1 00:00:08,675 --> 00:00:11,845 Previously, on Dark Side of the Ring... 2 00:00:11,970 --> 00:00:13,262 When the wrestling business became a 3 00:00:13,263 --> 00:00:16,390 one-company industry, Jeff and Jerry Jarrett 4 00:00:16,391 --> 00:00:18,559 bet everything on a new promotion, 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,689 Total Nonstop Action, better known as TNA. 6 00:00:22,814 --> 00:00:24,356 Some people called me stupid, 7 00:00:24,357 --> 00:00:26,483 naive, an idiot. 8 00:00:26,484 --> 00:00:28,110 He had the guts and the nuts to start 9 00:00:28,111 --> 00:00:30,946 his own promotion, and TNA was born. 10 00:00:30,947 --> 00:00:32,407 Crowd Chanting: TNA! TNA! 11 00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:35,743 It really had that feeling of anything can happen. 12 00:00:35,744 --> 00:00:37,579 They had a strong roster. 13 00:00:37,704 --> 00:00:39,247 They had great production. 14 00:00:39,372 --> 00:00:42,124 They were a serious number two 15 00:00:42,125 --> 00:00:44,001 contender to the WWE. 16 00:00:44,002 --> 00:00:45,545 What began as a family business 17 00:00:45,670 --> 00:00:48,255 quickly spiraled beyond the Jarretts' control. 18 00:00:48,256 --> 00:00:50,592 Dixie Carter is smarter than 19 00:00:50,717 --> 00:00:52,385 what people give her credit for. 20 00:00:52,510 --> 00:00:54,721 She wanted the power. 21 00:00:54,846 --> 00:00:56,598 Dixie pulled me aside and said, 22 00:00:56,723 --> 00:01:00,392 "You are not to call Jeff boss." 23 00:01:00,393 --> 00:01:02,604 I get a call from Dixie. 24 00:01:02,729 --> 00:01:06,650 "How did you not tell me Jeff and Karen are together? 25 00:01:06,775 --> 00:01:10,069 I had no idea!" 26 00:01:10,070 --> 00:01:12,321 She was gonna try anything to get him out. 27 00:01:12,322 --> 00:01:14,531 Then she finally got her wish. 28 00:01:14,532 --> 00:01:16,408 The whole thing is nonsense. 29 00:01:16,409 --> 00:01:18,453 She nuked his whole fucking life. 30 00:01:18,578 --> 00:01:20,996 With Jeff Jarrett sidelined, 31 00:01:20,997 --> 00:01:23,624 Dixie Carter places her faith in Hulk Hogan 32 00:01:23,625 --> 00:01:24,625 and Eric Bischoff, 33 00:01:24,626 --> 00:01:28,170 reshaping the balance of power within TNA. 34 00:01:28,171 --> 00:01:29,964 It revealed to me immediately, 35 00:01:30,090 --> 00:01:32,258 he doesn't have a clue about TNA wrestling. 36 00:01:32,384 --> 00:01:37,472 Like, zero clue or context of who or what we are. 37 00:01:37,597 --> 00:01:39,765 I think she thought, "Oh, 38 00:01:39,766 --> 00:01:41,850 I'm gonna bring Hulk Hogan in here 39 00:01:41,851 --> 00:01:43,977 and everybody's gonna love me." 40 00:01:43,978 --> 00:01:45,939 "Oh, look what Dixie did." 41 00:01:46,064 --> 00:01:48,650 Look what the fuck Dixie did. 42 00:01:59,327 --> 00:02:00,828 Ladies and gentlemen, 43 00:02:00,829 --> 00:02:02,497 please welcome 44 00:02:02,622 --> 00:02:06,333 Dixie Carter! 45 00:02:06,334 --> 00:02:09,170 It's really hard to put into words how I felt 46 00:02:09,295 --> 00:02:11,506 watching the product while I was sitting at home. 47 00:02:11,631 --> 00:02:13,758 How's my little baby? 48 00:02:13,883 --> 00:02:15,677 How's it gonna be? 49 00:02:15,802 --> 00:02:17,177 Is it gonna turn out all right? 50 00:02:17,178 --> 00:02:19,221 But Hogan was on the way. 51 00:02:19,222 --> 00:02:22,808 And so for the brand, I was excited about that. 52 00:02:22,809 --> 00:02:23,810 I'd like to introduce you to 53 00:02:23,935 --> 00:02:26,980 my new business partner, Dixie Carter. 54 00:02:27,105 --> 00:02:29,316 This is the company that's gonna lead the way 55 00:02:29,441 --> 00:02:31,233 in the future. I guarantee that. 56 00:02:31,234 --> 00:02:34,319 Hogan! Hogan! Hogan! 57 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,238 Hulk Hogan believed passionately 58 00:02:36,239 --> 00:02:38,658 until the day he died- 59 00:02:39,617 --> 00:02:42,202 It's still hard for me to say that- 60 00:02:42,203 --> 00:02:45,080 that there was a tremendous amount of power 61 00:02:45,081 --> 00:02:46,915 and value in the Hulk Hogan brand. 62 00:02:46,916 --> 00:02:48,335 And he was right. 63 00:02:48,460 --> 00:02:50,879 And I believe that Hulk believed that 64 00:02:51,004 --> 00:02:53,423 he could bring that value to TNA and help 65 00:02:53,548 --> 00:02:57,426 the little engine that couldn't achieve. 66 00:02:57,427 --> 00:03:00,262 With Hulk Hogan now in the fold, 67 00:03:00,263 --> 00:03:03,224 Dixie Carter moves to consolidate her power, 68 00:03:03,349 --> 00:03:07,269 issuing the roster a stark ultimatum. 69 00:03:07,270 --> 00:03:09,438 We get this notice that there's this 70 00:03:09,439 --> 00:03:11,774 big meeting and there's gonna be cameras there. 71 00:03:11,775 --> 00:03:13,360 So you know you kind of have to have your face on 72 00:03:13,485 --> 00:03:17,237 and whatnot and Dixie comes out. 73 00:03:17,238 --> 00:03:19,240 It's time for a change. 74 00:03:19,366 --> 00:03:21,492 You can choose to support me 75 00:03:21,493 --> 00:03:24,079 or you can choose not to. 76 00:03:24,204 --> 00:03:26,581 But you'll need to find another place to work. 77 00:03:26,706 --> 00:03:28,457 "And if you don't like it, 78 00:03:28,458 --> 00:03:30,501 it's my way or the highway. 79 00:03:30,502 --> 00:03:34,464 And if you're starving, 'Let them eat cake'." 80 00:03:35,674 --> 00:03:37,759 We didn't appreciate that because we've been 81 00:03:37,884 --> 00:03:40,095 working our asses off for you 82 00:03:40,220 --> 00:03:42,846 and we're not asking for anything 83 00:03:42,847 --> 00:03:45,682 we have not earned. 84 00:03:45,683 --> 00:03:48,769 And you wanna reprimand us for that? 85 00:03:48,770 --> 00:03:50,729 It was one of those meetings that single-handedly 86 00:03:50,730 --> 00:03:53,899 pulled a lot of the morale out of the room. 87 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:56,236 It turns out that not only was it recorded, 88 00:03:56,361 --> 00:03:58,780 but we played that back later in the show. 89 00:03:58,905 --> 00:04:01,365 That's when she lost the absolute complete respect 90 00:04:01,366 --> 00:04:02,784 from the entire locker room. 91 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:04,868 It was not about anything 92 00:04:04,869 --> 00:04:06,955 other than her ego. 93 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,418 I expect you to support me 100%. 94 00:04:11,543 --> 00:04:13,128 And you can go back and look at the faces. 95 00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:15,839 Talent really understood 96 00:04:15,964 --> 00:04:17,632 this is who we're working for. 97 00:04:17,757 --> 00:04:21,760 But I think a lot of them- and including myself- 98 00:04:21,761 --> 00:04:24,346 Where do things go now? 99 00:04:24,347 --> 00:04:26,432 And then all of a sudden, I had a phone call 100 00:04:26,433 --> 00:04:28,684 from an attorney that worked for Panda. 101 00:04:28,685 --> 00:04:31,186 "Hey, Jeff, we want you to come back." 102 00:04:31,187 --> 00:04:33,982 At that time, that just rocked my world. 103 00:04:34,107 --> 00:04:36,234 I was just like, wow. 104 00:04:36,359 --> 00:04:39,528 You could see clearly what her strategy was. 105 00:04:39,529 --> 00:04:41,114 Dixie wanted a thumb on me 106 00:04:41,239 --> 00:04:43,323 to really know what I was doing. 107 00:04:43,324 --> 00:04:44,533 I've been around a long time, 108 00:04:44,534 --> 00:04:46,286 and I knew the cards they were playing, 109 00:04:46,411 --> 00:04:48,871 but I still was a little skeptical. 110 00:04:48,872 --> 00:04:51,124 And I said, "What all do you have in mind?" 111 00:04:51,249 --> 00:04:53,293 Jeff... 112 00:04:53,418 --> 00:04:55,669 Jaaa-rr-ett! 113 00:04:55,670 --> 00:04:57,087 I was brought back doing live events 114 00:04:57,088 --> 00:04:59,548 and international. 115 00:04:59,549 --> 00:05:02,009 When I returned, you put on a game face. 116 00:05:02,010 --> 00:05:04,887 I wasn't exactly sure about the different chess pieces, 117 00:05:04,888 --> 00:05:09,850 but my best strategy is, let's let this play out. 118 00:05:09,851 --> 00:05:12,312 With Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff joining 119 00:05:12,437 --> 00:05:15,148 TNA's creative team, they found themselves 120 00:05:15,273 --> 00:05:18,317 once again working with head writer Vince Russo. 121 00:05:18,318 --> 00:05:20,986 It was a partnership carrying years of baggage. 122 00:05:23,490 --> 00:05:25,282 Russo, I think, told Jarrett to lie down. 123 00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:26,700 Over a decade earlier, 124 00:05:26,701 --> 00:05:29,496 in a shocking moment, backstage tensions erupted 125 00:05:29,621 --> 00:05:32,165 in front of a live audience, blurring the line 126 00:05:32,290 --> 00:05:33,999 between reality and fiction. 127 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:35,377 I don't think anybody agreed to that. 128 00:05:35,502 --> 00:05:38,880 Now, the same trio was together again in TNA. 129 00:05:39,005 --> 00:05:41,674 Hogan, you big, bald son of a bitch! 130 00:05:41,675 --> 00:05:43,677 Kiss my ass! 131 00:05:43,802 --> 00:05:46,513 At the time, the creative team is myself, 132 00:05:46,638 --> 00:05:49,681 Ed Ferrara, and Matt Conway. 133 00:05:49,682 --> 00:05:53,435 And what we are told by Dixie is, 134 00:05:53,436 --> 00:05:56,605 "Guys, Eric is only involved 135 00:05:56,606 --> 00:05:59,274 in the Hulk Hogan creative. 136 00:05:59,275 --> 00:06:01,861 He's gonna come and he's gonna sit with you guys 137 00:06:01,987 --> 00:06:04,571 creatively and just talk about 138 00:06:04,572 --> 00:06:06,782 what's going on with Hulk." 139 00:06:06,783 --> 00:06:09,576 Hulk Hogan had real issues with Vince Russo, 140 00:06:09,577 --> 00:06:11,912 professionally, creatively. 141 00:06:11,913 --> 00:06:15,582 Was not interested in working anywhere near Vince Russo. 142 00:06:15,583 --> 00:06:18,586 I had to have a sit down with Vince Russo 143 00:06:18,712 --> 00:06:21,338 to kind of clear the air, so to speak. 144 00:06:21,339 --> 00:06:22,673 And we both shook hands and agreed, 145 00:06:22,674 --> 00:06:24,509 let's try to make it work. 146 00:06:24,634 --> 00:06:28,262 Eric's entire plan, 147 00:06:28,263 --> 00:06:32,433 entire mindset was to somehow, 148 00:06:32,434 --> 00:06:35,978 someway get power in the company. 149 00:06:35,979 --> 00:06:37,521 I knew what he was doing. 150 00:06:37,522 --> 00:06:38,856 We're starting over! 151 00:06:38,857 --> 00:06:41,150 I knew his game, and that's- 152 00:06:41,151 --> 00:06:43,445 the rest is history. 153 00:06:43,570 --> 00:06:45,738 I mean, creatively, I was leading the charge. 154 00:06:45,739 --> 00:06:47,949 I just kind of evolved into that, 155 00:06:48,074 --> 00:06:50,534 partly because I have a pretty strong personality. 156 00:06:50,535 --> 00:06:53,038 And what we're going to do is turn this company 157 00:06:53,163 --> 00:06:56,540 upside down, starting... 158 00:06:56,541 --> 00:06:58,585 I don't know, right now! 159 00:06:58,710 --> 00:07:01,421 It took a few months for me to understand 160 00:07:01,546 --> 00:07:04,424 the role that Hulk was gonna play in TNA. 161 00:07:04,549 --> 00:07:06,426 And I thought he was coming in as brand ambassador. 162 00:07:06,551 --> 00:07:09,471 I quickly learned he's literally gonna be 163 00:07:09,596 --> 00:07:11,472 handed the keys to the brand. 164 00:07:11,473 --> 00:07:13,808 And the change starts tonight! 165 00:07:13,933 --> 00:07:15,768 I didn't know that he was gonna be 166 00:07:15,769 --> 00:07:18,271 completely revamping the roster. 167 00:07:18,396 --> 00:07:20,607 Mr. Anderson is in TNA! 168 00:07:20,732 --> 00:07:22,484 Thank you, Hulk Hogan! 169 00:07:22,609 --> 00:07:24,903 It was like, if you're a personal friend of 170 00:07:25,028 --> 00:07:27,321 Hulk Hogan's that works at the grocery store, 171 00:07:27,322 --> 00:07:30,074 oh, come on, you can be on the TV show! 172 00:07:30,075 --> 00:07:33,952 They let some people who was famous in the 80s 173 00:07:33,953 --> 00:07:36,830 that did some stuff and made an impact come in 174 00:07:36,831 --> 00:07:39,041 and tell us that the things we were doing 175 00:07:39,042 --> 00:07:41,126 were wrong and unprofessional. 176 00:07:41,127 --> 00:07:43,672 And I felt like that was bullshit. 177 00:07:43,797 --> 00:07:45,631 I'm sure there was a lot of money, 178 00:07:45,632 --> 00:07:48,343 you know, going, you know, in different directions. 179 00:07:48,468 --> 00:07:51,053 And egos, a lot of egos coming to the surface. 180 00:07:51,054 --> 00:07:53,473 They weren't going to add to the product. 181 00:07:53,598 --> 00:07:55,182 They kind of came in and they got a spot 182 00:07:55,183 --> 00:07:56,975 and they got paid. 183 00:07:56,976 --> 00:08:00,855 It became real clear what Hulk's vision was. 184 00:08:00,980 --> 00:08:03,649 And that was complete rebranding 185 00:08:03,650 --> 00:08:05,651 of the entire product. 186 00:08:05,652 --> 00:08:09,279 And I knew what a massive failure it was gonna be. 187 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,324 They didn't know the TNA audience. 188 00:08:11,449 --> 00:08:15,035 Welcome to the brand new Impact Zone, guys! 189 00:08:15,036 --> 00:08:17,996 I think the single biggest thing he did that was 190 00:08:17,997 --> 00:08:21,709 totally ego-driven was get rid of the six-sided ring. 191 00:08:21,710 --> 00:08:25,213 I got one thing to say about six sides. 192 00:08:25,338 --> 00:08:27,841 You had it, and it only got you so far. 193 00:08:27,966 --> 00:08:29,591 That was a staple, that was a- 194 00:08:29,592 --> 00:08:31,844 one of the hallmarks of being TNA. 195 00:08:31,845 --> 00:08:34,888 The hardcore TNA fans, they wanted a six-sided ring. 196 00:08:34,889 --> 00:08:37,350 We want six sides! 197 00:08:37,475 --> 00:08:41,687 We want six sides! We want six sides! 198 00:08:41,688 --> 00:08:43,814 I thought it was stupid, frankly. 199 00:08:43,815 --> 00:08:45,525 Like, if you're gonna have a six-sided ring, 200 00:08:45,650 --> 00:08:47,027 use the damn thing! 201 00:08:47,152 --> 00:08:51,071 Create something inside of that ring that happens 202 00:08:51,072 --> 00:08:54,616 as a result of the fact that you're in a six-sided ring. 203 00:08:54,617 --> 00:08:56,410 Otherwise, it doesn't affect anything 204 00:08:56,411 --> 00:08:58,038 that happens on the mat. 205 00:08:59,456 --> 00:09:01,457 Then it's just stupid. 206 00:09:01,458 --> 00:09:02,750 Now do you understand 207 00:09:02,751 --> 00:09:05,919 why I have problems and issues? 208 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,173 You are doing what's best for Hulk, 209 00:09:09,174 --> 00:09:11,216 not what's best for TNA! 210 00:09:11,217 --> 00:09:15,137 And what, we're all supposed to sit there and say, 211 00:09:15,138 --> 00:09:17,265 oh yeah, bro, that's a great, oh yeah, bro? 212 00:09:17,390 --> 00:09:19,391 No, bro, it's bullshit! 213 00:09:19,392 --> 00:09:22,853 It's bullshit. We work for TNA. 214 00:09:22,854 --> 00:09:26,733 You work for Hulk Hogan. That's the difference. 215 00:09:26,858 --> 00:09:29,652 Determined to put TNA on the map, 216 00:09:29,653 --> 00:09:31,904 Eric Bischoff turns to the past, 217 00:09:31,905 --> 00:09:33,281 reviving a strategy that had 218 00:09:33,406 --> 00:09:35,032 worked for him decades earlier. 219 00:09:35,033 --> 00:09:38,452 WCW kicked WWE's ass for two solid years, 220 00:09:38,453 --> 00:09:40,747 going head-to-head on Monday night. 221 00:09:40,872 --> 00:09:44,249 I went back to, I won't say a bag of tricks necessarily, 222 00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:47,002 but I went back to a strategy. 223 00:09:47,003 --> 00:09:50,881 This is the biggest night in the history of TNA. 224 00:09:50,882 --> 00:09:52,759 Going head-to-head with WWE 225 00:09:52,884 --> 00:09:54,802 was gonna make so much noise. 226 00:09:54,803 --> 00:09:57,805 It was about creating awareness. 227 00:09:57,806 --> 00:09:59,766 I thought it was the dumbest thing. 228 00:10:02,143 --> 00:10:05,062 Trying to go Monday night live with a company that 229 00:10:05,063 --> 00:10:08,024 spends more on pyro than we spend on production. 230 00:10:08,692 --> 00:10:11,568 When you put our show next to their show 231 00:10:11,569 --> 00:10:13,988 at the same time, 232 00:10:13,989 --> 00:10:16,658 they are gonna look like a million bucks and 233 00:10:16,783 --> 00:10:19,451 we are gonna look like trailer trash. 234 00:10:19,452 --> 00:10:21,663 We didn't have the money 235 00:10:21,788 --> 00:10:24,707 to compete with them. 236 00:10:24,708 --> 00:10:26,959 Countless amount of people came up to me and 237 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,212 would say, "How long are you gonna let this go on, 238 00:10:30,213 --> 00:10:33,174 Jeff?" And I would say, "I'm powerless." 239 00:10:33,299 --> 00:10:35,884 Seven years ago, I founded TNA. 240 00:10:35,885 --> 00:10:37,636 You know something, Jeff? 241 00:10:37,637 --> 00:10:40,806 So what? Nobody cares. 242 00:10:40,807 --> 00:10:43,143 With Hulk Hogan and Dixie Carter, 243 00:10:43,268 --> 00:10:47,062 TNA is going all the way, brother, to the top. 244 00:10:47,063 --> 00:10:48,731 From the day Hulk came in, 245 00:10:48,732 --> 00:10:51,151 it was less than 12 months that we went from 246 00:10:51,276 --> 00:10:54,571 profitability to a financial death spiral. 247 00:11:00,118 --> 00:11:02,412 Bischoff calling the shots, ith d 248 00:11:02,537 --> 00:11:04,998 TNA takes its biggest gamble yet, 249 00:11:05,123 --> 00:11:07,207 moving Impact head-to-head with 250 00:11:07,208 --> 00:11:09,877 WWE's Monday Night Raw. 251 00:11:09,878 --> 00:11:11,420 I don't remember what the viewership was, 252 00:11:11,421 --> 00:11:16,468 but I think the most watched Impact episode in history 253 00:11:16,593 --> 00:11:19,137 was some of that head-to-head competition, 254 00:11:19,262 --> 00:11:21,097 at least the first night. 255 00:11:21,222 --> 00:11:24,016 TNA had never had that big of an audience before. 256 00:11:24,017 --> 00:11:25,310 I was realistic. 257 00:11:25,435 --> 00:11:29,731 I knew why I was doing it and I was pretty convinced 258 00:11:29,856 --> 00:11:32,692 that it wasn't going to work long-term. 259 00:11:32,817 --> 00:11:35,904 I don't even remember how long it lasted, 260 00:11:36,029 --> 00:11:39,115 but yeah, it did not work well. 261 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,659 You had one that was a major league product 262 00:11:41,785 --> 00:11:43,328 and then you had another one, which was like 263 00:11:43,453 --> 00:11:45,996 a smaller product, up and coming. 264 00:11:45,997 --> 00:11:47,873 Unless you both have that major look, 265 00:11:47,874 --> 00:11:49,918 you can't really go head-to-head 266 00:11:50,043 --> 00:11:52,671 with the giant in the industry. 267 00:11:52,796 --> 00:11:54,214 It killed momentum. 268 00:11:54,339 --> 00:11:56,049 It made us look like amateurs 269 00:11:56,174 --> 00:11:58,009 trying to play in the big boy pond. 270 00:11:58,134 --> 00:12:00,469 Our house show attendance dropped. 271 00:12:00,470 --> 00:12:02,389 Our Nielsen numbers dropped. 272 00:12:02,514 --> 00:12:05,016 We were the fly on the ass of a rhino. 273 00:12:06,226 --> 00:12:07,936 To this day, this is what I believe. 274 00:12:08,061 --> 00:12:11,564 Hulk wanted to come in and move some chess pieces 275 00:12:11,690 --> 00:12:14,733 to create his next race. 276 00:12:14,734 --> 00:12:17,987 And I'm in a bad place here in that I can't voice 277 00:12:17,988 --> 00:12:21,448 my opinion because it will sound self-serving. 278 00:12:21,449 --> 00:12:23,200 With declining ratings and the failed 279 00:12:23,201 --> 00:12:25,370 attempt to reignite the Monday Night Wars 280 00:12:25,495 --> 00:12:26,955 hanging over the company, 281 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,206 the creative team turns to one of wrestling's 282 00:12:29,207 --> 00:12:32,376 oldest formulas, turning real-life conflict 283 00:12:32,377 --> 00:12:34,129 into compelling television. 284 00:12:34,254 --> 00:12:37,215 Just months after Jeff Jarrett returns to TNA, 285 00:12:37,340 --> 00:12:39,883 he's asked to step back into the ring. 286 00:12:39,884 --> 00:12:43,680 I will never forget this conversation. 287 00:12:43,805 --> 00:12:46,683 And if I could do a good Vince Russo impersonation, 288 00:12:46,808 --> 00:12:50,145 I would, but I get this, "Bro?" 289 00:12:51,813 --> 00:12:55,442 "What do you got, Vince?" "We need this story." 290 00:12:55,567 --> 00:12:58,277 My job is to get as many eyeballs 291 00:12:58,278 --> 00:12:59,778 on that show as possible. 292 00:12:59,779 --> 00:13:02,406 That is my job. 293 00:13:02,407 --> 00:13:03,741 Without a shadow of a doubt, 294 00:13:03,742 --> 00:13:05,826 I was gonna pitch the angle to them. 295 00:13:05,827 --> 00:13:08,830 If they weren't good with it, fine. 296 00:13:08,955 --> 00:13:12,584 I was asked to be in a storyline 297 00:13:12,709 --> 00:13:17,255 with Jeff and with my ex-husband. 298 00:13:17,380 --> 00:13:21,426 In the storyline of Jeff took me from Kurt. 299 00:13:21,551 --> 00:13:24,219 And I said, "Okay, Vince..." 300 00:13:25,722 --> 00:13:27,806 "I know you and your crazy ideas, 301 00:13:27,807 --> 00:13:29,851 but you gotta get some sign-off." 302 00:13:29,976 --> 00:13:31,936 "I've already done it." 303 00:13:32,062 --> 00:13:33,687 That's what turned my head. 304 00:13:33,688 --> 00:13:36,648 I said, "Do what?" "Yeah." 305 00:13:36,649 --> 00:13:38,443 I said, "So Dixie signed off?" 306 00:13:38,568 --> 00:13:40,736 "Yep." 307 00:13:40,737 --> 00:13:42,196 It was obvious to me that there was a 308 00:13:42,197 --> 00:13:45,200 tremendous amount of strain between Dixie and Jeff. 309 00:13:45,325 --> 00:13:48,119 And now we're gonna add, oh, I don't know, 310 00:13:48,244 --> 00:13:51,205 a love triangle with Kurt's ex-wife 311 00:13:51,206 --> 00:13:52,540 and Jeff Jarrett 312 00:13:52,666 --> 00:13:54,250 on top of that stress. 313 00:13:54,376 --> 00:13:58,128 Kurt Angle, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist, 314 00:13:58,129 --> 00:14:02,050 the father, the husband, well, the ex-husband. 315 00:14:02,175 --> 00:14:05,636 Whoa! 316 00:14:05,637 --> 00:14:06,804 I just sat back and chuckled. 317 00:14:06,805 --> 00:14:09,182 Jeff's the bad guy. 318 00:14:09,307 --> 00:14:12,768 And Kurt's this American gold medalist 319 00:14:12,769 --> 00:14:14,770 that lost his wife. 320 00:14:14,771 --> 00:14:17,065 And here's this evil bitch. 321 00:14:17,190 --> 00:14:19,817 You will not steal the joy from our lives 322 00:14:19,818 --> 00:14:21,778 for one more day! 323 00:14:21,903 --> 00:14:23,238 Boo! 324 00:14:23,363 --> 00:14:25,739 People wanted to root for Kurt. 325 00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:28,158 It was easy for them to hate us. 326 00:14:28,159 --> 00:14:29,660 It was only a matter of time before the 327 00:14:29,661 --> 00:14:32,329 whole world saw Karen and Jeff for who they truly are. 328 00:14:32,330 --> 00:14:34,957 You add the story to it and just start 329 00:14:34,958 --> 00:14:37,459 stirring the pot. 330 00:14:38,962 --> 00:14:40,921 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 331 00:14:40,922 --> 00:14:43,507 I can say I watched two men 332 00:14:43,508 --> 00:14:45,176 put their differences aside 333 00:14:45,301 --> 00:14:49,304 and work for the betterment of TNA. 334 00:14:49,305 --> 00:14:50,640 And by doing that, 335 00:14:50,765 --> 00:14:52,766 they stepped in that ring for me, too. 336 00:14:52,767 --> 00:14:55,270 And I have mad respect for both of them. 337 00:14:55,395 --> 00:14:58,105 It, by far, to me, was the most 338 00:14:58,106 --> 00:15:01,025 productive storyline TNA ever had. 339 00:15:01,026 --> 00:15:04,279 I'm sick of you! 340 00:15:04,404 --> 00:15:05,697 Oh my God! 341 00:15:05,822 --> 00:15:08,366 The downfall is people believed it. 342 00:15:08,491 --> 00:15:10,325 They thought it was real. 343 00:15:10,326 --> 00:15:13,788 To this day, I get comments online, like, 344 00:15:13,913 --> 00:15:16,666 "Are you and Kurt okay?" And I'm like- ha- 345 00:15:16,791 --> 00:15:19,919 "You do realize that we 346 00:15:20,045 --> 00:15:23,965 co-parent kids and have since 2010." 347 00:15:25,008 --> 00:15:26,217 Oh! 348 00:15:26,342 --> 00:15:28,052 Jeff wasn't screwing Kurt's wife. 349 00:15:28,053 --> 00:15:31,096 Jeff didn't take Kurt's wife. 350 00:15:31,097 --> 00:15:34,476 Do you think if that was the case, 351 00:15:34,601 --> 00:15:37,812 Kurt Angle would go through with that storyline? 352 00:15:39,105 --> 00:15:40,148 No. 353 00:15:40,273 --> 00:15:42,316 You may kiss your bride. 354 00:15:44,110 --> 00:15:47,071 That's not what happened. 355 00:15:47,072 --> 00:15:49,823 It was a fucking storyline. 356 00:15:49,824 --> 00:15:52,409 Get the axe! Get the axe! 357 00:15:52,410 --> 00:15:54,871 ! What the hell?! God! 358 00:15:54,996 --> 00:15:56,830 Less than 12 months ago, 359 00:15:56,831 --> 00:15:58,792 we're gonna send Jeff home because of 360 00:15:58,917 --> 00:16:01,168 the dastardly deed he did. 361 00:16:01,169 --> 00:16:03,295 And now, all of a sudden, we're gonna bring him back. 362 00:16:03,296 --> 00:16:05,757 And only, not only bring him back, 363 00:16:05,882 --> 00:16:09,134 we're gonna create a storyline on this tragic 364 00:16:09,135 --> 00:16:12,764 situation that I was such a horrible person. 365 00:16:12,889 --> 00:16:15,182 Dixie's power play was never about 366 00:16:15,183 --> 00:16:19,144 her compassion for Kurt, never about 367 00:16:19,145 --> 00:16:23,107 her concern for the brand or the company. 368 00:16:23,108 --> 00:16:26,151 It was always about herself- 369 00:16:26,152 --> 00:16:29,405 putting herself in power. 370 00:16:29,406 --> 00:16:32,449 As chaos grows behind the scenes, 371 00:16:32,450 --> 00:16:35,661 TNA's pursuit of star power culminates in 372 00:16:35,662 --> 00:16:39,582 one of the most infamous nights in company history, 373 00:16:39,708 --> 00:16:42,419 Victory Road, 2011. 374 00:16:48,216 --> 00:16:51,052 In 2010, coming back to TNA, 375 00:16:51,177 --> 00:16:53,971 I mean, Dixie was totally involved then, right? 376 00:16:53,972 --> 00:16:55,390 It seemed like things were different. 377 00:16:55,515 --> 00:16:57,809 And that was a real dark time in my personal life. 378 00:16:57,934 --> 00:17:00,477 I always go back to that night, you know? 379 00:17:00,478 --> 00:17:01,437 I'm like, oh my God, 380 00:17:01,438 --> 00:17:03,397 because it was such an embarrassing thing. 381 00:17:03,398 --> 00:17:06,066 Everybody backstage pretty much knew 382 00:17:06,067 --> 00:17:08,737 that Jeff was involved in drugs. 383 00:17:08,862 --> 00:17:11,781 For the most part, he had it under control. 384 00:17:11,906 --> 00:17:13,325 I'm in the truck, I'm directing, 385 00:17:13,450 --> 00:17:15,535 and it's the main event, it's the last match. 386 00:17:15,660 --> 00:17:17,620 And I tell D'Lo Brown, 387 00:17:17,746 --> 00:17:18,579 he's the agent on the match, 388 00:17:18,580 --> 00:17:20,206 he's on headsets by the go position. 389 00:17:20,332 --> 00:17:22,124 What I need to know about this match, he goes, 390 00:17:22,125 --> 00:17:24,418 "Hold on a second, hold on, hold on." 391 00:17:24,419 --> 00:17:27,588 Jeff comes up, and within seconds of 392 00:17:27,589 --> 00:17:29,007 being around him, 393 00:17:29,132 --> 00:17:31,425 I know he's not in his right state of mind. 394 00:17:31,426 --> 00:17:33,595 I can just tell. 395 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:35,013 I had wrestled earlier, 396 00:17:35,138 --> 00:17:38,057 and I remember being so excited for Jeff to be 397 00:17:38,058 --> 00:17:39,893 in the main event against Sting, 398 00:17:40,018 --> 00:17:41,018 the guy that he looked up to, 399 00:17:41,019 --> 00:17:43,271 and it was a very high profile match, obviously. 400 00:17:43,396 --> 00:17:45,189 Jeff was getting ready to go out, 401 00:17:45,190 --> 00:17:46,316 and someone had buzzed me and said, 402 00:17:46,441 --> 00:17:49,486 "Jeff is not in a good state." 403 00:17:49,611 --> 00:17:51,946 And I just remember my heart dropped. 404 00:17:52,072 --> 00:17:54,115 I'm like, oh my God. 405 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,118 That's when Eric Bischoff popped up, 406 00:17:57,243 --> 00:17:59,746 and you know, he's starting to ask what's going on. 407 00:18:01,790 --> 00:18:03,832 And then somehow, 408 00:18:03,833 --> 00:18:05,293 we agreed to let him go to the ring 409 00:18:05,418 --> 00:18:07,002 to see if he could walk it off, 410 00:18:07,003 --> 00:18:09,630 or when he got in front of the crowd, 411 00:18:09,631 --> 00:18:13,718 maybe he would pop back into normal Jeff. 412 00:18:13,843 --> 00:18:15,386 And he comes out, 413 00:18:15,387 --> 00:18:16,888 and I can see that he's staggering. I'm like, 414 00:18:17,013 --> 00:18:19,556 oh my God, Jeff is fucked up on something. 415 00:18:19,557 --> 00:18:21,600 Jeff Hardy, the moment of truth 416 00:18:21,601 --> 00:18:22,559 has arrived. 417 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,561 And he's doing all this weird stuff, 418 00:18:24,562 --> 00:18:27,523 like taking his shirt off and teasing the crowd. 419 00:18:27,524 --> 00:18:29,108 What the hell is Jeff Hardy doing here? 420 00:18:29,109 --> 00:18:31,611 Everybody was kind of looking at each other, 421 00:18:31,736 --> 00:18:34,738 including Dixie, and it's like, what do we do? 422 00:18:34,739 --> 00:18:36,616 What next? 423 00:18:39,953 --> 00:18:42,663 iew, 424 00:18:42,664 --> 00:18:45,040 what should have been the biggest match of the night 425 00:18:45,041 --> 00:18:47,459 quickly descended into confusion and panic 426 00:18:47,460 --> 00:18:50,296 as Jeff Hardy made his way to the ring. 427 00:18:50,422 --> 00:18:53,340 Backstage, it became painfully clear that Hardy 428 00:18:53,341 --> 00:18:55,634 was in no condition to compete. 429 00:18:55,635 --> 00:18:57,804 I had seen Jeff earlier, and, and seemed okay, 430 00:18:57,929 --> 00:19:00,140 but, but, you know, I was not 431 00:19:00,265 --> 00:19:02,976 in tune with anything going on that day. 432 00:19:03,101 --> 00:19:05,853 And I got a call, Russo: 433 00:19:05,854 --> 00:19:08,105 "Bro, get over here now." 434 00:19:08,106 --> 00:19:10,316 Eric Bischoff comes out right before 435 00:19:10,317 --> 00:19:12,151 they ring the bell at the introduction. 436 00:19:12,152 --> 00:19:14,821 Slight change in plans. 437 00:19:14,946 --> 00:19:18,073 So I got close to Jeff, and I told him, 438 00:19:18,074 --> 00:19:21,410 "Turn around and get the fuck out of this ring. 439 00:19:21,411 --> 00:19:24,039 Walk back to the locker room. 440 00:19:24,164 --> 00:19:27,917 Just leave now." 441 00:19:28,043 --> 00:19:30,669 Nothing. Didn't register. 442 00:19:30,670 --> 00:19:32,087 It's all pretty much a blur, 443 00:19:32,088 --> 00:19:33,255 but I remember Eric Bischoff saying, 444 00:19:33,256 --> 00:19:35,342 just like it was like, 445 00:19:35,467 --> 00:19:37,593 get rid of that piece of trash. 446 00:19:37,594 --> 00:19:39,553 I can't believe he would do this to these people that 447 00:19:39,554 --> 00:19:41,013 have paid to watch this pay-per-view 448 00:19:41,014 --> 00:19:42,056 and these people that have worked so hard 449 00:19:42,057 --> 00:19:43,474 to put this show on. 450 00:19:43,475 --> 00:19:45,934 So I went over to Sting and just said, 451 00:19:45,935 --> 00:19:47,102 "Hit him with your finish." 452 00:19:47,103 --> 00:19:48,688 Oh, right now... Sting! 453 00:19:48,813 --> 00:19:49,898 Right off the bat! 454 00:19:50,023 --> 00:19:52,025 It's gonna be a death drop. 455 00:19:52,150 --> 00:19:53,901 Got him! 456 00:19:53,902 --> 00:19:54,943 Wow! 457 00:19:54,944 --> 00:19:57,238 What you saw, that Jeff Hardy that was 458 00:19:57,364 --> 00:20:00,741 in that ring, I mean, complete, you know, 459 00:20:00,742 --> 00:20:06,121 just drug addict that had given up on him, himself, 460 00:20:06,122 --> 00:20:09,542 to be that irresponsible and that dangerous to 461 00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:11,878 go out there with somebody else's life, you know, 462 00:20:12,003 --> 00:20:14,588 that's in your hands and that you have to protect. 463 00:20:14,589 --> 00:20:16,883 It was just so careless and reckless. 464 00:20:17,008 --> 00:20:19,093 I'll never forget 465 00:20:19,094 --> 00:20:21,470 coming back from the hotel. 466 00:20:21,471 --> 00:20:23,681 I went straight to the truck, went to play back, 467 00:20:23,682 --> 00:20:26,434 and just said, "Hey man, what actually happened?" 468 00:20:26,559 --> 00:20:29,269 They just showed me 15 seconds, 469 00:20:29,270 --> 00:20:30,897 and I'm like, "I got it." 470 00:20:31,022 --> 00:20:34,733 I got real angry... at first. 471 00:20:34,734 --> 00:20:37,277 How in the world could you 472 00:20:37,278 --> 00:20:40,572 let him walk through that curtain? 473 00:20:40,573 --> 00:20:44,535 And then I began to hear a few different versions. 474 00:20:44,536 --> 00:20:47,914 I knew the reality that was, 475 00:20:48,039 --> 00:20:50,417 I can only make things worse, so I left. 476 00:20:50,542 --> 00:20:52,584 It was embarrassing for everybody involved. 477 00:20:52,585 --> 00:20:54,421 There's a million right choices and 478 00:20:54,546 --> 00:20:57,089 one wrong one, and we did the wrong one. 479 00:20:57,090 --> 00:21:01,468 At that time, I felt confused in that, 480 00:21:01,469 --> 00:21:04,179 how did Jeff get himself to a spot that 481 00:21:04,180 --> 00:21:05,807 he couldn't go perform? 482 00:21:05,932 --> 00:21:07,767 I had no comprehension of 483 00:21:07,892 --> 00:21:11,020 what the disease of addiction is. 484 00:21:11,021 --> 00:21:13,063 It's cunning, it's baffling, 485 00:21:13,064 --> 00:21:14,523 and it's powerful. 486 00:21:14,524 --> 00:21:16,443 I hope that people have forgiven me, 487 00:21:16,568 --> 00:21:17,609 you know. 488 00:21:17,610 --> 00:21:19,654 Forgiveness is such a huge thing in recovery, man, 489 00:21:19,779 --> 00:21:22,489 and forgiving yourself can be super hard, 490 00:21:22,490 --> 00:21:24,159 you know, when it comes- and took me a long time 491 00:21:24,284 --> 00:21:25,576 to forgive myself for that night, 492 00:21:25,577 --> 00:21:27,412 but ultimately, that was me, 493 00:21:27,537 --> 00:21:28,621 but it's not me, you know. 494 00:21:28,747 --> 00:21:31,373 That's what I was, but not what I am. 495 00:21:31,374 --> 00:21:33,168 It was like the drug addict Jeff Hardy 496 00:21:33,293 --> 00:21:36,086 died that night because, in a way, I kind of, 497 00:21:36,087 --> 00:21:39,089 I needed that to realize how bad I was. 498 00:21:39,090 --> 00:21:42,134 That was the wake-up call that it took for him to 499 00:21:42,135 --> 00:21:45,345 totally stop taking pills altogether, 500 00:21:45,346 --> 00:21:48,265 so that is the only positive that I can say 501 00:21:48,266 --> 00:21:50,309 came out of it when it was all said and done. 502 00:21:50,310 --> 00:21:52,061 I hate that it happened for Jeff. 503 00:21:52,062 --> 00:21:53,479 I hate that it happened for the brand. 504 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,523 I hate that it happened on Dixie's watch. 505 00:21:56,524 --> 00:21:58,609 She moved me out, and she's in, 506 00:21:58,610 --> 00:22:00,820 so no matter who you put under her, 507 00:22:00,945 --> 00:22:02,529 she's ultimately responsible, 508 00:22:02,530 --> 00:22:05,366 and this happened on her watch. 509 00:22:05,367 --> 00:22:06,992 By the end of 2011, 510 00:22:06,993 --> 00:22:09,787 a sober Jeff Hardy redeems himself by defeating 511 00:22:09,788 --> 00:22:13,582 Jeff Jarrett in a loser leaves TNA match, 512 00:22:13,583 --> 00:22:16,169 allowing Jarrett to step away from the ring and 513 00:22:16,294 --> 00:22:19,505 focus on new ventures, including Ring Ka King, 514 00:22:19,506 --> 00:22:22,008 a TNA offshoot based in India. 515 00:22:23,676 --> 00:22:26,513 By this time, the financial situation 516 00:22:26,638 --> 00:22:29,223 was beginning to get bad, 517 00:22:29,224 --> 00:22:31,642 and it was going from bad to worse. 518 00:22:31,643 --> 00:22:34,520 With the company's financials trending downward, 519 00:22:34,521 --> 00:22:37,399 Hulk Hogan's time in TNA comes to an end 520 00:22:37,524 --> 00:22:40,443 less than four years after it began. 521 00:22:40,568 --> 00:22:43,530 I know that a lot of you are not happy with 522 00:22:43,655 --> 00:22:45,907 some of the decisions I've made lately. 523 00:22:46,032 --> 00:22:47,575 I just remember when Hulk made up his mind 524 00:22:47,701 --> 00:22:49,660 that it was time for him to leave. 525 00:22:49,661 --> 00:22:51,538 We wanted to do it within the context 526 00:22:51,663 --> 00:22:54,707 of a storyline, as opposed to Hulk just leaving. 527 00:22:54,708 --> 00:22:57,043 Hulk Hogan, we have some business 528 00:22:57,168 --> 00:22:58,460 in the ring now. 529 00:22:58,461 --> 00:23:01,381 It was probably my idea to have Dixie go 530 00:23:01,506 --> 00:23:04,299 as far as she did, trying to get Hulk Hogan to stay. 531 00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:07,386 It's an amazing offer for somebody else, 532 00:23:07,387 --> 00:23:09,389 not me, because I quit. 533 00:23:09,514 --> 00:23:10,390 Oh! 534 00:23:10,515 --> 00:23:12,892 What? What?! 535 00:23:17,230 --> 00:23:18,981 All angles, it's embarrassing. 536 00:23:18,982 --> 00:23:20,524 Just let me go. 537 00:23:20,525 --> 00:23:22,401 Just brutal, man. 538 00:23:22,402 --> 00:23:24,946 But, you know, Dixie probably thought it was great, 539 00:23:25,071 --> 00:23:26,698 because she was on TV. 540 00:23:28,366 --> 00:23:29,908 That's Eric Bischoff's character. 541 00:23:29,909 --> 00:23:32,954 I- I don't even want to know 542 00:23:33,079 --> 00:23:35,415 the amount of those checks 543 00:23:35,540 --> 00:23:39,585 that she wrote to both of them. And then, 544 00:23:39,586 --> 00:23:42,588 because Hogan's got "creative control", 545 00:23:42,589 --> 00:23:47,426 they're going to write him out that way to 546 00:23:47,427 --> 00:23:53,098 completely 1,000% humiliate her. 547 00:23:53,099 --> 00:23:55,184 Humiliate her. 548 00:23:55,185 --> 00:23:57,186 That shows you his character. 549 00:23:57,187 --> 00:23:59,981 That is disgusting. 550 00:24:00,106 --> 00:24:04,652 What an incredible masterpiece of a job that 551 00:24:04,653 --> 00:24:08,822 Hulk and Eric and whoever else was involved 552 00:24:08,823 --> 00:24:11,493 convinced her to do that. You are fired! 553 00:24:11,618 --> 00:24:13,912 I would have never done that if I was Dixie. 554 00:24:14,037 --> 00:24:16,330 It said everything 555 00:24:16,331 --> 00:24:20,669 about her knowledge of the industry. 556 00:24:20,794 --> 00:24:22,587 As the company slips deeper into 557 00:24:22,712 --> 00:24:25,298 financial trouble, Jeff Jarrett turns to 558 00:24:25,423 --> 00:24:28,675 a legendary country music artist for help. 559 00:24:28,676 --> 00:24:30,719 My old buddy, Toby Keith. 560 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,889 You know, Toby saw the little engine that could in TNA 561 00:24:33,890 --> 00:24:35,809 month after month and year after year 562 00:24:35,934 --> 00:24:38,519 grow to heights. 563 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:40,562 I saw him at a show, 564 00:24:40,563 --> 00:24:41,855 and he asked how things were going, and I said, 565 00:24:41,856 --> 00:24:45,026 "Toby, it's a financial death spiral." 566 00:24:45,151 --> 00:24:48,988 He's like, "Damn, and you don't have no power?" 567 00:24:48,989 --> 00:24:52,492 I said, "Zero." He said, "Let's get it back." 568 00:24:52,617 --> 00:24:53,867 And I said, "You're serious?" 569 00:24:53,868 --> 00:24:57,955 He said, "I am dead effing serious." 570 00:24:57,956 --> 00:25:00,958 The attorneys met Toby at his golf course and 571 00:25:00,959 --> 00:25:03,712 went into their song and dance about, "Mr. Keith, 572 00:25:03,837 --> 00:25:05,880 we sure would like to get you on board." 573 00:25:06,006 --> 00:25:08,883 He said, "Folks, there's no doubt I know 574 00:25:09,009 --> 00:25:11,969 what Toby Keith's brand can do, 575 00:25:11,970 --> 00:25:15,390 but are we talking about with or without Jeff?" 576 00:25:15,515 --> 00:25:17,976 They hemmed and hawed and stammered around 577 00:25:18,101 --> 00:25:20,895 and said, "Well, we can kind of talk about it." 578 00:25:21,021 --> 00:25:23,773 He said, "We have nothing to talk about. 579 00:25:23,898 --> 00:25:26,442 Jeff's my guy, and if Jeff's not running the show, 580 00:25:26,443 --> 00:25:27,736 I'm out." 581 00:25:27,861 --> 00:25:30,612 And he got up and walked to the tee box. 582 00:25:30,613 --> 00:25:33,742 So that's when I knew 583 00:25:33,867 --> 00:25:36,036 that the nose wasn't coming up. 584 00:25:36,161 --> 00:25:38,538 So I said, "Yeah, I've spent enough time on this," 585 00:25:38,663 --> 00:25:40,248 and that's when I hit send on the email 586 00:25:40,373 --> 00:25:42,042 that I resigned from the company. 587 00:25:46,171 --> 00:25:48,505 Jeff Jarrett departs TNA, 588 00:25:48,506 --> 00:25:50,550 he remains determined to make his mark on the 589 00:25:50,675 --> 00:25:53,887 wrestling business, launching a new promotion, 590 00:25:54,012 --> 00:25:56,389 Global Force Wrestling. 591 00:25:56,514 --> 00:25:57,806 I kind of got my head together and 592 00:25:57,807 --> 00:26:00,101 named the company in 2014. 593 00:26:00,226 --> 00:26:02,811 I ran the Grand Slam Tour, 594 00:26:02,812 --> 00:26:05,314 the 20-something baseball shows, 595 00:26:05,315 --> 00:26:08,609 and... and my old Canadian buddies 596 00:26:08,610 --> 00:26:11,446 from Anthem acquired TNA. 597 00:26:11,571 --> 00:26:13,864 Dixie was essentially 598 00:26:13,865 --> 00:26:16,660 reduced to a few points, if you will. 599 00:26:16,785 --> 00:26:19,454 There came a point where Bob and Janice Carter, 600 00:26:19,579 --> 00:26:21,372 Dixie's parents, had had enough. 601 00:26:21,373 --> 00:26:22,832 "We've spent enough money." 602 00:26:22,957 --> 00:26:26,628 So Dixie was out, and Anthem took the company over. 603 00:26:26,753 --> 00:26:29,673 And they had wanted to change the TNA name for years, 604 00:26:29,798 --> 00:26:31,590 and they changed it to Impact, 605 00:26:31,591 --> 00:26:33,510 because at least that was less offensive 606 00:26:33,635 --> 00:26:35,303 than the childishness. 607 00:26:35,428 --> 00:26:38,138 The new owners of TNA 608 00:26:38,139 --> 00:26:40,808 get together with Global Force Wrestling. 609 00:26:40,809 --> 00:26:43,269 I'll never forget Ed Nordholm from 610 00:26:43,395 --> 00:26:44,979 Anthem Sports and Entertainment. 611 00:26:45,105 --> 00:26:46,563 He said, "Oh, I know you got Global Force, 612 00:26:46,564 --> 00:26:49,274 but is there a way to take the old brand and 613 00:26:49,275 --> 00:26:53,028 merge them together?" Karen was very skeptical. 614 00:26:54,447 --> 00:26:57,241 I get PTSD from hearing that. 615 00:26:57,242 --> 00:27:01,161 I think Jeff thought, "Hey, I did this once. 616 00:27:01,162 --> 00:27:02,789 I can do it again." 617 00:27:02,914 --> 00:27:05,959 A lot changed in the world of wrestling 618 00:27:06,084 --> 00:27:07,626 and network TV. 619 00:27:07,627 --> 00:27:10,546 I'm like, "Man... 620 00:27:10,547 --> 00:27:13,633 we can make this thing run again." 621 00:27:13,758 --> 00:27:16,177 I'm taking the joint back over. 622 00:27:16,302 --> 00:27:18,805 The place that I built. 623 00:27:18,930 --> 00:27:20,431 When Jeff came back with Anthem, 624 00:27:20,432 --> 00:27:22,850 it's probably the 625 00:27:22,851 --> 00:27:25,311 darkest I ever saw of Jeff Jarrett. 626 00:27:25,437 --> 00:27:26,813 And I think one of the mistakes Jeff made 627 00:27:26,938 --> 00:27:28,315 when he came back was that 628 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:29,982 he was kind of like on a revenge tour. 629 00:27:29,983 --> 00:27:31,567 He wanted to stick it to Dixie. 630 00:27:31,568 --> 00:27:33,444 He wanted to stick it to everybody who he felt 631 00:27:33,445 --> 00:27:35,321 was not on his side when he left. 632 00:27:38,658 --> 00:27:40,659 I kind of knew in my heart of hearts 633 00:27:40,660 --> 00:27:44,205 that I was, I was struggling. 634 00:27:44,330 --> 00:27:45,957 In less than two months, 635 00:27:46,082 --> 00:27:48,168 the realities became crystal clear. 636 00:27:48,293 --> 00:27:50,336 I was fed a bunch of bullshit. 637 00:27:50,462 --> 00:27:53,214 That here I am now merging the brands 638 00:27:53,339 --> 00:27:55,800 and there is no money. 639 00:27:55,925 --> 00:27:59,512 And so if people thought I was angry or upset, 640 00:27:59,637 --> 00:28:01,014 they were right. 641 00:28:01,139 --> 00:28:03,557 He was a shell of the human being 642 00:28:03,558 --> 00:28:05,560 that he was before. 643 00:28:05,685 --> 00:28:07,604 It wasn't the same Jeff. 644 00:28:09,647 --> 00:28:13,108 He was so broken. I felt sorry for him. 645 00:28:13,109 --> 00:28:14,611 He was worried about taking care of me, 646 00:28:14,736 --> 00:28:16,820 taking care of our kids. 647 00:28:16,821 --> 00:28:20,157 Part of me justified his drinking. 648 00:28:20,158 --> 00:28:23,161 He was battling some substance issues 649 00:28:23,286 --> 00:28:25,621 and he was trying though. 650 00:28:25,622 --> 00:28:27,248 We didn't say anything because it's Jeff Jarrett, 651 00:28:27,374 --> 00:28:30,085 he's the boss, but we kind of knew and it saddened us 652 00:28:30,210 --> 00:28:32,961 because we felt he wasn't making the best decisions 653 00:28:32,962 --> 00:28:34,755 for the company in that moment. 654 00:28:34,756 --> 00:28:36,298 I pass no judgment. I come from, 655 00:28:36,299 --> 00:28:38,342 I come from a family that's had a lot of addiction 656 00:28:38,343 --> 00:28:41,345 problems, but clearly at that point in time, 657 00:28:41,346 --> 00:28:43,973 Jeff was not in a great space. 658 00:28:46,184 --> 00:28:48,812 A cardinal rule that I had for years is I would 659 00:28:48,937 --> 00:28:51,606 never drink until I knew 660 00:28:51,731 --> 00:28:53,650 not only that my match was over, 661 00:28:53,775 --> 00:28:55,944 is that I would not be really in public. 662 00:28:56,069 --> 00:28:58,779 And I started breaking that rule and having 663 00:28:58,780 --> 00:29:00,782 a little bit here and a little bit there. 664 00:29:00,907 --> 00:29:02,783 I tried to get him to get help several times, 665 00:29:02,784 --> 00:29:04,410 but he just, "I don't have a problem. 666 00:29:04,411 --> 00:29:07,329 I don't have a problem." He def- he had a problem. 667 00:29:07,330 --> 00:29:10,458 And you know, I'll never forget that, uh- 668 00:29:10,583 --> 00:29:13,502 man... 669 00:29:13,503 --> 00:29:15,421 I was at a pool party 670 00:29:15,422 --> 00:29:17,506 in my backyard 671 00:29:17,507 --> 00:29:19,426 and I looked down at my gut 672 00:29:19,551 --> 00:29:22,302 and I go, 673 00:29:22,303 --> 00:29:23,846 not on my watch. 674 00:29:23,847 --> 00:29:26,015 I'm never gonna have a beer gut. 675 00:29:28,685 --> 00:29:31,271 And that day I switched to vodka, 676 00:29:31,396 --> 00:29:33,522 literally that day. 677 00:29:33,523 --> 00:29:36,150 That was not a good decision. 678 00:29:36,151 --> 00:29:38,403 He would start drinking at 10 a.m. 679 00:29:38,528 --> 00:29:40,447 or he would drink all day. 680 00:29:40,572 --> 00:29:44,450 I wasn't just watching from the outside. 681 00:29:44,451 --> 00:29:46,702 I was living it. 682 00:29:46,703 --> 00:29:48,872 He was killing himself. 683 00:29:50,457 --> 00:29:52,583 With his drinking problem worsening, 684 00:29:52,584 --> 00:29:54,418 Jeff leaves Karen behind and 685 00:29:54,419 --> 00:29:57,504 travels to Mexico for AAA's Triplemania, 686 00:29:57,505 --> 00:30:00,759 one of the country's biggest wrestling events. 687 00:30:00,884 --> 00:30:02,510 I mean, I have processed this scene 688 00:30:02,635 --> 00:30:04,845 so many different times. 689 00:30:04,846 --> 00:30:06,723 Flew down on a Friday morning, 690 00:30:06,848 --> 00:30:08,265 show on the Saturday. 691 00:30:08,266 --> 00:30:11,643 That entire Friday I was called to the building: 692 00:30:11,644 --> 00:30:13,020 "Hang out in the dressing room, 693 00:30:13,021 --> 00:30:15,147 and we'll come get you for rehearsals." 694 00:30:15,148 --> 00:30:20,694 Well, I had the bottle in my bag and noon came along 695 00:30:20,695 --> 00:30:23,156 and had one drink and two came along 696 00:30:23,281 --> 00:30:25,908 and another drink and another drink 697 00:30:25,909 --> 00:30:27,869 and another drink and another drink. 698 00:30:27,994 --> 00:30:31,331 And it got 9 or 10 o'clock at night on the Friday 699 00:30:31,456 --> 00:30:33,040 and I'd never done a rehearsal 700 00:30:33,041 --> 00:30:35,125 and it was time for me to go to the hotel. 701 00:30:35,126 --> 00:30:38,046 So we loaded up and so that's when 702 00:30:38,171 --> 00:30:42,132 that drunk started, on the Friday midday. 703 00:30:42,133 --> 00:30:44,386 And I woke up the next day, 704 00:30:44,511 --> 00:30:47,388 like any active alcoholic, 705 00:30:47,389 --> 00:30:49,765 get up, have a good breakfast, 706 00:30:49,766 --> 00:30:50,933 and I'm gonna have me a drink 707 00:30:50,934 --> 00:30:52,602 before I go to the building. 708 00:30:52,727 --> 00:30:54,604 And one thing led to another. 709 00:30:54,729 --> 00:30:56,605 Jeff, you gotta go in the ring. 710 00:30:56,606 --> 00:30:58,982 - Come on. - No! 711 00:30:58,983 --> 00:31:01,277 It was, you know, very obvious to folks 712 00:31:01,403 --> 00:31:04,572 that I was in no condition to perform. 713 00:31:07,909 --> 00:31:09,911 Before I knew it, I went out, 714 00:31:10,036 --> 00:31:11,788 had no business going to the ring. 715 00:31:11,913 --> 00:31:12,747 He's throwing some promotional- 716 00:31:12,872 --> 00:31:13,957 Wait a minute. 717 00:31:14,082 --> 00:31:15,166 Is that what I think it is? 718 00:31:15,291 --> 00:31:17,334 He's throwing out tortillas. 719 00:31:17,335 --> 00:31:19,379 Amazing that Jeff Jarrett would travel all the way 720 00:31:19,504 --> 00:31:22,798 to Mexico City from Hendersonville, Tennessee 721 00:31:22,799 --> 00:31:25,677 to disrespect and mock this crowd. 722 00:31:25,802 --> 00:31:27,762 It's fucking bullshit is what it is. 723 00:31:27,887 --> 00:31:29,555 Get the fuck out of here. 724 00:31:29,556 --> 00:31:31,181 Fuck you, motherfucker! 725 00:31:31,182 --> 00:31:32,975 No, no, no, no! 726 00:31:37,147 --> 00:31:38,689 It was an ugly situation. 727 00:31:38,690 --> 00:31:40,274 Come here, you little cunt! 728 00:31:40,275 --> 00:31:42,777 Come and get me! 729 00:31:42,902 --> 00:31:44,903 Flew home on Labor Day, 730 00:31:44,904 --> 00:31:48,157 came into the office on that Tuesday and 731 00:31:48,158 --> 00:31:50,910 Lynn Asper and Ed were at the office. 732 00:31:51,036 --> 00:31:54,956 And then Ed just said, "Hey, we want you 733 00:31:55,081 --> 00:31:56,874 to go to outpatient treatment." 734 00:31:56,875 --> 00:31:59,169 And that really caught me off guard. 735 00:31:59,294 --> 00:32:01,588 When the decision was made to 736 00:32:01,713 --> 00:32:04,299 send Jeff to rehab, 737 00:32:04,424 --> 00:32:06,384 at that point, I think Jeff was pretty mad at me. 738 00:32:06,509 --> 00:32:09,763 And I said, if Jeff never talks to me again, 739 00:32:09,888 --> 00:32:12,640 but gets clean, I'll be okay with that. 740 00:32:15,226 --> 00:32:18,145 Him being sent home that second time, 741 00:32:18,146 --> 00:32:22,608 disastrous for him. Absolutely disastrous. 742 00:32:22,609 --> 00:32:24,110 The canoe tipped 743 00:32:24,235 --> 00:32:27,947 and completely fucking capsized. 744 00:32:33,453 --> 00:32:34,663 Once again, sent home from 745 00:32:34,788 --> 00:32:36,580 the company he helped build, 746 00:32:36,581 --> 00:32:38,833 Jeff Jarrett enters outpatient treatment 747 00:32:38,958 --> 00:32:40,627 for alcoholism. 748 00:32:40,752 --> 00:32:42,796 I cleaned my office out. 749 00:32:42,921 --> 00:32:45,172 They said, "You got six weeks 750 00:32:45,173 --> 00:32:48,008 and let's get this thing under control." 751 00:32:48,009 --> 00:32:49,803 I went to outpatient treatment for 752 00:32:49,928 --> 00:32:53,264 four hours a day for six weeks. 753 00:32:53,390 --> 00:32:55,432 I sat at the front of the class, 754 00:32:55,433 --> 00:32:57,310 took the best notes, 755 00:32:57,435 --> 00:33:00,104 put on the mask of Jeff, 756 00:33:00,105 --> 00:33:02,564 the outpatient that's gonna kick this 757 00:33:02,565 --> 00:33:04,483 drinking problem's ass. 758 00:33:04,484 --> 00:33:08,028 And there was a double shot in Calgary and Edmonton. 759 00:33:08,029 --> 00:33:10,447 The following Friday's when I got on the plane, 760 00:33:10,448 --> 00:33:13,284 sit down in first class, the stewardess came by 761 00:33:13,410 --> 00:33:14,953 and she's got her little notepad. 762 00:33:15,078 --> 00:33:17,496 And she said, "Mr. Jarrett, can I get you 763 00:33:17,497 --> 00:33:20,332 anything to drink?" And I literally said, 764 00:33:20,333 --> 00:33:23,460 "I'll take a double rum and Coke." 765 00:33:23,461 --> 00:33:26,338 At the time I had no idea how much of a denial 766 00:33:26,339 --> 00:33:30,593 I was in. I drank all the way to Calgary. 767 00:33:30,719 --> 00:33:32,761 And after it was over, 768 00:33:32,762 --> 00:33:35,598 get on the plane, continue to drink. 769 00:33:35,724 --> 00:33:39,560 Went home, woke up on Sunday, 770 00:33:39,561 --> 00:33:41,479 continue to drink. 771 00:33:41,604 --> 00:33:43,480 The scariest thing about like 772 00:33:43,481 --> 00:33:46,568 places like that, the rock bottom places is, 773 00:33:46,693 --> 00:33:49,571 man, it's just like, how am I gonna survive this? 774 00:33:49,696 --> 00:33:51,322 How am I gonna get through this? 775 00:33:51,323 --> 00:33:53,490 So I'm sure Jeff was in that spots where like, oh my God, 776 00:33:53,491 --> 00:33:55,868 how am I gonna come back from this? 777 00:33:55,869 --> 00:33:59,496 There were two different times that 778 00:33:59,497 --> 00:34:01,666 I had to call 911 779 00:34:01,791 --> 00:34:03,167 because I couldn't get him awake 780 00:34:03,168 --> 00:34:07,171 and was worried that he was dying. 781 00:34:07,172 --> 00:34:09,173 Just, it got so bad. 782 00:34:09,174 --> 00:34:11,384 I was out of my mind. 783 00:34:11,509 --> 00:34:14,136 And on that Monday morning, I woke up, 784 00:34:14,137 --> 00:34:16,263 she had gotten the kids to school and 785 00:34:16,264 --> 00:34:19,141 I was sitting in my recliner, TV on. 786 00:34:19,142 --> 00:34:21,352 She walked back in and she just said, 787 00:34:21,353 --> 00:34:24,647 "Jeff, what are you going to do?" 788 00:34:28,109 --> 00:34:31,028 And you can call it a moment of clarity. 789 00:34:31,029 --> 00:34:34,073 I call it God speaking through me. 790 00:34:34,074 --> 00:34:37,369 I said, "I'm going to treatment." 791 00:34:37,494 --> 00:34:39,287 And she just kind of looked at me 792 00:34:39,412 --> 00:34:40,455 and she said, "Are you serious?" 793 00:34:40,580 --> 00:34:42,874 I said, "Yes." 794 00:34:42,999 --> 00:34:45,084 I couldn't really believe 795 00:34:45,085 --> 00:34:47,711 how things had transpired. 796 00:34:47,712 --> 00:34:52,175 Like how in the hell did I get myself in this position? 797 00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:54,885 She started making the calls and finally she got 798 00:34:54,886 --> 00:34:58,223 the WWE Wellness folks on the phone. 799 00:34:58,348 --> 00:35:01,643 Then we got on a plane and we flew to Tampa. 800 00:35:01,768 --> 00:35:04,353 I was scared and 801 00:35:04,354 --> 00:35:08,148 I was worried just leaving him there 802 00:35:08,149 --> 00:35:12,153 and not being able to be there with him. 803 00:35:13,196 --> 00:35:14,905 I didn't want to leave him. 804 00:35:14,906 --> 00:35:18,158 I didn't even know what an alcoholic truly was 805 00:35:18,159 --> 00:35:19,786 before I got to treatment. 806 00:35:19,911 --> 00:35:22,162 For me, it all started 807 00:35:22,163 --> 00:35:25,416 as the little, scared 5-year-old boy 808 00:35:25,417 --> 00:35:29,086 who was sent to go to private school. 809 00:35:29,087 --> 00:35:31,715 The only one there that the dad never showed up. 810 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:33,800 The dad was on TV wrestling. 811 00:35:33,925 --> 00:35:36,218 When I came to the realization 812 00:35:36,219 --> 00:35:39,847 that I had resentment 813 00:35:39,848 --> 00:35:41,933 at my dad, 814 00:35:42,058 --> 00:35:45,353 estrangement on any relationship is painful. 815 00:35:45,478 --> 00:35:49,566 And I liken it to dragging a massive ball 816 00:35:49,691 --> 00:35:51,150 around on your ankle. 817 00:35:51,151 --> 00:35:52,736 You're pulling that anger. 818 00:35:52,861 --> 00:35:54,154 You're pulling that resentment. 819 00:35:54,279 --> 00:35:56,322 You're pulling that bad relationship. 820 00:35:56,448 --> 00:35:57,990 But we knew that wrestling had, 821 00:35:57,991 --> 00:36:01,161 specifically TNA had really driven a wedge. 822 00:36:01,286 --> 00:36:03,328 And you know, since that, we had time to reconnect 823 00:36:03,329 --> 00:36:05,372 and he knew that I had a problem. 824 00:36:05,373 --> 00:36:07,709 When Jeff reconciled with his dad, 825 00:36:07,834 --> 00:36:10,795 it was definitely a tough thing. 826 00:36:12,213 --> 00:36:15,299 I'm grateful that it happened. 827 00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:18,469 Understanding that when Owen fell 82 feet 828 00:36:18,470 --> 00:36:22,015 to his death and I was in the ring 829 00:36:22,140 --> 00:36:23,891 and walked through the crater 830 00:36:23,892 --> 00:36:26,310 that his body left 831 00:36:26,311 --> 00:36:29,647 and me sensing it, 832 00:36:29,648 --> 00:36:31,982 but stuffing it and 833 00:36:31,983 --> 00:36:34,902 putting on an emotional mask that 834 00:36:34,903 --> 00:36:36,570 I had no idea I had on... 835 00:36:38,740 --> 00:36:40,575 Dealing with 836 00:36:40,700 --> 00:36:43,787 the passing of my first wife with three kids 837 00:36:43,912 --> 00:36:47,665 and knowing that I've got to run an organization. 838 00:36:47,666 --> 00:36:49,959 I gotta be a dad. 839 00:36:50,085 --> 00:36:52,670 I've gotta wear these different masks. 840 00:36:52,796 --> 00:36:55,965 I didn't even know who I was at this point. 841 00:36:58,677 --> 00:37:02,846 In those 56 days, I finally got really 842 00:37:02,847 --> 00:37:06,683 rigorous, honest with myself. 843 00:37:06,684 --> 00:37:09,979 Got out a few days before Christmas. 844 00:37:09,980 --> 00:37:11,730 I was super grateful 845 00:37:11,731 --> 00:37:14,441 just to be home and alive. 846 00:37:14,442 --> 00:37:16,276 To see him, like, you know, go to treatment 847 00:37:16,277 --> 00:37:17,821 and just be the greatest human being 848 00:37:17,946 --> 00:37:22,492 he possibly can be, it's just so inspirational. 849 00:37:22,617 --> 00:37:26,787 The first Sunday of 2018, 850 00:37:26,788 --> 00:37:28,456 the phone rang 851 00:37:28,581 --> 00:37:30,583 and it was WWE. 852 00:37:33,044 --> 00:37:34,879 Went into the bathroom. 853 00:37:35,005 --> 00:37:37,090 "Karen, I just got a phone call," 854 00:37:37,215 --> 00:37:39,551 and she just stopped in her tracks and 855 00:37:39,676 --> 00:37:43,887 we connected eyes through her looking in her mirror. 856 00:37:43,888 --> 00:37:47,766 "Vince wants to put me in the Hall of Fame." 857 00:37:47,767 --> 00:37:52,647 I was completely overwhelmed with emotion. 858 00:37:52,772 --> 00:37:56,567 The journey that I had traveled since 1993. 859 00:37:56,568 --> 00:37:59,737 WWF runs and the WCW runs 860 00:37:59,738 --> 00:38:01,739 and the IC title and the world title 861 00:38:01,740 --> 00:38:04,616 and the TNA years 862 00:38:04,617 --> 00:38:07,995 and treatment, and this is how 2018 started. 863 00:38:07,996 --> 00:38:10,706 I was blown away. 864 00:38:10,707 --> 00:38:12,791 Karen and the kids, 865 00:38:12,792 --> 00:38:14,585 we've been through a lot. 866 00:38:14,586 --> 00:38:17,338 You guys are my rock. 867 00:38:17,464 --> 00:38:20,924 And to my dad, we've had our ups and downs, 868 00:38:20,925 --> 00:38:24,053 but I thank the good Lord that we're on a up. 869 00:38:24,054 --> 00:38:27,307 Thank you for what you've done for me in this business. 870 00:38:27,432 --> 00:38:29,350 Without those valleys, 871 00:38:29,351 --> 00:38:32,187 it's impossible to have the mountaintops. 872 00:38:38,568 --> 00:38:42,363 Jeff Jarrett is at in 2026, 873 00:38:42,364 --> 00:38:46,283 I work for AEW, and AEW is founded 874 00:38:46,284 --> 00:38:50,245 by a guy who at the very end of the day, 875 00:38:50,246 --> 00:38:53,208 we're so aligned in one thing. 876 00:38:53,333 --> 00:38:56,419 And that's the passion of professional wrestling. 877 00:38:56,544 --> 00:38:58,630 Jeff has so much experience in pro wrestling. 878 00:38:58,755 --> 00:39:00,715 He's been involved in thousands of 879 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,384 wrestling live events all over the world. 880 00:39:03,385 --> 00:39:06,012 And so I love having Jeff in the office. 881 00:39:06,137 --> 00:39:08,263 I don't even really know how to put it into words 882 00:39:08,264 --> 00:39:11,392 because when I started at AEW, I was a heel. 883 00:39:11,393 --> 00:39:12,435 Watch out! 884 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:13,937 And then all of a sudden, 885 00:39:14,062 --> 00:39:16,105 I'm asked to be in the 886 00:39:16,106 --> 00:39:20,068 Owen Hart Invitational Tournament. 887 00:39:20,193 --> 00:39:21,735 Producer sat me down. 888 00:39:21,736 --> 00:39:23,821 Much like the camera in front of me now. 889 00:39:23,822 --> 00:39:26,074 They ask, 890 00:39:26,199 --> 00:39:28,618 "Hey Jeff, what does Owen mean to you?" 891 00:39:30,662 --> 00:39:33,540 And to this day, I'm getting emotional. 892 00:39:33,665 --> 00:39:35,332 It's hard for me to imagine. 893 00:39:35,333 --> 00:39:37,961 It's been 25 years... 894 00:39:42,257 --> 00:39:44,049 but there's so many things about Owen 895 00:39:44,050 --> 00:39:46,802 that I remember 896 00:39:46,803 --> 00:39:48,679 like it was yesterday. 897 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:50,724 And there was no wrestling storyline. 898 00:39:50,849 --> 00:39:51,933 There was no angle. 899 00:39:52,058 --> 00:39:53,350 There was none of that. 900 00:39:53,351 --> 00:39:57,479 And that resonated somehow, someway. 901 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:00,024 Enter the tournament and quote-unquote, 902 00:40:00,025 --> 00:40:03,153 I was walking through the curtain as a heel. 903 00:40:03,278 --> 00:40:06,948 But the people that night in Chicago, 904 00:40:07,073 --> 00:40:08,741 I'll never forget that. 905 00:40:08,742 --> 00:40:12,412 They accepted me as a babyface. 906 00:40:12,537 --> 00:40:15,289 There was a massive 907 00:40:15,290 --> 00:40:18,960 full circle moment for myself that... 908 00:40:21,379 --> 00:40:23,840 the kid from Hendersonville... 909 00:40:26,259 --> 00:40:28,594 It was special. 910 00:40:28,595 --> 00:40:31,638 I think Jeff Jarrett is in a great place. 911 00:40:31,639 --> 00:40:33,933 He's sober. He's healthy. 912 00:40:34,059 --> 00:40:36,477 He's happy. He looks great. 913 00:40:36,478 --> 00:40:39,605 For all the hard hitting action and wrestling 914 00:40:39,606 --> 00:40:41,523 he's been through and the great matches, 915 00:40:41,524 --> 00:40:44,444 Jeff still moves around like a young, young man, 916 00:40:44,569 --> 00:40:47,155 whether it's competing in the ring or helping 917 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:49,032 train the young wrestlers where Jeff has 918 00:40:49,157 --> 00:40:50,784 great ideas and great insights. 919 00:40:50,909 --> 00:40:53,453 I think Jeff's greatest joy is 920 00:40:53,578 --> 00:40:55,204 working with younger talent. 921 00:40:55,205 --> 00:40:57,206 He loves teaching. 922 00:40:57,207 --> 00:40:59,500 He loves watching 923 00:40:59,501 --> 00:41:02,753 people grow, become stars. 924 00:41:02,754 --> 00:41:04,630 There's a certain gratification in 925 00:41:04,631 --> 00:41:08,343 contributing to the making of a talent. 926 00:41:08,468 --> 00:41:12,346 I'm more excited and engaged and passionate 927 00:41:12,347 --> 00:41:14,556 about professional wrestling today 928 00:41:14,557 --> 00:41:16,101 than I ever have been. 929 00:41:16,226 --> 00:41:17,935 Jeff will never retire. 930 00:41:17,936 --> 00:41:20,771 He will be 90 years old and somehow 931 00:41:20,772 --> 00:41:22,773 still contributing to this business. 932 00:41:22,774 --> 00:41:24,775 I'm very grateful for Jeff Jarrett 933 00:41:24,776 --> 00:41:26,193 taking the chance, rolling the dice, 934 00:41:26,194 --> 00:41:30,156 starting TNA himself and making that into a place. 935 00:41:30,281 --> 00:41:32,200 Like, it's- He's changed the business. 936 00:41:32,325 --> 00:41:33,743 I mean, there's no doubt about it. 937 00:41:33,868 --> 00:41:36,745 And he has been heavily influential in the business. 938 00:41:36,746 --> 00:41:39,790 And I think he will be for a long time to come. 939 00:41:39,791 --> 00:41:41,875 Between Jeff's understanding 940 00:41:41,876 --> 00:41:45,254 of the business, Jeff's eye for talent, 941 00:41:45,255 --> 00:41:47,340 Jeff's dedication, 942 00:41:47,465 --> 00:41:50,592 Jeff's commitment, Jeff's hard work- 943 00:41:50,593 --> 00:41:53,429 If Jeff would have never 944 00:41:53,430 --> 00:41:56,849 lost control of that company, 945 00:41:56,850 --> 00:42:00,686 God knows where TNA would be right now. 946 00:42:00,687 --> 00:42:04,106 I mean that from the bottom of my heart. 947 00:42:04,107 --> 00:42:05,733 Nashville, Tennessee has been the 948 00:42:05,734 --> 00:42:09,069 home of TNA Wrestling for more than two decades. 949 00:42:09,070 --> 00:42:11,321 It should have died a thousand deaths already. 950 00:42:11,322 --> 00:42:13,407 But it's, yeah, it's still kicking. 951 00:42:13,408 --> 00:42:15,869 To be a pro wrestler in TNA 952 00:42:15,994 --> 00:42:18,371 here in 2026 and the last couple of years 953 00:42:18,496 --> 00:42:22,624 has been so great for my brother and I. 954 00:42:22,625 --> 00:42:25,587 Whoever said that they wouldn't last, I mean, 955 00:42:25,712 --> 00:42:27,630 they are proven wrong. 956 00:42:27,756 --> 00:42:29,715 I hope the fact that TNA is still 957 00:42:29,716 --> 00:42:33,844 alive and kicking makes Jeff feel proud. 958 00:42:33,845 --> 00:42:36,723 The entity that's called TNA today, 959 00:42:36,848 --> 00:42:39,059 although it is a completely different company, 960 00:42:39,184 --> 00:42:42,311 wouldn't exist had it not been 961 00:42:42,312 --> 00:42:44,022 for Jeff and Jerry Jarrett. 962 00:42:44,147 --> 00:42:46,441 TNA is absolutely thriving today with 963 00:42:46,566 --> 00:42:49,318 everything it's gone through. 964 00:42:49,319 --> 00:42:51,488 It feels like TNA is just a microcosm of 965 00:42:51,613 --> 00:42:54,115 Jeff Jarrett's life... 966 00:42:54,240 --> 00:42:56,159 still standing somehow. 967 00:42:56,284 --> 00:42:58,453 The story of TNA is the story of Jeff Jarrett 968 00:42:58,578 --> 00:43:01,289 because TNA is Jeff Jarrett. 969 00:43:01,414 --> 00:43:03,500 If Jeff Jarrett would have disappeared 970 00:43:03,625 --> 00:43:05,834 when Jill got sick and passed, 971 00:43:05,835 --> 00:43:07,337 if Jeff Jarrett would have disappeared 972 00:43:07,462 --> 00:43:10,589 with all the drama with him and Karen, 973 00:43:10,590 --> 00:43:15,095 if Jeff would have disappeared in 2017 and 974 00:43:15,220 --> 00:43:18,389 wouldn't have kept just fighting and coming back and 975 00:43:18,390 --> 00:43:22,226 believing when there's no rational reason to believe, 976 00:43:22,227 --> 00:43:25,146 then we don't have one of the greatest success stories 977 00:43:25,271 --> 00:43:27,565 that's ever transpired. 978 00:43:27,691 --> 00:43:29,275 It's not how many times you get knocked down 979 00:43:29,401 --> 00:43:31,235 it's how many times you can back up. 980 00:43:31,236 --> 00:43:34,531 And a lot of people get knocked down in life. 981 00:43:34,656 --> 00:43:36,365 Everybody has setbacks, 982 00:43:36,366 --> 00:43:38,952 but every time he's gotten knocked down, 983 00:43:39,077 --> 00:43:41,955 he's gotten back up and coming back stronger, so... 984 00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:44,665 Some people called me stupid, naive, 985 00:43:44,666 --> 00:43:47,127 an idiot, but I bet on myself. 986 00:43:48,795 --> 00:43:51,505 And that is something that 987 00:43:51,506 --> 00:43:53,842 I can look my children in their eyes: 988 00:43:53,967 --> 00:43:57,387 Get up to bat, get in the game. 989 00:43:57,512 --> 00:43:59,639 It makes life so rewarding.