Jimmy Jacobs on the Impact Roster’s Reaction to AXS TV Move, Doing Different Kinds of Specials Going Forward

– Speaking with Jeffrey Harris at the Impact media day for the 411 Wrestling Interviews Podcast, Impact producer and creative team member Jimmy Jacobs discussed the company’s move to AXS TV and more. Jacobs talked about the roster looking forward to the move, which will give them a higher potential audience than their current deal, as well as the possibility of doing new things with access to the AXS TV production facilities.

Highlights from the discussion, and the full podcast, are below:

On if the move to AXS TV is a relief for the roster: “I think, as a company as a whole. Because the big issue over the last year, I don’t it had to do with the quality of the work or anything like that. It’s like, we were putting on a good show, with good stories, and good wrestlers, all that sort of stuff. But nobody’s seeing it. If a tree falls in the forest, man. And so having a platform where more eyeballs can be on our product is what I think everyone is looking for.”

On the possibility of co-promotion continuing on Impact with the move to AXS: “I’m sure they will. I think that if there’s something that the wrestling business as a whole has sort of learned over the last handful of years at least, is that we’re not the enemies with each other. We’re all just people in the same business, doing the same sort of stuff. And if something is mutually beneficial, then yeah, do it.”

On the AXS TV facilities helping out in terms of production and doing new things: “I hope so, man. It’s a matter of, like I said, the final calls are not mine. I would love to do Undead Realm Championship Wrestling, you know. Do it every day, once a week or once a month. We’re doing some fun things, we’re doing a retro show on October 27th, and it’ll be on — I think on our TV or something at some point. But basically an ’80s throwback show, which I think is gonna be super-fun. It was super-fun to start to put together. I think we’re gonna do some different things like that. And we get to do those things, and WWE’s not going to and AEW’s not going to, and Ring of Honor’s not going to. And NXT sure as hell ain’t going to do anything that like, takes a wink at wrestling or goes beyond the squared circle, or beyond, you know, something crazy. Something silly.”

In the full interview, Jacobs talks about Impact heading to AXS TV, possible co-promotional efforts, his frustrations while working in WWE, working with Gabe Sapolsky in ROH, whether rumors about Vince McMahon are true, WWE putting NXT opposite AEW on Wednesday and more.

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0:00 – Introduction
2:53 – On his “Ballad of Lacey” song and storyline in ROH
4:18 – On Seth Rollins coming up with the Age of the Fall name and how the angle was booked
5:35 – On working with Gabe Sapolsky
6:50 – Talk about CM Punk possibly doing WWE Backstage and his relationship with Punk
8:40 – On if he was frustrated while working in WWE
9:30 – On rumors that Vince McMahon tears up scripts for Raw and starts over from scratch
10:26 – On scripted vs. unscripted promos
13:30 – On what happens when he sneezes in front of Vince McMahon
15:03 – On WWE putting NXT opposite AEW on Wednesday
15:46 – On whether WWE was looking for an excuse to fire him and if he was asked to join AEW
20:14 – On Impact moving to AXS TV and possible co-promotional efforts
25:00 – On having to AXS TV’s facilities and plans for future special shows
26:04 – On his creative method on if he likes to think of a goal or endpoint and then work backwards
31:06 – On surviving the wrestling business, not letting it drive him crazy, and what he’s learned since being fired from WWE

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