Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Jeff Jarrett on Vince McMahon, Kurt Angle, Chyna, TNA, Owen Hart, Hall of Fame

Episode Date: April 29, 2021

Jeff Jarrett is a professional wrestler inducted into both the WWE and TNA Hall of Fame. He is also a businessman and wrestling promoter. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about his new podcast called "My World with Jeff Jarrett" that he is co-hosting with Conrad Thompson, his legendary 35-year career in the wrestling business, some of the controversial storylines he was involved in with Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan and Chyna, his favorite memories of Owen Hart, why he started TNA Wrestling, bringing in the 6-sided ring, how he came up with the phrase "Slap Nuts" and much more! If you enjoyed this episode, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast/iTunes? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests. For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to https://chrisvanvliet.com Follow CVV on social media: Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This podcast episode is brought to you by Coors Light. These days, everything is go, go, go. It's nonstop hustle all the time. Work, friends, family. Expect you to be on 24-7? Well, sometimes you just need to reach for a Coors Light because it's made to chill. Coors Light is cold-loggered, cold filtered, and cold packaged. It's as crisp and refreshing as the Colorado Rockies.

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This is episode number 200. And I know a lot of you have been on this ride with me since episode number one. So thank you for being with you. with us in a proverbial sea of podcasts out there. I appreciate you coming back each and every episode. And speaking of a sea of podcasts, we're going to have another one out there soon. Jeff Jarrett is the latest to join the ad-freeshows.com team. He has a new podcast with Conrad Thompson called My World with Jeff Jarrett,

debuting on Tuesday, May 4th. We talk a lot about that. I mean, we just dive into so many different things during this conversation. and I can't wait to see Jeff spend a few hours on each one of these topics on his new podcast. He's just such a fascinating guy who's spent 35 years in the business. I mean, this man has done and seen it all. Snap a screenshot. Let us know that you're with us on this one.

Tag and follow me. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. Jeff is at Real Jeff Jarrett. And speaking of following, if you're new here and you haven't subscribed or followed yet, Take a second right now to do that wherever you're listening, so you don't miss out on any more awesomeness like this. What a week we'd had, by the way. The Goat, Jim Johnston, on Tuesday,

J-E-E-D-F, J-A-W-R-E-T-T today? Woo. T-JF 923. Left this review on Apple Podcast that says, My Favorite Wrestling Podcast. I started watching CVV in late 2019 when he was interviewing guys, like Enzo, Santino, and Austin Aries, and I was instantly hooked to him.

There's just something about him that makes me want to see insert wrestler here get interviewed by him over a Steve Austin or even a Jericho. Hope he keeps being great and stays grateful. Well, my goodness, those are some very kind words, TJF923. I certainly appreciate that.

And don't worry, I will never stop being grateful, which means that I will never stop being great. because if you're grateful, if you're grateful, you will live a great life. That's how it works. Be great, be grateful.

My guest today is a WWE Hall of Famer, a TNA Hall of Famer, and just an all-around great guy to talk to. Please welcome. Double J. Jeff, Jared. Yes, we have met, but it was a long time ago.

Got it. So congratulations. Welcome to the show, by the way. Thanks, Chris. Appreciate you. We were, were just catching up before we hit uh i got going here we have met that's i i know all kidding aside you do great work man um not your ordinary average interviewer so uh and i hope i'm not your ordinary

average interviewee absolutely not i appreciate your time today congratulations you're you're gonna start being on this side of the microphone you're you're a podcast or do you ever think you would have a podcast no it goes without saying and it's well documented uh especially Conrad knows this. Chris, from a business perspective, yes, you can learn from the past, and you must learn from the past. But I've always been thinking forward,

raised in the business, no matter how good or bad your last match or storyline or whatever it is. Deal, it's in the past. Move on. You've got to be better next week and next week and next week. So I've never really looked in the review mirror. And then certainly growing up in this business,

being in locker rooms and car rides. Look, I've told a lot of stories, and I said, I'm not interested in really telling these stories again. But with the world we live in and on-demand entertainment and the business model that goes around it now is fascinating to me. And I'm excited because, you know, Conrad has a unique way about him that dives into the story. And that's something that highly interests me. there's in our industry as you're well aware.

Lots of narrative that swirls around different things. And look, I was a wrestling fan. I've said it many, many times. I was a wrestling, long before I was a wrestler, a promoter, a referee, any of that. And so I love the industry in that aspect. Whether they love you or hate you, just keep talking. And that's so true.

That is so true. So I'm excited about launching my world. and everything we've got going on around. You know, you touched on a bit there, but you've done everything in the wrestling world, and you've worked pretty much everywhere. And I'm very curious to know, Jeff. What's the thing that you're most proud of in your career?

Perseverance. Maybe the perseverance, because this is not an easy industry at all. I'm one of five kids. I'm the only one who got into the industry. My grandmother, her husband, my grandfather, went off to war, and he made it back to the States, but he didn't come home. So she was a single mom of two and went to get a second job because she had to raise two kids. And her worth ethic was passed on to my father and passed on to me. And she started out selling wrestling tickets and worked her way up in the 50s and 60s to what we would call a CFO.

And so, and then my father got into this business as a high school kid promoted. And then he married and had two kids. And then got out of the business and then got back in just for his love of it. And then again, I'm one of five. And getting into this industry, many folks have said early in my career, your father being the promoter is either the greatest thing for you or the worst. And matter of fact, I agree on both. It is a blessing and a curse.

but I've always loved it, got a passion for it. I was always fascinated as a young kid, not only an entering product, but the marketing, promotion, and concession stands and everything that goes around it. But I guess when I look back, I just celebrated 35 years when I look back, whether it was the USW Day, USWA days,

WCCW, WWF, WCW, TNA, Global Force, Hall of Fame, All of that, when I look back on it now, a podcast, as you say, the perseverance and the drive is something that it's up to me to get up every day and put on my workboots and go to work. And it's something that I take a lot of pride. Do you think people know you more now for your in ring work or everything you've done behind the scenes? I'd have to ask you that. Because, you know, and it's funny, like, just to, I don't. want to do a sidebar here, but you know, I've got five kids. And my, at the time she was in eighth grade, she came home and on Instagram stories or

something, the Beetlejuice guitar shot, which happened before she was born. Yeah. But it was funny, that was sort of the entry point to, oh, that's Jaron's dad. And she's like, what? And, you know, her point of reference was really TNA days. She had no concept of slap nuts, so to speak. So I don't know. I'd have to ask you what people,

but I think a longtime Russ and fan sort of knows the different generations, iterations. I don't know. That's a good question, though. I love that you brought up slap nuts because I would call people that in high school all the time. I want to know what the genesis for calling someone slap nuts is. Well, a funny story here.

So me and Conrad, obviously, it's a business. you know as well as I do. The podcast is a business. So we had to come up with, we had to name what our JV is, what our LLC is, and it's slap nuts LLC, which is funny.

But no, my grandmother used to call folks slapies, and that is people who slap their gums. They know more and more about less and less every day. Right. So just, you know, during that time and the slap nuts just rolled off

and Mean Gene and Mike Teney and good standards and practices of Turner. I've told this story before. When they called me in at a nitro, when slap nuts was really just first taken off, they were like, we need to ask you a question. And they were dead serious. Like, what does slap nuts mean? We have looked in the urban dictionary and we cannot find it. I'm like, wow, this business has come a long way. I'm being questioned about where slap nuts came from. I also love that you brought up the guitar shot because I've always wondered my entire life, what do you do when you give someone a guitar shot to make sure that they don't get injured? Swing it as hard as I possibly can. And that's the truth. Bat speed, club speed. No, you absolutely have, you got to swing it as hard as you possibly can. And that is something that, you know, this business is so transparent now, you know, same somewhat with with a chance.

air shot to the back. Swing it. When you stutter start, your edges can get in and look, I don't buy it a thousand, but not bad. But the accidents do happen. As Kurt, there was a time where it's like I busted him open two or three times in a row. It happens. But yeah. Which part of the guitar is gimmicked so it doesn't hurt somebody? It's gimmick. Chris, what are you talking about? Do you think I would swing a gimmick? What kind of interviewer are you on? I tell you what, the best guitars are the ones, I don't know I say this. Look, there was a time in WCW that they ordered truly L.A. based, movie set-based, prop guitars.

That if there was a real good gust of wind down in Florida, you may have to be careful on that. but the best ones are truly the, I'll say, a store-bought guitar with a couple of magic tricks that I used to say, magic tricks done to them. Those are the best. Oh, very interesting. What are three things that you wish you knew before you started TNA? Chris, this is what I love your, you should have gave me a cheat sheet so I could give you good answers and think through this. And we're not wasting time for me to think through this.

But three things I wish I knew. Yeah. Well, I mean, it goes without saying. I wish I knew about Jay Hosman. And, you know, I could get into individuals. One thing, as I'll say that maybe I can give you an answer or worth sharing. Sure. But from a business perspective, you know, when I started, I was 35.

years old. That's a young businessman for a startup company. And that the one show a week oh, it's just one event, a week, two hours. It is consuming.

And you know, in 2002 we didn't have near the tools and the capabilities of organization on, you know, we're here on a video call. There's a lot that goes back, you know, phone calls.

calls, I used to say phone calls don't accomplish what a face-to-face meeting will do. And I think FaceTime has somewhat advanced that. I don't think it completely replaces it, but the video component of body language. You know, they say, what is it, 72, 75% of all communication is nonverbal. Yeah. I'm a big believer in that, a huge believer in that. So time management is something in the early days of TNA. Look, I'm in my 50s now, 53. at 35, my time management wasn't anything like it is today. It's progressively gone. But your question was, what are three things?

Time management would be one. Two, delegation on that. And then probably right up there at the top would be something that really I was born and bred on in Memphis. Every Saturday morning you do a TV show. If it's great, great. If it's horrible, it's horrible. Guess what? Less than seven days you get to get up to the bat again.

And not hanging every decision and everything and thinking it's irreversible, irreplaceable, getting really hung up on single decisions at the startup. But who knows? Look how it turned out. You know, the company's still around. But we were super successful for a lot of years. What were the goals when you started TNA at that time? And we're going to get into.

this on my world. Me and Conrad have had some different discussions over over the years, you know, obviously the WWF times and China and the IC runs and the WC, you know, they're all the obvious. But the startup years of T&A, I went on a tour or a couple of tours in Australia and the United Kingdom and saw the abundant amount of talent, obviously, is to run a promotion. But again, I'm a third generation. So the single goal was to have a, you cannot have a number one without a number two. It's just wrestling.

And with WCW going away, not just kind of away, I mean, game set match. The folks, it's well documented. It was old. It wasn't,

hey, is it hanging around? No, there was no national promotion. I knew there was a huge point in the marketplace. And so the simple goal is, is to be a fantastic, distant, distant number two,

which you can be super successful. Avis, we try harder. They made millions upon millions of being number two behind Hertz. That's a real simple story. You know, McDonald's came on the scene. Guess what? Burger King came on the scene.

And they were successful. Oh, no, don't start Wendy's. Oh, guess what? It shot to the top. I mean, it breathes success. It's the industry. I was such a huge TNA fan, especially like,

Oh, stop. Oh, 500. Oh, massive. I bought, it was a huge AJ Styles fan. My favorite in-ring wrestling match of all time is still AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels in that triple three. Cool. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm very, I'm a magical time. Where are you from, Chris? Originally from Toronto. Okay. All right. That's cool. I always like when the original T&A fan base, if you're like, if it's 2002, 2003, 2004,

It's pretty cool to hear the stories and folks in the UK. Anyway, I'm getting down a rabbit hole. But no, I appreciate it. But yeah. But I always wondered how the evolution went from the four-sided ring to the sixth-sided back to the four-sided. Was that your decision? It certainly wasn't my decision to go back at all.

And we're going to get into this on my world and Conrad again. It's another one of those stories. He asked me almost the same question. He's like, what's about? and I'm sitting in my home office and there's a picture of the six-sided ring. And, you know, it's no secret. I've traveled to Mexico, Pena, Antonio, a good friend of mine, a big part of the early days. He sent luchadors up here, which heavily influence the ex-division and everything that goes with it.

But I really love the six-sided ring because when you look at it, the world knew, that's not WW. That's not WW. Oh, what is that? And you got to remember, those were the early year. in a lot of ways of UFC. That, you know, the octagon, it was getting hot, and just all those, that whole vibe around it. And then the thing that was the game changer,

and we're going to get really deep into the numbers on it, was the action figure. Us getting shelf space in Walmarts, and back in those days, God rest of his old, toys are us, but it immediately gave us a six-sided ring oh, WW doesn't offer that. We're taking it.

So that just opens up a huge business opportunity. And I just thought it had a different vibe and set us apart. Now, did it sell tickets or get ratings? No, but it did set us apart from a business perspective. So how hard did you push against having the foresighted of rent come back? My vote at that point was zero. Minority owner, but I had zero voted. So you had no say?

Zero. What do you think is the one match or storyline that a lot of fans or most fans will kind of direct your way in terms of questions? Oh, wow. In my whole 35-year career? I guess it depends on how old the fans are, right? That's what I'm saying is that there's different areas. And I've always said that, you know, my early days in Memphis and I had some really, you know, working with Lawler, who was my childhood idol. I think his in-ring career, again, if you're a long-time fan, you know how good Lawler is.

He'll have a baby face. I mean, he's, in my opinion, right up there at the top. As far as a true territorial star, Memphis and the amount of tickets he sold. But anyway, those, and then, you know, I had a series of matches against the Moondogs. We didn't call it hardcore, but he was hardcore before hardcore was. Trash cans and boards and chairs. And then the IC runs and Sean Michaels and that. and then WCW and the chaos and the world championships,

but different opponents and Sid, and, you know, I could go on and on. Then the T&A days, me and Sting, that whole storyline with my wife being ill and Sting's a guy that really sunk his teeth into our organization. And to this day, it goes without saying it in a lot of ways. He was a game changer. He really solidified and got some momentum.

and, you know, Christian Cage and Kurt Angle and Team 3D in the list of talent that were rolling along. So, and then in 2010, my series of matches against Kurt, at that stage of my career with my business hat on as much or more than my in-ring hat, we had about a year storyline that I'll put those matches up against any in my career. And Kurt's timing, I knew he was good.

Matter of fact, I knew he was great when I hired him. but his in-ring skill set is just unbelievable. His timing and his ear, you don't really see that from, you know, former football players or basketball players or amateur wrestlers. Kurt's in-ring skill set is just incredible. So I don't know, Chris, you tell me. I mean, your work with Kurt Angle was great, and you speak so fondly of him, but obviously, you know, you had the other personal storyline with Kurt Angle.

How is your personal relationship with Kurt now? Look, and look, at my world, that's family. It's personal, but it goes without saying in 2010, I spent more time in the ring with him. He has spent Halloween's here at my house. Look, you know, he has five kids. It's hard to imagine. But I've got three biological.

He has five. biological, but Kieran Cody are with me and Karen. But it's family. Obviously, we all have our ups and downs and downs, but heck, I have that with my buddy at the gym who is always late and aggravates the hell out of me. So it is what it is. Did you think that would get turned into a wrestling storyline? No. No, the short answer is no. But it did and it transpired. And look, That was a unique time behind the scenes. And I'm not talking about the personal side, the business side. If you look at 2010, 2011, you know, in that influence.

And again, you've got your Conrad hat on. He can't wait to dig in that, you know, the story. The stories that go along with all of it, it's going to be compelling. Are you worried at all to, like, go down memory lane with, Conrad, is there anything that's maybe off limits with Conrad? You know, when you say off limits, look, I'm here to tell my story. I've had as many mess-ups, screw-ups. Look, at this stage of life, you know, I wasn't ready to do this at 43 or whatever, 48.

At this stage of my life, if there's one thing that somebody here, and says, that was a interesting story, but I'm going to take it and learn from it. Or, I've, you know, again, at this stage of my career, whether I can pass on a little of experience that I've had in the rain so a wrestler can hear it, or if it's a business tip, and I'll tell you all the different ways I screwed up, I can tell you how not to do things. That may be pretty cool. But at the end of the day, in the 2021 and beyond, we're in this. The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. soccer podcast. My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Clemenberg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the World Cup.

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Follow and listen on your favorite platform. On-demand era of entertainment. And if I can entertain or be a part of entertainment, I'm happy to do that as well, because that's sort of the business I've grown up in is we are in the world of sports entertainment slash professional wrestling. And a part of professional wrestling today,

obviously it didn't exist 20 or 30. 30 years ago when I broke in. But today, the art of podcasting or the genre of podcasting, that's as much or more part of sports entertainment as a headlock and a, you know, tackle drop down, get it again. It truly is a part of this industry. This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Is there something interfering with your happiness or is preventing you from achieving

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your first month. Just go to BetterHelp.com slash Insight. That's BetterHelpHELP.com slash insight. I'm sure it will be an episode or multiple episodes, but your match with China. I remember watching this as a fan. And from the outside looking at it, I went, that's a great match. And then I learned about everything that was going on behind the scenes. And I've always wondered, how did Vince know that you were going to go to the ring and actually put China over in that match? Restate your question, because I want to make sure that.

know that, you know, your contract was up and you had this match, you had the Intercontinental Championship at the time, and you had this match with China and you were going to put her over. How did Vince know that you were going to actually go to the ring and put her over? Well, for one, he'd already paid, and I cannot wait to dig into this in my love. It's going to be a hell of an episode, all the ends and outs and the buildup and do that. But it's like any promoter. He had to have a little faith in it, first and foremost. And at the end of the day, he's been around a lot longer than I have.

So what if it didn't go down? You've always got to Mars Raw to rewrite it. So it's sometimes as an industry when we get so caught up. How does he know? How do we know he's going to do it? Well, I'm banking on the odds and the probabilities that he is. I just paid his money. He's out of my head set.

And to tell you the truth, we weren't the main event, A, B. And here's something that we're going to die. into on my world, the following day is when he took his company public. So you can talk about WrestleMania's, one, two, three, four, all the way up to 10, 12, now 37, 38. But you can talk about WrestleMania's. You can talk about WrestleMania's. You can talk about his Fox billion dollar deal and USA Network and all, you can talk about all that.

It all, it doesn't hold a candle to the day he went public. As a businessman, he built a. third generation business, and he got it to the point in 1999, and he had spent prior, I don't know, 16 weeks flying around the world talking to investment bankers to say, I'm taking this company public, a professional wrestling organization. Chris, and that's what I don't think. As a businessman, look, I respect Vince for so many different things. He took, you can call it the wrestling or whatever, but literally in North America, prior to cable television, there were 22 regional promotions. He took his company and WCW with all that story that went along with it,

Ted Turner and billionaire Ted and all that. He took his company and went public. That, you can roll all the WrestleMania's in one. Nothing compares to that day. And it was the day after this. There's a clip on YouTube where you're speaking with Karen about being inducted into the Hall of Fame and you're talking about who you're excited to see backstage. And you start talking about Vince and you get super choked up so much that you have to go off camera to like wipe your tears away why does Vince mean so much to you you're going to get me you know look I'll never sit in issues I mean you know I'm not given the comparison but I'm saying his father was a promoter and you know had the ends and outs and his mom and all that his grandfather so so growing up in

this business being a part of it the fiber and and all of that. And knowing everything on his plate. I mean, you take it all in. Fonx, NBCU, running this, running that. Somebody says this on the internet. Oh, my gosh, the warehouse lease is coming up. I mean, you name it.

He runs a billion-dollar organization. And he didn't have to make the decision to put me in the Hall of Fame. It's that simple. Very humbled by that. I mean, you know, yes, it's a TV show. that's what we are as entertainment and just all the decisions, the good, the bad, and the ugly and all that.

But, and again, some people don't know, that video that you're reflecting on was like at 610, 6.20 in the morning. The crew showed up, and they hit me with that. And I wasn't prepared for it. Not that if I would have, I wasn't prepared for you asking me for it. But, you know, I've got so much respect

for Vince that I was incredibly humbled and, you know, the crew showing up and pulling in and them coming in and we're shooting at. It was, and everything that I'd been through leading up to that point, it was incredibly humbling moment. Did you ever think you'd be able to bury the hatchet with Vince? See, and that is something that when I told Conrad this, I said, look, when we're going to get into it in one of the first couple episodes, look, Vince didn't have to pay me the night of the China match. He's the promoter.

He's the boss. I didn't, you know, Jeff Held-Vinsa. Really? What? Was it 38 or a 45? I mean, come on. I mean, that's so preposterous.

But he gave me the check. I went, did my, you know, I try to give my effort as much as humanly is in me each evening. And I did it that night as well.

And the storyline that had been built was was marvelous. But getting that opportunity, Vince, we hugged that night when I left. So Barry the hatchet in my mind, I never thought that when my wife got sick, Vince called. In the early days, I had conversation with Vince about T&A. We're businessmen. So the Jeff Vince story. Sorry, Chris, there was nothing really there.

as far as bearing the hatchet. But with that being said, it's a business. So why bring the guy who has been on the other side of the fence for 20 years? Why do it? Yeah. It's fascinating to know, Jeff. And I'm curious, if you were talking with Vince about TNA starting up, was there ever any chance that TNA and WWE could ever collaborate together?

Not in those days. You know, I tabled it. Is there something? Look, we were tiny. You know, I mean, but, but, but, but. hey, is there a way to work together? I mean, it goes without saying. Memphis was a quasi-developmental territory on its dying years of USWA for Vince.

So was there a relationship to be had? Was the only conversations? And candidly, we got going and it's not like he said no, or I came up with an idea that he said no to. Look, Vince has helped, you know, he helped Paul Heyman. He's helped promoters, but Vince knows for the industry to be healthy, everybody needs to be healthy. And so there just wasn't anything that really came up that would crystallize in the same students. Yeah. I mean, your third generation, you've got five kids.

Is there any chance we can see a fourth generation superstar last name, Jerry? I don't know about that. You know, I don't know about that. But who knows? Who knows? All my girls are athletes. and growing up around me and Karen. And it's showmanship, I guess, is in their blood, but we'll see.

I mean, is it something that your dad steered you into or steered you away? Not at all. Again, I can remember my parents are divorced since I was age of three. So up to about 12 years old, I live with my mom, 13 years old. I can remember watching the Andy Kaufman storyline on my couch. just mesmerized by that going to the rest of matches and my dad wrestled

I've told this story Danny Davis and Mary Latham and Wayne Farris the Moondog, honky talk man and nightmare Danny Davis but they were Danny Davis and the blonde bombers. Anyway those stories my dad

getting hit just they wore his butt out with a ride and crap I was I loved wrestling to this day and I've often said I've been blessed, but I'd love to see somebody who's watched more live wrestling, not YouTube, not the network. I'm talking about actually watch live wrestling.

I don't know that anybody, just because I've been around it for 40, 35 years, whatever. So I love it. Again, I love it. I know that you travel a lot with Owen Hart, and I want to know what the one thing that you learned from Owen was during that. time. One thing, and I've said, I've said this, a lot of people say, tell me a funny Owen story, tell me a rip, tell me this, and I've got, and everybody, boat loads up. Yeah.

But, you know, the one thing, Owen, okay, he taught me a lot, a lot, but one thing that I think, a couple of different things, but, you know, integrity is one thing. He had, you know, he didn't drink, didn't smoke. I wish I had to listen to him back then. Jeff, you're going to drink all that beer, and I'm opening my first one. Jeff, you're going to drink all that beer. I'm like, Owen, this is one beer anyway. That was his sense of humor.

But he knew how to take a boring plane ride or a boring bus ride or a car ride, and you talk about making it entertaining. And so that in and of itself, that whether it's a good day or a bad day, we have an individual choice or we're going to enjoy this day or not. And Owen did that day after day after day. You never really saw Owen down or depressed. So when I look back on it, that's one of the things that definitely rubbed off. There is no such thing as a bad day in Owens, you know, on his travel days.

But the integrity side of it and the human fiber of who, how he conducted himself would be another thing, I think would be. because he would stand up for what he believed was right in a very diplomatic kind way, but he stood up for it as well. There's so many stories that you guys are going to get into in my world. I'm so excited to hear. We haven't had enough time here, but I super appreciate you coming on, Jeff. Now, I appreciate you having me on. Yes, I've seen your work.

Hats off to you, my friend. There's a skill set, and I will say this. It's like having my first match or, you know, as a promoter, or, you know, our first Spike show. There's a cool story behind just the first. Oh, then more to two hours. That's cool. Whatever, there's always these first.

I've never been a podcast. I've done, how many of them I've done to these over the years? Loads. But when it's me and Conrad, quote-unquote, stepping onto the stage, there's going to be a first. So I'm excited. There is a newness. There's a freshness to it.

I'm doing the PR tour and chat about it from India to the UK. I'm really excited about all of it, but I do. I appreciate you having me own. It's that simple. No, I appreciate you coming on. It's great to catch up with you again.

And Jeff, I end every interview talking about gratitude, a big gratitude, guys. So. Okay. Why is that? Because if you can be grateful in your life and you not have expectations,

just be grateful for the things that you've got, I think that you live a great life. I got it right here. Be great, be grateful. So I'm curious. What are three things in your life that you're grateful for right now? My creator, God, Jesus Christ, my Savior, and the Holy Spirit who helps me every day. But if you want to get even deeper, I'm really impressed by that.

I guess I haven't stuck around long enough on your work on gratitude, because gratitude is a game changer for me personally. Like, if we wanted to roll another hour, but we came, but I got more abusive. But no, the gratitude muscle, I call it. is truly the game changer because certain sayings that we don't have to do anything, we get to do everything. Those little things that when you wake up, I don't have to do anything today. I'm laying in bed, I can go downstairs and sit on the be a couch potato.

I don't have to eat good food. I get to eat good food. I don't have to exercise. I get to exercise. I don't have to, whatever it is, that fundamental. mind shift, I believe, at times, is the dividing line between happy and not happy. Joy and not joy. Well, we got deep real quick, but I'm really impressed you.

You asked for that because the gratitude mindset, I personally believe, can be a game changer for anyone who takes a second to just think it through. It can fundamentally radically change your life. I couldn't agree. And I think that if you trade your expectations each day for your appreciation of all the things that have happened and all the things that could happen, I think that that's how you live a great life. buddy if if if i were to look back over my 35 years and think about the different things that have happened and at the time oh my gosh that happened that's the worst thing oh my gosh that's a disaster

but in reality problems are only opportunities that are presented to me to change me and i have the choice is it going to change me for the better or for the worst it's it's it's and And the huge mosaic of when we look back over our life, the things that we think are the worst parts, they're really the catalyst for the best parts. The doors opening. It's amazing. That's really cool. Bad dude.

That's such a good way to end this. Ah, Jeff, I've really enjoyed this. I can't wait to dive into my world with Jeff Jarrett. And again, just such a pleasure, such an honor to be able to catch up with you here today. You really, you were a winner in my book. before we started, but ending with gratitude and expectations. And it goes down positive mindset. We have a choice every day.

We can be, we can, it's that simple. We can be positive or negative. I'm choosing to be positive today. And my friend, I appreciate you having me on. I'd love to come back on maybe year one or whatever, the anniversary. And we'll say, hey, let me interview you on one of your episodes. On the Chris Van Bay episode, Jeff Jared Indy's career. Chris.

Done. Let's make it happen. Let's do it. Thank you so much, Jeff. Thanks, Chris. I appreciate your time. You know. Ain't he great?

My World with Jeff Jarrett debuts on May 4th, on ad-free shows.com, or wherever you listen to this podcast right now. They're going to have new episodes every Tuesday, which, hey, that is when new episodes of Insight Drop. What a day. What a day every Tuesday will be. Well, you know, we have new episodes every Tuesday. and Thursday. Sometimes also Wednesday or Friday, depending on how many episodes we have that week.

Snap a screenshot. Let us know what stood out for you the most from this episode. Tag me at Chris Van Fleet. Tag Jeff. He's at Real Jeff Jarrett. You can also check out his website, real Jeff Jarrett.com.

And a huge thank you to him. I mean, he's a busy, busy man. And I'm so grateful for the time we shared here. I feel like we could have talked to like another six hours and still just scratch the surface. here. And you heard the man. You heard the man. We've got round two with Jeff Jarrett around this time next year for the one year anniversary of the podcast. And apparently he wants to interview me. So sign me up. Let's do this.

And I was just, I was so fired up, so inspired by the last five minutes of this conversation talking about gratitude. I mean, how can you be in a bad mood if you're grateful every single day? This quote from Melanie Beattie sums it up so well. gratitude turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Be great. Be grateful. We will see you on the next one for some more insight. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary.

Back in the 80s, there were. a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock. But there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley? How did they go from top of the rock? I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987.

Hammer Alley. Ever heard of then? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Allie. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.