposedly says you guys should talk to his attorney and the attorney says “whoever puts the money in escrow can use his name” -- insinuating Sting is negotiating with other folks. Your dad wrote that Sting’s attorney was essentially asking for Sting to be signed before PPV deal was landed. What was your take on Sting?

Of Scott Steiner your dad wrote: “It also seems that Scott Steiner, Jeff’s supposedly best friend, is also playing hard to get. I feel sorry for Jeff, because I know the heartache that he is going through. I experienced the same situations 25 years ago with wrestlers when I first started my wrestling company.” Jeff that’s how your dad felt, but how did you feel about the Steiner stuff?

How important and crucial is Ron Harris during this process for you? Was his brother Don a part as well?

Your dad wrote something about McManus like if our PPV meetings in LA are successful, Andrew won’t be able to get enough name talent to run another PPV but since he screwed Jeff over regarding Savage, McManus “has it coming.” Did you, at any point, feel like you were “double-crossing” McManus with this new company? What was your contractual relationship?

It’s interesting to me because just a few days after your dad wrote that about Andrew, he says that you spoke with Andrew in Vegas and he’s going to fly in to Nashville to meet with you and your dad because you all agree you will need to “work together” to compete with Vince. Why the about-face? Is this just dad looking out for his son?

Is the McManus situation and the way he approached it compared to how you approached it, perhaps the first sign of things to come in terms of a difference of opinion between you and your dad?

The Nashville meeting is February 5th and attended by you guys, Bob Ryder, Jeremy Borash & Andrew McManus. Your dad wrote that in this meeting he felt like you and he weren’t exactly on the same page. He wanted to just be in the PPV business but you wanted marketing, foreign television, etc. Is that the way you remember it back in February 02?

Where does Borash come into play here? What was Ryder’s contribution to the meeting?

I want to circle back to a banker meeting you lined up for you and your dad with what he described as “Jeff’s friend Robin.” You guys are shopping for a bank loan. What kind of loan were you looking for -- one against accounts receivable since there was a lag on PPV payouts?

The meeting with Robin wound up being her attempt to get your dad’s construction business but even if she was able to get that biz, it would limit his construction line of credit so that’s a no-go. Robin effectively wants your dad to personally guarantee $2.5M but he felt that would hinder his construction business for 6-7 months. Your dad wrote that when McManus was in Nashville, he wanted Andrew to be the guarantor for that loan. Was that ever your plan, to see if McManus could get the line of credit?

Your dad wrote that Andrew wasn’t sure if his partner would sign. Up until now we haven’t talk about Andrew’s partner. What, if anything, do you know about this partner?

Your dad said you were concerned with Andrew’s “honor” the day after the meeting. Were you still feeling a little snake bit from the Savage situation with WWA?

Nonetheless your dad says that sometimes you have to deal with snakes but at least you have a hatchet and know where Andrew’s head is… so he’s for forging forward with Andrew.

Meanwhile Kevin Sullivan was trying to get a new outfit off the ground down in Florida with Jimmy Hart, Brian Knobbs, Greg Valentine, etc. Of course we know this was the failed XWF experiment. Anyway Kevin was asking your dad for advice and your dad decided perhaps their 77 year old investor Walter Franks could be a resource for you guys. Did you ever talk about that with your dad? How real did you think this could have been?

Your dad wrote that the cost of the first show was budgeted at $800,000. Is that right?

I ask because he wrote that he was advised that getting an investor, and giving up equity, was foolish because only the initial show was at risk. After that all that was needed was a line of credit secured against the PPV revenue receivables. Is that right?

Three days after meeting with McManus, your dad wrote he decided against doing business with him. Just two days after he told you, sometimes you have to deal with snakes he’s changed his mind and in his book he cites the reason being his wife Deborah had a bad feeling about Andrew. Essentially the same thing he said you were concerned about, concerned her… but where he dismissed your concerns as someone who had worked with him for months, he listened to her gut after a single meeting. To me this reads like a father-son scenario that has to be hurtful in business. I’m not trying to pick a sore spot, but when did you first realize, “Man being partners with my dad is going to be tough” -- not in a “picking on my dad” kind of way, but business conversations with family is tough right?

Since we’re talking family, what was your wife Jill saying about all of this?

Your dad has JJ Dillon working in his construction company after WCW closes. He wrote in his book that he sought his counsel on the wrestling idea but that you weren’t too keen on JJ dating back to your tenures with WCW. What was the heat with you and JJ?

Your dad wrote about John Corcoran and Bob Freeman. Who were those fellows?

Your dad said he met JJ and Jim Barnett for lunch and there he learned that Ted Turner was not happy with what Vince said on that last Nitro episode and as a result was interested in getting back into that business. I gotta tell you, that sentence of Jerry Jarrett, JJ Dillon, and Jim Barnett talking about Ted Turner reads like it’s from 10 years prior. What did you think of the Turner opportunity?

We haven’t discussed him yet, but what was your experience with Barnett?

What a small world it is: your dad wrote that the guy he bought a farm from when he first moved to Hendersonville now has a son producing TV in LA, Andrew Baird. You guys meet with Andrew and then hook him up with Keith Mitchell to talk about production trucks, edit suites, equipment, etc. Your dad wrote that Andrew thought you could rent all of that stuff and do production in-house as opposed to hiring Scene Three. Can you break all of that down for us? Who is Scene Three and what sort of cost-savings could this represent? What can you tell us about Andrew?

You dad listed all of these different bankers and potential investors, including a Japanese investor.  Is the toughest part of starting a wrestling company...getting the money necessary to do so?

Chat me up about Keith Mitchell, your relationship with him and how he got on board.

Who are Derek & Bonnie from Team Services?

So the WWAS show in Las Vegas happened as we discussed last week and it was not good. Your dad wrote that you not going would reflect poorly on you guys new venture with the PPV companies. At any point did you consider no-showing?

Your dad was pretty critical of your match on that PPV saying, “I’m sure the event will hurt our first event. When someone considers buying our first event, the memory of this event will be a real negative.” What say you?

Your dad mentioned talking to both Mick Foley and Sean Waltman. Mick has a non-compete until December 2002 and Waltman is under contract until April. Were you and your dad just putting out general feelers or did you have some sort of wish list between the two of you?

Tell me about Charles Young and Ed Spurlock, two guys helping chase money down for you guys.

Just when you think it’s all secret, Vince McMahon makes a play. After leaving Hermie Sadler high and dry the year prior, now the WWF is offering him $150,000 for every race as sponsorship money. This has to be because he’s gotten wind of your NASCAR play right?

On March 1st your dad wrote that the PPV companies have now locked you into Wednesday nights… but the show was named Tuesday Night Attitude. How and who came up with Total Nonstop Action?

Was it something that was pushed upon you by investors or InDemand?

Did anyone think using TNA as initials was a bad idea?

You, your father and Jay Haussmann meet in Los Angeles on March 5th for what supposedly you guys think is a dotting of the i’s and crossing of the t’s that Jay described to you guys as “a group hug” but it’s not that at all. What happened in this meeting? (An hour before the meeting Jay told you they shied away from T&A and wanted old school NWA/WCW, but that wasn’t in your presentation. So you pitch it that way, from the seat of your pants, then they ask why wouldn’t fans be upset without any adult content? Your dad realizes this is a massive fumble by Jay but continues. Eventually they ask, “How can you keep folks buying 52 weeks per year?” which seems to indicate this is anything but a done deal. And then they ask for $600,000 cash up front in order to do a deal. Your dad shuts it down saying that’s an unreasonable ask. You guys are risking all of the money and they’re asking for guaranteed profits.)

Your dad is furious with him afterwards. Is this the first time you questioned Jay?

Eventually Jay follows up that a contract is coming and you will only have to put up $100k. Your dad wrote that you guys didn’t like that deal but didn’t really feel like you had any options so he got ahold of your insurance agent and bonding agent to do a $300k bond. A $300k bond against a $52M a year operation seems a little silly then and now to me, what say you Jeff?

Let’s talk about Vince for a minute. He had a standoff with DirecTV and got them from 50% to 60%. He had a reputation for being a tough negotiator with the PPV companies and always trying to carve out his own deals. One of those deals is for WWF Fanatics which is essentially a WWF Home Video style release but in PPV format every Wednesday night on InDemand. And once InDemand meets you guys, they can’t wait stick it to Vince for one and tell him that the Wednesday WWF PPV is cancelled. Vince is supposedly furious. Do you remember thinking this was like poking the bear so to speak?

That news leaks and the story of a new promotion is now in the Torch. Did your phone blow up when Wade published that?

Is this when it started to feel real? Or when was that?

Talk to me about Deborah Wagnon and the legal deal you guys put together for equity.

On March 16 your dad wrote that he completed the writing of the first show but then you shared it with Russo and Russo shared his ideas with you and you guys had three guys writing TV. You and Russo wanted to start the first show with you in a hot angle whereas your dad was more old school in that main event talent are never in the preliminary segments. Is the gist of the disagreement about the flow of the show? He wants the show to build to a climax, never have top guys on early, and not try to outsmart your audience… basically the old school way and nothing like what Russo does. Am I close?

Then your dad sends you a big email basically saying he’s not sure if he wants to proceed the very next day, March 17th. He does this on his way to his beach house. You get the email and call him. What do you remember about this?

I have to say I’m fascinated by the fact that he had an issue with you taking a vacation to Mexico yet in the middle of what your dad described as a storm, he’s off to his beach house. This is father son 101 stuff isn’t it?

The original start date is for June 5th but because of the Mike Tyson/Lennox Lewis fight InDemand can’t guarantee the promotional time so it’s brought up to move it back to June 19th. Toby Keith and some NASCAR drivers are already committed to June 5th. How heavy a setback is this?

What is Toby Keith’s role? Talent, investor? We’ve always heard his name in professional wrestling associated with you. What is yours & Toby’s relationship?

Your dad has a meeting with Bob Wussler, President at Turner Pictures, aka Ted’s top guy. He says that Ted’s face lights up at the mention of professional wrestling and your dad basically sells him on the vision and he just asks, “How could Turner fit into this project?” He wants a proposal FedEx’ed over for in a few days and he will present it to Ted. This is unbelievable news. Were you at this meeting? Talk me through the excitement.

When your dad leaves the meeting he’s so excited he called Savage. Savage was fired up and said send me a contract. Did you think Savage was a real possibility at that point?

Your dad felt like at this time your top stars would be yourself, Shamrock, and Savage. He described the second tier talent as Sid, Brian Lawler, and Road Dog. Talk me through Shamrock, Sid, and Road Dogg.

Your dad was hopeful he could land Warrior, Scott Steiner, and Chyna. Any insight on Chyna?

The deal with PPV companies back then is that you had to have your marketing ready way in advance. So you need photo shoots with the talent to start promoting it but you can’t get Savage on paper. One of his concerns is whether or not Andrew is involved. Then he wants his agent and his accountant to review the documents. Your dad is doing most of the hand-holding here?

You eventually say let’s just market it as wrestling but different. Your dad loves the vision. You guys craft a mission statement and a plan statement, you work on the flow chart, etc. Are you enjoying the administrative side of the business?

Your dad described a meeting with Russo and yourself where Vince basically said he couldn’t position you as the top guy because Southerners weren’t ass kickers. Do you remember this conversation?

Then your dad has a phone conversation with the Warrior and we will pick it up from there next week!

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Who’s idea was to use the National Wrestling Alliance? Did they come to you or did you go to them?

Was the plan to use them just for the title and some of the roster? I know Bill Behrens at the time was running NWA Wildside which was really the most “put together” NWA affiliate at the time...and with him being close in proximity it made sense. Was it important to bring him aboard?

At the time the independent wrestling scene consisted of promotions spread out all over the country. Ring of Honor also recently formed. Between ROH & Jersey All Pro Wrestling in the Northeast, were you looking into talent elsewhere? Who did you discover from watching Ring of Honor & JAPW?

Without full investors how are you able to put together budgets for the show? What were you expecting to spend compared to what you were expecting to make?

The long talked about issue with doing pay-per-views and was evidenced in ECW’s closing is the delay in getting the pay-per-view money from the pay-per-view companies...how worried were you about that?

Jason Hervey, of Eric Bischoff & The Wonder Years fame, has always been rumored to be interested in pro wrestling. Did you ever have any talks with him?

Halfway through April you have the bones of a roster and you need to start filling the holes. One of them is an announce team. Don West is brought in to be a color commentator along with Ed Ferrera and Mike Tenay. Why take the risk on West and who’s idea was it?

Was Mike Tenay always going to be the play-by-play guy?

Why Ed Ferrara - was it the Russo connection?

A deal is made for TNA to become a NWA member. Why the NWA and who were you really able to make the deal with considering there wasn’t much of a NWA at the time?

Bert Prentice, a long time Memphis manager who now runs a Tennessee promotion called USA Wrestling is giving talent ideas and looking to be a part. What was Bert’s role at this time?

In late April Jeff, you’re making all these moves and deals...but you haven’t announced a venue, you don’t have financing, you kind of have a deal with InDemand. Did you think you were actually going to pull this off?

You have a meeting with Toby Keith in Evansville in April. What was this meeting about?

Richard Scrushy reaches out to you in April regarding a business deal. Who is Scrushy as you mentioned him in our Hold Up Vince McMahon episode?

Your dad brings up some names in his book from around this time and I want your thoughts on them:

-Ray Maddux
-Kirk Webster
-Bob Lankford

-Earl Bentz

What was the hold up in signing the deal with InDemand?

Scrushy sounds like he’s all in to invest and then goes quiet. A press release goes out announcing the project and the idea behind it. It’s all moving. Jeff...YOU HAVE NO FINANCIAL BACKING. How crazy is all this?

Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn supposedly have nuclear heat and Shamrock doesn’t want to work with him. The plan is to use the NWA World Title and Severn is the champion. What was the original idea of using the NWA Title and Dan Severn. Ever any thoughts of doing a UFC superfight rematch for the NWA Title between Ken & Dan?

How is the Von Braun Center in HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA decided upon to be the first venue? Was there any consideration to using the Mid South Coliseum?

What did the Monterey Peninsula have to do with anything?

In the building up of this company does the name Dixie Carter ever come up or the Carter family?

Scott Hall is released by the WWF due to his behavior. Does he immediately land on your radar and who reaches out first?

Is Scott someone you think can help jumpstart publicity?

Ticket sales are slow in the beginning for Huntsville. Why do you think that is?

Dusty Rhodes at the time is running Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling and you’re in talks with him to come in and work some shows in the beginning stages. How did those negotiations go?

The NWA strips Dan Severn of the NWA Title due to him picking an independent show over the first show for TNA. Do you think that Dan knew you didn’t have big plans for him and he was going to be brought in mainly to put someone over?

Monty Brown is in talks to come aboard. How do you get put into contact with Monty Brown and what were the negotiations like?

The 6-sixed ring became synonymous with TNA later on...was there any thoughts to having it at this time?

Dale Oliver, who we know later on would produce...you know every TNA theme song...gets put into contact with you. How does this come to be and how receptive was Oliver to coming aboard?

Ed Ferrera and Jim Cornette have a legitimate physical altercation at a wrestling show about Ed’s parody of Jim Ross as Oklahoma in WCW. Any worries about using Ferrera at that point?

You’re one week away from the first show. Jim Barnett is offered a job by your father to come aboard but Barnett lets him know he’s accepted a job with the WWE. How shocked were you when this happened?

Also on top of the fact you’re one week away from the first show...what is your money situation like? Is it all just you & your dad?

Was there a talent that you were good friends with that you thought were a lock to come into work that just totally took advantage of the situation? Did you ask anyone to come in as a “buddy rate” or did you attempt to avoid that?

As we get to the first show let’s run through some names of people that were of importance:

-Stanley Shanker

-Bobby Randall

The X division...why do you think this was an important division for you?
Who came up with the X division and what was the original idea behind it?

Jeff talk to us about girls in cages...and why?

Any last minute talent changes in the run up to the show?

It’s the day before the first show...what’s running through your mind?

We will cover the ACTUAL debut in two weeks so we’ll stop here. Jeff in the meantime let’s get to the fan questions as we got a ton!