Jeff Jarrett Recalls Pitching Bound For Glory As TNA’s WrestleMania

On the latest episode of My World With Jeff Jarrett, the WWE Hall of Famer talked about the origin of TNA Wrestling’s Bound for Glory. It’s the company’s most important show of the year. Jarrett detailed the philosophy behind establishing the show as TNA’s flagship event, similar to how other companies viewed their biggest annual shows. You can check out some highlights below:

On coming up with the name:

“The guitar shot on Hogan, that was a kind of a potential setup for a Bound for Glory. But that was the name that we came up with internally. I came up with it. I hate to say it that way, but I’m like, ‘Hey, that needs to be our biggest show of the year.’ Counter-programming like we talked about last week, opposite of Mania as far as seasonal goes. But yes, it was going to be our Super Bowl, if you will.”

On who came up with TNA FanFest:

“The talent. And you know, things from time to time through the years change. I know at WWF, sometimes those early access days, a lot crammed in. But I’ll say this: the TNA talent for the most part, maybe they gave me the answer they thought I wanted it here. But guys dug in. And you know, it being a quote-unquote ‘park attraction?’ It was a way to put revenue toward the bottom line that we couldn’t on TV tapings for ticket sales.

“Because at this time — now things have changed. At this time, it was against Universal Studios’ mandates; they would not let you monetize tickets. They always looked at this as a park attraction, and you had to have about — I think they wanted at least 25% of our audience to be people strictly came through the park. They couldn’t stand in the other line, if you will… And look, if somebody’s going to pay for a– as you know, Conrad. If you’re going to pay for a VIP Meet and Greet or Fan Fest, you’re going to be loud and rowdy. And at these pay-per-views, when we could do that? Some of the best crowds in there. And it really adds to the show.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit My World With Jeff Jarrett with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.