On a recent episode of his “My World” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett discussed whether people developed negative feelings towards Jeremy Borash in TNA, as well as Erik Watts’ development up until the year 2003.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On If There were negative feelings towards Jeremy Borash’s rise in wrestling: “You know, JB was my riding partner in the summer of no worries and when we kicked that off. I still get those tweets and stuff like that [about negativity toward him]. That was the summer before when WCW closed in 2001, and then that entire summer, and then the WCW contract ran out and then we launched the following year. But it would amaze me, and this went on for years, that the different passive aggressive comments. Some of them would be knocks, the kind of run and knock that people, ‘Hey man, gosh Jeff I just can’t deal with, I don’t want to say it, but Jeremy…’ and then either unorganized, or not hitting due dates or this or that and all this kind of stuff. I’m like, ‘Now wait a minute, let’s talk this through.’
“But, I learned through the years that the people that would come up to me and start knocking folks within the company those were the ones working the hardest. Were they batting a thousand and making every decision right? No. But, were they taking initiative, taking action, pulling their weight and others? Absolutely. I just saw it time, and time, and time again and the folks that would come up and complain things got clearer and clearer. That this guy is insecure, he’s inadequate, he’s insecure, he’s unsure of himself. His skillset isn’t what he thinks it should be, so I’m going to tear down this guy to build me up all that stuff you hear, but it happened often with JB. But, I also know that people would understand and begin to realize and compliment ‘Oh wow, that was JB? I didn’t realize that’s what he did.’ JB OG in TNA for sure.”
On Erik Watts being a different worker than ten years earlier: “Completely different. He was comfortable in his skin. Comfortable in the promos. The asylum crowd he pushed their buttons in the right way. He got over. I know that the narrative that most people got back and that’s where our man Jerry Jarrett ‘Jeff, you’re not ready to go to WCW.’ First impression, lasting impression is so important. Be ready when you hit that national stage. Eric came right in, in WCW doing the angle with Arn and I remember sitting home watching that and like wow man he’s on the scene, but Eric Watts in these days in TNA was, at the end of the day, highly entertaining. He could talk, but I wish Eric would have had this skillset when he, well he did anyway.”
