For those that have been living under a rock, you should know that a new wrestling promotion named GFW is about to explode across the US and that it won't be stopping there. Having successfully demonstrated their ability to work across companies, time zones and markets with the 'presentation' of New Japan Wrestling's 'Wrestle Kingdom 9', the GFW team is set to embark upon its first run of live events and TV tapings. At the head of that team and with over 70 years of family involvement in the wrestling industry, is Jeff Jarrett. Things have developed since the first time we talked to Jeff and below, he reveals his future plans for GFW including some exclusive and extremely exciting news for UK fans - read on!
Tell us about GFW? Why now?
I think the time is right, we are a global brand, we have wrestlers from five continents and we have alliances with 13 promotions all around the world. So we are very excited to get things going.
90% of our readers asked us to find out from you when GFW is coming to the UK?
Of course! And why would they not ask that! Funny, as the timing is very peculiar. I have had a conversation, actually just today, with a gentleman who has connections with several promotors both within the wrestling industry and outside it and we want to stratergise and look at bringing our brand of professional wrestling to you, and there is actually a potential to do it in late 2015. I can't promise it but we are in discussions. Over the years, I have had a fantastic relationship, with the UK and Europe's wrestling fans and specifically, in the UK. I would love nothing more than to be bring GFW to the UK sooner rather than later.
Before then, how can the UK fans access GFW programming?
Well as far as distribution, stay tuned! There are several things I am working on both here in the USA on a domestic level as well as with international agencies. But for right now, we are very active on social media and on our website. You can go to www.globalforcewrestling.com or @gfwwrestling or any of our social media platforms. So stay tuned for all the breaking news, details of where and when you can find this, you will find out right through those avenues.
Who in the British scene has caught your eye so far?
I can't release those details! But there are several. It is certainly not Dave Mastiff! [Lots of laughs from Jeff, who was beaten by Mastiff and friends in the UK at PCW] There are several, and I just don't want to say good, but exceptionally good talents, that are working out there. My good friend Doug Williams always keeps me up to date. I've got a guy in Australia that does that as well, so I'm excited but I can't let out all the details because that will spoil it. The free agent talent pool in the UK is very healthy though.
What are your memories of wrestling in the UK?
Boy I have many! One of them that comes right to the top of my mind is that I got the opportunity to wrestle in the Royal Albert Hall with WWF. It was a unique experience to wrestle in that world famous venue. Over the years, I have wrestled in Wembley and Birmingham and Manchester, and those crowds are rowdy - and rowdy would almost be an insult, they are much rowdier than rowdy! And you have to love that! The British Wrestling fans - they are very educated, on what they like, or more importantly on what they don't like and they let you know it. They come out and have a good time! Every now and then they give you a little football chant! It's really called soccer but for the purpose of this interview its football! You get some of the football chants going...they are just very interactive. British wrestling fans have been interactive before interactive was a word - and you have to love that!!
If you were ever inducted in to a Hall of Fame, who would induct you?
That's a good question, I never thought of that. Those types of questions are hypotheticals, what ifs - and I will leave that up to you guys and the wrestling fans and the wrestling journalists. It's not up to me to even think about that. I will cross that bridge, if, it ever comes to that! Vince is the man who makes that decision and the only one that makes that decision, so you should ask him and then I will reply to that!
Do you think your feud with Chyna in WWE altered the way women were treated in the industry, giving their wrestling talent more time, exposure and respect?
Good question! I don't want to be bold enough to say it altered it by any means. Do I think it was ground breaking at the time? Absolutely, I think we had a series of matches, the final one was in October of '99, the 'Good Housing Keeping' match that everyone still to this day talks about, when she became the Intercontinental Champion. So yes, it was ground breaking. I don't think it altered things but it certainly contributed - I will say that.
What's your weirdest of funniest fan interaction?
I don't know if you would call this a fan interaction and I don't even know why this popped into my brain but years ago I was wrestling Scott Hall, Razor Ramon as he was at the time, and I had the Road Dogg with me. For some reason the fans didn't like us and there was a cowboy who was not real happy with how me and Road Dogg were beating up Scott Hall. He jumped over the railing but when he jumped in, he had this look as in "oh right, what do I do now!" He looked at me, he looked to the right and he looked to the left at Road Dogg, and looked back, and we just jumped him. Let's just say, that cowboy did not get to go home that night! He had a little stop at the doctor's office before he got home!
We look forward to seeing GFW over in the UK, hopefully by the end of 2015!
I appreciate it we start on June 12th, the 'Grand Slam Tour', then we go to Vegas, and so anybody who's across the pond, from the wonderful world of the UK, can jump on a plane and go to Las Vegas, the destination capital! You can have lots of fun watching professional wrestling, that's July 24th, August 21st, and October 23rd, pick one or all three of the dates, and come see us, come see GFW, as we launch in Las Vegas. You can get tickets on our website, that's www.globalforcewrestling.com, we made it very easy!
Stay tuned for more news on GFW from the RR team!