Source: Phil Strum of the Poughkeepsie Journal

The follow excerpts are from an interview that TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett had with the Poughkeepsie Journal. The URL of the full interview may be found at the bottom of this post.

Phil Strum: How excited is everyone in TNA with the rating from Monday night and everything that went on?

Jeff Jarrett: Big. It was a big, big night for us. Here we are seven-and-a-half years after the company got started and in one night, we’re live against WWE. You got (Hulk) Hogan. You got (Ric) Flair. (Jeff) Hardy. Just an awesome night.

PS: What was it like to actually just be there?

JJ: Electric. There’s nothing like live television, without a doubt. We had Spike (TV) executives there. We had the video game industry there. A bunch of licensees from a business perspective. Those guys were as excited as the fans sitting on the front row. Nothing translates like that kind of live electric energy. We had, I don’t know, a couple of thousand turned away. It was a big night.

PS: Have you guys been looking to move the Impact, at least a little but out of the Universal area? I know, even just here in Poughkeepsie, this arena has done WWE TV shows and ECW TV shows.

JJ: Right now, our business model is set up to stay in the Impact Zone. People were talking on Monday about David vs. Goliath. That’s true in every facet. We are a business. We are in the business of making money. We have to make it cost-effective if we’re going to take this show on the road. It’s very, very expensive. WWE is a publicly-traded company and a huge organization. At the end of the day, we’re still only seven-and-a-half years old and to take the show on the road — would we like to someday? Certainly. It’s not in the works right now because the Impact Zone has some tremendous advantages from a business perspective. As well as, it’s got a real intimate atmosphere. We were just talking about what was the feeling like there on Monday night? It translated on television just incredible.

PS: What’s your relationship with Hulk? Had you ever worked with him before. Did he work for your dad (former promoter and co-founder of TNA, Jerry Jarrett)?

JJ: He worked for my father. I remember watching that video, over and over and over, at my dad’s studio that he had in his house. He came through there, ’81 he had a big feud against Jerry Lawler and he actually went from my dad’s organization to Verne Gagne’s organization (AWA) and then he had Japan, the Thunderlips role (in Rocky III), then he went to Vince, Sr., then back to Japan. Before Hulkamania was born, he worked for my father’s promotion. It goes way, way way back.

PS: First time you’ve seen him in a while on Monday. A lot of change going on in TNA.

JJ: The Hogan relationship’s been brewing off and on for years. What I said Monday night was true. I went to Japan and cracked him with a guitar six years ago, five years ago. There’s been an on-again, off-again, relationship between Jeff Jarrett and the Hulkster for quite some time. The Bash at the Beach incident. Our paths have crossed many, many times.

The full interview may be found here:

http://pojoslam.blogspot.com/2010/01/under-ring-interview-with-tna-founder.html

TNAStars.com Contests & Promotions: Check out what we’re giving away! ›››